Sixty-five Rotarians attended the Haddonfield Rotary Club yearly dinner on June 24 to install new officers and directors going into the club’s 100-year anniversary in 2027.
Andrew Mastro was sworn in as president, after previously serving as first vice president, and said the club has grown a lot since it was founded almost 100 years ago.
“So standing here tonight, looking out at this room, I’m filled with a deep sense of gratitude,” he said. “When our club was founded back in 1927, Tavistock Country Club was pretty new. Kings Highway looked very different. And a small group of local leaders sat down to ask a simple question: How can we serve our neighbors?”
Mastro said he learned a mindset from the Savannah Bananas baseball team, whose pin he wore at the dinner.
“For a 100-year old institution like ours to thrive, we have to adopt that same mindset,” he explained. “First, we must eliminate friction … We must make it easy to say yes to Rotary. This means continuing to promote our flexible membership tiers, and letting people know they can serve with us when their schedule allows with zero guilt and maximum welcome.”
Mastro also stressed the importance of trying new things and of making the club’s Wednesday lunches the highlight of the week for members.
“Second, we must experiment constantly,” he advised. “Let’s try new meeting formats. Let’s invite dynamic local speakers who represent the changing face of South Jersey businesses. Let’s do more hands-on service projects that actively involve our kids – like my own daughters.”
The Rotary’s other officers are Patrick Linfors, first vice president; Brian Petronchak, second vice president; Marvin Lindsay, secretary; John Burmaster, treasurer; Lori Cooper, sergeant at arms; and Kathryn Zschech, immediate past president.
Among directors, Anthony Bezich performs club service, Petronchak is in charge of meetings, Linfors oversees programs, Virginia DeLong performs local services, Richard Tkachuck takes care of regional services, Deborah Krauss-Kelleher handles international services, Amy James does fundraising and Dylan Kaplan works with the international Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary needs someone to handle membership, since Diana Flanagan, a member for four years, is unable to return to the position.
“I just felt like I wasn’t putting 100% into it, and that’s why,” she acknowledged. “But I do think that for new members, for me, I learned about Rotary. Because on the board, you get to do it all.”
Zschech, who received a diamond-studded pin as a past president, touted the $46,000 in money raised through the Rotary Foundation, $17,000 in grants the club has awarded and scholarships that went to 13 students.
“We also invested in the future,” she emphasized. “And I have to say, this is the part that really gets our hearts. This year, we awarded more than 13 scholarships, each equaling $2,500 to students across the region. These are young people with talent, determination and dreams.
“And because of this club and our foundation, we were able to help them take their next steps forward.”
Zschech also got $500 to donate to a charity of her choosing. She settled on Ghana, a country the club has been supporting for the past few years, including opening a well in one of its villages.
As president, she’s proud of the Rotary’s consistency.
“I’m especially proud that this year wasn’t defined by one big moment,” she observed. “It was defined by consistency, by participation, by people stepping forward again and again and again. To every member of this club, thank you for your ideas, and your follow-through and something interesting each month.”
Mastro ended his speech by reiterating the club’s message for the next year.
“We are not just maintaining a club, we are building a launch pad for the next 100 years of service above self in Haddonfield,” he related. “Let’s change the game, let’s break the rules that hold us back. And together, let’s create lasting impact.”
The new officers and directors of the Haddonfield Rotary Club stand on stage to be installed as the next year’s members.
