On Monday, June 29th the Westerly Rotary Club hosted its annual Change of Command/Installation Dinner. It was a beautiful evening and the site was the Grey Sail Brewing Company of Rhode Island. Our hosts were Alan & Jen Brinton. After visiting for a bit, President Suzanne called the meeting to order and then dinner was served. In the formal part of the meeting our Assistant District Governor, Nancy Kleniewski, presented the club with District Awards for Public Image, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and being a Vibrant Club. President Suzanne presented Frank Thacker with the Unsung Hero Award. Certificates were presented to Joe Nigrelli (57 years), Doug Raynor (53 years), and Steve Cofone (43 years) for their length of service in Rotary. Finally, President Suzanne shared her appreciation for members of the club who made the past year one to remember and then went on to present Doug Rayner and Ted Avedesian with Service Above Self Awards from the Club.
Ted's Award read, "For always willing to lend a hand; for allowing Avie's to be the meeting place; holder of food items for our monthly food collection; holder of items for our annual auction, golf tournament or other events. We are eternally grateful for all you do. You are an example to us all to be the very best we can be."
Doug's award read, "To recognize the many years of "Service Above Self" through your volunteerism to the Community and especially our Club; to recognizer appreciation for the many wonderful handcrafted furniture pieces made for our auctions; to recognize our grateful thank you for the Rotarian example you are for all of us."
Immediate Past President Alan Brinton invited incoming President Jeff Wendth forward for the Service of Installation as the new President. He followed that up by installing the members of officers and members of the Rotary Board of directors for the year 2026-2027.
President Jeff invited Suzanne to come forward to be recognized for her work as our President and to offer her a gift to show our appreciation for her service to the club. Suzanne symbolically passed the gavel to Jeff and he took a few minutes to share his thoughts about the future of our work together.
(Check out the rotary Web site with more photos from the event.)
