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POMPTON LAKES - Renee Merlino to be honored by Rotary
(by Dorothy O'Connor - Correspondent - September 24, 2008)
POMPTON LAKES - On Monday night, Oct. 20, the Rotary Club of Pompton Lakes will honor longtime borough volunteer Renee Merlino for her two decades of "Service Above Self" to her community.
For her service in a variety of venues throughout the past 20 years, from Scouting to PTA to the Municipal Alliance Council (MAC) to Pompton Day organization, Renee is most deserving of Rotary recognition. The award will be presented at the Rotary Club’s annual fall Steak & Chops dinner to be held on Oct. 20, beginning 6:30 p.m. at the local VFW hall with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the PAL Basketball Program under the direction of Rich Fleischer.
As with most dedicated volunteers, Renee was surprised by her selection – and somewhat reluctant to accept the award.
"I just did what I loved to do – organize things and participate in the teamwork, and especially seeing the results – seeing people enjoy and benefit by the outcome," said Renee.
Growing up in Hawthorne, Renee and her husband, Ron, made their home in Pompton Lakes 26 years ago. When their children, Jessica, now 25, and son, Ronnie, 22, started school, Renee jumped right in and became involved in the PTA and Scouting, while Ron coached baseball.
It was while Renee was working as a freelance photographer for Suburban Trends that she became aware of the work of the Pompton Lakes Municipal Alliance Council.
"Soon after the Alliance was formed, I had an assignment to shoot one of their meetings, and after becoming acquainted with the people and finding out what they did – what their mission was – I also learned that they were looking for a volunteer from the PTA to join them. I was so impressed with what they were doing – and being aware of the damage that drug and alcohol abuse can have – I decided to join and hopefully contribute to their efforts," said Renee.
Contributing to the efforts of the MAC for over 10 years on the board, Renee subsequently served as chairman and ultimately became director of the Pompton Lakes Municipal Alliance Council. This group of local volunteers is dedicated to planning programs and activities aimed at the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse among both children and adults.
It was while serving in this capacity that she became acquainted with a number of borough leaders, "and I started talking to people about my concern that although we live in a ‘lake’ community – you would never know it. Over the years I tried to get involved with getting Lakeside Park restored, and when the town restored the gazebo, I thought it would be great if there could be an art show or maybe some guitar-playing event in the park. I thought we should do something there to showcase that beautiful area.
"Then when Marc Pardalis became a councilman he said, ‘Let’s do it!’ He was all for it and that was the basic idea of how Pompton Day came about," explained Renee. "We knew we needed to have some music provided by local artists but when we sat down and started planning, the concept caught on and took off like wildfire!"
Throughout the planning stages of Pompton Day, Renee insisted that no matter what other components might be added, the central focus needed to be on Pompton Lake.
"My aunt and uncle live in Florida and they do a Plywood Regatta, and I knew that it’s a lot of fun, so even though in the beginning when I explained it, people thought I was crazy we pressed ahead, and it has become the highlight of the day!"
Though this year Renee has stepped down from involvement in both the MAC and Pompton Day organization in order to devote more time to her photography business, opening an office in Kinnelon, the community recognizes her decades of service and is eager to express its appreciation.
All residents are invited and encouraged to attend the Rotary Steak & Chops dinner. Tickets are available at $30 each from Pompton Lakes Rotary Club President Phil Sohn at Columbia Bank on Wanaque Avenue, 973-835-1212, or any other Pompton Lakes Rotarian. Tickets include beverages, salads, New York clam chowder, New York strip steaks and pork chops barbecued by Rotarians, dessert and coffee, plus lots of fun and prizes.
The event is sponsored by the Pompton Lakes Rotary Foundation Inc., with a portion of the proceeds going to the borough PAL Basketball Program, which is open to area youngsters. The program is one of the largest beneficiaries of the Rotary Club of Pompton Lakes’ annual fundraising efforts.
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