CAZENOVIA — The Cazenovia Rotary Club has proudly lived the Rotary International motto, “Service Above Self,” since 1949.

In early fall 2024, the club will release its first Cazenovia area phone book since before the pandemic.

Over the past 50 years, the Rotary has typically compiled and distributed a new phone book every two years. The most recent phone book to be published, however, was the 2018-19 edition.

“We were ready to go again for 2020-21 when COVID hit, and our printer [became unavailable],” said Cazenovia Rotary Club Treasurer Anna Marie Neuland, who has chaired the phone book committee for the past 20 years. “We were unable to print another until this year.”

The Rotary phone book, which covers the towns of Cazenovia and Nelson and parts of the hamlet of Perryville, contains both white and yellow pages.

There is no charge to be added to the white pages.

According to Neuland, the 2018-19 white pages had 3,706 phone numbers, including listings for clubs, local organizations, and churches.

“I am updating all the white pages information and need the public to let us know if they have dropped their landlines and wish to have their cell phone numbers listed at no charge,” Neuland said on March 26.

To keep the white pages up to date, Neuland compares the Rotary club’s database to other phone directories containing Cazenovia area numbers.

“If it is not in one of those [other phone books], I delete it from ours,” she said. “If there is a new number in those, I add it to our list. We include a donation card in all the books, and quite often, changes are requested on those. [That’s in addition to the] e-mails and phone calls I receive for changes. It is a labor of love and requires about three months to complete the task for white pages alone.”

The Rotary also sells advertisements for the yellow pages business directory and the inside and back covers.

According to Neuland, 96 ads were sold for the 2018-19 phone book.

Those businesses have all been invited to advertise again in the upcoming edition. New businesses can also purchase ad space.

“All the yellow page ads are good for two years, and a business card size ad is only $150,” said Neuland.

To be included in the phone book and to receive a rate sheet, contact Neuland at 315-655-9182, 315-439-6791, or [email protected].

Donations can be mailed to Cazenovia Rotary Club, PO Box 582, Cazenovia, NY 13035.

The Rotary phone books also feature several free advertisements.

Neuland said the 2018-19 edition had space dedicated to the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, 80 zip codes from Albany to Yorkville, volunteer fire department information, the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Amazon shopping to support Cazenovia Public Library (CPL), Cazenovia area dining options, CazCares, Cazenovia area clubs and organizations, an alphabetical advertisers directory, a two-year calendar page, information on area parks and recreation, “Know Your Town” information, local church pictures and contact information, a list of Cazenovia Rotary members, and Cazenovia Rotary Club information.

Publishing the area phone book is the main fundraiser of the Cazenovia Rotary Club.

The money raised through yellow page ad sales covers the $9,995 cost of printing the phone books and advertising their release in local papers. The remaining funds and donations are used to support local organizations and initiatives and serve as seed money for the club’s next phone book publication.

“The money raised goes back into the community, and every dollar is listed in each phone book for the public to see,” said Neuland. “Accomplishing all these projects takes thousands of volunteer hours from our small club.”

According to Neuland, the Rotary has contributed funds to support Lamplit Farm’s Winter Fest and Fall Fest wagon rides, Little Free Libraries throughout the community, Feed our Vets, Madison County Children’s Camp, Cazenovia High School scholarships, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with CPL, CazCares, polio eradication through the Rotary Foundation, repairs to the kiosk in front of Kinney Drugs, the purchase of a manure spreader for From The Ground Up Therapeutic Horsemanship, and the shipment of 72 cases of books collected from CPL and Cazenovia schools to South Africa in shipping containers capable of being converted into a school or medical office.

“The shipping containers hold over 1000 cases of books from Rotary clubs all over the US,” Neuland explained. “[The books] are loaded onto a shipping container in Texas en route to South Africa.”

The Cazenovia Rotary Club usually prints over 2,000 of its phone books, which have always featured fonts large enough to be read without a magnifying glass.

“That is why it is in such demand from the community,” said Neuland.

Once the 2024-25 Rotary phone book has been printed, copies will be available for free at CPL and the Cazenovia Town Offices and mailed upon request to a few individuals living outside the area.

Anniversary celebration

The Cazenovia Rotary Club is planning to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a cocktail hour, dinner, and award presentations on Friday, May 31, at the Lincklaen House.

“We plan to invite the community and other Rotary club members to this event,” said Neuland.

The club meets the second Friday of every month at the Lincklaen House for lunch meetings under the direction of Joe Gugino, president; Fred Palmer, vice president; Bob Conway, sergeant at arms; Sandra Patrizio, secretary; and Neuland, treasurer and immediate past president.

“I joined the Rotary club in 1999 and was sponsored by Sandy Diefendorf,” said Neuland. “My son Eric Burrell was a Rotary exchange student when we lived in Norwich, NY. I joined the Cazenovia Rotary when we moved here. I enjoy giving back to the community I live in, which is why I am [also] active with the League of Women Voters, Cazenovia Area Senior Association, and Friends of Lorenzo.”

Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world.

Its mission, as stated on its website, is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through [the] fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.”

The non-political and non-religious organization has 46,000-plus member clubs that work together to promote peace, fight illiteracy and poverty, help people get access to clean water and sanitation, fight disease, and protect Earth and its resources.

Rotarians use the nonpartisan and nonsectarian “Four-Way Test” as an ethical guide for their personal and professional relationships.

It asks the following four questions about “the things we think, say or do:”
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

To learn more about Rotary International, visit rotary.org/en.

For updates on the Cazenovia Rotary Club, visit the club’s Facebook page.