Dormont-Mt Lebanon-Castle Shannon Rotary Club

🇩🇰❤️ ONE LAST WEEKEND WITH MADS! ❤️🇩🇰

After an unforgettable year, it is almost time to say “Farvel” (goodbye) to Mads, our amazing exchange student from Denmark.

Before he heads home, and before our family leaves for Europe for the entire summer, we’d love to gather with friends, neighbors, church family, Rotary friends, former host families, and anyone who has been part of this incredible journey.

🎉 OPEN HOUSE GOING AWAY PARTY FOR MADS 🎉

📅 Tomorrow! Saturday, June 6, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
📍 415 Jefferson Drive
Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228

🌭 Hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and drinks will be provided!

🥗 Pot luck style! Please bring a favorite dish, dessert, side dish, or even just a bag of chips to share.

Stop by for five minutes or stay for the afternoon. We’d love the chance to visit, reconnect, laugh, tell stories, and celebrate a year that has meant so much to our family.

Hosting Mads has been one of the great joys of our year. He joins an incredible group of young people we have been blessed to host & Co-Host from:

🇫🇷 France
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇯🇵 Japan
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇪🇸 Spain
🇮🇹 Italy

Many Students! Many countries! Countless memories. Lifelong friendships.

As former First Lady and international exchange advocate Eleanor Roosevelt once said:

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

That perfectly describes the exchange student experience.

Many people are surprised to learn that hosting an exchange student through the Mt. Lebanon Rotary Club International Youth Exchange Program is entirely volunteer based. Host families receive tremendous support, and students and their families cover their own expenses. What you provide is something far more valuable: a welcoming home, a caring community, and a life changing experience.

If you’ve ever wondered what hosting an exchange student is really like, come by! We’d be happy to answer questions, share stories, and help you explore whether your family might become a future host family.

The world feels a lot smaller when someone from the other side of it becomes family.

We hope you’ll join us tomorrow as we celebrate Mads, friendship across cultures, and the amazing connections that make our community so special.

Wonderful Speaker this week promoting Chemoriders.org. Jeff has cycled across the United States of America promoting this amazing program that truly helps the most valuable of our society. Thank you Jeff for coming and moving all of us to action in a meaningful way!
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One of our amazing students that we honoured this week with a College Scholarship!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1XpYzphFFX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🎉✨ Celebrating the Next Generation of Leaders, Scholars and Peacemakers
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As a Rotary community, we gather today with immense pride and hope as we honor six extraordinary young people who represent the very best of this generation. Their dedication, compassion and commitment to excellence remind us why we believe so deeply in the power of education, service and leadership.
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This year we are proud to present three Rotary Scholarships to graduating seniors whose academic achievements, athletic commitment, community service and character have set them apart. These remarkable students have balanced honor roll status with demanding sports seasons, volunteered countless hours to improve the lives of others and demonstrated the kind of integrity that strengthens an entire community. In a world that needs courageous young leaders, they have stepped forward with both determination and heart.
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Alongside them, we celebrate our three Students of the Month whose accomplishments shine just as brightly. These young leaders have distinguished themselves through academic excellence, creative problem solving, compassionate leadership and active participation in school and community life. Among them are athletes who have given their all on the playing field, artists and scholars who excel in the classroom and volunteers who embody the spirit of service above self. We also honor those who have achieved the incredible milestone of becoming Eagle Scouts, a distinction defined by perseverance, leadership and service to community.
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Each of these six outstanding students has demonstrated a deep commitment to bettering themselves and the world around them. Their high school careers tell stories of grit and generosity. They have tutored younger students, mentored peers, supported local charities, participated in service projects, engaged in global issues, led teams to victory and upheld the highest standards of academic achievement. They show us what is possible when purpose and passion meet dedication.
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Their futures are bright and filled with potential and they give us reason to believe in a more hopeful tomorrow.
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We are reminded of the words of Paul Harris, whose vision began this movement of goodwill:
“Rotary changes us and those we serve. We believe we can change the world one person at a time.”
Today we see this truth fulfilled in the lives of these six young leaders whose actions already reflect the very best of our community.
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We also draw strength from the wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt, who said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” These students not only believe in their dreams, they are working every day to create a future filled with purpose, compassion and possibility.
🥇 🇺🇸 👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓 🇺🇸 🥇
As a Rotary Club, we choose hope. We choose service above self. We choose to build bridges, open doors and strengthen our community with compassion and purpose. These students inspire us to keep going. They remind us that every act of kindness, every hour of service and every belief in a brighter future truly matters.
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Today we reaffirm our shared commitment to be dreamers, helpers and changemakers. We recommit ourselves to leaving every place we touch better than we found it. Together with the next generation, we carry a spark that can ignite new possibilities for the world.
🥇 🇺🇸 👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓 🇺🇸 🥇
To our scholarship recipients and Students of the Month:
Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your service. Thank you for giving us renewed hope for a more peaceful and compassionate tomorrow.
🥇 🇺🇸 👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓 🇺🇸 🥇
The world is brighter because you are in it.
The world is brighter because we serve together.

Congratulations to the outstanding students Isabella Cafardi from Mt Lebanon High School, Logan Scott from Seaton LaSalle High School, and Jason Leung from Keystone Oaks High School who were honored at the Student of the Month Awards Ceremony hosted by the Dormont Mt Lebanon Castle Shannon Rotary Club at the United Methodist Church in Mt Lebanon Pennsylvania.
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Each student shared a strong sense of gratitude and appreciation, and their biographies and achievements that led to this rare and honorable recognition were truly impressive. It is inspiring to see such dedicated and accomplished young people in our community, and they give real hope for the future.
👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓 🧑‍🎓 🏆 🥇
Congratulations to all of the Student of the Month award recipients

Rotary Club Night Out!!!
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Total success! A whole crew of us Rotarians descended on the Michael Carbonaro Magic Show at the iconic Carnegie Library of Homestead, and let me tell you… we laughed, we gasped, we questioned reality, and at least three of us tried to figure out if we might also secretly be magicians. (Spoiler: we’re not.)m
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The night was full of nonstop fun and plenty of “HOW DID HE DO THAT?!” moments. Rotary folks gathered together are already a good time, but add illusions, comedy, and a room full of adults pretending we understand physics… pure magic.
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And the best part? Somehow, by the grace of the Rotary wheel or just bad seating placement, I was chosen to go up on stage! Yes, me. Your humble, unsuspecting Rotarian. One minute I’m sitting there enjoying the show, the next minute I’m part of an act wondering whether I was about to levitate, disappear, or reveal a card I didn’t remember picking.
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Who needs Las Vegas when we have Pittsburgh bringing all the top-tier entertainment straight to our doorstep? Seriously, save the airfare. We’ve got magic, mystery, and Rotarians who clap like they’ve never clapped before.
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Such a fun night with an even funnier crew. Already looking forward to our next Rotary adventure… preferably one where I don’t risk being sawed in half.

Wonderful Club Assembly This Week!

We had such a fantastic meeting! Our “club sponsored” Danish Exchange Student, Mads, greeted Rotarians at the door with his warm smile and great conversation. He also served as our special speaker, sharing highlights from his spring break adventures in Florida!
🇩🇰✈️🌴 ☀️
It was inspiring to see so much Rotarian involvement and energy in the room. We had great discussions about all the exciting activities coming up in the next couple of weeks, including:

🎓 Student of the Month Ceremony
🌮 “Taco ’Bout Thursdays” — drinks and apps at Totopo Mexican Canteena
✨ Club Night Out to see the Michael Carbonaro Magic Show! 🪄

So many wonderful things happening in Rotary, our club is truly on the move!
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