One month into the new year already and it's clear to me that 2024 is off to a great start! I'm extremely grateful to Paula for suggesting and coordinating our first EVER evening meeting last night at Revolutionary Hall. Not only was it great to get together in a different setting with tasty food, we were also able to spend quality time with members whose commitments often interfere with our midday meetings. I also want to thank Christine Pinney who correctly predicted that the noise would prevent us from having a full group discussion and suggested we break up into tables. I think this format worked out well (except I need to bring more copies of the handouts next time) - I was blown away by the great turnout! I hope you are all looking forward to the next one on March 6th as much as I am.
I'm also looking forward to our upcoming Spring speakers and activities. RYLA recruiting is ongoing so please reach out to any talented sophomores and encourage them to apply by Feb 18th. We are also going to be collecting personal care items for MCC again soon leading up to Meals of Hope. Ralph and I welcome all your great ideas about other things we can do to support our community. Your enthusiasm is keeping all of us warm this winter!
Art Soiree
Rotarian Diane Cadagon Hughes shared an invitation with the club to a wonderful arts event in her office, 51 Great Road, on Thursday, 2/8.
Taco Tuesday, 1/30/24.There were no militia, revolutionary or otherwise, gathered at nearby Lexington’s Revolution Hall on Tuesday evening. Rather, a mildly boisterous band of Bedford Rotarians gathered there for the revolutionary first-ever evening weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Bedford.
The about-face from the traditional midday meeting, initiated by member Paula Gilarde, was an experiment to see if an atypical evening option would bring together many club members who can’t get to the regular meeting in person or virtually because of work, family, or other reasons.
As many of you know, each year, our Club sponsors up to 10 high potential student leaders to participate in a transformational 3-day leadership workshop called RYLA - the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
Please share this information and encourage talented sophomores you know to apply and attend.
This year's RYLA will again be in person at Fitchburg State June 21-23.
The 2024 RYLA Application is now live at this link. The application deadline is February 18th. Please contact Dr. Diane Ryan with any questions.
The Rotary Clubs of Bedford and Concord have their sights set on Saturday, April 27th. That’s this year’s date for the clubs’ next meal packaging effort aimed at addressing food insecurity locally and beyond.
This year, we’re partnered with Meals of Hope, a nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) that is committed to bringing people together to fight the hunger epidemic. Originating in Southwest Florida, and now with its New England base in Chelmsford, Meals of Hope has packed more than 80 million meals that have been donated to communities across the country and in countries worldwide.
Also, this year, we’re grateful to Middlesex Community College for welcoming us back to their campus, where many of our pre-pandemic meal packaging events were held. In their Campus Center cafeteria, packaging teams of more than 100 volunteer packagers will devote two hours on Saturday, April 27th, to preparing up to 50,000 meals.
Planning is underway, and there will be more to tell, so keep an eye on this website.
Food Insecurity – It’s more than someone feeling hungry. It’s the struggle that up to one-third of Massachusetts residents face when they don’t know how they’ll get their next meal or how they’ll feed their family. It’s a struggle between choosing food or paying the costs of housing, utilities, medical care, transportation, or other necessities.
The Bedford and Concord Rotary Clubs and Meals of Hope want to make that choice easier. With the financial support of sponsors and individuals and the physical support of volunteer packagers, the thousands of packaged meals that will be put together on Saturday, April 27th, will be given, free, to local food banks and food pantries in our area.
Way back in September, while the Brits were visiting District 7910 with the Bandey-Hefler Fellowship Exchange, the club hosted a sushi social at the club. It was a fun evening, enjoyed by a great number of Rotarians, family and friends!
In lieu of a room rental charge, the First Church requested that we make a donation to the Migrant families. Our intrepid social organizer, Christine Pinney reported that she made a donation of $240 to the Town of Bedford/Health Department earmarked for the migrant families housed at the Plaza Hotel.
Thanks to everyone who attended, and contributed. And a very special thank you to the organizers of the social, especially the fearless leader, Christine Pinney!
We are delighted to announce that the Bedford Cultural Council approved funding for Plant Labels for the Rotary Native Pollination Preservation Garden! The goals of the garden are to increase native pollinator habitat, and to educate the public about the importance of native pollination systems. Labeling the plants in a clear, legible, water-proof way will help people learn what plants are being used in the garden. Plants will be labeled with their common name and their latin names. Hopefully this will encourage more people to grow their own native plants. There will be another update in the spring when the ground thaws enough to put the markers in the ground!
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Taco Tuesday, 1/30/24. There were no militia, revolutionary or otherwise, gathered at nearby Lexington’s Revolution Hall on Tuesday evening. Rather, a mildly boisterous band of Bedford Rotarians gathered there for the revolutionary first-ever evening weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Bedford.
As many of you know, each year, our Club sponsors up to 10 high potential student leaders to participate in a transformational 3-day leadership workshop called RYLA - the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
This year, we’re partnered with 
Way back in September, while the Brits were visiting District 7910 with the Bandey-Hefler Fellowship Exchange, the club hosted a sushi social at the club. It was a fun evening, enjoyed by a great number of Rotarians, family and friends! 