Service above self

When Rony Kessler dons his cap with the words “Central Nassau County Rotary Club, ” he works, he said, to personify the club’s motto, “Service above self.” Kessler, 77, has spent decades working not only for his fellow Franklin Square residents, but also for the people of Elmont, West Hempstead, Westbury and many other communties on Long Island and around the world.

Through the Rotary Club, Kessler has assisted dozens of local projects and nonprofits, as well as several international charties that serve people in Haiti and Puerto Rico. With nearly 100 people at the Rotary’s annual installation dinner, Kessler and the rest of the board members renewed their oaths to the club, and for the seventh time, Kessler became the group’s president on July 20.

“Everyone here understands the joy you get from giving to others,” Kessler said. “We raise money, and that’s the easy part. It’s what the people do with the money that’s really amazing.”

Kessler said he wants to give back because of the gratitude he feels toward his neighbors and the country. Kessler, who was born in what would become Israel, came to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. Because of his limited English, he had trouble in school, but through perserverance and others’ help, he earned an accounting degree.

Before becoming an accountant, he served two years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He did not deploy to Vietnam, but the people he met and their commitment to the country, he said, instilled in him a sense of duty to do right by others.

In the late 1970s, Kessler, who by then had become a successful accountant, was asked to give a presentation to the Central Nassau County Rotarty Club on taxes. The club’s charitable spirit impressed Kessler, and he joined the group shortly after. Now, roughly 40 years later, he has become a fundraising juggernaut who shows no sign of slowing down.

In the last year alone, the Central Nassau County Rotary Club has donated funds to dozens of charities and local projects, including the Franklin Square Civic Association’s Hometown Heroes banners, the Safe Center Long Island’s Christmas Gifts for Children, the Friends of Nassau County Recreation Victory Games, and the Center for Science, Teaching and Learning’s Spooky Walk. The club’s biggest night is its installation dinner, when it distributes tens of thousands of dollars to several invited charities. This year, the club gave $45,000 to about 20 organizations, and it sent $30,000 to Puerto Rico to help rebuild playgrounds after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

“The work the Rotary does for our communities is amazing,” State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said as she distributed certificates of recognition to Kessler and the other board members at the installation. “Your work ensures that our communities remain united.”

As he watched Kessler up on stage, William Youngfert, one of the club’s new co-vice presidents and another long-time community advocate, said he felt assured that the club would see another successful year of fundraising and growth. While previous Rotary clubs in Nassau County have come and gone, Youngfert said the Central Nassau County Rotarty Club has nothing to fear with Kessler at the helm.

“Rony’s led this club before, and he’ll do great job this year, too,” Youngfert, a first-time board member, said. “He’s delivered a lot, so, of course, we’re expecting a lot more out of him this year.”

Kessler said he hopes the 2019-20 fiscal year is a time of growth for the Rotary. He wants more members from Elmont and Westbury to sign up to help expand their philanthropic efforts in these communities. He also hopes to sign up younger members to ensure that the Rotary avoids aging out, like so many other organizations on Long Island have.

“As leader of the Rotary, we have to make sure that we can pass this on to the next generation, so they, in turn, can provide for the communities when we’re gone,” Kessler said.