Facing Mental Health Issues Head On - June 6

Facing Mental Health Issues Head On - June 6Join us for a special presentation on June6 directly from the Rotary International Convention! Bob Anthony will speak on the new mental health initiative in the Reed Room in Town Hall. Please register in advance: https://bit.ly/3MGo2yt ![]() |
Learning about the Talbot Mills Dam![]() |
A Meals for Kids Thanks from our president![]() |
Rise Against Hunger Meal Packaging EventVolunteer Sign Up and Donation Link: Join us at our Rise Against Hunger Meal Packaging Event! Saturday, April 29, 2023 Watch this video to see what it is all about! ![]() |
A Winter Sow![]() |
A garden for at-risk pollinatorsWe were delighted to co-hosting a pollinator conversation on Tuesday, January 24th. The event was designed to educate the public on Dr. Gegear's and the Native Pollinator Task Force's work (and the work here in Bedford by our club) in hopes to inspire more interest, leading to more pollinator preservation gardens. Sam Cobin, theConservation Coordinator with Sudbury Valley Trustees, and a member of the Native Pollinator Task Force presented an introduction to Dr Gegear's followed by a presentation by Paula Gilarde on the Rotary Club of Bedford's plans for a local pollinator garden.
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RYLA Applications Due Feb 15![]() Bedford Sophomores! Now is your chance to apply to RYLA Learn more at www.RYLA7910.org Apply at www.tinyurl.com/Bedford-RYLA-2023 |
A little bit about our scholarships![]() Around 1980 or so we put together a small committee of Peter Corea, me and one other (I don't remember who). We decided to make the scholarship more valuable by making it a four year award provided the student remained in school and remained in good standing. At that time we had the president and four deans from Middlesex CC as members of the Club and decided to make an annual award to a Bedford student attending MCC. After discussion with the MCC members it was decided a $500 "Book Award" would be appropriate. At that time I wrote up the criteria for the scholarships that was accepted by the Club's Board. To the best of my knowledge they are still in use.
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Winter Community Breakfast 2022Our 34th annual holiday breakfast fundraiser was a SUCCESS! The Rotary Club of Bedford's Winter Community Breakfast brought together over 300 community members- families, students, volunteers, local business owners, and even Santa and Mrs. Claus! Here is our article about the event in the Bedford Citizen! The Winter Community Breakfast was supported in part by a grant from the Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Thank you, BCC! Thanks to Victor for the video: |
Lighting up Bedford!![]() |
Interact Fundraiser at Verrill FarmThe Concord Carlisle High Interact Club is hosting a small fundraiser this Saturday, November 5, from 11-1, at Verrill Farm in Concord (11 Wheeler Road) to raise money for their contribution to the Bedford Rise Against Hunger event they are participating in this spring! ![]() |
Trunk or Treat![]() |
Pollination Garden: preparing the garden bed![]() |
Why native pollinators?Native pollinators are vital to creating and maintaining the habitats and ecosystems that most animals rely on for food and shelter — including humans. What happens (or doesn’t happen) at the pollination scale has repercussions all the way up the food chain. Over 80% of the flowering plants on Earth depend upon insect-mediated pollination; bees alone pollinate 45% of the food crops grown in Massachusetts, and one-third of them food grown in the United States.
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Doing good in the community!On July 20, 2022, the Bedford Health Department received over 300 COVID-19 rapid antigen home test kits donated by Christine Pinney, Bedford Rotarian, and District Chair for RYLA 7910. The tests were leftover from the in-person June RYLA 2022. Danielle Williams and Julie Genova from the Bedford Health Department accepted the donation from Christine Pinney, from the Rotary Club of Bedford. This donation will assist the Town of Bedford in continuing to provide free COVID-19 test kits to Bedford Residents. |
2021-2022 Year in ReviewNow that the Rotary year 2021-2022 has ended, I wanted to highlight some of our accomplishments this year. At the start of the year (in July) we hoped to be coming out of the pandemic, but the arrival of the Delta variant and then Omicron forced us to pivot yet again. We are people of action though, and we found our way to keep going! ![]() |
Welcome 2022-23 Rotary Club of Bedford Officers!![]() At our July 19, 2022 we will welcome District Governor Victor Tom, and celebrate the installation of our 2022-23 Club Officers!
Special Meeting Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM Lunch will be provided. RSVP Here
2022-23 Board of Directors Dawn Kociubes, President Paula Gilarde, Past President Ralph Hammond and Al Roscoe, Co-Presidents Elect Joel Berenson, Treasurer Marc Hamilton, Secretary Bob Cassidy and Linda Cargiuolo, Second Year Trustees Debi Malone and Christine McLellan, First Year Trustees
2022-23 Board of Trustees Paula Gilarde, Past President Dawn Kociubes, Current President Joel Berenson, Treasurer John Castricum and Tracy Claudio, Second Year At-Large Members Diana Jarvis and Thomas Pinney, First Year At-Large Members |
What is the Rotary Foundation All About, and What Does it Mean to Me?Last week we had some extra special guests. Our club had 5 Past, Current or Future District Governors attend our meeting! ![]() First we welcomed Milan W Jackson, PDG, (and former member of the Bedford Club). Milan spoke to us about the Rotary Foundation. Following his presentation, Bob Cassidy made two Paul Harris presentations - one to his son and another to his neighbors.
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Bedford Public Health Nurse, Julie Genova!Julie Genova is Bedford’s new Public Health Nurse. She grew up in Waltham, has a degree in nursing from Boston College and over the years she has learned more and more about public health. Over the years Julie has worked in various nursing rehabilitation centers, at Beth Israel Hospital, the Concord Public School system, and most recently at the Fenn School in Concord for over 10 years as their Administrator of Health Services. She started at her position in Bedford in February 2022 and is looking forward to getting to know the Bedford community. |
Return of Meal Packaging!Saturday was an important day for our club. We had our first meal packaging event in three years. Close to 50 volunteers and 16 Rotarians from out club were on hand for the 10: 00 AM starting time and by 11:45 AM better than 10,000 meals were packaged and boxed for a as yet unknown destination. They will be held in a local warehouse until we have enough meals to fill a cargo container at which time they will be shipped off to an orphanage somewhere in the world where it is needed. |
Scenes from our Clothing DriveLast Saturday, despite the crazy weather, the club held a collection to support both the Bedford Rotary Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation of New England. It was wonderful to see so many people willing to contribute and help the causes! |
Ukrainian Relief Support
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Help Ukraine!![]() Donate for Ukraine with confidence as:
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Spring Cleaning Clothing Drive Fundraiser!![]() On Saturday, April 9th, the Rotary Club of Bedford is partnering for a fundraiser-clothing drive with the Epilepsy Foundation of New England. The club-hosted clothing drive at the Brown & Brown parking lot, 110 Great Rd, supports programs and services that benefit people with epilepsy. And for every pound of clothing collected Bedford Rotary gets paid, funds that help support Rotary programs in the community and globally. Plus, we’ll be decluttering closets, keeping clothing out of landfills, and giving items new life! Just bring your clean, gently used items in a trash bag to the Brown & Brown parking lot between 10am and 3pm on Saturday, April 9th. Giving back to the community doesn't have to be hard!
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Emily Young - Moving Health
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An update from Friendly Water for the World
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Winter Sow - a Hands-On ProjectThe club had a busy meeting on Feb 16th, participating in a winter sow project - growing native plants to help the most at risk pollinators. Big thanks to the Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission for gifting us with the seeds. ![]() |
Update from Friendly Water for the WorldThe Rotary Club of Bedford's district grant project in Matsakha, Kenya is underway. Our club, together with a match from our District 7910, raised enough money to fund the building of 3 rain water catchment basins which will provide clean water for the Namanja Primary School.
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MLK Community Service Project - Jan 15-23![]() |
Bedford POPS (Permanent Outdoor Performing Space)Plans for a potential outdoor performance center for Bedford are in their infancy. Barbara Purchia, Chair of the Bedford Cultural Council, joined our virtual meeting to give us the details, and to talk about how the club can fit into the planning. |
Major Devon Messecar - Space Force
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John Hope - Come Fly with MeJohn Hope from across the pond presented an illustrated talk of places where John lived and worked during the early part of his life, during a career in the Royal Air Force. John gave the talk to the Rotary Club of Bedford on December 7, 2021. His bio can be found at https://hopetotalktoyousoon.com/about...
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Lighting Up Bedford (2021)We had a terrific time at the Town of Bedford tree lighting, providing safety lights to children, adults and even pets! About 250 people (and some pets!) picked up the lights we gave away. Some of them were contributed by MassBike. Check out the video on website to learn more.
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Lighting Up BedfordWe had a terrific time at the Town of Bedford tree lighting, providing safety lights to children, adults and even pets! Stay safe Bedford!
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Consider the Bedford Rotary Foundation this Giving TuesdayGiving Tuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes. Are you in?Give to the Bedford Rotary Foundation to help support the good work that the club does locally and internationally. You can donate here: |
We salute our veterans!In honor of Veterans Day, Tracy Claudio spoke to us about her role as Senior Vice Commander at the Billerica Chapter 47 of the Disabled American Veterans orgnization.
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Trunk or Treat!What a good time we had at Bedford's Trunk or Treat - check out our candy-gram!
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Spooky Stories!We really did not have a “guest” speaker today. Instead we were treated to some spooky stories told by our own Linda Cargiuolo and Ralph Hammond. All absolutely true with no embellishment, of course! |
Helping Bedford's Pollinators -- Birgit deWeerdFollowing up on our discussion about Operation Pollination with Chris Stein, we welcome Birgit deWeerd to speak about how we can help pollinators in our own backyard. To learn more about Birgit, visit http://www.deweerdbeeproducts.com/Site/homepage.html |
Rotary Club of Bedford Apple Picking Fellowship Event 2021
What a fun afternoon we had picking apples for our October social!
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The Zanmi Beni “A place to call home”
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Sleep in Heavenly Peace DeliveryLast year the club participated in a District Grant for Sleep in Heavenly peace and we ended up building 22 beds for needy families. Recently Sze-Wen and Victor delivered three of those beds to a family who recently moved here from Nigeria. It was good to see the beds being put to good use! |
Bicycle Helmet Safety Day!We hosted another very successful bicycle helmet giveaway on Sunday, October 3rd. We gave about 80 helmets to parents and kids - the most ever since we started this event! Big thanks to all the Rotarians who helped and especially to Victor, Sze-Wen and Ralph for spearheading the event!
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DG Cliff Comes to VisitDG Cliff was the guest of honor at this week's Meeting - along with some surprises from Billerica club member John Peterson presenting MULTIPLE awards to a very deserving Ralph Hammond |
Operation Pollination
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The Bedford Rotary Foundation
Sze-Wen Kuo This year’s chair of the Rotary Foundation of Bedford was our guest speaker this week. What she said in just a few minutes spoke volumes of what we are all about. We owe a great deal to Sze-Wen and her husband Victor Tom. Month after month, year after year, this amazing couple are giving of their talents (which are many), their time, and their financial resources to make our Rotary club and all its projects successful. |
End of Summer Family Picnic
Check out the photo album for photos from the event (photo credits Christine Pinney). |
Clifford Rober, District Governor 2021-2022
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Flatbread Pizza Gathering
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A Sweaty Day of ServiceNeither heat nor humidity nor dirt and dust nor painful blisters kept Bedford Rotarians from engaging in volunteer service at Habitat for Humanity’s latest house renovation project in Concord. Throughout a very hot and muggy day, a cadre of 10 Bedford Rotary members joined with Concord Rotarians to help renovate and convert an older, ranch-style house into separate, individual homes for two qualified families selected to participate in the Habitat for Humanity program. ![]() |
Project Amigo |
A year in the life of a Rotary Club![]() |
Congratulations 2021 Scholarship Recipients!The Rotary Club of Bedford is thrilled to announce the Bedford High School Class of 2021 Scholarship Recipients! ![]() The Rayford Williams Scholarship is a four-year scholarship awarded through the Rotary Club of Bedford. The 2021 award winner is Maya Driscoll, who will be attending Purdue University in the fall as a Freshman. ![]() The Rotary Club of Bedford also sponsors the Philip McGovern Scholarship which is a one year scholarship for a student attending Middlesex Community College. This year's recipient is Joshua Barck. At the June 13th meeting of the Rotary Club of Bedford, we will be celebrating Maya and Josh as well as recent scholarship recipients:
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Club RecognitionAs you have already read, were a busy bunch last year and apparently somebody was watching because when our district handed out the “end of the year” awards, Bedford was recognized in a number of categories:
The actual certificates will be awarded to the club by PDG Diana Nestorova once we start meeting in person again. |
2020-2021 in Review |
Building Beds for KidsWhat would you do if you found that about 2% or about 70,000 of kids in Massachusetts has no bed to sleep on? Chris Alphen, Rotarian from Concord Massachusetts started a chapter of Sleep In Heavenly Peace in Littleton, Massachusetts and started building and delivering beds in 2018. Learning about the cause, the Rotary Club of Bedford submitted and was awarded a District 7910 grant, Beds for Kids for 2020-2021, to help build 22 beds (we ended with 20 beds because the price of lumber went up). |
Spring Spruce Up at the Job Lane House(4.10.21) The morning was unusually warm for April when, under a blazing sun, a stalwart band of Bedford Rotarians put Service Above Self as they devoted several hours of time to spring cleanup labor at Bedford's historic Job Lane House. |
Robert Mead 1924 - 2021
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Robert M. Mead 1924 - 2021![]() |
St Patrick's Day Flatbread Fundraiser to Support Bedford Rotary Foundation!![]() |
Rotary Community Corps, Community Food CollaborativeKlaus Hachfeld, past district governor of 7910, gave a presentation to the Rotary Club of Bedford on their Cooperative Community Garden Project in Sturbridge and Southbridge on January, 26, 2021. |
Radical Shift Coach - Feb 23 2021Jason Gardner, the founder of Radical Shift Coaching, is a highly respected life coach with capabilities for unlocking human potential. With a long history in magic, escapology (think Houdini) and showmanship, he is known for his ability to help people free themselves from the straight. He spoke to the club about a radically shifted mindset and how to achieve our goals! |
Friendly Waters for the WorldCurt Adino is the head of Friendly Water for the World. He lives in Olympia, Washington. He spoke to the Rotary Club of Bedford about soap making on February 9, 2021. |
Mask sale!![]() The club has been running a fundraiser since last August selling hand-made, 100% cotton, fabric face-masks to support the Bedford Rotary Foundation. Thanks to local support we have raised over $1,300! Masks have been sold primarily though a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MaskaryBedfordMA We got a little carried away with the production of masks and are currently running a promotion to sell the existing stock! Each mask is marked down to $8/mask, two for $15 or three for $20. Check out the currently inventory on the Maskary page. We have a large selection of medium masks - what most teens/women wear, a number of large, and a smaller selection of children's sizes.
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Social Equity Task ForceBill Paulson, member from the Rotary Club of Needham and a member of our District Social Equity Task Force presented the vision of the task force at the Rotary Club of Bedford on December 22, 2020. Bill talked about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for all. He presented what we can do to help and spread the information on DEI. Watch a video recording here:
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What Happened to Breakfast with Santa?![]() One year ago to the day, it was a Saturday. Rotary club members were in the last minute scramble of preparations for their signature event of the year. The next day, Sunday, Bedford Rotary’s 33rd annual “Breakfast with Santa” would bring families and children to the decoration transformed Santa’s Village inside Bedford High School’s cafeteria. That was last year. |
Bedford Rotary Scavenger Hunt![]() |
Bedford Schools During CovidThis week's speaker was Superintendent Phil Conrad, who came into the position in the middle of the pandemic. He spoke to us how the Bedford schools had to adapt during Covid. You can listen to his presentation here:
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Children in Foster CareWanda Nordlie joined us all the way from Arizona. She's a Rotarian, author of the book "Power to Heal My Whole Self" and spoke about Children in Foster Care, a topic with which she has personal experience. Watch below: |
Research for Democracy: The Power of the Youth Vote![]() |
9/11 Memorial Clean UpSunday was a beautiful Fall day and a group of Rotarians and Interactors got to work at the 9/11 Memorial park cleaning up the overgrowth.
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Planning our next service projectRotarians planning out next service project - the 9-11 Memorial Park re-vitalization. |
Scenes from the Bicycle Helmet Giveaway DayA little video that Victor put together about our bicycle helmet event!
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Bicycle Helmet Giveaway!![]() |
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference (RYLA) 2020![]() |
Kevin Sullivan: A Tribute![]() |
Bedford Rotary Year in Review 2019-2020A message from Marie Tremblay, club President for 2019-2020: ![]() The 2019-2020 Bedford Rotary year was enlightening and challenging as well as a very rewarding year. A special thanks to the 2019-2020 Installation Committee for their support and guidance: Sze-Wen Kuo, Christine Pinney, Nancy Gilroy and Diana Jarvis.Thank you to our neighbor club the Rotary Club of Concord for their collaboration and partnership with our annual Football lunch and our traditional football “BET”. I want to give special thanks to Dick Hale of Club Concord for his continued Board Advisory.
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Congrats scholars!![]() |
Celebrating 64 years of the Rotary Club of Bedford!![]() |
Need a mask?Club member Diana Jarvis shared the following source for masks to purchase for you and your family, if you are having trouble locating them:
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Meals for Kids Packaging Event CanceledIt is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel out Meals for Kids packaging event for this year.
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Rotary Exchange News![]() |
Thanks For The Memories - and More
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This One Change Diverted Over 30 Pounds of Trash from the Landfill![]() How does a Club make a beloved annual event even more sustainable for future generations? By reducing the amount of trash that goes into landfills. Surprisingly, we made one change that had an enormous impact on our trash footprint. |
THREE DECADES + 3…![]() That’s 33-years since the first Breakfast with Santa. If you’re around 40 years old now, maybe you were there as a kid. If you were, do you remember telling Santa what you wanted for Christmas? And do you remember that it was held in the American Legion Hall?
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Santa’s Coming to Bedford... AGAIN!![]() A long time ago Rotarians invited Santa to make a special, early visit to Bedford in December. In the spirit of the holidays, come have breakfast with us, they said. Meet our town’s children and their parents. That’s how the Breakfast with Santa tradition began. Maybe some of you were kids then and remember. Maybe in years past you’ve brought your own children to meet Santa. He returns every year. |
COA Summer BBQ - a good time had by all!Saturday, August 3rd - Bedford Rotarians helped the Bedford Council on Aging put on their Annual Summer BBQ. This is the third year the Rotary Club of Bedford has helped the COA host and present this popular event for COA members and local visitors. |
2019-2020 Presidents message![]() Thank you for visiting our site. I have the honor and privilege to serve as this years President. We have achieved success with many service projects, partnerships and collaborations and we have more successes to catch. This is all made possible by the commitment of talented members of our club. Our members are the heart and soul of our club. Individually we accomplish many things, but together we can accomplish anything! Service is the object of Rotary and we do it with the highest ethical standards. This year it’s time to be creative with ways to expand our service reach. I am excited for the great things that 2019-2020 are going to bring. Yours in Rotary, Marie |
2019 Bike and Helmet Safety Day![]() Saturday, June 1st, is the 2019 Bicycle and Helmet Safety Day. This annual event is hosted by the Bedford Police Department in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Bedford. From 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, at the Mudge Way parking lot opposite the Police Department, Bedford Rotary volunteers give out free, custom fitted helmets for child cyclists while BPD officers instruct riders in bike safety. The free helmets, made possible through sponsorship by the Bedford Rotary Foundation and Bedford Farms, are all U.S. safety certified for Bike CPSC. ![]() Members of the Bedford Friends of the Minuteman Bikeway will join Rotarians in the helmet fitting, possibly outfitting a youngster who will be riding in this year's PMC Kids Ride. The Bedford PMC Kids Ride will be pedaling off from the John Glenn Middle School from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 15th.
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7th Annual Bedford Rotary MEALS for KIDS Event![]() Help us feed the world’s hungry in partnership with RISE AGAINST HUNGER, 300 of your friends and neighbors, members of 4 Rotary Clubs, and over 100 employees from Anika Therapeutics and BAE Systems on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Middlesex Community College in Bedford. |
Getting Ready for Breakfast with Santa 2018![]() It takes a lot of people, time, and effort to get ready to welcome you to Breakfast with Santa. Good thing we love to do it! Here's what's involved with turning the BHS cafeteria into a holiday wonderland: |
Thanksgiving in Bedford 2018![]() Each year, the Bedford and Concord Rotary Clubs get together for a football luncheon. One year it is held in Bedford, the next year it is held in Concord. The 2018 luncheon was held in Bedford, and featured a one-of-a-kind speaker: Bedford's own Mike Rosenberg, who has attended 35 years of Thanksgiving football games. He offered a window into his sports-writing technique and reminded us all about what high school sports are all about ...
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Quote of the Week - Who Said It?
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.
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Thought for the Week - Who Said It?
An optimist is the human personification of spring.
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Mark Your Calendars!
Here you can post little tidbits of information, reminders, or anything else!
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Another Successful Meals for Kids!![]() We packaged over 60,000 meals for hungry children in Burkina Faso, through a partnership with Rise Against Hunger and several local businesses.
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Integrated eBulletin for Easier Communication
ClubRunner makes it easy to publish your weekly Club eBulletin, and send to all members and friends of the club, by incorporating home page stories and events with the push of a button.
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Welcome to our new website! |