Rotary for Reading – Lorain County Imagination Library

February 23, 2026February 20, 2026 / northcoastrotary

North Coast Rotary President Cathy Pugh presented Jamie Simoneau of Community Foundation of Lorain County with a $500 donation to the Lorain County Imagination Library. Rotary club members also contributed to the campaign. At a February meeting, Jamie explained that when enrolled at birth, each child is going to receive 60 books, an age-appropriate book each month. Lorain County Imagination Library (approximately ten years old now) is a program that Community Foundation of Lorain County is the fiscal sponsor for. The Community Foundation helps to raise funds for it, to enroll children in it, and to spread the word about it. There are currently 2,023 children in Avon, Avon Lake, Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Village communities that are registered in this wonderful program.

Jamie also explained the impact. Survey results show that children who receive books through the Imagination Library program have a higher Kindergarten Readiness Assessment score. Further, that the higher that score, there’s a positive correlation with a child being able to read in third grade. And the success continues through high school graduation!

Want to make a difference in a child’s life by instilling the love of reading by gifting books from birth to age five? From now until March 14, you can donate to “Rotary for Reading” https://givebutter.com/ohiorotary. All donations received will support this program in our local area!

Imagination Library Fundraiser All Ohio 2026 Download

North Coast Rotary Donates $1000 to Brookside Robotics

February 20, 2026 / northcoastrotary

North Coast Rotary President Cathy Pugh presents a donation for the Brookside Robotics Club to Principal Emily Adkins and Robotics Club Leader Val Rion.

Sheffield/Sheffield Lake students in grades 4 – 12 can participate in the program. This year they have seven elementary school teams, four middle school teams and three high school teams.

The teams compete all over Ohio throughout the season October through February. Last year SSL Robotics Club teams came home with 25 judged awards, 5 skills championships, 8 tournament finalist trophies and were tournament winners at 3 competitions!

The Robotics Club’s mission of promoting lifelong skills, including teamwork, leadership, and communications, is exactly what North Coast Rotary can stand behind!

February is Rotary Peace Month

January 28, 2026January 28, 2026 / northcoastrotary

February is Rotary Peace & Conflict Prevention Month, and North Coast Rotary is supporting the upcoming Rotary District 6600 Community Peace Summit hosted by Rotary District 6600 and the Elyria YWCA.

The summit focuses on peace, non-violence, and courage — topics that matter to our community.

The event is free to all, but registration is required at the link below. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

📅 February 7, 2026, 8:30 AM – 4 PM
📍 LCCC Stocker Arts Center, 1005 North Abbe Road, Elyria, Ohio 44035
🔗 Learn more & register: https://www.d6600peacesummit.org

#PeopleOfAction #RotaryPeace #RotaryDistrict6600 #StockerArtsCenter #YWCAElyria #RotaryDistrict6630

Welcome New Members Jen Fitch and Paul Appel!

November 1, 2025October 31, 2025 / northcoastrotary

Welcome Jen (Virginia) Fitch and Paul Appel, new North Coast Rotary Club and North Coast Rotary Foundation members. Both bring strong community commitment and active involvement in our local schools.

Jen, a resident of Avon, is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Avon Local Schools.

At her induction she said: “I am excited to discuss our community’s needs and develop ways that we can not only meet them but expand outside of what we could even imagine.” Jen is already actively supporting the club’s Youth Engagement Committee.

Paul is a resident of Avon Lake and works as a Financial Consultant with Civista Wealth Management. He shared that he has been a part of Rotary clubs since he was young assisting his father with Rotary service projects and fundraisers.

At his induction, Paul expressed his enthusiasm for community service and his desire to contribute to the club’s initiatives. We look forward to Paul’s involvement in North Coast Rotary Projects.

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR PIZZA FUNDRAISER!

August 29, 2025 / northcoastrotary

Mark your calendars for our 17th annual Great Pizza Bake-off at Avon Lake High School happening on Homecoming Thursday, September 25, 2025. We’d love for you to join us in support of our youth and community initiatives! Avon Lake schools we support Students of the Month recognition, 7th and 8th grade Essay contests, High School Students Speech contest, Leadership programs and scholarships.

This Library is on the Little Free Library Map!

August 23, 2025 / northcoastrotary

North Coast Rotary has teamed up with the French Creek Family YMCA to install a Little Free Library —a children’s book-sharing box—now located near the Y’s vibrant children’s room.

This initiative is part of a larger District 6600 Rotary quadrant literacy project involving multiple clubs who purchased kits, painted parts and assembled the Little Free Libraries for the locations of their choice contributing to community-based book access. North Coast Rotary was proud to collaborate with Robyn Gauder and the French Creek Family Y for the placement of the library.

Thanks to generous donations from Avon Lake City Schools, the Little Free Library is already brimming with children’s books to inspire young readers and spark imaginations.

Little Free Library is a registered trademark, officially recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2013. These beloved boxes invite anyone to take or leave a book, operating on the honor system. North Coast Rotary and the French Creek Family Y will continue to maintain the library. Stop by, pick up a story, and help us grow a community of readers!

2025 Scholarship Awardees/ HOBY Grad

August 13, 2025 / northcoastrotary

During its summer meetings, North Coast Rotary proudly honored a group of exceptional students whose leadership, compassion, and community engagement reflect Rotary’s enduring motto: Service Above Self. Scholarship Awardees each received $1000, were recognized during their school’s awards night and joined a North Coast Rotary meeting when they could!

Noah Adkins, Ava Rosemark, Termeh Shahmir

This year’s honorees include:

Jane Kuzman Memorial Scholarship – Ava Rosemark, Avon High School
Bon Russell Memorial Scholarship – Termeh Shahmir, Avon Lake High School
Marilyn Weems Memorial Scholarship – Gana Youssef, Avon Lake High School
Interact Scholarship – Noah Adkins, Brookside High School
Service Above Self Scholarship – Arushi Phukan, Brookside High School

Gana Youssef and Gina Eschke, Coordinator

Alexander Hick, Brookside High School, also joined us to share his experiences from a Rotary funded Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar.

Celebrating Awards at North Coast Rotary Installation Dinner

July 30, 2025 / northcoastrotary

AG Tony Cuevas Installs President Cathy Pugh

North Coast Rotary recently installed its officers for the July 2025 – June 2026 Rotary year. Assistant Governor Tony Cuevas administered the oath of office to President Cathy Pugh, who in turn, installed her Executive Board. During a casual dinner at the Folger Home in Avon Lake, Rotary club members and guests celebrated several special awardees. Joe Matuscak was awarded Rotarian of the Years 2023-2024-2025. Jack Dibee was awarded Rotarian of the Year for 2024-2025. Tom Porter was recognized for over 50 years of Rotary service. A new member, Dr. Tim Dorsey, was also welcomed.

Tom Porter Recognized for 50+ Years of Rotary Service

Advance Ticket Sale Price for March 29th Sip & Support Ends Today

March 21, 2025 / northcoastrotary

Our Sip & Support Fundraiser is from 5 PM – 8 PM at Tri-C Westshore in Westlake on Saturday March 29th! Join us for three hours of samplings featuring 21 wines from California, Italy, Chile, France, Spain, Washington, and Oregon, showcased at tasting stations arranged by Heidelberg Distributing Company.

New this year: sample non-alcoholic wines, including a Spiritless Margarita drink.

While sipping, indulge in the gourmet appetizers and delectable desserts prepared by the noted chefs from Aramark.

This Sip & Support event will also feature exciting, themed raffle baskets, a 50/50 cash raffle, and live music provided by students from the Tri-C Creative Arts Program.

Tickets for Sip & Support are $50 each pre-sale, if purchased on or before March 21, that’s TODAY! or $60 each if purchased after March 21 or at the door. 25% of the ticket price is tax-deductible. All proceeds from this event will benefit youth and community initiatives of the North Coast Rotary.

Purchase your tickets here! Buy Sip and Support Tickets

Great Pizza Bake-off At Avon High School

March 10, 2025 / northcoastrotary

What a night! Superintendent Ben Hodge observed, “there was a steady flow of guests” keeping the check-in table busy. In total, over 300 people joined Rotarians at Avon High School cafeteria to enjoy delicious pizza and vote for their favorites.

For this fundraiser, North Coast Rotary partnered with The Hope for B.E.S.T., Lori Yeager, who will receive a portion of the proceeds.

In demand was the Lorain County Community College FabCab mini-makerspace, thanks to FabLab Team Lead Ryan Corrigan and Rotarian Cindy Kushner.

Once the votes were counted, Rotarians Doug Maurer and Becki Russell handed out the awards: Dirte Pi won Best Pepperoni and Marco’s won Best Specialty pizza. Our mystery sampler selected Marco’s to receive the Pro’s Choice award. For the second time in North Coast Rotary’s Great Pizza Bake-off history, the Peoples’ Choice Award was tied between Marco’s and Master Pizza.