Back in the eighties, before there were cell phones, there were pagers. The first units just buzzed to let owners know someone wanted them to call home or the office. They notoriously went off in public surroundings like plays and concerts and classrooms.

“People who have a passion for environmental issues sometimes have a hard time finding an outlet for that,” says Sage Burdge, chair of the environmentally-focused Rotary club in District 7450. The Rotary Eco Club of Southeastern PA is giving members and guests opportunities to work towards a greener and healthier planet.

This project constructed a water pump at a local sustainable teaching farm, greatly increasing its production and training capacity. The pump allowed the farm to have year-round access to water, so that it could grow fruits and vegetables to provide to school lunch programs throughout the region.

Rotary of Southeastern PA is very excited to announce that Dr. Mohammed Fakhry has been selected by Rotary International to become a Rotary Peace Fellow!

Anyone who’s attended Rotary events such as Conferences, Women in Rotary Celebration, Million Dollar Journey, Virtual Chocolate and Beer Tasting, Octoberfest, or Night at the Phillies would have seen Stacey Ballard’s hand in the productions. She is everyone’s Go-To-Pro for major events in the Southeastern PA District.

Southeastern PA Foundation Chair and Past District Governor, Peter Mardinly reported that there were 15 applications that were received and funded this past year for 12 local and three international projects, totaling more than $161,000.

Julianna Blazey rushed out to stop a child who had just got off a school bus from walking in front of it to cross the street. It was a danger that had cost children’s lives, and she realized that something had to be done. So, she went home and invented what would be called a School Bus Safety Arm.

Because Rotary International's theme for March is "Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene," we're highlighting the work of a District Rotarian to bring clean water to Senegal. West Chester Rotary's Dwight Leeper and his old friend Sam Lowry, from Alabama, are seeing their Rotary Global Grant through to completion.

Hillard Pouncy is an unusually well-traveled man. He was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, where his father, a former Army Tuskegee Airman, was studying for a career in chemistry. His father’s studies and job opportunities, as well as his own, took him to New York, Indiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts, England, California, the former Soviet Union, Ghana, and, finally, Pennsylvania in 1991.

When Alyssa won first prize in her Ephrata High School science fair, it was an indication of a future in science to come. But, for the time being, she concentrated on field hockey, softball and getting good grades. After graduation, she attended Shippensburg University, majoring in biology. And, for three years, she was an active member of the Shippensburg Rotaract Club.

One of Rotary’s seven areas of focus is disease prevention and treatment. Rotary believes that good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.

Few people can say they have had their dream job. Fewer can say they have had it for forty years and retired early enough to enjoy a fulfilling life with friends, family and Rotary. Joy Charlton is a professor emerita of Swarthmore College, one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, and a member of the Swarthmore Rotary club since 2008. She's taken on uniquely challenging roles within both organizations and succeeded especially well in all.