Welcome
It’s time for another edition of our Meet A Member of the Liberty NY Rotary Club. This week’s feature is an extremely active member of our club, two-time Past President and Rotary District Service Chair Judy Siegel! Here is her story …
“I have been a member of the Liberty Rotary club since 2007. I have been an active member of organizations since I was in High school and was raised with the belief that giving back is a part of life. It’s just what you do. But most of the organizations I was involved with were professional organizations that furthered my career or my business. Through Rotary I have been able to find opportunities to help people and make their world a little better and that is very rewarding. I have been President of Liberty Rotary two times, I’m a Paul Harris Fellow and a Hummingbird Award recipient. I currently chair the Membership committee, the coat drive committee and serve as the Rotary District Service Chair. I visited Puerto Rico after their hurricane and worked with Rotarians there to provide disaster relief directly to people in need and I visited Haiti working with Rotarians there to help distribute water filtration systems directly to families that did not have access to clean water. Rotary has given me a path to meet people from all around the world that have become forever friends. And at home, spending time giving back with the people in the Liberty Rotary Club is always fun!
“Growing the membership of Liberty Rotary has been a passion of mine since joining the club. When I joined there were about 10 members and many of them were older and a little grumpy. It’s taken quite awhile but we have finally developed a successful application and orientation process that helps potential members understand what we do and new members become a part of the rotary family. We now have nearly 40 members, most of them are actively involved in one or many of our projects and none of them are grumpy!
“Outside of Rotary my greatest joy is my family. I was born and raised in Livingston Manor. My father was one of the first members of our sister club in Livingston Manor and Tuesday evenings were always spent as a ‘free dinner night’ of mac and cheese type dinners because dad wasn’t eating home. I grew up in my parents Catskill hotel during the summers but during the rest of the year we lived ‘down town’ across from the very beautiful Livingston Manor Central School. It’ s a small town and I met my husband Gary sometime between the year I was born and when I turned three (the first recorded photo) but we didn’t start dating until after High School. We’ve been married for 37 years. We are lucky to have two adult children who live fairly close by and Gary and I see them often. I generally enjoy being around people so most activities that involve spending time with friends or family are appealing but I also enjoy skiing and walks in the beauty of Sullivan County. I have been the Broker/Owner of a real estate company for 28 years, I am on the Town of Liberty Planning Board and I’m president of the Livingston Manor Synagogue. (Agudas Achim) With partners, Gary and I own a few rental properties and most recently purchased Gary’s parent’s former home in Livingston Manor, which we are running as an airbnb.
“My favorite aspect of Rotary is how we are able to make connections and really help people locally and globally. With Rotary’s help Polio has been nearly eradicated around the globe. Because of Rotary thousands of people in Haiti have life saving clean water. Because of Rotary more people in Liberty will have warm coats this winter. I could go on and on about specific experiences that have made a difference in people’s lives and am happy to discuss that any time with anyone that asks. It’s fulfilling to be a part of an organization that works - and has fun - making that happen.”
To learn more about our club and to see past member spotlights, visit libertynyrotary.org.
