Latest update just received from our Manchester, CT Rotarian and Friends Rick & Elin Lawrence....
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Westerly
Celebrating Sixty-Five Years June 28, 1958-2023
Celebrating Sixty-Five Years June 28, 1958-2023
Westerly Rotary honors those who served by participating in the Westerly Pawcatuck Parade on 29 May
Rona and Derin
Ted and Doug
Above is President-Elect Derin with Town Manager Shawn Lacey. Shawn visited the Club on 22 May and spoke of several changes since he has assumed the role of Town Manager. Shawn served the town as Police Officer for over thirty years and Chief of Police since 2018. When Town Manager Mark Rooney resigned in 2021, the Town Council offered him the position of Interim Manager. Shawn became permanent Town Manager on 28 February 2022. His time was interim manager during Rooney's vacation time and after he resigned proved to the Town Council that Shawn was well suited to the position, "established a record of excellence." His responsibilities include "appointing and removing all town employees, enforcing and executing all acts and directives of the Council...., preparing and submitting an annual financial report to the Council, keeping the Council advised of the financial condition and future and other needs of the town." Shawn can be reached at 401.348.2530.
Our Guest Speaker on 15 May was Janine Weismann, Editor-in-Chief for the new Rhode Island Current. This is an "independent, nonprofit digital news site dedicated to bringing readers a steady stream of high quality, nonpartisan reporting about state government and public policy in the Ocean State." The Rhode Island Current is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. Janine came with 25 years in the newsroom of The Newport Daily News and she is also an adjunct professor in the journalism program at Roger Williams University. She is a graduate of Rhode Island College and earned a master's degree in speech communication at the University of Maine. Their office is located in Olneyville area of Providence. Anyone interested in receiving daily state news should go to https://rhodeislandcurrent.com and click "subscribe", subscription is free but you can support the Current's work with a donation.
Remember the following in your prayers and perhaps with a card or two: Karen Hanson and Walter Kimball
Meetings will be in person but spaced appropriately
Upcoming ------
5 Jun: Board meeting at 4:30, general meeting at 5:30 and Induction of New Member Joseph Lorello
6 Jun: WHS Baccaulaureate
12 Jun: Melanie Fricchione, Westerly Library Children's Librarian
17 Jun: District 7950 Installation at Quincy Rotary Club, Granite Links Pavilion Tent, 100 Quarry Hills Drive, Quincy 11am to 2pm $60
24 Jun: Chorus of Westerly Summer Pops
26 Jun: NO meeting -Pops holiday
3 Jul: Board Meeting (this date is not a Rhode Island recognized holiday); regular meeting
4 Jul: 4th of July Holiday
10 Jul: Installation of 2023/2024 Officers at Venice Restaurant, $40 per person
Steve, John and Bob leading us in The Rotary Welcome Song written by Rotarian Ed Smalley
Remember those in need and bring canned goods either to meeting or to Avie's Ski/Sport by month's end or bring to meeting. These items will be distributed to The Jonnycake Center of Westerly, the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center and RI Center Assisting those in Need.
Club Home - Beginning 11 July22 we will be meeting at The Frank Olean Center next to Rotary Park. Chant will send the sandwich/salad menu on or about Wednesday for the next Monday meeting; respond to Chant at chantclapham@gmail.com by Saturday Noon. If you don't receive a reply from Chant within 24 hours, please contact her again.
Rotary Items for Sale - $5.00 each - Golf bags, Cooler bags, Polo Shirts, Light Rain Pullovers - Several sizes available - contact Ted or stop in at Avie's Ski/Sports.
18 Mar 2023 marked three 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 290 deliveries have been made since the program began in 2020.
District Conference 2023
Assistant District Governor Bob Cruz visited our club 15 May to present two District awards: Public Image and Vibrant Club for the past year. Longevity awards were given to Joe Nigrelli (55 years) and Doug Rayner (52 years).
District Grant 2022-2023
We have completed our Reforest the Tropics Grant for 2022-2023 with our visit to Westerly Middle School on 23 May with two sessions at 12:00 with 5th graders and 1:00 with 6th graders in the school auditorium. Each session was enthusiastically received by the students and teachers of each grade. After an introduction by Greg Powell, RTT Director, about climate change and the importance of forestry, the students were introduced to Chief Forester Victor Martinez in Costa Rica. The students asked several questions from types of trees grown in the forest to the animals living there. It was eleven years ago that our Club first supported RTT's efforts to combat climate change. We saw pictures of the first planting of Westerly Middle School's forest and the changes at it became the forest it is today. Forests are a stabilizing force for climate - regulates ecosystems, protects biodiversity, takes in carbon from the air and stores it in wood. The final reports was submitted to the Grant Committee. Next on to 2023/2024.....
Creative Opportunity
Take responsibility for website and newsletter. Excellent tutorials in Clubrunner. Contact Rose at ra.russo@cox.net or 401.315.5868
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.
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 or more as early as possible. Contributed as of 31Mar, $1,919.00 for EREY and $844 for Polio through Club - 71% of membership have contributed. 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.
Rotary responds to 2023 Earthquake in Turkey and Syria - The Rotary Foundation Trustees decided that all donations made, from now until 31 March, to the Turkey/Syria Disaster Response Fund will be used to aid earthquake relief projects. In addition, the Trustees made available more than $125,000 to Rotary districts affected by the earthquake through Disaster Response Grants.
At our meeting of Monday, 4 April 2022, the Rotary Club of Westerly voted to establish a Peace and Justice Committee.
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.
The link to the latest episode from the Daily Peacemaker.com is https://youtu.be/XQeaxQIe5Lc
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SERVICE ABOVE SELF
Westerly, RI 02891
United States of America