Moorestown Rotarian Raises Money for Irene-Devastated Vt. Town

Elaine Tryjankowski’s first home in Moorestown may have escaped Hurricane Irene—or rather, —more or less , but her second home wasn’t so lucky.

When floodwaters swept through Wilmington, VT, in August—one of the hardest hit towns in one of the hardest hit states—Tryjankowski was resolved to do something.

She’d been spending half her time in the quaint little southern Vermont town. Six years ago, on a whim, she closed her eyes, pressed her finger to a map and landed on Wilmington. She bought a condo “and just fell in love.” Tryjankowski spends six to eight months a year there.

So when Irene devastated Wilmington, it struck her as hard as if those floodwaters had ripped through Main Street Moorestown.

She traveled to Wilmington and began volunteering. She found herself scraping mud off the shelves of a supermarket, and helping with other cleanup efforts.

“But I’m in my 60s. I couldn’t do it eight hours a day,” she said. “I said, ‘I’m really tired, but there’s got to be more I can do.’”

Tryjankowski, a member of the Moorestown Rotary, spoke with president John Engleman, who suggested she could write a grant to donate to Wilmington. She did and it was accepted by the District Rotary, which contributed money in conjunction with the Moorestown Rotary, for a total grant amount of $4,850.

The former president of the Deerfield Valley Rotary in Wilmington, Arlene Palmitar, told Tryjankowski the local fire department could use the money to buy water rescue equipment like diving suits, floatation devices, a cardiac machine and GPS systems.

“They could not save it when the flashflood came, and they need it,” Tryjankowski said.

“As a former New Jersey firefighter, former volunteer of the Moorestown Fire Department and present board member of the Moorestown first aid squad, I know firsthand how important it is to support the fire and emergency services of a community,” said Engleman. “Considering the catastrophic loss this community suffered, our club wanted to extend a way to make the greatest impact.”

Tryjankowski said she walked into Wilmington’s town hall shortly before presenting them with the check and the town clerk said to her, “‘I know what you did for Wilmington’ … The entire town was destroyed. The entire infrastructure. They were very grateful for any help they could get.”

She presented the check to the president of the Wilmington Fire Department Association, as well as the former and current presidents of the Deerfield Valley Rotary, just before Thanksgiving.

Wilmington is still getting back on its feet, Tryjankowski said. Many businesses and buildings are still boarded up, waiting for federal disaster aid before they can reopen.

But she’ll be back there this week, where she’ll spend her Christmas holiday.

The Rotary Club of Moorestown meets weekly at the . Check out their website for more information.