Rotary Club Surpasses Backpack Collection Goal

Notebooks, paper, pens, colored pencils, #2 pencils, markers, folders, calculators and backpacks decorated a dining room at the Buttonwood Manor as Rotarians, or members of the Matawan Aberdeen Rotary Club, buzzed around the room to fill each backpack with the appropriate school supplies.

The hallway outside the dining room was quickly taken over by prepared backpacks, all set and ready for a Matawan Aberdeen Regional School Disctrict child in need.

Excitement grew as the number of backpacks quickly approached the organization's goal of 100.

Then, finally, the last bag was packed. With a total of 113 bags to be donated to the school district, and three to be donated to children at the Manna House in Cliffwood Beach, the group had surpassed their goal with their most successful backpack drive to date.

This is the third year the Rotary Club has collected backpacks and donated them the the Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District, according to Roseann Trevean, the club's president.

The fundraiser has grown each year, Trevean said. The first year the Rotary Club set their goal at 50 backpacks; last year the goal was set at 70 backpacks and this year they upped the bar to 100 backpacks.

Rotary Club is an international organization designed to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian efforts at the local, national and international levels, according the organization's website. The Matawan Aberdeen chapter meets every Thursday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. in the Buttonwood Manor.