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OUR CLUBS
༈ٟɰஹᚃᅰϋᗎп̨
ᝄٙतࣿෳ༶ᘫଢඟdࠋዄ਷
If this were a movie it would be a
ყˢᒄٙࢨࣚ൬͜eમᒅՓ؂ 追求幸福 Hollywood salute to grit and grati-
ʿۜ͜dԨၾٟਜϓࡰ΍Νᑘ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? tude, an inspirational biopic in which
a determined woman survives life in
ίІҢረঐٙࣚ೻ʕd
፬ˢᒄfϪՂᑋႭj˜ீཀ༶ In pursuit of happiness a homeless shelter and repays the
service organization that rescued
ਗdவԬϋჀ༶ਗࡰᐏ੻Іڦ ޜ֋ဧhᎍဧ (Janelle Hall) ೯ତҧቃ her. Here is Janelle Hall, mid-2008,
All along her journey of self-empowerment,
in her worn pink shelter robe, job-
ʿɛ͛ͦᅺf຅˼ࡁ੭ഹᆤ೐ Janelle Hall finds Rotary less after a turn mopping floors at
a laundromat, a refugee from an in-
Ϋ࢕ࣛdҢࡁਗ਼˼ࡁൖމߵඪ law’s tiny apartment with her then-
ছᅅज़f޶Ց˼ࡁකːٙᑕ husband and four young children.
“Hours from the street” is how
ᕼd݊ଉՈᄆ࠽ٙΫజf™ Hall describes the day she and her
family got admitted to the shelter in
ϪՂᑋɰл͜࢕ࢬ՟Σ Clifton, New Jersey. This was shortly
after a Rotary district governor had
ٙݺਗԸіˏอٟࡰdतй݊ called on Rotarians to set up a pro-
gram to help families like hers bat-
ԟԬᗭ˸̻ፅ࢕ࢬၾʮ͏וፕ tered by the Great Recession, and one
ٙϋჀ˃੉f˼ڌͪj˜Ңࡁ volunteer, Bonnie Sirower, who was
a board member at a nearby YMCA,
݊௰ҁߕٟٙྠfҢࡁᜫ˼ࡁ was told about Hall.
“She was looking for a hand up,
ίʔᙼޒ࢕ࢬࣛගٙઋرɨਞ not a handout,” says Sirower, who
was part of a team of Rotary mem-
ၾқᗴ؂ਕf™ bers from District 7490 that spent
ˢ˙νdί 8 ˜ 8 ˚ ķķ weeks with Hall and others in need
as part of the district program. They
̨ᝄٙ˨ፋື ķķ ༈ٟᑘ፬ provided Christmas presents for her
children, a wardrobe for job inter-
ɓఙ࢕ࢬ؎ɿஐጞႡЪݺਗd views, a bus pass to get her to those
interviews, and then leads to a ser-
௅ ʱ੻ɢ׵ɓЗίή໊ٟద vice organization that offered not
᜗ၣߎٙ܁ෂdіˏəᅰɤੵ only a job but child care for Hall’s
kids, free. “It was like divine inter-
อࠦˆfϪՂᑋႭj˜Ңࡁᎇ vention,” says Hall.
The daughter of immigrant par-
ܝၾ࿁ҧቃڌ༺ጳሳٙ࢕ڗආ ents from Jamaica and Trinidad and
Tobago, Hall had flunked out of col-
Бܝᚃᑌᖩfν؈Ϟɛ࢝ତจ lege, overwhelmed with challenges
— small children, an emotionally
ᗴdҢࡁึͭуᛇڎ˼ࡁf™ abusive husband, and “bad deci-
வ၇ਂجϗՑəϓࣖj sions.” So, with this chance for a sec-
ond chance, the Rotary team helped
ϪՂᑋʊ༺ϓʦϋٟࡰϓڗ locate a possible college and paid for
her application fee.
10% ٙͦᅺfϾ؍ɹֱ၅ҧ “There weren’t any computers
at the shelter, forget a laptop,” re-
ቃٟ͍๟௪Ⴞኬ̤ɓࡈҧቃٟ members Hall. “I wrote my essay
ķķ อ̏Υɓҧቃٟ ķķ ߧ with a pencil on purple copy paper.
My acceptance letter was mailed to
ɢ׵޴Νٙ؂ਕeٟਜdʿః the homeless shelter and I still have
it today.”
ࣀٙଣซf Photography by Roshni Khatri Three years later she graduated
ϪՂᑋႭj˜؂ਕᄣආ from William Paterson University.
Soon after getting a job, a coworker
ֱ၅fίЫʥϞঐɢࣛΫ㉿ٟ said, “C’mon, Janelle, why don’t we
get ourselves a master’s degree!”
ึdึ੭Ըၚग़ɪٙတԑf຅
ν؈வ݊ɓ௅ཥᅂdԟ
Ыᜫ࢕ɛਞၾՉʕdԟʱတԑ 52 ROTARY DECEMBER 2025 əɓЗจқ਺֛ٙɾ׌ίೌ࢕ Photography by Roshni Khatri
ชఱึ̋ଉf™ ਗ਼݊ɓ௅λഺ෰ό࿁਺දၾช ̙ᓥ٫ϗ࢙הʕཬ੶͛πdԨ
ࢸߧหٙᎸқෂা˪d̴ᑺࠑ ௰୞Ϋజહпμٙዚ࿴݂ٙ
ᅠ˖jWen Huang dec25-E-WATN.indd 52 10/29/25 19:22

36 臺灣扶輪 2025.12