Joe Potter, Rev Dr Cal (Grand Marshall) and Jeff Frenette
Rev Dr Cal
Gina Brancato
Dr Rayner, Ted Avedesian, President Alan
Dora Vasquez-Hellner and VFW
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Westerly
Celebrating Sixty-Six Years June 28, 1958-2024
Celebrating Sixty-Six Years June 28, 1958-2024
A Veteran's Perspective - Art through the Eyes of Those Who Served at the United Theatre.
From Rotarian Dora Vasquez-Hellner -
"You are all invited to my upcoming event in collaboration with Providence Clemente Veterans' Initiative and the United Theatre."
10 November 2024 from 4-6pm
Proposed New Member - Brandon Gidicsin
Brandon has been attending our meetings for the past few weeks and would like to join our club. If there are no objections from membership in the next ten days, induction will take place early November. Meanwhile, a Fireside Chat is being planned. Please contact Derin as soon as possible if you have a comment - temelderin@yahoo.com or 401.787.5575.
Stonington Country Club, 30 Sep 2024
Platinum Sponsor: Professional Planning Group
Gold Sponsor: Bouvier Insurance
Ee Community Srvcs Asso of Electric Boat Quonset
Westerly Community Credit Union
Bronze Sponsor: PMC Media Group
Tee Sponsors:
Avie's Ski/Sport
Baxter
Barnes
Beachcrest Dental
Boughner, Bob & Marty
Central Baptist Church
Chariho Furniture
Coastal Graphics
Cofone, Steve & Evie
Daily Peacemaker.com
D'Angelo Sandwich Shop
Dunns Corners Chiropractic Center
Dunns Corners Market
Frank Hall Boat Yard Inc
Ginger's Service Station
Gray Goose Cookery
Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
Hilltop Cafe
Hoyt, Filippetti & Malaghan LLC
Jonnycake Center of Westerly
Lamb & Lion Inn
Laudone Financial
Mansfield Insurance Agency
Margin Street Inn
Navigant Credit Union
Potter, Joseph & Carol
Rayner, Douglas & Eugenia
Reforest the Tropics Inc
R Paul Kuhn, Esq LLC
Seaside Pharmacy
South County Auto LLC
The Cooked Goose
Toscano's Mens Shop
Under Pressure Washing
Urso, Liguori & Micklich PC
Valenti Subaru
WBLQ
Westerly/Pawcatuck Int'l City of Peace
Wood River Health Services Inc
more pictures can be found in the Photo Album section - see Tenth Golf Tournament 2024
Above are some of the attendees at the 16th Annual Check Presentation on 17 September 2024 at the Manchester Country Club hosted by the Rotary Club of Manchester, CT. 46 Rotary Clubs from CT, MA, RI, PA, VT, FL, WA, ME, So Brunswick Islands NC, Quebec Canada, Calgary Canada, La Antigua Guatemala have contributed. The funds will pay for the materials needed to complete gravity fed water system with gray water filters, vented pit latrines, improved vented stoves and a solar-powered pumping system for the 46 families who live in the rural community of Panicuy, Guatemala. All labor is provided by the men and women in each village.
A 2024/2025 Global Grant is in process for Xecoxol, Guatemala.
Meetings will be in person but spaced appropriately
14 Oct: Columbus Day holiday - NO meeting
19 Oct: Rotary Park Clean Up Day of Service
21 Oct: Ryan Saunders, Exe Dir Chorus of Westerly
28 Oct: RI Secretary of State Gregg M Amore, invite guests, Buffet dinner
4 Nov: Board Meeting
11 Nov: Veteran's Day - NO Meeting
17 Nov: Foundation Luncheon @ White's of Westport 11:30
18 Nov: Pasta Dinner to benefit Jonnycake Center
25 Nov: Football Night
2 Dec: Board Meeting
15 Dec: Ocean Chamber Light Parade
23 Dec: Christmas week - NO Meeting
30 Dec: Happy New Year - NO Meeting
6 Jan: Board Meeting
20 Jan: M L King Holiday - NO Meeting
25 Jan: MidYear District Meeting @ NE Institute of Technology
27 Jan: Tish Rabe
Steve, John and Bob leading us in The Rotary Welcome Song written by Rotarian Ed Smalley
Food Collection Program
Remember those in need and bring canned goods either to meeting or to Avie's Ski/Sport by month's end. These items will be distributed to The Jonnycake Center of Westerly and the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center.
Alzheimer's Walk at Misquamicut Beach
Our Club raised $375 for this event.
Club Home - We are meeting at The Frank Olean Center next to Rotary Park, Monday, 5:30pm. Gina & Angie will send the sandwich/salad menu on or about Wednesday for the next Monday meeting; respond to them at gbrancato@navigantcu.org and aswain@navigantcu.org by Sunday Noon. If you don't receive a reply from within 24 hours, please contact them again. Please respond whether ordering or not as it will help us to know how many will be attending meeting.
Covid Aid Goes On....
18 Mar 2024 marked four years that our Club "had been making food and health item deliveries to area residents who are elderly, infirm, or without transportation. Although the pace has slowed a bit, the need is still great." Rona reports that 336 deliveries, as of 30 September, have been made since the program began in 2020.
Take responsibility for website and newsletter. Excellent tutorials in Clubrunner. Contact Rose at ra.russo@cox.net or 401.315.5868
Gina Fuller, District Manager of the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, attended our dinner on 23 September to talk about the planned project to establish a "green corridor" on Main Street here in Westerly. The project is intended to "improve the quality of pedestrian/traffic safety with designed plantings, improve water quality by reducing impervious surfaces and implementing vegetated green infrastructure." The plan is also to "mitigate flooding and overland storm damage by creating new public access to the river." The "Resiliency" plan is to filter ground water from land before it gets to the Pawcatuck River. It was a very enlightening evening and more information can be seen at the website www.sricd.org
Peace & Justice Committee of Rotary Club of Westerly Our Vision: We seek to create, locally and globally, a culture of peace in which the inherent worth and dignity of every living being is honored and respected and conflicts are resolved nonviolently.
Our Mission: To create activities, programs and projects focused on creating a culture of peace as well as working with other community groups and organizations engaged in similar endeavors.
Link to Frank Thacker's Daily Peacemaker: Facebook https://www,facebook.com/share/DD4HY2mmK2Bf7G4p/?mibextid=WC7FNe
Peace Pole dedication 22Oct2018
21 September 2024 is the International Day of Peace, observed around the world. "Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace." "This year is the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. In that declaration, the United Nations' most inclusive body recognized that peace 'not only is the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.'"
Rotary's Four Roles in Promoting Peace (from www.rotary.org/ourcauses....
Practitioners: Our work fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, improving the health of mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies directly builds the optimal conditions for peaceful societies.
Educators: Our Rotary Peace Centers (seven of them) have trained more than 1,700 peace fellows to become effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education, and international organizations.
Mediators: Our members have negotiated humanitarian ceasefires in areas of conflict to allow polio vaccinators to reach children who are at risk.
Advocates: Our members have an integral role as respected, impartial participants during peace processes and in post-conflict reconstruction. We focus on creating communities and convening groups that are connected, inclusive and resilient.
Rotary Action Group for Peace Memo
An urgent humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Lebanon. With over 1,000,000 people displaced and a nation already battered by adversity, the situation is dire. The Rotary, Rotaract and Interact Clubs of Lebanon are on the front lines, tirelessly providing immediate relief and essential supplies to those in need.
Your generous contributions to The Rotary Foundation are essential to securing and growing Rotary programs throughout the world. Consider making your Every Rotarian, Every Year contribution of $25, $100 or more as early as possible. If you send your contribution directly to Rotary Foundation, please let Rose know. For the 13th consecutive year, the Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating - FOUR STARS - from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. - ranked #4 in the top ten best charities list.
The Polio Plus Society of District 7950
Pledge to help Rotary make history by continuing to contribute $100 or more each year until the World Health Organization certifies that polio has been fully eradicated because Until the world is polio-free, every child is at risk. Society members will received a PolioPlus Society membership pin and certificate. Your contribution qualifies for Paul Harris Recognition and Major Donor Credit. To make your tax-deductible donation go to my.rotary.org/donate and click on "Polio Fund". Payment should be made payable to Rotary Foundation and give to Rose for proper handling.
As of 5 August, 10 members have contributed to either "EREY" and/or "Polio Plus"
The lockbox above was installed on John Street - it's location must be easy to find and close to the front door for quick access by First Responders.
If you know of someone who is "at risk" and can benefit from having a lockbox installed at their home, please contact the Westerly Police Department or Officer Mills at the non-emergency Phone Number 401.596.2022. Our lockboxes are provided to residents, as needed, free of charge. Also, if other groups wish to donate lockboxes to the Westerly Police Department, please purchase them from McQuade's Ace Hardware. We are being awarded special pricing and have delivered 63 lockboxes to Officer Mills for distribution as of this month.
Awarded for Peace and Conflict Resolution event held at the Westerly Library in partnership with Westerly Area Peace and Justice, the Anti-Racism Coalition and the Westerly Library. An Evening with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr took place on 16 January 2024. The goal for the evening was to bring the community together to openly discuss how Dr. King's words from over 50 years ago can unite people to promote peace in a turbulent world. It was promoted in the Westerly Sun. In addition, we participated in monthly meetings of the Peace Pole Committee which has led to the planting of peace poles in Westerly. An International Day of Peace event was held 23 September 2023 at Westerly Library. A program on International Cities of Peace at the District Peace-building and Conflict Resolution Forum on Zoom took place 27 February 2024.
Members have attended DE&I web training. We have removed fines from weekly meetings, meeting meals have become optional, creating a tiered dues structure. Meeting place is convenient to all. Website includes Diversity pledge: Rotary strives to create and maintain an experience for members and participants that reflects our fundamental values, empowers people to contribute at their fullest potential, and celebrates people as they are. Our core values - service, fellowship, diversity, integrity and leadership - align with our commitment to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all.
25 achievements were listed on the award application. We had to complete at least 16 between 1 July 2023 and 25 April 2024. We accomplished 20. Some examples are service project completed, Million Dollar Meal, attendance at District event, participate or contribute to international project, peace building.
To receive this award, a club must have completed at least 4 of 9 items. We completed six: highlighted projects or events in the Westerly Sun, maintained an attractive up-to-date website, maintained an active up-to-date facebook page, produced regular newsletters to membership and others, hosted an event to inform others about Rotary's efforts to eradicate Polio in the world (our Million Dollar Meal in Rotary Park), Updated Club banners with Day of Service banner.
District Longevity Awards were given to Dr. Douglas A Rayner for his 53 years of service and Joseph Nigrelli for his 56 years of service
to Westerly Rotary.
Rotary strives to create and maintain an experience for members and participants that reflects our fundamental values, empowers people to contribute at their fullest potential, and celebrates people as they are. Our core values - service, fellowship, diversity, integrity and leadership - align with our commitment to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all.
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SERVICE ABOVE SELF
Westerly, RI 02891
United States of America