Avon Rotary Club

08/30/2026

At our August 18 club meeting, Avon Rotary was thrilled to welcome back our 2025–2026 outbound exchange students, Laura Krasinski and Jasmine Flora, to hear all about their incredible journeys abroad.

🇧🇪 Laura’s Year in Belgium
Laura spent her exchange year in Huy, a French-speaking town on the Meuse River. Between studying science at L’Athénée Royal Prince Baudoin à Marchin and traveling across Europe, she fully immersed herself in the culture and language. Her favorite local treats were Belgian fries with spicy samouraï sauce and Liège waffles topped with Nutella and banana. She also had the opportunity to visit Spain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, and the Netherlands. Among her favorite memories were Wednesday hangouts with fellow exchange students, bowling, shopping, and taking in the views during peaceful picnics at the Citadel. Laura will be participate in the National Civilian Community Corps through AmeriCorps next year before attending college in Fall 2027.

🇯🇵 Jasmine’s Journey in Japan
Jasmine shared a glimpse of her daily life as a high school exchange student in Japan. She stayed in Ishikawa, Kanazawa, and studied at Yugakkan High School. Her days started at 6:30 AM with breakfasts prepared by her host mother, after which she would dress in her uniform, grab her bento box, and take the bus to school. Jasmine was heavily involved in local life, joining the Tea Ceremony Club, Volleyball, Mizuki Art, English Club, Igo Club, and Kendo. She kept very busy with school and extracurricular activities, but also found time to travel and explore the local scenery. She gave us a demonstration of her Kendo training, and shared how welcoming everyone was and the close friendships that she made. Jasmine plans to attend MCC in the fall with the hope of continuing her world travels.

We are so proud of both Laura and Jasmine for stepping out of their comfort zones, making lifelong friendships, representing our community so well, and embracing their exchange year with open minds.

Thank you to our Rotary Youth Exchange team and host families who make these life-changing experiences possible!

Rotex Rotaract Club -D7120

08/20/2026

🎓Congratulations to Nick Weslowski 🛠️

The Avon Rotary Club is proud to celebrate Nick Weslowski as a recipient of the Avon Rotary Vocational Scholarship!

Each year, our Club awards a Vocational Scholarship to two graduating seniors who demonstrate hard work, a commitment to service and honesty in dealing with others, and who intend to pursue higher education to attain a career in a vocational or skills-based trade.

We were happy to welcome Nick and his parents at our August 4 meeting to celebrate his achievements and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Nick has demonstrated his spirit of service through his involvement with the Avon Rotary Interact Club. He and his family have also graciously hosted many visiting Youth Exchange Students over the years (even after Nick has cleared them out at the poker table on Casino Night).

Nick is also an accomplished scholar, having earned recognition as a member of the National Honor Society and as Salutatorian of the ACS Class of 2026. His skills extend beyond the classroom as an athlete competing in soccer, basketball, tennis, and trap-shooting.

Nick will study construction management at Bowing Green State University this fall. Reflecting on his passion for building communities out of empty spaces, which began at an early age, Nick said in his application essay, "To me, it is not just about building structures. It is about building spaces that people can trust and that make their everyday lives better."

Nick's character and determination did not go unnoticed by his teachers, as Leigh Major remarked in her recommendation letter: "Beyond his academic aptitude, Nick embodies a blend of integrity, honesty, and a deep commitment to service... While many student-athletes spend away-game travel time on their phones, Nick is known for utilizing those bus rides to study. This level of focus and work ethic defines his approach to every challenge."

Please join us in congratulating Nick for this scholarship and wishing him the best of luck this fall! 👏🏗️

08/18/2026

08/14/2026

Our Club was excited to make the trip to Camp Sam Wood this past Tuesday to visit Genesee Valley Rotary Camp for their 63rd annual Camp Week. Club members were treated to some after dinner entertainment with an entertaining skit performed by the staff. We then met with Camp Director Brian Bartalo before joining the campers for a drone demonstration by the Allegany County Sheriff’s Department.

GVRC is a free, weeklong summer camp for children and young adults with disabilities. This year, they welcomed 97 campers for a week of fun and life-changing experiences, with the theme of “Up in the Air” - all things that float, fly and soar! 🎈 ✈️ 🪁

Avon Rotary is proud to be one of the founding Member Clubs of GVRC. Two of our Rotarians currently sit on the Board of GVRC: Ernie Wiard has been a Board member for over 40 years and Collin Hayes has served as Secretary since 2023.

Each of the campers received gift bags that were assembled by our Club at our meeting on July 21, and will have the glow sticks that we didn’t get to sell at Corn Fest (because of the rain) for their Camp dance on Friday night. Additionally, several of our Club members participated in a March Madness fundraiser to help purchase t-shirts for GVRC’s 90+ counselors and staff.

It’s always a treat to visit GVRC and see the smiles on each of the campers' faces. We’re inspired by their positivity and resiliency, and we’re very grateful to everyone who supports GVRC, especially the staff, who make this week possible.

HIL 💙

08/12/2026

⭐️MEMBER SPOTLIGHT⭐️

We just wrapped up the first month of the 2026-2027 Rotary Year. Throughout the coming year, we plan to highlight one of our members each month so they can share why they joined our Club and explain what it means to be a Rotarian.

Our first Member Spotlight shines on Tim Hayes. In 2011, Tim became a member of the Rotary Club of Geneseo, and we were excited to welcome him to our Club last July. He’s a retired Superintendent of Schools, former Rotary Club President (‘16-‘17), Paul Harris Fellow, second generation Rotarian, and lifelong Avonite.

Thanks for your service, Tim!

08/10/2026

We can’t possibly thank everyone who made the Corn Festival possible, but here’s a start!

Thanks to all of these generous businesses and individuals, we’ve raised nearly $30,000 to support Avon Rotary! All of the money that we raise at Corn Festival goes into our mission of “Service Above Self” - making a difference in our community and around the globe.

08/10/2026

Corn Fest would not be possible without the support and partnership of the Village of Avon over the past 40 years! Thank you to the Mayor, Board of Trustees, Avon DPW, Avon Police Department, Avon Fire Department and Village staff for your collaboration in planning and supporting this event! 🌽🌽🌽

08/09/2026

ICYMI: our Club presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Paul Phillips on stage at the Corn Fest, thanking him for his years of service as our entertainment booker. Congrats Paul!

08/09/2026

Corn Fest lost and found:
We have an ESL debit card and a Fitbit with a tan wristband. Contact this page if you lost these items.