Rotary Clubs Auction Art to Eradicate Polio

District 7430 Rotary Clubs gathered Saturday night to auction off original artwork by famed artists like Picasso, Disney, Scott, Erte and Rockwell and raise money to eliminate polio around the world.

As early as 6 p.m., a trio of Rotary Club members sat behind a registration table and greeted auctioneers as they arrived at The Villas at .  Door prizes, paintings and raffle items lined the entrance to the clubhouse.  Directly ahead, through two sets of double doors, were rows of art pieces.  There were silk screens, engravings, giclee cartoon cels, lithographs, etchings and oil paintings.  Conducting the event was State of the Art. 

Imagine a World Without Polio

“We expect about 150 people at tonight’s event,” Joe Gisondi, president of Horsham Rotary said.  “We’ve been organizing the event since February. Eradicating polio is a main cause of Rotary International.  The disease occurs more in third world countries.  Rotary wants to eliminate the disease completely around the world.” 

As people continued to make their way inside the clubhouse with waves of “Hello” ringing out, Gisondi added, “Rotary members are people who want to give their time to help others, especially children.  We want to help mentally and physically handicapped children.  We have a passion to help children who can’t help themselves.” 

It was clear that local Rotaries had a long tradition of doing for others.  “We built the largest 100 percent handicapped accessible playground in the tri-state area (i.e. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware)," said Gisondi. "It’s called '' and is located in Horsham on Dresher Road.” 

Bill Gates Foundation Supporting Rotary International’s Efforts

“The Bill Gates Foundation said it will match up to $300 million of Rotary International’s donations,” Evan Fineman, president of the Huntingdon Valley/Southampton Rotary interjected.  “Our goal is to be actively involved in the community.  We gave money to supply tents to help people in Haiti after the earthquake.  We also sent shelter boxes to help people in Japan this year.”  

Rotary District 7430 is comprised of Hatboro Rotary, Horsham Rotary, Huntington Valley/Southampton Rotary, Warminster Rotary and Warrington Rotary.  The five Rotary presidents who helped to spearhead the evening’s events are Jesse Brookreson, Joe Gisondi, Evan Fineman, Chris Roehl and Bob Williamson, respectively. 

More than Celebrating Art, a Lifestyle of Helping Others

The art auction was open to the public.  Registration was $20 in advance and $25 at the door. In addition to helping people domestically and abroad during natural disasters, the Rotaries focus locally on education.  “We gave out $1,000 scholarships to three area schools,” Chris Roehl and Claudia Quinn, former Warminster Rotary president said.  “Every year we raise money for a child in Warminster who has medical needs.  We also provide needy children with book packs and coats.” 

“This year we gave out about 60 book packs and 45 coats,” Quinn added.  “We also built a skate park in Warminster Park with the aid of Warminster Parks.  Warminster has a very good group of businesses that get together to conduct local, national and international acts of charity.” 

The closer it got to 7:30 p.m., the more excitement found its way into conversations.  People laughed, embraced and made their way around the room checking out the rare artwork.  The hors d’oeuvres table saw its share of visitors, while the Prism Brewing Company and treated guests to a pleasantly light round of wine and beer tasting.  

DJ Rick Kircher provided music.  Amid the artwork provided by State of the Art were silent auction items provided by Rotary members.  Sports memorabilia from Scott Mackenzie’s Golf Outing Productions were also on display.  

Guests at the premiere art auction enjoyed catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in awhile.  They also enjoyed the inviting atmosphere and the reason behind the auction.  Kathy Williamson thought it was, “Fabulous bringing five Rotaries together for a common cause.” 

Frank Bova said he was, “Enjoying the event.  It’s very well organized,” he added.  “Very impressive.”