Events

Rotary and ReUse continue their partnership with Mega Sort Parties to raise funds for local Community Grants, Youth Exchange, and International projects. Volunteers will sort and price donated items, with a portion of sales benefiting these initiatives.

The presentation will discuss the research conducted at Cornell University as part of an exchange between Belgium and the United States, supported by the Rotary International Foundation. This research aligns with Rotary’s newest area of focus: protecting the environment. By listening to baleen whales, I aim to understand where and when they are present, in order to better conciliate their existence with human activities.

What could be more fun than seeing the stuff that other people are moving out of their houses, and being able to make comments and price it!?!

Join your friends at ReUse at Triphammer on Thursday, August 7 between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. and help us earn money to give away to not-for-profits in our community.

Sorting at ReUse is fascinating, a little terrifying, and purposeful. Working with ReUse we keep stuff out of landfills, provide used goods at great prices, and earn money for our club.

Spend a few hours with friends. Come for an hour or two, or the entire time.

Please sign up below.

Thanks,

Jean McPheeters

Please join us at the ReUse center at Triphammer on Thursday, Aug 21 between 5:30 and 8:00 pm. 

It's a good thing to do. It's good to do things. You will see new things and figure out what they do.

Then price them! Watch them go out the door. And watch them come back next month! The circle of life continues...

Sorting and pricing recycled goods at ReUse at Triphammer Mall.  

Fun, fellowship, fabulous finds!

Please join me and a few other Rotarians for breakfast this Friday, August 29. 

We will be meeting at 8:00 AM at East Shore Roadhouse, 1928 East Shore Drive, Lansing

Coffee, conversation, pancakes ... pick 2. 

Come if you can. Registration link below. Restration not needed if you decide at the last minute. 

Thanks

Mike K

Ukrainian band Kommuna Lux returns to Ithaca on Tuesday, September 2, for a benefit at the First Unitarian Society. Known for their electrifying fusion of klezmer, swing, and Odessa folk, the band and the Ithaca Rotary Club will be raising money for a project called Playground of Hope: Supporting the Families of Odesa Emergency Rescuers to upgrade a playground in Odesa, Ukraine that is used by children of the Special Emergency Rescue Squad in the Odesa Region, which is where Kommuna Lux was formed. Tickets are $20 through August 15 ($25 after). Hosted by the Rotary Club of Ithaca, this powerful evening promises unforgettable music and a chance to make a real difference.

Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, NY

Tickets: $20 before August 15, $25 after

Buy tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6674262

Donate directly: https://rotaryd2232ukraine.org/rcprojects/christmas24/project?prid=133

Come for the music. Stay for the mission. Help Ukraine heal. One song, one step, one donation at a time.

Read more of the story here on our website.

Please join us at the ReUse Center at Triphammer on Thursday, September 4, between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. 

It's a good thing to do. It's good to do things. You will see new things and figure out what they do.

Then price them! Watch them go out the door. And watch them come back next month! The circle of life continues...

Mike Katz

The first shift is 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The second shift is 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sorry this isn't clear in the sign-up lists.  I am blaming ClubRunner!

Are you looking for the 2026 Ithaca Rotary Road Rally? REGISTER HERE!

Get Your Motors Running for the 12th Annual                         Ithaca Rotary Road Rally

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Check in anytime between 1:00 - 2:00pm ~

all cars must be on the course by 2:00pm

Starting location:   Maguire Imports,

370 Elmira Road, Ithaca (Next to McDonald's)

$25 per adult      $10 children 12 – 18      Free for 11 & younger

Proceeds benefit the Club’s James L. Gibbs Ithaca High School scholarship fund and other local youth programs

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW!

Join us for the 12th annual ROTARY ROAD RALLY! The FUNdraising activity is open to everyone and is absolutely engaging and fun for everyone. 

Participants will follow clues in their cars along 30+/- miles of country roads in and around Tompkins County, answering riddles, taking pictures, and picking up scavenger hunt items along the way. The Rotary Rally will finish with the checkered flag at a “mystery” location for prizes, drinks, and dinner (pay on your own).

Cars must cross the finish line by 4:00pm to be eligible for prizes. Teams will be judged on a combination of time, mileage, number of correct clues, scavenger hunt items, and group photos. An additional prize will be awarded for team spirit, which may include costumes and/or best-decorated car. Minimum two people per team; no maximum — however many fit safely in the car are welcome!

Prizes: All participants who finish the course on time have an opportunity to win a grant for their favorite local non-profit, made possible by the Ithaca Rotary Club’s donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Tompkins County. Winners may select which local not-for-profit (NFP) they wish to receive their winning prize:

First Place:                 $500 grant to the NFP of the winner’s choice

Second Place:            $250 grant to a local NFP

Random Drawing from all finishing cars: $250 grant to a local NFP

…plus other donated prizes for the winning teams!

Questions? Contact JeanMcPheeters@gmail.com

If you are bringing children (@ $10 each), you can pay at registration. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available! Email perri.lopinto@gmail.com

Enjoy an end of summer picnic with other Rotarians from our club and nearby clubs, welcome our incoming Rotary Exchange Students and host families, and share some delicious food. Monday, September 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Rotarians, please bring a dish-to-share if you can. Host families are our guests and we invite you to just come and enjoy yourselves.

We will provide paper plates, actual silverware (!), napkins, cups, seltzer and some soft drinks.

Here are some alphabetical suggestions of foods that we hope you might share. If you'd prefer to make a dessert rather than an entree based on the initial of your last name,  feel free to do that. No one has ever had too much dessert.  

Please bring a dish-to-share based on the initial of your last name:

A through G   Desserts

H through O   Entrees (hearty dishes whether omnivore, vegan, vegetarian or whaterver)

P through Z    Salads and side-dishes

Start hoping for a beautiful night in the park.

Hoping to see you there,

Jean McPheeters and Mary Berens, co-chairs for this event

Come for an hour or for 2.5 hours or how ever many minutes you can.

We need your presence to make money for our club to give away to great organization in Tompkins County.

Have fun, laugh, and price things. We will teach you how to do it.

Jean McPheeters for President Mike

Join us at ReUse to price, sort, shelve, and have fun. 

Our work at ReUse is how Ithaca Rotary earns money to give to not-for-profit organizations in our community and to support activities like Rotary Soccer. By pricing and shelving the items donated to ReUse, we get a portion of those sales. To meet our budget we need to get about $3000 worth of goods on the shelves every month. Today, September 9, 4 of us priced about $900 worth of goods. We absolutely need more people to join in. 

This is fun and easy, and we will show you how to do it! 

Please register today for Tuesday, September 23.

Thanks,

Jean McPheeters for President Mike

We will be sorting items, pricing them, and placing them on the retail floor.

If you've never done this before, we will show you how. This is the major way our club makes money to give to area not-for-profit organizations.

Please come,

Jean McPheeters for President Mike

Come to the front desk of the big store, we may be in the back on this side or in the side with furniture and clothing. 

Provide assistance to participants (job seekers, employers and event administrators) at the 2025 World of Skills Job Fair on Wednesday morning, October 22.

VENUE CHANGE!! Our social this evening is moving to Tavern on the Commons 130 E Seneca Street. Unfortunately, the Canopy Hotel is having issues that closed their kitchen and bar today. Spread the word!

At the FriendsGiving Event:
We’ll enjoy time together, share friendship and gratitude, and celebrate the meaningful impact of our club’s service.

Thank you for helping make this season brighter for others — and for embodying the Rotary spirit of community and care. Baskets filled with donations will be delivered to families by the end of next week after our celebration.

What to Donate:
Think of high-quality, joy-giving foods and household items that families will truly appreciate—especially non-perishables, diabetic-friendly options, and little luxuries that lift spirits.

Some ideas include:

•     Wegmans bakery items, Pepperidge Farm cookies, or Nutella
•     Family-size peanut butter and jelly, quality bread
•     Marinara sauce, pasta, parmesan or alfredo sauce
•     Brownie or cookie mixes, pumpkin pie ingredients
•     Cornbread mix, Bisquick, breakfast cereals
•     Quality canned soup, stuffing mix, jarred gravy
•     Trail mix, protein bars, sugar-free treats
•     Pop Tarts, single-serve mac & cheese, ramen cups
•     Gloves, socks, new hand towels, tablecloth, candle
•     Gift cards (Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Tops, Wegmans, Target)
•     Puzzles or books

If you can’t join us for the FriendsGiving gathering on November 19 at the Canopy Hotel 5-7PM, there are still wonderful ways to take part in supporting the families we’re helping this year.

How to Contribute:

• Bring donated items, cash, or a check to our Rotary lunch meeting on November 12.

• Or send a check (no cash) by mail to:
  Rotary Club of Ithaca
  P.O. Box 306
  Ithaca, NY 14851