River Towns Rotary Club Forms, Gives $500 To Lambertville Farmers Market

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — A new Rotary club serving the river towns has been chartered, reviving a local service tradition that organizers said had been interrupted after the Lambertville-New Hope Rotary Club dissolved during COVID.

The River Towns Rotary Club was chartered by Rotary International on Feb. 24. The club was created to restore and expand the Rotary spirit enjoyed for a century by river town communities through the Lambertville-New Hope Rotary Club. The new organization joins more than 45,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, with membership exceeding 1.2 million, all centered on community service.

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The club marked its launch by making its first community donation. At an April 28 meeting at The Hawke, co-presidents Amanda Benolken and Harry Boertzel presented Lambertville Mayor Andrew Nowick with a $500 check to become a founding sponsor of the Lambertville Farmer’s Market.

In early April, the Lambertville Farmers Market committee launched a public fundraising campaign to bring an outdoor farmers market to the city.

Beginning on May 17, the market is scheduled to run on Sundays from mid-May through October from 9 a.m. to noon in front of the Lambertville Free Public Library.

“Every town deserves a place where neighbors meet the people who grow their food. Starting this May, Lambertville, N.J., will have one,” said the mayor.

In addition to accepting the donation, Mayor Nowick spoke to club members, addressing the civic importance of community service and the special heritage of the river towns and their relationship with the Delaware River.

The group said it is welcoming interest from river town residents who want to become members or share ideas for community service projects. People interested in the club or its service efforts can contact the organization at rivertownsrotaryclub@gmail.com.

Rotary International describes its clubs as service organizations built around the principle of service above self. With the new charter in place and its first donation made, the River Towns Rotary Club has begun its work in Lambertville and the surrounding river communities.