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.
Last 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!
The more we think about it, the more we are amazed at the caring and generosity of some people in and organizations associated with our club. We had that experience again last week. We have been asking people to donate to The Rotary Foundation for credit to its Disaster Response Fund by the end of April, knowing that every such dollar will be spent in direct support of providing humanitarian relief for the people of Ukraine.
Roy Balfour joined us from the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury to speak about the founding of the very first Rotary Club in Ukraine. District 7910 supported the formation of this Club and 30 years later is working to respond to the current crisis. He urged us to donate to the Rotary International Disaster Relief fund before April 30.
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!
This week's speaker was Emily Young who founded Moving Health, right after graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Emily spoke to us about her organization that provides medical transportation for women in rural Ghana. Immediately some of our members realized that they were familiar with Emily - Victor, Sze-Wen and Ralph were at MIT IDEAS exposition and awards day back in 2017 when Emily's OKOA team won the IDEAS award! Here's Ralph sitting in an early prototype of an ambulance:
We were able to raise $4,675 for Friendly Water, including a district match, funds from our club’s foundation and individual contributions. This was enough to build 3 water catchment basins. We chose to build them all at the Namanja Primary School. This was a priority because half of the students and staff at the school, which serves 950 students, were spending half of their school days going to fetch water. This was necessary as the bore holes, from which they obtain water, run dry. Soon they will be able to spend all day learning. Friendly Water for the World small non-profit with 7 board members and 5 staff, based in Olympia, Washington. It was founded in 2010. Leaders from Friendly water start work in an area with a community assessment, including all key members of a community who decide what their greatest needs are. It then trains and equips the community in sustainable technologies to safeguard, conserve and expand essential resources. The community assessment was done in Nov. 2020 in Matsakha, Kenya. The need for clean water was a priority, and the following technologies were identified to address their needs:
The 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.
The 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.
As part of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, Bedford Embraces Diversity, the Parents Diversity Council and the Rotary Club of Bedford will be holding a donation drive to support the Bedford Food Bank, which provides for about 120 households a week and is always in need of items that aren’t available through Greater Boston Food Bank or other donors.
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.
We started off the new year with a bang when Major Devon Messecar of Space Force joined us as our speaker! Devon was an active member of the Rotary Club of Bedford when she was stationed in Massachusetts as well as the President of the Seoul Young Leaders Club, an offshoot of the Rotary Club of Seoul Korea. Devon spoke to us about her latest role in the US Military- a member of Space Force!
John 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...
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.
Giving 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:
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.
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!
Following 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
Leslie Harrison has been a member of the Northborough Rotary club for a number of years. Leslie brought us the story of Zanmi Beni, a facility on the outskirts of Port of Prince Haiti.
Last 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!
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!
DG 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
Christopher Stein joined us to tell us a little about Operation Pollination. Chris has been with the National Park Service for over 40 years. He started with the National Parks Service right here at Minuteman National Historical Park. He then transferred to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee in the mid 1990’s where he joined Rotary. From there he was off to Yosemite National Park where he became president of the Yosemite Valley Rotary Club in 2005. Chris now lives in Northeast Iowa, is still a Rotarian in District 5970, is a member of that district’s “Path’s & Pollinator’s Committee,” and is a member of RI’s Environmentally Sustainable Rotary Action Committee (ESRAG). Chris gave his talk via zoom from Minnesota.
Funding for Rotary projects comes from The Rotary Foundation in a variety of ways. Are you aware funding for many of our clubs local projects comes from The Rotary Foundation of Bedford? The two are very different. From time to time we’ll present information regarding both in an attempt to keep you up to date. I hope.
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.
2 0 Rotarians and assorted spouses, children, grandchildren, and pets descended on the portion of Nat’s property known as “The Knoll” on Saturday morning (August 28, 2021) for a few hours of fellowship, good food, games, and a lot of catching up. Like most of our gatherings used to be, it can easily be summed up by saying “just some old friends getting together to pass some time together.” Nat was his usual gracious host supplying and cooking hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, and soft drinks. Debi was there making sure everything was in order, she and Marc shared photography duties (I’m the one that caught Marc taking pictures of everyone else (gotcha)! There was also several plates of Watermelon and brownies. Someone brought a box full of thickly iced cupcakes which were also a big hit. (I tried to sterl them but got caught!).I’m sure we solved all of the world’s problems in 2021 but nobody would own up to it. Nat also brought along a few four-wheelers for all of us to drive around and explore. The event was supposed to be over at 2:00 PM but as we usually do, at 2:45 PM folks were still sitting around and talking. Nat, you had a wonderful idea and between you and Debi, you pulled it off. Thank you, thank you, thank you from all of us.
Check out the photo album for photos from the event (photo credits Christine Pinney).
Born in 1958. He is a graduate of Belmont HS. Then it was off to Virginia Tech where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering.
Cliff loves working outdoors which turned his professional pursuits to the field of surveying. Cliff received his first Professional Surveyors Stamp in 1987 and is now registered in three states.
In 1998, Cliff started, and has been running and growing Rober Survey ever since.
While playing volleyball he met his wife Lisa. He still remembers asking her to see the movie “Tootsie,” she said yes, and in 1987 she said yes again when he asked her to marry him. The couple has a son Kyle born in 1988, a daughter Samantha born in 1990 and the couple has been raising their niece Ashleigh.
When Cliff was laid off from Beals & Thomas, Lisa volunteered him to help coach Kyle’s soccer team; almost instantly he was hooked on soccer.In 1998 he took the state soccer referee’s course and he has been refereeing soccer games ever since.
There was no regular meeting today which is why there is no Happy dollars or speaker’s synopsis. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t have fun! We have gotten together during this pandemic several times, but mostly for service projects (such as Bike Helmet day, Memorial Park cleanup, Building beds for kids, etc.) But not for just having a meal together, talking about nothing in particular, just a group of old friends who haven’t had much chance to renew friendships and share stories like old friends do. There were 27 of us at Flatbreads Tuesday evening, a combination of Rotarians (19 of those, plus an assortment of wives, husbands, and one daughter). President Paula had the good sense to move the event indoors (concerned about mosquitoes) and it’s a good thing she did because not only were there mosquitoes, but there were also thunderstorms too! Good thinking Paula.
Neither 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.
Rotary, it is a changing. Our guest speaker this week was Tom Brown. Tom is a Rotarian, a member of the Scotts Valley, California Rotary Club. Talking to us about Project Amigo, a multi-Rotary Club project (over 600 Rotary Clubs) in Colimas, Mexico, and he spoke to us from his home in Virginia. And that my friends is Rotary in the 21st. Century!
2020-2021 Rotary year was, for sure, like no other. An organism smaller than the head of a needle had flipped our world upside down. We were no longer meeting in person and were all getting used to something called “Zoom.” As Rotarians were asking the questions you would expect Rotarians to ask; How can we help? Little did we know, at that time, how much we could help:
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:
Jake O'Neal, Class of 2020, past recipient of the Philip McGovern 1Year Scholarship, attending Middlesex Community College
Pallavi Goel, Class of 2017, past recipient of the Rayford Williams 4 Year Scholarship, graduate of Brandeis University
Current Recipients of the Rayford Williams 4 Year Scholarship
Jackson Collins- 2018, rising Senior at Clemson University
Nathaniel Kang- 2019, rising Junior at Brown University
Nicole Hebert- 2020, rising Sophomore at Northwestern University
As 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:
Gold award for work with the Rotary Foundation
Tied for the Gold Award for Public Image
Presidential Citation
Received a citation for Diversity, Equity, and inclusion
Special Rotary International recognition in the categories of “avenues of service to:
Ralph Hammond PDG for Community Service
Christine Pinney for Youth Service
The actual certificates will be awarded to the club by PDG Diana Nestorova once we start meeting in person again.
What 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).
(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.
The Rotary Club of Bedford suffered a terrible loss this week. The last of our founding members has slipped away from us. He was there in the beginning and all the way through our 65 years of working around Bedford and the world. I would categorize him as a quiet man. To quote a phrase, a quiet man that carried a big stick! In the 40+ years I’ve known Bob I don’t think I ever heard him raise his voice, but he always managed to get things done. He wasn’t the kind of man that would participate in open floor debates. He preferred to work his magic behind the scenes. One of the things he was most proud of in Rotary was his perfect attendance in Rotary. Bob had perfect attendance for over 50 years, and we loved him for it. When he was hospitalized we actually cancelled our regular meeting and held it in his hospital room at Leahy. With tears in his eyes, all he could say was “Thank You!”
The Rotary Club of Bedford suffered a terrible loss this week. The last of our founding members has slipped away from us. He was there in the beginning and all the way through our 65 years of working around Bedford and the world. I would categorize him as a quiet man. To quote a phrase, a quiet man that carried a big stick! In the 40+ years I’ve known Bob I don’t think I ever heard him raise his voice, but he always managed to get things done. He wasn’t the kind of man that would participate in open floor debates. He preferred to work his magic behind the scenes. One of the things he was most proud of in Rotary was his perfect attendance in Rotary. Bob had perfect attendance for over 50 years, and we loved him for it. When he was hospitalized we actually cancelled our regular meeting and held it in his hospital room at Leahy. With tears in his eyes, all he could say was “Thank You!” Bob was president of the club in 1962 – 1963 and in 1984 he showed up in my office at the DPW and asked to talk to me privately. I’m here Bob, to as you to be our president next year. We’re in a hell-of-a-mess and I think you can straighten it out, and I’ll be there in the background to help you. I said yes, we did straighten it out, and the rest is history. Our club has done a lot of projects in and out of Bedford over the past 65 years. And Bob has been the champion of many of them and participated in all of them. If Bob heard of a problem around town, or if any of our members were having difficulties you could count on a “private” visit from Bob, and he would do his best to solve the problem. If it required the help of the club, he would organize it, if it were a private problem of one of our members he would solve it for them if he could, He did not want nor did he ever asked for anything in return. I knew of some of these instances and lets just say, there were a lot of them over the years.
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and support the Bedford Rotary Foundation at the same time! A percentage of all pizzas sold, dine in or take out between 4pm and 9pm on March 17th, will go towards the Foundation. This past year, the Bedford Rotary Foundation has proudly supported many initiatives. Locally, the Foundation has donated to Bedford Youth and Family Services to purchase gift cards for families in need, gave away bicycle helmets to students, and supported the youth programs RYLA and BRIC2. Rotarians cleaned up the 9/11 Memorial Park at Springs Brook Park for all visitors to enjoy. Beyond the borders of Bedford, the Foundation supported Operation Delta Dog, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace. In response to COVID-19, Rotarians created face shields, and the Foundation donated face masks to the Town of Bedford, the Bedford Public Schools, and the Domestic Violence Services Network. Globally, the Foundation nourished lives through Rise Against Hunger. Thank you for your support of the Bedford Rotary Foundation!
Klaus 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.
Rotary Community Corps, Community Food Collaborative
Jason 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!
Curt 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.
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.
Bill 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:
Writing this today, Monday, December 7th, 2020, as the Coronavirus pandemic rages around us, memories from a happier, more normal time come to mind.
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.
On a warm sunny day in November, nine families exercised their hunting skills and had a blast searching for seventy five items in their community. Thirty one participants, including four furry family members used creativity and strategies to earn points. Six crews set out around Bedford, one on the cape, and one in Hudson. They searched for statues, and rotary signs, they reenacted the famous Beatles Abby Road album cover, and interpreted items in their own way. Russell Swinton said "This was a wonderful event. Bethany and I had a terrific time!"
This 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:
Wanda 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:
We were very lucky to have a speaker from Tisch College at Tufts University speaking to us about Research for Democracy: The Power of the Youth Vote. Thank you Noorya Hayat for sharing your time and expertise with us! Lots of great info contained in this presentation.
Bedford Police Department, in conjunction with the Bedford Rotary Club, will host a bicycle helmet safety event. Residents are encouraged to stop by the Bedford Police Department’s parking lot, 2 Mudge Way, on Saturday, September 19th 10 a.m. to noon. Bedford Rotary volunteers will give out free, fitted helmets for child cyclists.
Students from Bedford High School’s Class of 2022 showed their commitment to active citizenship and desire for leadership development this past spring. Students applied in unprecedented numbers to the annual District 7910 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference, a weekend of learning and leadership development for teens run by Rotarian volunteers, originally scheduled for June 26-28 , 2020 at Fitchburg State University. From the more than three dozen highly qualified BHS applicants, only 10 participants and 5 alternates could be selected to attend the annual event.
In the words of our PDG Bob Cassidy, this has been a difficult time for our Bedford club, for we have suffered a terrible loss. How do you say goodbye to an old friend who has been a member of Rotary for 35 years? Past President, GSE Team Leader, Unsung Hero of D7910, and whether it was RYLA, ESSEX, or Gift of Life, if it involved children and students, especially those from other countries, Kevin was whole-heartedly involved. Kevin and his dear wife Ellen, have hosted numerous students and children from all over the world. A small tribute to Kevin by our club can be found on YouTube:
A 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.
Every year around this time, our weekly meeting is dedicated to our current scholarship recipients. On Tuesday, we met with the current Rayford Williams Scholarship winners over Zoom, and learned about their plans for the upcoming year.
Earlier in May we celebrated 64 years of the Rotary Club of Bedford! Two of our members have been in the club for those 64 years - founding member, Bob Mead and long-time member Nat Brown
The Rotary Club of Bedford is currently seeking student exchange host families for the 2019-2020 school year! We need a 3rd family to host our current inbound exchange student.
When the Pelligrino girls attended Breakfast with Santa this year, they were adding to a decade’s worth of memories of what is a family tradition. “Our family has been attending the Rotary Club Breakfast with Santa every year, except one, since we moved to Bedford in 2008, said the girl’s mom, Elena. “My daughters are now 10 and 13 and remind me of this tradition. We love looking at the photos each year, progressing their ages with Santa. To this day, they are sad we missed that one year”, she says.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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 ...
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.
The more we think about it, the more we are amazed at the caring and generosity of some people in and organizations associated with our club. We had that experience again last week. We have been asking people to donate to The Rotary Foundation for credit to its Disaster Response Fund by the end of April, knowing that every such dollar will be spent in direct support of providing humanitarian relief for the people of Ukraine. 
Roy Balfour joined us from the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury to speak about the founding of the very first Rotary Club in Ukraine. District 7910 supported the formation of this Club and 30 years later is working to respond to the current crisis. He urged us to donate to the 
This week's speaker was Emily Young who founded Moving Health, right after graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Emily spoke to us about her organization that provides medical transportation for women in rural Ghana. Immediately some of our members realized that they were familiar with Emily - Victor, Sze-Wen and Ralph were at MIT IDEAS exposition and awards day back in 2017 when Emily's OKOA team won the IDEAS award! Here's Ralph sitting in an early prototype of an ambulance: 
We were able to raise $4,675 for Friendly Water, including a district match, funds from our club’s foundation and individual contributions. This was enough to build 3 water catchment basins. We chose to build them all at the Namanja Primary School. This was a priority because half of the students and staff at the school, which serves 950 students, were spending half of their school days going to fetch water. This was necessary as the bore holes, from which they obtain water, run dry. Soon they will be able to spend all day learning.
As part of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, Bedford Embraces Diversity, the Parents Diversity Council and the Rotary Club of Bedford will be holding a donation drive to support the Bedford Food Bank, which provides for about 120 households a week and is always in need of items that aren’t available through Greater Boston Food Bank or other donors.
We started off the new year with a bang when Major Devon Messecar of Space Force joined us as our speaker! Devon was an active member of the Rotary Club of Bedford when she was stationed in Massachusetts as well as the President of the Seoul Young Leaders Club, an offshoot of the Rotary Club of Seoul Korea. Devon spoke to us about her latest role in the US Military- a member of Space Force!
Leslie Harrison has been a member of the Northborough Rotary club for a number of years. Leslie brought us the story of Zanmi Beni, a facility on the outskirts of Port of Prince Haiti.
Christopher Stein joined us to tell us a little about Operation Pollination. Chris has been with the National Park Service for over 40 years. He started with the National Parks Service right here at Minuteman National Historical Park. He then transferred to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee in the mid 1990’s where he joined Rotary. From there he was off to Yosemite National Park where he became president of the Yosemite Valley Rotary Club in 2005. Chris now lives in Northeast Iowa, is still a Rotarian in District 5970, is a member of that district’s “Path’s & Pollinator’s Committee,” and is a member of RI’s Environmentally Sustainable Rotary Action Committee (ESRAG). Chris gave his talk via zoom from Minnesota.
Funding for Rotary projects comes from The Rotary Foundation in a variety of ways. Are you aware funding for many of our clubs local projects comes from The Rotary Foundation of Bedford? The two are very different. From time to time we’ll present information regarding both in an attempt to keep you up to date. I hope.
2 0 Rotarians and assorted spouses, children, grandchildren, and pets descended on the portion of Nat’s property known as “The Knoll” on Saturday morning (August 28, 2021) for a few hours of fellowship, good food, games, and a lot of catching up. Like most of our gatherings used to be, it can easily be summed up by saying “just some old friends getting together to pass some time together.” Nat was his usual gracious host supplying and cooking hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, and soft drinks. Debi was there making sure everything was in order, she and Marc shared photography duties (I’m the one that caught Marc taking pictures of everyone else (gotcha)! There was also several plates of Watermelon and brownies. Someone brought a box full of thickly iced cupcakes which were also a big hit. (I tried to sterl them but got caught!).I’m sure we solved all of the world’s problems in 2021 but nobody would own up to it. Nat also brought along a few four-wheelers for all of us to drive around and explore. The event was supposed to be over at 2:00 PM but as we usually do, at 2:45 PM folks were still sitting around and talking. Nat, you had a wonderful idea and between you and Debi, you pulled it off. Thank you, thank you, thank you from all of us.
Born in 1958. He is a graduate of Belmont HS. Then it was off to Virginia Tech where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering.
While playing volleyball he met his wife Lisa. He still remembers asking her to see the movie “Tootsie,” she said yes, and in 1987 she said yes again when he asked her to marry him. The couple has a son Kyle born in 1988, a daughter Samantha born in 1990 and the couple has been raising their niece Ashleigh.
Rotary, it is a changing. Our guest speaker this week was Tom Brown. Tom is a Rotarian, a member of the Scotts Valley, California Rotary Club. Talking to us about Project Amigo, a multi-Rotary Club project (over 600 Rotary Clubs) in Colimas, Mexico, and he spoke to us from his home in Virginia. And that my friends is Rotary in the 21st. Century!
2020-2021 Rotary year was, for sure, like no other. An organism smaller than the head of a needle had flipped our world upside down. We were no longer meeting in person and were all getting used to something called “Zoom.” As Rotarians were asking the questions you would expect Rotarians to ask; How can we help? Little did we know, at that time, how much we could help:
The Rotary Club of Bedford suffered a terrible loss this week. The last of our founding members has slipped away from us. He was there in the beginning and all the way through our 65 years of working around Bedford and the world. I would categorize him as a quiet man. To quote a phrase, a quiet man that carried a big stick! In the 40+ years I’ve known Bob I don’t think I ever heard him raise his voice, but he always managed to get things done. He wasn’t the kind of man that would participate in open floor debates. He preferred to work his magic behind the scenes. One of the things he was most proud of in Rotary was his perfect attendance in Rotary. Bob had perfect attendance for over 50 years, and we loved him for it. When he was hospitalized we actually cancelled our regular meeting and held it in his hospital room at Leahy. With tears in his eyes, all he could say was “Thank You!”
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and support the Bedford Rotary Foundation at the same time! A percentage of all pizzas sold, dine in or take out between 4pm and 9pm on March 17th, will go towards the Foundation. This past year, the Bedford Rotary Foundation has proudly supported many initiatives. Locally, the Foundation has donated to Bedford Youth and Family Services to purchase gift cards for families in need, gave away bicycle helmets to students, and supported the youth programs RYLA and BRIC2. Rotarians cleaned up the 9/11 Memorial Park at Springs Brook Park for all visitors to enjoy. Beyond the borders of Bedford, the Foundation supported Operation Delta Dog, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace. In response to COVID-19, Rotarians created face shields, and the Foundation donated face masks to the Town of Bedford, the Bedford Public Schools, and the Domestic Violence Services Network. Globally, the Foundation nourished lives through Rise Against Hunger. Thank you for your support of the Bedford Rotary Foundation!
Writing this today, Monday, December 7th, 2020, as the Coronavirus pandemic rages around us, memories from a happier, more normal time come to mind.
On a warm sunny day in November, nine families exercised their hunting skills and had a blast searching for seventy five items in their community. Thirty one participants, including four furry family members used creativity and strategies to earn points. Six crews set out around Bedford, one on the cape, and one in Hudson. They searched for statues, and rotary signs, they reenacted the famous Beatles Abby Road album cover, and interpreted items in their own way. Russell Swinton said "This was a wonderful event. Bethany and I had a terrific time!"
We were very lucky to have a speaker from Tisch College at Tufts University speaking to us about Research for Democracy: The Power of the Youth Vote. Thank you Noorya Hayat for sharing your time and expertise with us! Lots of great info contained in this 
Bedford Police Department, in conjunction with the Bedford Rotary Club, will host a bicycle helmet safety event. Residents are encouraged to stop by the Bedford Police Department’s parking lot, 2 Mudge Way, on Saturday, September 19th 10 a.m. to noon. Bedford Rotary volunteers will give out free, fitted helmets for child cyclists.
Students from Bedford High School’s Class of 2022 showed their commitment to active citizenship and desire for leadership development this past spring. Students applied in unprecedented numbers to the annual District 7910 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference, a weekend of learning and leadership development for teens run by Rotarian volunteers, originally scheduled for June 26-28 , 2020 at Fitchburg State University. From the more than three dozen highly qualified BHS applicants, only 10 participants and 5 alternates could be selected to attend the annual event.
In the words of our PDG Bob Cassidy, this has been a difficult time for our Bedford club, for we have suffered a terrible loss. How do you say goodbye to an old friend who has been a member of Rotary for 35 years? Past President, GSE Team Leader, Unsung Hero of D7910, and whether it was RYLA, ESSEX, or Gift of Life, if it involved children and students, especially those from other countries, Kevin was whole-heartedly involved. Kevin and his dear wife Ellen, have hosted numerous students and children from all over the world. A small tribute to Kevin by our club can be found on YouTube:
Every year around this time, our weekly meeting is dedicated to our current scholarship recipients. On Tuesday, we met with the current Rayford Williams Scholarship winners over Zoom, and learned about their plans for the upcoming year.
Earlier in May we celebrated 64 years of the Rotary Club of Bedford! Two of our members have been in the club for those 64 years - founding member, Bob Mead and long-time member Nat Brown
The Rotary Club of Bedford is currently seeking student exchange host families for the 2019-2020 school year! We need a 3rd family to host our current inbound exchange student. 
When the Pelligrino girls attended Breakfast with Santa this year, they were adding to a decade’s worth of memories of what is a family tradition. “Our family has been attending the Rotary Club Breakfast with Santa every year, except one, since we moved to Bedford in 2008, said the girl’s mom, Elena. “My daughters are now 10 and 13 and remind me of this tradition. We love looking at the photos each year, progressing their ages with Santa. To this day, they are sad we missed that one year”, she says.
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