Events

Come and help assemble meal packs for hundreds of children around our community.

Come and help distribute food to hundreds of children and families in our community from the parking lot of the Spring Creek Church of the Brethren.

Join Harold Nightwine in feeding the families at the Ronald McDonald House. 

Join us to recognize the March Students of the Month from Milton Hershey School, Hershey High Scholol and Middletown High School. Followed by our Rotarian Spotlight, Eileen Voyles. 

We are seeking volunteers to score and rank essays written by 9th grade students from Hershey, Middletown, and Milton Hershey Schools.

Essay reviews are typically completed independently using feedback forms, followed by discussion to determine winners. Essays may be up to 1,500 words in length.

Awards to be presented: 1st Place: $500, 2nd Place: $300 and 3rd Place: $200.  Winners advance to the Rotary District Competition, with the opportunity to earn additional prize money.

The deadline to submit our selected essays to the District is February 16.  We'll do a final review on March 4th to determine winnners.

Hershey Rotary Speech Contest

We are looking for volunteers to score and rank speeches from 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students from Hershey, Middletown, and Milton Hershey Schools. Students will deliver 5–7 minute speeches based on Rotary’s Four-Way Test.

The contest will take place at Milton Hershey School on Saturday, March 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Awards to be presented: 1st Place: $500, 2nd Place: $300 and 3rd Place: $200

Winners advance to the Rotary District Competition, with the opportunity to earn additional prize money.

Hershey High School has been granted the opportunity to host the PA Academic Decathlon State Championship this year, and are recruiting judges for this event.

Top Academic Decathlon teams in PA will meet at Hershey High School on March 13 and 14, and they need judges for our Essay, Speech, and Interview events. We hope you will consider registering to serve as a judge at this long-running wonderful event and opportunity for these students. No prior experience is necessary to serve as a judge.

Essay judges will receive a free lunch as thanks for your help in judging these tournaments, and Speech/Interview judges will have a hot breakfast during orientation. 

If you would like to throw your hat in the ring as a judge this year or to see all the details, check out the registration form HERE.

Please don't hesitate to call State Director Phil Cerami at 610-505-1307 if you have any questions. 

@@@Please note if you sign up through the above link to also let Joe Alfano know if your involvement at joseph.alfano@vistaautismservices.org so that you can receive credit and acknowledgement through Rotary. Thanks!@@@

Dr. Stacy Winslow, Superintent of Derry Township School District

Easter Monday is more than a name

• Christmas is always on December 25, Thanksgiving the 4th Thursday in November, and July 4th is self-explanatory. Easter, however, is calculated quite differently. It comes the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. For this reason, the unofficial holiday can come as early as the third Sunday in March and as late as the fourth Sunday in April. The day after is known as Easter Monday and it is much more than an acknowledgment of the day that proceeds it.
• Perhaps you have wondered about the significance of this date and how or why it came to be. There was a time in America when this date was observed nationally although Easter is not a national federal holiday. Americans who did not believe in what the day represented, respected those who did. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, do celebrate the day as a legal holiday as part of their cultural tradition.

Easter Monday long past

• Some American businesses were closed on the Monday following Easter Sunday years ago and children were off from school for Good Friday and Easter Monday prior to having an entire week as a break. Some people of faith scheduled paid time off from their jobs on Easter Monday and churches, as well as individuals, hosted egg hunts because the children were out of school.
• Today students have an entire week of spring break which does not always coincide with the Sunday designated to observe the Christian celebration of Christ's resurrection. It can be the weeks prior to or the one that follows what has become known as Holy week. American schools once allowed students to decorate with Easter decorations and have holiday programs but educators today no longer can mention Easter or Christmas. This is because the separation of church and state is being emphasized more in modern society

Easter Monday Celebrations in different cultures

• Easter Monday in some cultures is called Renewal Monday, or Bright Monday, which is a time to reflect on the meaning of the season. In Catholicism, the day is known as the Monday of the angel. The day after Easter/Resurrection Sunday for some is the official ending of all that leads up to the date before the work week resumes.
• Easter Monday for many is the culmination of all that has taken place beginning with Madi Gras, which includes Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and all Holy week observances. Although America does not officially recognize Easter Monday it is a public holiday in many other countries worldwide.
• In Eastern Christianity, the Monday that follows Resurrection Sunday marks the second day of Octave which is an 8-day celebration beginning on Easter Sunday and ending the following Sunday. In Western Christianity, this is called the week of Eastertide.

Pete will updates us on the latest happenings at Milton Hershey and Catherine Hershey Early Education Schools

Author Courtney McKinney-Whitaker will speak abut her research and book about Charles Thomas, who served as Secretary to both Continental Congresses. This timely presentation will tie in well with the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration. 

Memorial Day 2026 is on Monday, May 25, 2026, marking the federal holiday in the United States dedicated to honoring military personnel who died in service. Established as the last Monday in May by the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act, it is also considered the unofficial start of summer, often celebrated with parades, family gatherings, and visits to cemeteries.

• Date: Monday, May 25, 2026.
• Purpose: To honor, remember, and mourn U.S. service members who lost their lives in military conflicts.
• Origin: Originally known as "Decoration Day" to decorate graves with flowers after the Civil War.
• Observances: Many people visit cemeteries, fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon, and participate in a National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. local time.
• Traditions: Parades, community gatherings, and barbecues are common, marking the unofficial start of summer.