On Sept. 15, the Hoboken Rotary Club held its 19th annual Golf Outing at the Essex County Country Club to raise money for its charitable activities. An estimated 80 people showed up to play 18 holes, followed by a cocktail reception and dinner.
The event also featured a silent auction for a number of collector’s items, including giclée portraits of Jack Nicholson, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Derek Jeter, and others by Nutley-based artist Bill Lopa.
hMag founder Joe Mindak, the new President of the Hoboken Rotary Club, said the money raised would specifically fund the three to five college scholarships the group endows each year for Hoboken High School seniors. Each winning student usually receives $2,000 annually towards their education.
“These kids always write back to us thanking us,” said Mindak, “and it’s not just Hoboken Rotary, it’s the Hoboken community, because without the community, we don’t have a Rotary.”
The golf outing typically raises around $10,000, but Mindak said this year’s event had exceeded fundraising expectations.
The Rotary Club runs a number of other charitable programs in Hoboken besides scholarships. It provides personalized books to the city’s first graders and dictionaries to its third graders in preparation for the annual spelling bee it holds for fourth graders. It also throws an annual Christmas party for low-income children at the Girls and Boys Club, complete with gifts and a Santa.
The organization also supports a junior-level Rotaract Club for Stevens college students interested in volunteering and service.
Established in 1921, Rotary is one of the world’s largest service organizations. In recognition of its humanitarian outreach, general consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Rotary also acts as a social club for its members, who are drawn from the business and professional elite. The Hoboken branch holds weekly meetings at Arthur’s and special member events like pool parties.
For the first time this year, the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the golf outing and will receive a portion of the profits.
“We work hand in hand with the Chamber,” said Mindak. “Businesses are what support us, so having those businesses and individuals help out and donate their time and their money and their gifts puts it all together.”
Many of the Chamber’s member organizations sent representatives, including United Water project manager Mike Leahy, who said the outing was a great event made even better by the beautiful September weather.
“You couldn’t have asked for a better day of golf,” echoed Mindak. Unfortunately, no one made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole, which would have netted the winner a new Audi.
On Sept. 27, the Rotary Club will hold a bar crawl to raise money for the Hoboken Veterans meeting hall.
Chipping in for charity
