Nanuet Rotary Installs New Officers, Looks Forward To New Year Of Service

This past Thursday the Nanuet Rotary Club held its new officer installation dinner at Louie’s on the Avenue in Pearl River. The club, one of 66 Rotary Clubs in the region, is well known in Rockland County for it charitable activities. Its actions and the actions of its member resonate not only through Nanuet and Rockland County, but indeed throughout the world as local Rotarians donate their time and efforts to a multitude of causes including of Rockland County, the Salvation Army, Feed the Hungry, Family Festival, and Polio Plus. In addition, this past year saw several new programs including the at Nanuet High School and the to a worthy veteran who needed it.

This past year was a particularly important one for the Nanuet Rotary Club. While the club has been around since the chapter’s inception in 1956, it had recently had a bit of trouble, which thankfully had been resolved under the tenure of outgoing president Jim Damiani.

“About a year and a half ago the club was having all sorts of trouble and this year they really bounced back,” said Rotarian Mike Beckerle. “(Now there are) a lot of new members and a lot of positive energy.”

Damiani’s instrumental time at the club’s helm was something that was continuously commented upon throughout the evening by those in attendance.

“Jim Damiani stepped forward to lead the Nanuet Rotary on the road to recovery,” said Peter Beckerle who was the event’s master of ceremonies.

Damiani, a long time member who had previously served as the club’s president from 1989 to 1990, will now be serving as the Assistant to the District Governor. The District to which the Nanuet Rotary Club belongs to stretches from Rockland all the way up to Greene and Columbia Counties, just south of Albany.

“It was a successful year,” Damiani told his fellow Rotarians. “It’s a year where we accomplished a lot. I think the biggest accomplishment of the year is that we started working like a team again. That’s the legacy I’m proudest of.”

Incoming president D. Scott Liebert, whose father Don was a charter member of the Nanuet Rotary Club, was very excited to be taking the reins and looked ahead to a productive year of meaningful charitable activities.

“Nanuet Rotary, every day–every way,” said Liebert. “We are looking forward to serving the community this year. I want to thank you all for having the confidence in electing me president.”

In addition to the installation of the new president, the club’s newest officers were also sworn in. This year’s officers are:

• John Maiorano—vice-president
• Christopher O’Rourke—secretary
• Joseph Modafferi—treasurer
• Jim Damiani—past president
• Roger Gong—sergeant at arms.

Gong, who was also named Rotarian of the year, has held the position for 46 years as well as had perfect attendance during his entire Rotary career.

This year’s Board of Directors will be comprised of George Pejoves—who was awarded the Service Above Self award—Arnold Heydt, John Zazyczny, Michael Beckerle, Donna Lennane, and Colleen Quinn.