The Owego Rotary Club welcomed three new members this January: Patrick Aquilio, Jannis Higgins, and Kaitlynn Schultz.
Kaitlynn is a graduate student with a young son, Janis is a social service retiree looking for further ways to give back to her community, and Patrick is a former educator who now leads a major social service nonprofit in our community. Get to know them here!
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| Left to right: Patrick Aquilio, Margaret Rosenheck and Anne Schaeffer |
Patrick Aquilio
Patrick’s story began in Maryland but he has lived most of this life in the Twin Tiers of northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. His childhood and education took place in Bradford County, Pennsylvania then he went to college in southwestern New York near Olean. He currently lives in Sayre, Pennsylvania where he and his wife, Julie, have raised four sons.
Patrick has always volunteered for his church and for community organizations like Little League and scouting. He loves sports and says that ESPN is “his friend.”
For over 20 years he taught sixth grade in Tioga County, New York. In 2020 he made a career change and he writes “I am proud to say I wake up each morning to serve the people of our community with Catholic Charities in Nichols … where I have been encouraged to also volunteer with the Rotary Club of Owego through fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership.”
Janis Higgins
Raised in Owego, Janis attended St. Patrick’s School and then Owego Free Academy. She lived for a time in San Francisco where she married and had two sons before returning to our area to finish college at SUNY Binghamton.
A career with the Broome County Department of Social Services involved her in many program areas over eighteen years. Her favorite task was developing a pilot program directed at women and children receiving welfare by providing them with supportive services, education and training opportunities, and case management.
After a move to state-level work her tasks involved overseeing pilot social programs in 57 counties and the boroughs of New York City.
In recent years Janis has volunteered for the Tioga County Rural Ministry, where she meets with new volunteers and places them with the many services offered by the ministry.
Kaitlynn Schultz
“I grew up in Brackney, PA., in the middle of what felt like nowhere. I was presented with a chance to become a Rotary exchange student during my junior year of high school. With many hours of begging, my parents finally gave the OK for their 15 year old to travel to France. I had the time of my life, meeting 5 different host families, attending a French high school full time, and making many new friends. My favorite part was connecting with my host families and the other exchange students. I am still in close touch with many of them. Presently, I live with my son, my boyfriend of 10 years, one cat, and one huge German shepherd. We enjoy camping, swimming and traveling.”
Kaitlynn is currently pursuing her Masters degree in marriage and family therapy. She is working full time for a large service industry, with “an amazing boss and coworkers.” Kaitlynn’s future aspirations include “getting back into Rotary, as it gave me some of the best memories of my life! ….I look forward to helping out within my own community, (especially) with the youth programs and exchange from our club and our district “.