Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, during its first in-person meeting of 2026, on Jan. 22, discussed how to further its goodwill and charitable efforts. The meeting, held at Bobby Q’s Jus Like Mama’s, a soul food restaurant in Freeport, outlined the club's upcoming plans for the local and international communities. A potentially major asset to that cause may be its newest member, Lynda Day, who was formally inducted into the club during the meeting.
Before applying to and joining the club, Day has been involved in many charitable activities around the world. As a professor of African studies at Brooklyn College, holding a PhD in the subject, Day expressed to her new clubmates that, in addition to caring for the Freeport and Merrick communities, a priority for her is continuing to serve causes in Ghana and other African nations.
“It’s been part of my own background to do service, and one of the things that I’ve been very proud of is working with a town in Ghana, where I’ve been doing service projects,” said Day in her brief speech after being formally inducted into the club by current Rotary president Comfort Itoka. “It occurred to me that working with Rotary, I could expand, or at least maybe support those projects that I’m already involved in.”
Itoka, who has spent years, both individually and with the club, fundraising and advocating for a variety of charitable causes internationally and on Long Island, says Day’s ambitions as a perfect fit for what Rotary is about.
Itoka also hopes the Freeport-Merrick branch can continue to add more members like Day. Both women stated that they plan to help build more partnerships with other Rotary branches, both domestically and internationally.
“If you look at the entire Rotary International Membership, it is not increasing as much as it should be,” Itoka explained. “People relocate, they move to other cities, and people pass on. So, it’s better to invite more people in as people leave. It’s better to continue to do that work. You need members to do that work.
Some of the work the Freeport-Merrick Rotary does in Freeport includes a Special Needs Students Basketball Game, a Sole4Souls Shoes Drive, and a Prom Boutique, all of which the club has participated in annually. Another ambition for the club is to expand its efforts in Merrick, which has already begun.
At the meeting, Kerry Esmay, the club’s secretary, who will become president in July, shared that a Merrick family on Decker Avenue had experienced a devastating fire that destroyed their home earlier in the month. In response, the members present contributed $900 towards the family’s recovery.
“I’m really going to look forward to the support of the rest of the club when it’s my turn to lead, because like I’ve said, I have big shoes to fill,” said Esmay.
