From supporting medical programs to bringing holiday spirit, the Bayville-Centre Island Rotary Club provides financial aid to local organizations. The club, a chapter of Rotary International, is a volunteer organization that meets monthly, discussing how best to support the community.
During the Christmas season, the rotary club visits the program and has a member dress up as Santa Claus, according to Treasurer Dean Mihaltses, also the club’s former president.
“It’s very heartwarming to see their smiles when they see Santa Claus,” he said.
More recently, the organization hosted a “bike safety day” in May, where participants reviewed the importance of taking precautions while riding their bicycles.
“There’s so much going on with people not wearing helmets [and not abiding by] traffic regulations, especially with eBikes and the speed they can go up to” said Mihaltses.
The club has also participated in initiatives to eradicate polio, donating scholarships to Boy and Girl Scouts and supporting the United Cerebral Palsy network. The cerebral palsy program is a charitable organization that treats individuals with the disease, as well as other mental ailments.
Scholarships are awarded annually to high school seniors exemplifying their cause and range from $1,000 to $2,000 each.
The club meets once a month at Ralph’s Pizza & Restaurant in Bayville. These meetings occur every third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. when President Daniel Sabia, Vice President Jeanne Ellis and other club officers discuss what events they will support, fundraising and finances.
“You get to meet people, share ideas, and break bread together. But we also discuss our philanthropic work, what we’re going to be supporting at that particular month or that particular time in a year,” Mihaltses said.
The club is part of Rotary International, a global organization that focuses on community service, providing humanitarian aid and promoting world peace.
Rotary International was founded in Chicago by Paul Harris in 1905. It now has over 1.2 million members in more than 200 countries and is separated into more than 34,000 different districts. Bayville-Centre Island Rotary Club is located in District 7255. The organization as a whole goes by the motto “Service Above Self” while the current theme for this year is “Unite For Good”.
It has the title “Rotary” due to the fact that meetings when the organization first began moved/rotated from location to location.
The organization also named a new president, Francesco Arezzo from Italy, for 2025-2026 in June after Mário César Martins de Camargo of Brazil resigned on June 8.
“Rotary presidents rise through the ranks and achieve the position because of their dedication and service. And I’m sure this is the same with our new president,” Mihaltses said of the president.
To contact the Bayville-Centre Island Rotary Club, call (516) 660-1248.
