Our meetings are hybrid! Contact us for the Zoom link. Please check our website to verify the meeting location and time (we occasionally have evening meetings or meetings in other locations).
I want to devote this month’s edition of the President’s Message to my best “battle buddy,” Ralph. When I first joined Rotary in 2018, I never imagined that I would one day serve as president, never mind for two years. But Ralph convinced me, coached me, and stood by me every step of the way. Being co-president alongside him for the last 19 months has been an amazing experience. I got a front-row seat to watch one of the greatest Rotarians of all time lead and serve. I could not have asked for a better mentor and partner. Ralph and I complement each other perfectly, and I’ll be honest, the next 5 months without him next to me are going to be a challenge. But I know he needs a break and I can still call him for advice and moral support. I hope he gets a well deserved rest. In other news, I look forward to beating somebody at Dominoes on Feb 22 at the Jarvis home. Thanks to Diana and Chris for hosting what is sure to be another fun Game Night. In the meantime, please check all your closets for items that belong in the new storage. It's amazing what things are turning up!
Reminder: By-Law Change Vote at Feb 4 Meeting
There will be a scheduled vote by the membership to eliminate a conflict between two sections of our Club Bylaws as they now stand. The votes will be taken at our regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. (Evening Meeting) All members are encouraged to attend either in person or via Zoom. We want as many members as possible to participate in these decisions. A majority vote is required for the motions to pass.
Evening Meeting -- February 4
Join Us for the Rotary Club of Bedford's Evening Meeting for fellowship, community, and great food!
Attendees must order their food from Ken's Deli before the meeting, or feel free to bring your own food. Place your order during the day on Tuesday, Feb 4th:
By Phone (781) 276-4999 - preferably between 10:30-11:30 am or 1:00-4:30 pm to avoid confusion during their peak lunchtime.
In either case, tell them your name and that it's a Rotary Club order for later pickup.
Complete your order, including payment.
All Rotary orders will be picked up at 5:30 pm and brought to the meeting.
Keep in mind - there will be a delay between when the order is ready and when it will be picked up. Therefore, it would be best not to order something like soup or a hot entree.
We'll be meeting in Upper Fellowship Hall, not our regular meeting room.
The Rotary Club of Bedford has officially moved our storage from the old Mead Building in Bedford to Extra Space Storage in Billerica! Thank you to Joe Richard and Marc Hamilton for finding the new space and coordinating the move—it was no small task. With the help of many hands, we made light work of sorting, packing, and transporting years' worth of supplies. Shout-out to Tom, Christine and Katie Pinney, Michael Leonard, Kay Hamilton, Cliff Rober and Paula Gilarde for also helping on Saturday. Along the way, we reminisced about the memories stored in those boxes… and cleared out plenty of long-forgotten junk!
That’s what Bedford Rotarians were finding out at their Tuesday (1/14) meeting’s taste test of seven different meal options offered by Meals of Hope.
Why? Because planning is well underway for Hope for the Hungry 2025, this year’s annual Rotary Club of Bedford meal-packing project to combat food insecurity. Meals of Hope, the club’s backbone project partner, continues to help guide the effort and its local food-insecurity focus.
Jack Day, Vice President and Meals of Hope’s northeast leader, strategist, and meal-packing coordinator, accompanied by the club’s Hope for the Hungry team leader, Debi Malone, served up a mini smorgasbord of seven different meals to taste. Ultimately, one will be the winning selection for packaging at the Saturday, April 26th, meal-packing event.
Life was going fairly well for me in the late 1970s. I was now the Deputy Director of Public Works in Cambridge, Maryland. I was having a ball learning all I could about Rotary, and thinking about buying a home. Another saying I picked up in life is: "Enjoy what you have while you have it," because things can change in an instant. One Sunday evening, my life changed with two phone calls:
The first was a phone call from Bob Dodd, Director of Public Works (my boss), telling me he had terminal kidney disease. He said he had talked with the Commissioners about retiring early to enjoy what time he had left with his family "if" they would continue paying his health insurance. And they decided not to do that. He decided to continue as the Director and let nature take its course. We had a long and difficult conversation the following day. His advice to me was, "You're ready now, Bob, to lead your own department." "You're the guy I'm recommending to replace me, but I don't know when that will be."
The second was from my parents. Dad broke the news to me that my mom had terminal stomach cancer. I was their only child and I was 800 miles away.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (also known as RYLA) will be held from June 27-29, 2025 at Fitchburg State College with over 200 students from across Central Massachusetts. Each year, the Rotary Club of Bedford selects and sponsors a group of students with excellent potential for leadership and service for attendance.
Global Grant Scholarship applications are being accepted for the David and Eleanor Morley Endowed Global Grant Scholarship. Applications may be submitted between February 1, 2025 and March 20, 2025, and will be followed by an interview. The selected candidate will be awarded up to $30,000 for one scholarship year and must be able to begin studies/research in Fall 2025.
What Is The Morley Scholarship?
The Rotary Foundation’s David and Eleanor Morley Global Grant Scholarship provides funding to District 7910 for a scholarship for residents of communities in Central Massachusetts and Metrowest, to conduct studies or research at the graduate level abroad. Because the Morley Scholarship is a Rotary-endowed global-grant scholarship, it must meet the Rotary Foundation’s global grants requirements. The Morley Scholarship was established in 2002 in honor of David M. Morley (1915-1993) and Eleanor L. (Curtis) Morley (1916-2001). David graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1936 and was an active Rotarian in Laconia, New Hampshire.
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The Rotary Club of Bedford has officially moved our storage from the old Mead Building in Bedford to Extra Space Storage in Billerica! Thank you to Joe Richard and Marc Hamilton for finding the new space and coordinating the move—it was no small task. With the help of many hands, we made light work of sorting, packing, and transporting years' worth of supplies. Shout-out to Tom, Christine and Katie Pinney, Michael Leonard, Kay Hamilton, Cliff Rober and Paula Gilarde for also helping on Saturday. Along the way, we reminisced about the memories stored in those boxes… and cleared out plenty of long-forgotten junk!
That’s what Bedford Rotarians were finding out at their Tuesday (1/14) meeting’s taste test of seven different meal options offered by Meals of Hope.
