I am honored to serve as the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club's President for 2010 - 2011. The Rotary International theme for this year is "Building Communities - Bridging Continents." This is Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith's description of Rotary's current mission and his way of highlighting our achievements. The Princeton Corridor Rotary Club agrees that these four words aptly reflect who we are and what we do as Rotarians.

Rotary is a global organization of volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health, provide education and job training, and promote peace under the motto "Service above Self." Polio Plus is an example of the international community joining together and more recently with the Gates Foundation to eradicate polio throughout the world.

Over the past ten year period the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club has raised and donated approximately $200,000 dollars for various local projects or organizations. We ran Christmas programs at the Trenton Rescue Mission and Lifeties, Inc., a dictionary was given to every 3rd grader in our area, scholarships to seniors at West Windsor-Plainsboro and Lawrenceville high schools, road side cleanup in town, a tailgate fundraiser at a Princeton football game and a yearly cleanup at a neglected cemetery. Our club received three Care and Share Awards for our Thanksgiving Basket program, the Liberian Clothing Drive, sent over 50 pounds of personal health items to Haiti, and donated computer through our Technology for Life program.

I want to acknowledge and thank our Friends of Rotary for teaming with us in supporting the many service projects which aid the local community and complement our overall goal.

To achieve our 2010 - 2011 goals, we have prepared a strategic plan that fulfills the objectives of Rotary and to measure our success.  I invite you to join me in implementing this plan as we work Building Communities - Bridging Continents.

All the Best,
John Papakonstantinou
President