SERVICE, FELLOWSHIP, AND FUN!
The Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough, located in Massachusetts, engages in service above self to make a difference in the lives of people - both locally and worldwide.
We welcome you to join us for our Club Meetings on the first and third Wednesdays at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center. Socializing is from 12:00 noon to 12:15 p.m. and the Meeting runs from 12:15 to 1:30. A lunch menu is available.
We also hold Social Gatherings on the fourth Wednesday from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m., also at the Boxboro Regency.
Check our calendar (shown immediately below) for our upcoming service, fellowship, and fun opportunities.
For more information, contact 2022-2023 President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Check us out online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
CLUB MEETINGS, EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
CLUB NEWS: 2022-2023
We Serve Lunch to Boxborough Senior Citizens
Our Club sponsored and several of our members served the monthly Boxborough Council on Aging Senior Luncheon on March 8. Club Sergeant-at-arms and COA Board member Maureen Masciola planned and coordinated the event, which was held at the Boxborough Community Center.
(Stock photo, top/Creative Commons)
(Photo of Boxborough Community Center, bottom/Wikimedia Commons)
Maureen was joined by fellow Club members (alphabetically, by last name) Claude Miquel, President-Elect Dean Roberts, and Past President Ann Sorvari, as well as COA staff, to serve a delicious meal of stuffed chicken breast, roasted potatoes, and maple-glazed carrots – followed by seasonal cookies – all of which was provided by Roche Brothers Catering. A good time was had by all attendees.
Congratulations to Maureen for organizing the successful luncheon for about 50 Boxborough senior citizens. With the cooperation of COA staff members (alphabetically, by last name) Barbara Birth, Kim Dee, and Cindy Regan, our Club members provided a delicious lunch, St. Patrick's Day decorations on the tables, and a warm welcome to the attending senior citizens. Many senior citizens expressed their appreciation to our Club for honoring them with such a nice occasion.
For more information, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com or 508-930-8675 mobile/text.
Our Club provides Service Above Self to make a positive difference in the lives of people - both locally and worldwide. We welcome you to attend our Club Meetings, which are held on the first and third Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center.
We also invite you to join us for our monthly Social Gatherings, which are held on the fourth Wednesday from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. also at the Boxboro Regency.
To learn more about our Club, whose motto is Service Above Self, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
For Service, Fellowship, and Fun news and information, check out our Club online:
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Above: Bud and Joan pose in 2015 outside their Acton home, in a photo by Molly Loughman of WickedLocal.com.
Right: The 'Service Above Self Award' Bud received in 2021 from Rotary International.
Remembering Bud Flannery: A True, Fun Blue-and-Gold Rotarian
Bud Flannery, a founding member 60 years ago of our Club, passed away on May 20, 2022 at the age of 91. His wife of 65 years, Joan (Cooke) Flannery, passed away in 2018.
Our members provide Service Above Self to America's military Veterans
Several members of our Club dished the food during the annual Veterans Day Breakfast on November 11 at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. Members of the school's National Honor Society, which hosted this tribute to our nation's military Veterans, served the meals.
To view - and download - our photos of this memorable event, click here.
Dean Roberts (shown left, at center), our Club's president-elect, addressed the attendees in honoring both Veterans and Rotarians. To watch a 23-minute Acton TV video titled "Veterans Day Breakfast, November 11, 2022," click here. Dean's presentation begins 33 seconds into the video.
To learn more about our Club, whose motto is Service Above Self, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Big, hearty thanks to all of you who played in, sponsored, and/or volunteered for our
30th Annual
Bud Flannery Memorial
Golf Tournament
on September 14, 2022
at Quail Ridge Country Club in Acton.
Keynote Speaker: Maria Palacio, Director, Acton Memorial Library
Maria Palacio has made great inroads in outreach and programs and services for new Americans and those without a traditional library background. Maria, who recently became the new director of Acton Memorial Library, was the inspirational keynote speaker during our Club Meeting on August 17.
Watch the 19-minute presentation by Maria.
Maria came to Acton from Chelmsford, where she had worked as assistant director of outreach services at Chelmsford Public Library. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Montclair State University in New Jersey and her Master of Information Science from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Maria has worked in library services for more than 20 years, in positions of increasing responsibility. While in Florida, she served as branch manager of a 40,000-square-foot-library, then became district manager overseeing the operations of six branches in a system of 13 libraries in southwest Florida. In 2014, she was honored in Gulf Shore Business magazine’s "40 Under 40" issue. She also represented the United States at a multi-city library conference in Spain sponsored by the United States Embassy in Madrid.
As director of Acton Memorial Library, Maria manages an annual circulation of 525,000 copies, a budget of $1.47 million, and a wide variety of community-oriented events and activities. She is responsible for all library operations, including budget preparation and management, library-collection management, staff selection and evaluation, and marketing and public relations.
The Library's mission is to serve the informational, educational, and recreational needs of Acton residents of all ages and backgrounds. Recognizing the diversity of the community and the high level of demand, the Library does the following:
1. Supports the mission by developing collections in a variety of formats, to meet known and anticipated community needs.
2. Strives to make residents aware of its services and collections, and to make those resources as accessible as possible both on-site and through electronic means.
3. Strives to use the Library resources of staff, technology, and building accommodations, to ensure their most efficient possible use.
To download Acton Memorial Library's Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2022 to 2024, click here.
To learn more about Acton Memorial Library, click here.
To learn more about our Club, whose motto is Service Above Self, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Keynote Speakers: Erica Johnson and Richard Shipp, Cooperative Elder Services
Cooperative Elder Services takes a comprehensive approach to supporting the health of seniors and adults with medical and/or cognitive challenges.
On August 3, Erica Johnson (shown on right), CES executive director, and Richard Shipp (shown on left), CES program director, were our Club's keynote speakers. CES is also one of the four beneficiaries of our Club's 2022 Bid for Brighter Futures fundraiser.
Watch the 23-minute presentation by Erica and Richard
CES serves eligible people who reside in Acton, Boxborough, and surrounding communities. They include - but also are not limited to - Ayer, Bedford, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, and Sudbury.
At each of CES' adult day health centers, staff members work toward a common goal: to empower participants to age-in-place by serving their health and socialization needs and providing support for families.
Founded in 1978, CES currently operates private, non-profit adult day health programs in several Massachusetts communities, serving hundreds of caregivers as well as seniors and adults who reside in more than 50 cities and towns. Each year, CES participants make 42,000 daily visits to the organization's centers.
To learn more about our Club, whose motto is Service Above Self, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
CLUB NEWS: 2021-2022
This joyous evening on May 13 featured nationally renowned comedian and magician Matt Roberts. This community fundraiser also supported four, worthy local causes: Domestic Violence Services Network; Acton Food Pantry, Cooperative Elder Services; and Danny's Place.
Our Raffle alone raised $1,460. In the coming days, we will share with you the net proceeds from our Full Buffet Dinner/Comedy and Magic Show plus the total amount from our generous Sponsors.
Big, hearty kudos go to:
All Club members who planned, coordinated, supported, and attended this comical, magical, and successful event.
Nearly 150 people (some shown below) who supported our fun and awareness-building fundraiser to benefit the four causes providing important, urgent services to the Acton-Boxborough area!
Our top-notch comedian/magician, Matt Roberts (shown below), for his joyous and mesmerizing performance!
Special thanks go to:
The dedicated, innovative, and smart-working members of our Club's Planning Committee:
MarianneFleckner
AnneHentz
AnnSorvari
CarlaStover
Club members plus Littleton Rotarian Gino Frattalone who sold and bought tickets, donated raffle items, and/or performed evening-of duties.
Diana Nestorova, immediate past governor of our district and a past president and present board member of our club, for her passionate and heartfelt call to support Ukrainian refugees.
Peter Hentz, the masterful guru of our event's website, for his remarkable skills - and incredible patience.
Boxboro Regency management and staff for their excellent service and hospitality.
To learn more about our Club, whose motto is Service Above Self, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Keynote Speaker: Carolyn Read, executive director, Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts
Carolyn Read, immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, serves as executive director of Habitat For Humanity - North Central Massachusetts. On May 18, she was the keynote speaker during our Club Meeting at the Boxboro Regency.
Habitat for Humanity offers a handup - not a handout - to hard-working, lower-income families seeking affordable homeownership.
Simple, decent, affordable homes are built or rehabbed in partnership with families, donors and volunteers who share Habitat for Humanity's vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, Rotary International has made peace the cornerstone of our worldwide mission. In fitting response, our Club has donated $500 to the The Rotary Foundation's Disaster Response Fund, to support disaster-response grants for Rotary districts affected by the crisis in Ukraine
Our Rotary District 7910 has a special relationship with Rotarians in Ukraine. Members from the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury, with support from five other Rotary clubs and districts in the United States, Canada, and Scotland, were instrumental in establishing the first Rotary clubs in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Rotary is made up of people of action - especially in difficult times. In response to the deepening refugee crisis, the Foundation's Board of Trustees has prioritized contributions made to Rotary's Disaster Response Fund, to support disaster-response grants for districts affected by the crisis in Ukraine. District 7910 Governor Cliff Rober strongly urges Rotarians and friends of Rotary to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine through a donation to this Fund.
Rotary International's disaster-response grants are used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing. To learn more, click here.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Want to know more about fighting climate change? Ask Elliott Rittenberg, District 7910's governor nominee and a past president of the Westborough Club, who was the keynote speaker during Acton-Boxborough's Club Meeting on April 20. He co-chairs the District's Environmental Action Group along with Susan Peghiny of the Brookline Club.
To watch Elliott's 23-minute presentation to our Club, click here.
To download 50 Things You Can Do to Fight Climate Change, in PDF format, click here.
Elliott has been a Rotarian since 2009, when he joined the Sharon Club in District 7950. There, he served as club treasurer, president for the 2013– 2014 Rotary year, and then as treasurer of that club’s Charitable Foundation.
After moving in 2015 to Westborough, Elliott transferred to that town's Rotary club. He became active on several committees, served as assistant treasurer, and as club president in 2019 – 2020. He has also served as an assistant district governor, is a Paul Harris Fellow, and is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute.
Outside of Rotary, Elliott serves as a board member of Westborough Connects, a grassroots organization focusing on diversity and inclusion. Professionally, he is co-owner of a manufacturer’s representative firm that distributes infrared thermal-imaging cameras to military and scientific clientele.
Elliott lives in Westborough with his wife, Reina Rego, and their two dogs. Together they share a combined total of five adult children living locally and in Tel Aviv, Washington, DC, and Denver.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Taking Acton's economic development up the next step
Julie Pierce Onos, the Town of Acton’s new position as Economic Development Director in the Town Manager’s Office, addressed our Club Meeting on April 6.
The Town of Acton is business-friendly and its economic-development initiatives are designed to create and stimulate an environment in which businesses succeed. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Yale University, where she was a Mellon Research Fellow. She continued her studies with an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management in Organizational Finance.
Julie’s career started in Connecticut, where she worked on a research study analyzing the social and economic impacts of addiction on individuals, families, and communities. She then moved to Massachusetts and began working for the Social Security Administration, where she held a variety of roles including assisting the public with their retirement and disability claims, building public-private partnerships, creating and deploying training and auditing local field offices.
After many years with SSA, Julie moved on to Middlesex Community College, where she founded their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) internship program. This work involved recruiting and supporting employers, interviewing matching students with employers, and creating the foundational policies and procedures to sustain the program for year to come.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in MetroWest and Central Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
What are the goals of advocacy by and for people with disabilities? What makes an effective advocate? Is change possible? Why be an advocate?
These are among the issues discussed in this podcast edition of "World Disability Matters," hosted by South African Rotarian Jeremy Opperman and American Rotarian Jeremy Warriner. Sponsored by our District's Rotary Disabilities Advisers Group, the live podcast took place on April 5 during the Group's monthly Zoom meeting.
To watch the 57-minute podcast, click here.
To listen to other "World Disability Matters" podcasts, click here.
For more information, contact Ken Masson, of Colombia, who co-chairs the Disabilities Advisory Group with Jeremey Opperman and Jeremy Warriner, at kennethmasson@gmail.com. Ken is also the 2021-2022 president of our district's caused-based worldwide Rotary Club of World Disability Advocacy. To visit and "like' the Club's Facebook page, click here.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Ending hunger by community empowerment, life nourishment, and emergency response
Hunger doesn’t have to exist — let’s end it together. Rise Against Hunger is growing a worldwide movement to end hunger through community empowerment, life nourishment, and emergency response.
Isabel Garcia (shown on left), Rise Against Hunger's community engagement manager for New England, was the keynote speaker for our Club Meeting on March 16. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the meeting was held via Zoom. To watch her compelling 25-minute presentation, click here.
To help Rise Against Hunger fulfill its mission, the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley is holding a food-packaging event on Saturday, April 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Nashoba Regional High School. Our Club is one of the supporters of this worthy Service Above Self cause, to which we have donated $250.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Thank you for donating baby diapers and women's underpants to Acton Food Pantry
Our keynote speaker was Isabel Garcia of Rise Against Hunger, for which the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley is holding a food-packaging event on Saturday, April 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Nashoba Regional High School. Our club is one of the supporters of this event, for which we have donated $250. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting was held via Zoom.
The Rotary Club of Action-Boxborough, located in Massachusetts, engages in projects, events, and activities - in Service Above Self ways - to make a difference in the lives of people - both locally and worldwide. We welcome you to join us for our Club Meetings on the first and third Wednesdays from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. We also hold Social Gatherings on the fourth Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., also via Zoom.
To learn about the Rotary Club of Acton Boxborough - and to check out our Club's Google Calendar for upcoming service, fellowship, and fun opportunities - visit https://www.actonboxboroughrotary.org/home. For more information about our Club, contact President Steve Jones-D'Agostino at abrotary@gmail.com.
To learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members, visit https://www.rotary7910.org.
To learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 Rotary and Rotaract clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members, visit https://www.rotary.org.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
We deliver 237 pairs of crew socks for military personnel
Ann Sorvari, our immediate past president, and Johan Sorvari, her husband and fellow club member, have delivered 237 pairs of crew socks to Operation American Soldier. They originally made a connection with this group through Karen Rivero, a past president of our club who who is also a military veteran.
We all know there's nothing worse than cold, wet feet. That's true when you're trying to do a job. It's especially true when that job involves defending our nation.
Thank you for helping to fill our plastic bins with your donations of crew socks for military personnel. The plain crew socks, for men and/or women, came in white and/or gray colors.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
We celebrate fellow Club member Diana Nestorava's inspirational Service Above Self leadership as '20-'21 District Governor
Diana Nestorova, immediate past district governor (IPDG) of Rotary District 7910, met with us, her fellow Club members, on January 19, 2022. We celebrated and talked with her about the key issues she and her 2021-2022 District team addressed during her one-year term of office, which ended last June 30.
To watch IPDG Diana's 47-minute conversation with us, click here. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our meeting with her was held via Zoom
During IPDG Diana's '20-'21 term as district governor, she provided our District with inspirational service-above-self leadership. District 7910 serves more than 50 Rotary clubs throughout central and eastern Massachusetts.
In addition to being IPDG, Diana is presently serving as one of Rotary Zone 32's Innovative Club Advocates. She also is a past president and a present member of our Club.
In addition to being IPDG, Diana is presently serving as one of Rotary Zone 32's Innovative Club Advocates. She also is a past president and a present member of our Club.
You may contact Diana at diana_nestorova@hotmail.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
DG Cliff Rober holds wide-ranging, informative conversation with us
Cliff Rober, 2021-2022 district governor of Rotary District 7910, met with us on January 5, 2022. We had wide-ranging and informative conversation with him about various District and Club matters.
To watch DG Cliff's 29-minute conversation with us, click here. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our meeting with him was held via Zoom
DG Cliff is a past president and a present member of the Rotary Club of Bedford. To watch his own inspirational story, click here.
You may contact DG Cliff at cliffcoach@aol.com.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
We wish you a Happy New Year - and encourage you to join us to End Polio Now!
To watch - HEAR - our "Happy New Year" greeting, and our "End Polio Now" shout-out, click here.
Please note: The GIF image located to the left of this story shows only the video and contains neither audio nor a link to the YouTube video.
Rotary International is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which seeks to End Polio Now. To learn more, click here.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Providing holiday comfort, joy, gifts, and carols to residents of Life Care Center of Acton
Several of our present and past Club members provided a lots of holiday comfort, joy, and gifts - plus more-or-less on-key carols - on December 15, 2021 to residents of the Life Care Center of Acton. Special thanks to Past President Marvin Gould, a long-time and deeply involved member of our Club, for organizing this wonderful community-service effort.
For joining Marvin in the gift giving and holiday caroling, big, hearty thanks also go to the following: President Steve Jones-D'Agostino; Immediate Past President Ann Sorvari; Past President Marianne Fleckner; Members Padma Jonnavithula, Karen Rivero, and Carla Stover; and Past Member Carol Toomey, who is presently a member of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley.
Club members purchased and donated gift items such as fleece blankets, stuffed animals, fragrances, socks, and body lotions. As Life Care Center staff members distributed the gifts to the nursing home's residents, Club members sang holiday carols in the hallways outside the residents' rooms.
To view additional photos of this service project by our Club, click here.
To watch an 85-second video of our Club's service project, click here.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Keynote speaker: Josh Haines tells scout's truth about Troop 284
Josh Haines, committee chair of Acton's Boys Scouts of America Troop 284, was the keynote speaker during our bi-monthly Club Meeting on December 1, 2021 at the Boxboro Regency.
He provided an overview of his troop, the following: chartering and leadership; troop events and schedule; website; finances; and youth Protection.
To watch Josh's 27-minute presentation, click here.
To download the public-version of Josh's presentation, in PDF format, click here.
To learn more about Troop 284, click here.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Life Care Center gets early Christmas gift
Christmas table decorations have been donated to the Life Care Center of Acton by our Club. Displaying the basket of donated decorations is Barbara Birt (shown on left), an honorary club member.
In a quiet, wooded setting, Life Care Center of Acton is located about two miles from Emerson Hospital in Concord, 20 miles from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and just minutes from public transit, upscale shopping and dining.
With two on-site physicians and in-house rehabilitation team, LCCA focuses on inpatient rehabilitation and 24-hour skilled nursing care, striving to help each resident and patient obtain as much independence as possible.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Teaming up with Honor Society to aid veterans
A modified version of our traditional Veterans Day breakfast, presented by Acton-Boxborough Regional High School's National Honor Society and our club, took place on November 11. Though we were unable to meet in person with local military veterans for the second year in a row, the veterans did receive muffins baked by the NHS students, a coffee card supplied by our club, and messages of support and thanks - all, delivered individually by Honor Society students.
In addition, the NHS students, led by President Ashley Dawn (on left) and Vice President Michael Hu (on right), hosted a Zoom meeting for which veterans were invited to share their experiences of military service and answer students' questions. Our club's immediate past president, Ann Sorvari, is shown posing with Ashley and Michael.
Honor Society advisor Mary Price Maddox praised the NHS students for their determination to honor those veterans in our towns who have served in the military, and thanked our club members for their ongoing collaboration, which has existed since the Veterans Day Breakfast began. "Our hope," she added, "is to return to the full event next year, allowing even more veterans to take part."
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Volunteering at Center for Hope and Healing bake sale
Big shout-outs to Past President Marianne Fleckner (shown, right), a board member for Lowell-based Center for Hope and Healing, and club member Katerina Bisbas (shown, left), for volunteering at CHH's Family Funday on Sunday, November 7 in Miracle Field at Acton's NARA Park. The Town of Acton, for which Marianne is human-services director, provided its Vax Van.
Family Funday's bake sale raised money for CHH, a non-profit organization whose mission is to build a community free from sexual violence, and which recently opened a new section for children who have been sexually abused. CHH provides the following: specialized services for sexual-assault survivors who have not historically been served, as well as for their their families; and legal and medical advocacy for refugees and immigrants and LGBTQ survivors. Services offered in English, Khmer. Portuguese, and Spanish.
Check out our Club online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Keynote speaker: Kat Stryker shares 'My Days with Disney'
Kat Stryker has met, talked, and worked with the "real" Mickey Mouse! Kat, who is presently employed by the Town of Acton, was the guest speaker during our bi-monthly Club Meeting on November 15, 2021 at the Boxboro Regency. Kat, formerly a human-resources generalist on talent acquisition for Disneyland Park, in Anaheim, California, talked about "My Days with Disney."
To watch Kat's 18-minute presentation, click here
Check us out online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Keynote speaker: Andrea Becerra, Acton's first-ever sustainability director
Andrea Becerra, sustainability director for the Town of Acton, was the guest speaker during our bi-monthly Club Meeting on October 20, 2021 at the Boxboro Regency. In February 2021, she became the Town's first sustainability director. She comes to Acton from the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she worked for more than five years. In her previous role, she concentrated on a variety of issues, from communication strategies to build support for the U.S. Clean Power Plan, to advocating for water-smart policies across the Americas.
To watch Andrea's 21-minute presentation, click here.
To learn more about Acton’s sustainability efforts, click here.
To read Acton's five "Tips to Act on Climate Change, click here.
To download Acton's sustainability flyer (shown on left), in PDF format, click here.
For more information on Acton's sustainability efforts, contact Andrea at abecerra@acton-ma.gov.
Check us out online!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Club, family members serve lunch to local senior citizens
A good time, wonderful stuffed-chicken meal, and chocolate-beyond-belief cake were had by all who attended our Club's Annual Senior Citizens Lunch on September 19, 2021, at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center. Around 50 senior citizens from the Acton-Boxborough area were served during one of our club's handful of in-person community-service events since the COVID-19 pandemic spread in January 2020 to the United States.
To view all of the excellent shots taken by our photographer, Jessica Stover, click here.
Special thanks to the following club members, including the spouses and children of several of them, for their wonderful volunteering, to organize and stage this joyous celebration, including serving the guests. They are: Joan Labrosse, event coordinator, and her husband, Gerard Labrosse; Immediate President Ann Sorvari, and her husband and club member, Johan Sorvari; Past President Marianne Fleckner; Acting Sergeant at Arms Maureen Masciola; Carla Stover, and her daughter as well as this event's photographer, Jessica Stover; Claude Miguel; Gino Frattalone, an Honorary club member of our club as well as an Active member of the Rotary Club of Littleton, and his wife, Pam Frattalone; and Steve Jones-D'Agostino, our Club's 2021-2021 president, and this event's emcee.
Special thanks also go to the following: Acton Council on Aging; Boxborough Council on Aging; Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center; and Gary Morin, our event's amazingly accomplished accordionist. His performances included the Beatles' "Michelle" and "Take Me Out to the Ballpark," the latter in which the audience was led - more or less on-key - by Steve Jones-D'Agostino and Marianne Fleckner.
We also gave a big round of thankful applause to our longest-serving club member, Bud Flannery, who helped found our club in 1962, and has provided remarkable service above self ever since. For Rotary year 2020-2021, which ended this past June 30, Rotary International presented Bud with the prestigious Service Above Self Award, which refers to the official motto of Rotary International and its 34,000 clubs worldwide, comprised of 1.2 million members.
In closing, the flower arrangement on each table was awarded to the person at that table whose birthday is closest to February 23. That was that date in 1905 when Paul Harris and several other Chicago businessmen started Rotary International.
Flower arrangements were also presented to both Immediate Past President Ann Sorvari and Acting Sergeant at Arms, Maureen Masciola for their wonderful help in assisting Joan Labrosse, to plan and conduct this year's Senior Citizens Lunch.
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Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Our Golf Tournament nets $5,700 for service projects
Our 29th Annual Presidents Golf Tournament, held on August 18 at Acton's Quail Ridge Country Club, raised a net of $5,700. Our club will use the net amount for Rotary service projects - both locally and abroad.
The weather was ideal, and everyone had a great time! If you didn’t get to come out and play this year, we hope you would do so in August 2022.
To view additional event photos, click here.
Special thanks to the following Club members - alphabetically, by last name - for their service-above-self volunteer efforts:
Club Golf Committee:
Marc Duci
Marvin Gould
Marianne Fleckner
Maureen Masciola
Ann Sorvari
Other Club Volunteers:
Barbara Birt
Marc Duci
Gino Frattallone
Anne Hentz
Steve Jones-D'Agostino
Joan Labrosse
Claude Miguel
Frank Widmayer
Special thanks as well to our Top Sponsors:
Check us out!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
OUR SERVICE WORLDWIDE
Our life-saving partnership with Rotary Club of Pune, India
Every year, there are newborn babies in Pune, India who need complex heart surgeries to save their lives. Unfortunately, many of the families of these children in cannot afford those procedures.
This is where Rotary comes in. Through a Global Grant approved in 2019 by The Rotary Foundation, our club has partnered with our sister club in India, the Rotary Club of Pune. Together, we are funding more than $56,000 to lead 50+ lifesaving pediatric-cardiac surgeries in Pune.
This first surgery, which was done on September 24, 2020, was a highly complex angioplasty procedure - and was very successful.
To learn more - and view more photos - click here.
Check us out!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
Rotary Foundation gets 13th straight Charity Navigator 'Highest Rating'
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.
The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only 1 percent of the organizations that Charity Navigator evaluates have received 13 consecutive 4-star evaluations.
To read more, click here.
Check us out!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.
Take Virtual Tour of RI's World Headquarters - Then and Now
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotary International has been unable to offer in-person tours of its World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.
Now, there's an online way to tour RI's HQs - then and now.
To read more - and watch the five-minute virtual tour - click here.
Check us out!
Learn more about Rotary District 7910, which covers more than 50 clubs in central and eastern Massachusetts with a total of more than 1,200 members.
Learn more about Rotary International, which serves more than 46,000 clubs worldwide with a total of more than 1.4 million members.