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The postman’s mantra “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow…” held true this year during Slippery Rock’s “Polish the Rock” spring cleanup event on Saturday, April 25. Over 200 student volunteers from Greek organizations at Slippery Rock University (SRU) braved a morning of severe rain to ready the borough for graduation and upcoming summer activities. Each year supported by their advisor, Julia Rismiller, Asst. Dir, Student Engagement & Leadership at SRU, the “Greeks” pick up trash, clean highways, sweep winter grit from sidewalks and take down Christmas lights. And the students always do it with a smile – even with this year’s storms. “The annual event is sponsored jointly by the Rotary Club of Slippery Rock, SRU and the Borough of Slippery Rock.
On Saturday, May 23, the weather was cloudy and damp, but without rain when Slippery Rock Rotarians and volunteers planted annuals throughout the borough as part of the organization’s Slippery Rock in Bloom program. Rotarians and friends planted flowers in 24 containers across town and in large beds at Memorial Park and Holmes Corner. Rotary raises the funds for four seasonal plantings as well as caring for the flowers throughout the summer. Funds come from community donations with additional support from the Western PA Conservancy. This is the 15th year for the Slippery Rock In Bloom community service project. Photo below, L to R: Owen Yeager, Jimmy Irani, Abby Thornbury and Jessie Klingensmith.
Borough beautification was also the theme for the Harrisville Satellite Rotary Club of Slippery Rock’s latest community service project. Members purchased annuals that bloom red, white and blue in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States and planted the flowers in various containers throughout Harrisville. Rotarians Ben Robertson and Don Fink together with Judy and James Hughes and volunteer Dale Doran spent Thursday, May 21, planting the containers.
Rotaract members at Slippery Rock University spent May recognizing accomplishments for the 2025-2026 school year. Volunteer and community service highlights include:
- Fall 2025 SRU Involvement Fair – September 4, 2025
- Day for Girls Volunteer Events – October 21, 2025, and May 2, 2026, George Junior Republic, Grove City, PA
- Kosovans and Albanian Rotary Visit – October 22, 2025
- Tulip Planting – October 25, 2025, Slippery Rock In Bloom
- North Country Trail Maintenance – November 15, 2025, and May 3, 2026 Moraine State Park.
Also:
- PIAA Quarterfinals Concession Volunteer – November 2t, 2025, Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, SRU
- Purse Bingo Volunteers – December 6, 2025, Slippery Rock Country Club
- North Country Cherry Pie Hike Volunteers – February 21, 2026, Jennings Environmental Education Center
- Resident Game Day – February 22, 2026, Autumn Grove Care Center, Harrisville, PA.
Rotaract also elected officers and started planning activities for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year. Their new officers are: President Alyssa Wolf, Vice President Alina Pegano, Treasurer Adam Cowburn and Secretary Rylan Strauser.
Days for Girls Workshop on May 2, 2026, at George Junior Republic, L to R: Barrett DeRubeis McGinnis, Adam Cowburn, Rylan Strauser, Alyssa Wolf, Alaina Pegano, Karley Hargenrader, and Gabriella McClaine.
Despite our dreary May weather, the Rotary Club of Slippery Rock enjoyed three dynamic presentations on a wide range of topics. Lisa Gill, Drug and Alcohol Prevention Specialist for Butler County addressed the noon meeting on April 27. Gill provided an overview on all services provided by the county’s Drug and Alcohol Program and then detailed the many prevention and education programs designed to stop substance abuse before it begins. This includes school-based education and information programs for students and professional educators, youth leadership and social norms campaigns and community prevention partnerships. She also noted that all prevention and education services are free of charge. Gill urged interested individuals to call 724-284-5114 to learn more about the organization’s services and/or to schedule a family prevention program or group speaking engagement.
The Butler Eagle’s Tracy Leturgey, Interim Managing Editor, and Joanna Campbell-Totin, Obituaries, spoke to Slippery Rock Rotarians on Tuesday, May 12, on the importance of writing one’s own obituary. Leturgey provided an overview of how she manages both the entire newsroom and specific needs of the various editors and writers. She explained that it’s rare these days to have a county-wide paper like the Butler Eagle that actually goes out and covers stories where and when they happen as well as writing follow-up stories.
Totin then addressed the process of how to write and submit obituaries. She noted that she works closely with area funeral directors, including Slippery Rock Rotarian Brad Smith, FD, to fact check and verify that an individual is indeed deceased. Totin ended her presentation with amusing anecdotes on past obituaries that she either couldn’t run or had to “severely edit and tone down inappropriate rhetoric.” Photo, L to R: Joanna Campbell-Totin and Tracy Leturgey.
Slippery Rock Rotarian Abby Smith ended the month with a different program – a travelogue of what to see in Scottsdale and Sedona, Arizona. Smith recently visited her uncle Rod Platt, a retired journalist and avid golfer, and wanted to share her amazing journey with fellow Rotarians. Her presentation included slides of her tour of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Scottsdale, the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and Bell Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, both in Sedona. She also showed slides of the Musical Instrument Museum which features exhibits of historical memorabilia ranging Napoleon Bonaparte’s Crystal Flute to Elvis Presley’s guitar.
Last but not least, the new website for the Slippery Rock Rotary Club, the Harrisville Satellite Rotary Club and SRU Rotaract will be in Beta Test during the second week of June. The new site is being dedicated to the memory of Rotarian Paul Rizza and is designed to be a communication portal for the use of both Rotarians and the general public.