In celebration of Veteran’s Day, the Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary chose to mark the occasion by welcoming Lieutenant Colonel Gary Dolan, a heralded U.S. Army Ranger and Vietnam War veteran, to its ranks.
Vice President Dan Aldieri said that his fellow members feel he is “a worthy representative” and that he “posesses qualities that exemplify the true spirit of Rotary in public, business, social and private life.”
Lt. Col. Dolan was inducted into the U.S. Army Rangers Hall of Fame for his heroism, acts of bravery and exemplary military service. His experiences were recounted in his book Of Their Own Accord.
Dolan lives in Farmingdale with his wife and three daughters and is still active in the community as a practicing lawyer and speaker at local Post Traumatic Stress Disorder support meetings.
In addition, the Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary focused its attention towards its most recent charitable endeavor with Adopt-a-Battalion—a nationwide volunteer organization that collects goods and monetary donations to send care packages to active military and disadvantaged war vets and their families.
Guest speaker Jeanine Bertuglia-Wich has been a volunteer of Adopt-A-Battalion for the past six months. On most Saturday mornings, she and a group of her fellow volunteers gather at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Massapequa Park to ship care packages consisting of basic necessities, which are not provided by the government, including toiletries, snacks and magazines.
“We pay for flat-rate boxes at a cost of $16.95 a box and currently ship the boxes to service troops in Afghanistan,” Bertuglia-Wich said.
Around the holidays, postcards are usually sent with a note of thanks to the troops from those back home. For the past couple of years, Adopt-a-Battalion has had a table set-up at the local mall so holiday shoppers could stop, write a note and send well-wishes to the troops.
However, this year, Bertuglia-Wich said, Adopt-a-Battalion received a letter from the mall’s owners that denied the group a table, stating that the mall ownership was not taking outside charities.
“Not only have we lost the thank-you notes, but holiday shoppers always donated a dollar or two at the table and we now have lost at least $2,000-$3,000 in monetary donations we used to off-set shipping costs,” Bertuglia-Wich added.
Despite the rejection letter, rotary members individually collected items for the cause and have donated a box of toothbrushes and toothpaste for the troops. Additionally, this year, students with the Farmingdale High School Interact Club will support Adopt-a-Battalion as part of their community service project.
If you are interested in donating, make check payable to: Adopt-a-Battalion, 9 Clinton St., Farmingdale, NY, 11735, or visit the Adopt-a-Battalion drop-off site at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2 Eastgate Rd. in Massapequa Park, Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. The Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary meets the first Tuesday of every month at the Village Kitchen on Main Street in Farmingdale at 7:45 a.m. All are welcome to attend.
