Events

We will hear from Downtown Inc. Director, Sarah O'Brien. She will share an inside look at how economic development and small business support are shaping the future of Downtown York. Her presentation will highlight the organization’s role in fostering business growth, attracting investment, and creating a vibrant downtown community. She will be joined by local entrepreneur Delia Pabón who will share her perspective—both as a multi-business owner and as a key collaborator in developing the new Downtown Business Guide. Together, their stories will illustrate how strategic support and community leadership are driving York’s continued revitalization.

We will hear from Carleen Farabaugh, Executive Director of the York Benevolent Association, the oldest charitable organization in York County. It was formed in 1863 to provide aid for widows and orphans of Civil War soldiers. Their goal is to gather, sort, and distribute nutritious food to everyone who needs it. Carleen will share about today's York Benevolent and how the organization continues to serve our citizens in need.

Our speaker will be Amy Widestrom, President of The Pennsylvania League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

We will hear from Vinny Cannizzaro, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Economy League Central (PEL), a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy think tank. Since 1936, PEL has been dedicated to advancing practical, research-backed solutions for local governments using data-driven, evidence-based analysis. PEL's research is currently driving discussions at the state level about revenue reform. Vinny will highlight PEL's work with the York community; discuss how a healthy local government benefits you and your business; and outline exciting new initiatives like the Local Government Innovation Lab.

We will hear from Tony Aquilina, Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive for WellSpan Health. He will be speaking about the new WellSpan partnership with Lewis Katz Temple Medical School to bring a medical school campus to York County. This new medical school will train future physicians with the goal of retaining the best to stay in York and at WellSpan. The first class of approximately 40 students at the new campus is expected to begin their studies in August 2027 and graduate in May 2031.

We will hear from Jeremy Feakins, who will present on the Union Lutheran Church Redevelopment Project, known as Union Apartments, a transformative affordable housing initiative located on W. Market Street in York City. He will discuss how the redevelopment project addresses urgent gaps in housing, community services, and neighborhood revitalization. Learn how this initiative represents a bold step toward inclusive growth and long-term community stability in York.

Mayor Helfrich will be joining us to provide an update on the last eight years of successes and address the top outstanding challenges and projects that remain for the City of York.

What Rotary meeting will feature a fun, festive, and prize-packed game of Rotary Jeopardy? If you answered, Wednesday, December 17th, then you’re correct! That’s right, the Membership Engagement Committee is taking over the meeting and bringing the holiday cheer with an exciting game of Rotary Jeopardy. We’ve got great prizes, fun categories, and plenty of laughter guaranteed. And here’s the best part, we want everyone to join in the festive spirit! Whether that’s rocking an ugly Christmas sweater, dressing up as Buddy the Elf, or channeling your inner Mr. or Mrs. Claus, bring your holiday flair and your game face! Mark your calendars and get ready for a Rotary meeting unlike any other. We can’t wait to see you there! PLEASE NOTE: There will not be a Zoom option for this meeting and it will not be recorded for posting on YouTube. 

Our speaker will be Rotarian Raymond Rosen. He has been a member of our Club for 38 years. Ray retired from WellSpan York Hospital ten years ago, after working there for 43 years in various administrative positions, most recently as its Chief Operating Officer. He will share an interesting and thought provoking presentation about his parents' Holocaust survival story, including what it is like to be an offspring of Holocaust survivors.

We will hear from Jordan Britton, owner of Britton Coffee Company, a coffee shop serving York & Adams Counties. He will be speaking about how they started the business and grew it in four years from a horse trailer to four locations, an in-house bakery, an in-house coffee roaster, donut & sandwich distribution center and more. He will focus on his experience running a business post-Covid and how spending patterns, community mentality, and habits have shifted since then and how they grew their customer base and the importance of genuine community belief and connection.

We will hear from Dave Marcheskie, Community Relations Manager with Constellation Energy. Dave will provide an update on the re-development of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant as the Crane Clean Energy Center. The restart of Crane Clean Energy Center Unit 1 represents a pivotal investment in America’s clean-energy infrastructure at a moment of unprecedented demand. As artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and data-center expansion accelerate, the need for reliable, carbon-free baseload power has never been greater. Unit 1’s restart will deliver around-the-clock, emissions-free electricity capable of supporting energy intensive technologies such as AI, cloud computing, and advanced manufacturing.

We will hold our January 28th club meeting at Crispus Attucks York, located at 605 South Duke Street in downtown York. Dr. Scott Deisley, Interim Director of the Crispus Attucks York History & Culture Center, will talk about the new culture center's vision for telling the stories of York's African American community through the lens of Crispus Attucks' nearly 100-years of impact. Those in attendance will also enjoy a sneak preview tour of the new center. PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will NOT be broadcast on Zoom and will not be recorded for future viewing on YouTube.

We will hear from Fritz Schroeder, President & CEO of Lancaster Conservancy. Lancaster Conservancy has been protecting and restoring forested land in York County since 2010, with over 2,700 acres protected on 12 unique nature preserves in York County. Fritz will share how the Conservancy approaches land protection and restoration through partnerships at the local and state level and the strategy and approach the Conservancy takes to purchase land.

We will hear from Rotarian Jamie Noerpel, Director of the York County Safety Collab. The York County Safety Collab unites law enforcement, community leaders, and residents around shared goals: reducing violence, strengthening relationships, and expanding opportunities for our youth. Jamie will speak on how their work is guided by the belief that we are safer together, and that working together helps create thriving, connected neighborhoods for everyone.

We will hear from Kevin Hodge, of ROCK Commercial Real Estate. His presentation to Rotary will answer some common questions the community has related to commercial real estate, showcase data of "Why York?" for various developments and "Why not York?" for others. In addition, he'll offer some perspective not often discussed by those outside the bubble of commercial real estate development and share some interesting insights.

We will hear from Dr. James L. Norrie, Professor of Strategy, Law & Cybersecurity Management at York College of Pennsylvania. He is also the Founder and CEO of cyberconIQ, a cybersecurity firm based in York, PA. He has authored six books, including his latest, Beyond the Code: The Promise, Peril, and Possibility of AI for All Humanity. He is a frequent media commentator featured in national outlets including TV and the New York Times. He will bring his expertise across business, engineering, psychology, and law to discuss the ethical, social, environmental and economic disruptions and opportunities posed by AI and other emerging technologies.

We will hear from York County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Michael Flannelly. He has been a York County Court of Common Pleas Judge for over a decade and was recently elected to the position of President Judge. He will be giving an overview of the York County judicial system and discussing the different areas of the bench along with the challenges and successes as to each area. He will also discuss wellness courts and his plans for the future.

We will hear from Dr. Jefrey Woodall, Associate Provost and Special Assistant to the President at York College of Pennsylvania. He will share how York College has expanded their offerings with robust programs designed to empower the local and regional workforce. These innovative programs include Graduate Programs; Professional Certificates; and Life Skills Modules.

We will hear from Gregory Saubel, President of Saubel’s Markets. Greg was born and raised in York County and is the 3rd generation business owner of Saubel's. They are proud to be celebrating their 100th year later this year. He will be talking about the history of how a little country general store grew into a modern supermarket that is committed to giving back to the communities that they serve. He will also talk about some of the challenges they face as an independent supermarket.

We will hear from Tom Davidson, volunteer State Director with the national Lincoln Highway Association. The Lincoln Highway is the first coast to coast road for automobiles from New York City to San Francisco established in 1913. This June, York, PA will host the LHA national conference called Road to Independence. People from 20 states and Canada are coming to Pennsylvania to celebrate 250 years of transportation history. He will discuss LHA’s role as Pennsylvania's ambassadors throughout the nation's 250th birthday.

We will hear from Dr. Silas Chamberlin, Chief Strategy Officer at the York County Economic Alliance, where he oversees development and implementation of the county's economic strategy and a broad portfolio of economic development, government relations and capital projects. Silas will provide an update on planning for future use of the Penn State York campus when it closes to students in spring 2027. In December 2025, YCEA, on behalf of Penn State York donors, funders and key stakeholders, launched a process to determine  a meaningful plan for the future. This expedited process is slated to wrap up in April, ahead of Penn State's internal decision-making process for the future of the campus.

We will hold our weekly club meeting at the York Revolution at WellSpan Park. Ben Shipley will MC the program, and Atlantic League President Rick White will share exciting updates about the success of the league and partner league baseball. Revs Manager Rick Forney will introduce the 2026 Revolution team. A buffet luncheon and fellowship beginning at 11:30am will be followed by our club meeting in the 1741 Club.

To celebrate our 110th club anniversary, we will be holding a York Rotary's Got Talent! Rotary Anniversary Showcase for our meeting on April 15^th.  This meeting will be held at York College, with a buffet lunch in beautiful Yorkview Hall beginning at 11:30am, followed by a performance showcase of talented Rotarians in DeMeester Auditorium as we celebrate each decade in our club’s History.  PLEASE NOTE: This meeting will NOT be broadcasted live on Zoom and participation remotely will NOT be available. The meeting will be recorded and may be viewed at a later time on the club’s YouTube channel.