Club Information

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Amesbury

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m.
Ristorante Molise
1 Market Square
Amesbury, MA 01913
United States of America
Regular meetings are on the 2nd. and 4th.Wednesdays of the month @ Ristorante Molise, Amesbury; 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM. Click on the Calendar tab above for details, exceptions, and changes due to holidays, service projects, and special club events.
Home Page Stories
On Tuesday, November 26 a contingent of Amesbury Rotarians. joined Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove at the annual pre Thanksgiving day football teams luncheon; hosted this year by Newburyport Rotary at the Elks hall. Rotarians present were: Tom Farrell, President Cathy Toomey, Donna Collins, Superintendent of Schools - Elizabeth McAndrews, Sandy Carlisle, Todd Schell and Sierra Partlan.
 
November 12, 2024 Was Veterans Day at Amesbury Rotary. There were 6 veterans as club guests, including our two Veterans Agents; Jeramiah Murphy and Kevin Hunt. All gave a bit of their service background and some of their more memorable experiences.
October 23, 2024. Captain Graham McKay, Executive Director of Lowell's Boat Shop presented his experience of sailing on board the gaff rigged 88 ft long schooner "Bowdin" this past June and July; above the Artic Circle to 70 degrees North latitude. The Bowdin is owned by the Maine Maritime Academy and is used for training students in the operation and management of an ocean going sailing vessel. The vessel departed and returned to Maine Maritime Academy with a crew of 15, 9 of whom were students, the remaining being Academy staff.
 
During the voyage they logged 4,575 nautical miles, and made 6 ports of call, The distance traveled converts to 5,261 statute miles, which is approximately the round trip air miles between Boston and Los Angeles (5,218 miles). Due to opposing winds during the voyage, they had to run on the ships auxiliary diesel engine about 85% of the time. In the earlier working years of the Bowdin, as an Artic research vessel, the north bound voyage was timed to take advantage of the prevailing south winds, and the return was timed to coincide with the wind shift to the north. This was not the case for this voyage, as it had to fit within the Maine Maritime academic calendar.
 
While in the northern latitudes, the crew had a surprise and pleasant encounter - with the Danish royal family, aboard the Danish royal yacht.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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For Graham McKay's very interesting biographical sketch, please click on the READ MORE button at the lower left of this page. For a detailed history of the BOWDOIN, click on the following link: Bowdoin (Arctic schooner) - Wikipedia
On October 9,2024, Dori Sawyer, Administrator of Northern Essex Elder Transport (NEET) presented and overview of the NEET services, accomplishments, and reasons to  consider becoming a volunteer driver. NEET provides transportation services to age 60 and over to residents of 13 northern Essex county cities and towns.to medical and other essential appointments, which are scheduled through the local Councils on Aging. In 2023 NEET logged over 100,000 miles through a network of volunteer drivers to local and regional destinations, including metro Boston. Riders are individuals who cannot not drive (20% of people over age 65 cannot drive; for a variety of reasons) and those who cannot afford public transportation (Buss, MBTA, etc.), or private transportation (Taxi, Uber, or their own car). NEET is currently averaging 250-300 rides per month across the 13 communities it serves.
 
Rider Requirements are:
- Must be a minimum of 60 years old  
- Must be able to self-transport from their home into and out of a vehicle
- Must complete a NEET registration form and waiver   
- Must wear a seat belt
 
NEET rider services are scheduled Monday - Friday, and are free of any charge except riders are responsible for road/bridge tolls and parking fees. The most notable driver scheduling restricition is that drivers are unable to drive riders from appointments that include sedation.
 
Five reasons why you should consider driving for NEET:
1. Sense of purpose and fulfillment
2. Flexible and convenient scheduling
3. Opportunities to meet new people
4. Expenses are covered - millage reimbursement of $0.55 to and from your home, plus a supplemental insurance policy.
5. Stay active and engaged in your community
 
Our own President Cathy is a NEET volunteer driver.
 
Dori's contact information is:
   NEET Web site: www.driveforneet.org
   Email: info@driveforneet.org
   Phone: 978-388-7474
 
 
         
 
 
On Wednesday, September 25,2024, Christina Ploof, Volunteer Recruiter and Mentor Match Coordinator at Family Serices of Merrimack Valley for the Big Friends Little Friends Mentoring Program was our guest speaker. She gave us a very interesting presentation of the program which she recruits for and coordinates. 
 
Big Friends Little Friends - is a mentoring program serviced by Family Services of Merrimack Valley, which currently has over 50 children on our waitlist, hoping to be matched with a caring adult in the Merrimack Valley. 
 
A common thread in her work experience is the desire to help people, especially our youth, in reaching their full potential. She continues to exercise this goal in her current position at Family Services of Merrimack Valley. She believes everybody has the potential to succeed as long as they are given the necessary tools and opportunities to thrive. Mentorship can have these kinds of lasting impacts on the lives of young adults. Through her work in the Mentorship Department at FSMV, She is dedicated to ensuring that the children we serve are matched with reliable, kind and positively influential adults.

Rewilding Inside and Out -

What we can all do to help cool our planet.
 
July 24, 2024
Our own Cheryl Keim did a masterful job of boiling down the complex science surrounding CO2 emissions, and it's impact on global warming and linking this to actions that we collectively and as individuals can take to both control CO2 emisions and to counter their effect. This has become Cheryl's lifework about which she is a passionate advocate.  
  
 
July 10, 2024
 
Our own Mac Odell presented an update of the progress that has been made by the Great Himalaya Trail Project, which Amesbury Rotary has supported since its inception.
 
“Hitchhiking from Kathmandu”Update on Pilot Project
For The Great Himalaya Trail:
Results from Using Appreciative Planning and
Action (APA) - Village by Village for Sustainable
Development
Along a 1000 km trekking trail
…all while keeping Women at the Center
 
 
 
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Our annual President's Night was a fun evening for all. President Steve McKenzie reviewed all that the Club has accomplished over the past year, topping this only by a special surprise award to his wife; Julia Phelps (PDG & Amesbury Rotary Past President) for all of the assistance and guidance that she has given him during his term as our President. Julia was MC for the evening, but was totally taken by surprise with Steve's heartfelt gesture.
 
Steve presented another special award to Antionetta DiLemme and Elise Zullo, owners of Molise; in recognition for all that they have done to facilitate both our meetings and special events.
 
Donna Collins presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Mike Silver in recognition of all his support in growing Bike Safety Day over the years.
 
To wrap things up, District Governor for 2024-2025; Tom Hankard inducted our new President; Cathy Toomey for her third term, and administered the oath to the incoming Board of Directors. Also present were Maria Bertolone, Area Governor, and her husband Joe, 
 
 
 
 
 
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This was our annual meeting where the President of the Amesbury High School Interact Club runs the meeting. this year Calista Catarius did great job of keeping us on track and on time; with an engaging smile. The AHS Interact Club has merged with the Peer Mediators, which both increases the number of members, and diversifies the group across all four AHS classes. The members of the combined clubs were: Calista Catarius, Maggie Himmel,
Josiah Fugate, Jessica, Silva, Jamie Hawkins, Lauren Talbot, Dominick Beane. 
 
Also present and recognized were the AHS 2024 Valedictorian; Zoe Moccia, with her parents (Sarah Chapman and Dennis Moccia), AHS 2024 Salutatorian; Ruby Moulton, and her mother (Polly Moulton)., Abby Arthur, recipient of the Boomerang Scholarship, and Aness Metz, recipient of the Brad Ford Scholarship.
 
  
Our own President Elect Cathy Toomey gave us a fun and interesting slide presentation of their fall 2023 trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival, which she won in our annual raffle. After a one stop flight (no non stops flights from Boston to Albuquerque), they checked into their hot and then used Uber to get to and back from the Festival site. She said it was a great experience, which is documented in her pictures, many of which are included here. They took one day to go to by train to Santa Fe , which we said was one of the  highlights of thier trip. 
 
  
  
  
THE AMESBURY ROTARY CLUB IS PROUD TO PLACE THE 1st ANNUAL FLAGS FOR HEROES 

 

Flags are proudly displayed at the Amesbury Servicemen's Memorial Honor Roll on Main Street (across the street from Amesbury Middle School).  Flags will be on display starting  May 25th through Flag Day, June 14th.  The honorees are  veterans, active-duty service members,  first responders, police, firefighters, EMTs, teachers, coaches,  essential workers, family members, humanitarians, or best friends. Hero's names are personalized on a medallion, which are attached to a full-size American flag, and which will be given to each flag sponsor as a remembrance, when the display is taken down.  

To learn how Amesbury Rotary puts the support of this project to work in our community, please click on the "Read More" button.

 
ROTARY EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR 2024
May 22, 2024

42nd. Annual Award

The 2024 Educator of the Year is Derek Bent, who has been make a difference in his students lives at the Amesbury Middle, for 27 years. Derek was nominated by Julie Sisson, who's letter read by Amesbury Rotarian; Madison Barns. Joining Derek for the award presentation were his daughter Lily, and son Ethan. Recognition of Derek's work, contributions and accomplishments were Amesbury Superintendent (and Amesbury Rotarian); Elizabeth McAndrews, and Amesbury Middle School; Jayne Vilandenis. We were honored by the presence of past recipients of this award; Marianne Curry and her husband Mike, 2000, and Stacey Fijalkowski, 2001.

Previous Recipients:

Barbara Leary 1983
Barbara Foster 1984
Peter Hoyt 1985
Patricia Hoyt 1986
Rose Marie Bailey 1987
Linda Young 1988
Nina Tassinari 1989
Maria Ferrandini 1990
Glenn Peterson 1991
Geraldine Minihan 1992
Marcia Stellmach 1993
Bill Claffey 1994
John Swistak 1995
Marlene Schroeder 1996
Kathy Scholtz 1997
Peggy Laufer 1998
Albert MacDonald, Jr. 1999
Christopher Perry 2000
Jim Cassidy 2001
Billie McLane 2002
Steven O’Connor 2003
Tom Horan 2004
Karen Iworsky 2005
Suzanne Morin 2006
John Lyman 2007
Patty Bradley 2008
Bruce McBrien 2009
Maureen Hardin 2010
Anita Marsh 2011
Gale Regis 2012
Liz Morris 2013
Mark Casto 2014
Bethany Noseworthy 2015
Maryanne Dower 2016
Leslie Barnaby 2017
Jessica Regis 2018
Dr. Kristen Walsh 2019
Marianne Curry 2020
Stacey Fijalkowski 2021
Courtney Lovett, 2022
Diedre Vachon, 2023
Derek Bent, 2024

 

The Amesbury Rotary Club is committed to serving the youth of our community. We sponsor scholarships and offer interest-free loans to Amesbury students. We also honor one of the many outstanding educators in our school system each year. This award recognizes professional excellence and the performance of outstanding service in the Amesbury School System. Eligibility requirements as follows:

  • Must teach in the Amesbury School System - this includes all classroom/special education teachers and specialists in technology, art, music, library, guidance counselors, etc. Administrators are not eligible.

  • Must have been employed in the Amesbury School System for at least five years.

  • Must not plan on retiring within the next two years.

  • Must not be a previous recipient.

42 years and counting

This is the 42nd.. year that the Amesbury Rotary Club will be giving an Educator of the Year award,” said Donna Collins, who heads the nominating committee., “which recognizes professional excellence." The Amesbury Rotary Club takes nominations from students, parents, co-workers, anyone in the community, Collins said. “We get all these letters and I screen them. The teachers have to have taught in Amesbury for at least five years and not plan to retire within the next two years.”

After Collins sifts through the nomination letters and verifies eligibility with the school department, the committee, which includes three or four Rotarians and four past winners, reviews all eligible nominations. Rotarians make the final decision,” she said, “but the input from the teachers is very valuable to us in making that decision.”

For event pictures, please click on the READ MORE button on the lower right of this screen

 

Rotary's Annual Bike Safety Day was held on Saturday, May 18,2024
 
Lots of happy families today! Amesbury Police, Free Wheels, Mike Silver, and Amesbury Rotary joined forces to provide over 35 children with FREE bike helmets, free bike tuneups, and a bike rodeo. Everyone that completed the bike course received a certificate of completion and a goodie bag. Two lucky kiddos were winners of a brand new bike.
Special thank you to AHS Honor Society and Interact students for their help fitting helmets and to Police Dog, Whit for making the day extra special!
 
  
 
  
  
On May 1, 2024, Robbin Schell invited the two co-presidents of The Tough Warrior Princesses: Patty Mellon and Sherri Ziomek to talk with us about their passion. What ensued was an exceptional, captivating presentation about a non-profit, all volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization that operates quietly here in Amesbury. This is best described in the follow excerpt from the TWP web site: www.toughwarrior princisses.com.
 
TWP is currently operating out of a third floor loft space that has been generously made available to them - however there is not an elevator, which is both an impediment to some of those that they support, and makes moving up the materials and goods for the 300+ TWP baskets per year and them moving them to the storefront on Friend Street for pickup, a considerable chore ---- if anyone knows of an alternate space that might be available please contact Patty Mellon at pattymellon@yahoo.com.
 
   
 
 
 
 
Who are the Tough Warrior Princesses?
Welcome to Tough Warrior Princesses (TWP), where we stand united in providing unwavering support, comfort, love, and resources to women affected by cancer. As an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization based in Amesbury, MA, we serve the vibrant communities of the north shore of Boston and southern NH. With a dedicated board of 10 directors and a passionate army of volunteers, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of those facing cancer.

When we hear of a woman who is newly diagnosed or facing a cancer recurrence, we work closely with their family or friend to arrange the delivery of a special Warrior Basket. These thoughtfully curated baskets are filled with essential items that offer comfort and support throughout diagnosis and treatment, along with inspirational pieces and valuable resources to guide them on their journey.

To foster connections and provide a space for support, we proudly host monthly Warrior Chats and a Warrior Yoga class.  These meetings bring together survivors and their caregivers, allowing them to share experiences, find solace in the company of others who understand, and gain strength from the power of community.

At Tough Warrior Princesses, we believe in the power of unity and collective action. Throughout the year, we organize numerous events designed to keep our network connected and supported. Together, we share a common goal of a world without cancer. As part of our commitment, a portion of our proceeds is dedicated to cancer research, contributing to the ongoing fight against this disease.

We invite you to watch our video, where you can witness the remarkable journey that led us to where we are today. It serves as a testament to our unwavering dedication and the positive impact we strive to make in the lives of those we support.

Join us on our mission to provide unwavering support, love, assistance, and comfort to those battling cancer. Together, we can make a meaningful difference until the day when a cure is found.
On April 24, 2024, Massachusetts State Auditor Dianna DiZoglio gave us an excellent overview of the responsibilities and powers of the State Auditors office, and how it fits in state government. She discussed some of the more notable challenges facing the Auditor's office; the MBTA and the State Legislature. With over 10 years service in the State Legislature as both a Representative and a Senator, she has considerable insight into the operations of the General Court of the Commonwealth, which is resisting an audit. She is circulating a petition, which with 12,000 signatures, will get the matter on the next election ballot. 
On April 17, 2024, Liz Kidder; past member and President of Amesbury Rotary talked about her 3 weeks hiking in Colorado; the high and the low points, the challenges and the lessons learned, the complex logistical issues, the beauty of the Rockies, and bonds she made or renewed with fellow hikers. Her next hike is probably going to be the Pacific Coat Trail.
 
 
 

 

 

Doreen ArnfieldDoreen Arnfield has served the Amesbury community for over nine years and is the Director for the Amesbury Council on Aging (COA). She also is a Licensed Social Worker and Certified Personal Trainer. With this background, she has the opportunity to assist in providing many different wellness programs to the growing older adult population. As important, is the capacity to assist seniors and disabled adults with accessing many resources like fuel assistance, food stamps, housing and transportation. One way she helps to meet the needs of the growing community is by collaborating with colleges to supervise interns. Another is through the COA Volunteer Program.

Doreen enjoys supervising/supporting both of these constituencies as they play a very important role in the success of the COA. She also gets great pleasure facilitating a thriving Low Vision Support Group here at the center. Much of her experience lies in Community Health Education with prevention being her focus. She is a trained in evidence-based programming; Chronic Disease Self Management Leader, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, and Healthy Eating for Successful Living Leader.

Education

  • Graduate of University Of Massachusetts Lowell; Master of Arts in Community Social Psychology, 2010
  • Graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell; Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education, 2007
  • Graduate of Northern Essex Community College: Associate Degree in General Studies, 2005

On March 27, 2024, Christine Turner, Executive Director of Link House based here in Amesbury presented an update of Link House, its several housing, rehab and treatment sites, and its outreach to the communities that Link House serves.

Chris oversees all aspects of Link House’s residential and outpatient treatment programs, bringing more than 25 years of experience leading human service organizations to this role.

Prior to joining Link House Inc., Turner held leadership positions at Lowell House Inc. where she served as the Clinical Director for women’s treatment services and was instrumental in procuring grant funding for the development and oversight of specialized addiction treatment programming for women. During her time at Lowell House she also served as Director of the Sheehan Women’s Program, Senior Director of Residential Programs, and interim CEO. Turner was also the Director of DPH funded Community and Residential Substance Abuse Services at The Psychological Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

A Licensed Alcohol Drug Abuse Counselor and Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, Turner is also board certified by The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is a Master Addictions Counselor with the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Bedford College (part of the Cambridge University Institute of Colleges, UK) and her graduate degree in Community Counseling Psychology from Springfield College, Massachusetts.

Lisa Usani Phillips - Amesbury Poet  Laurette 
 
Lisa Usani Phillips - Amesbury Poet  Laurettei, a long time resident of Amesbury, who resides in a 1700's era home on Andrews Lane.; earned her MFA at Emerson College, and went on to avaried career in creative writing, which evolved to love of poetry. She gave us considerable insight into the creative writing process; from the spark of an idea to into rough draft (either handwritten or quickly keyed into her computer), and then through the several steps to a finished poem. Lisa treated us a reading of several of here poems, including "Shine", which she proudly read at Mayor Kassandra Gove's 3rd. inauguration. She is active in the Amesbury Cultural Council, The Council on Aging, and is visible on FaceBook and Instagram. When she is not creating poetry, she keeps her creative self busy with knitting and making cloth bags.
A fun evening was had by all, with great food by Molise, a silent mystery bag auction, donated gift baskets raffle, topped of with the $5,000 Raffle Royale drawing - and lots of comraderie with Rotarians and guests.
 
Raffle Royale Night at Molise
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
January 17, 2024
Our own Paula Wright, has moved from her world wide travels with Road Scholar to more independent travel as a volunteer at a South African wild game preserve for two weeks. Her professional quality  Power Point presentation, with ambient animal sounds (chewing and purring) was captivating. She closely interacted with cheetahs, lions, tigers, rhinos, warthogs, cows, etc; where her duties included feeding, vaccinating (cows-possible her most dangerous task), traveling by truck to pick up both purchased and donated food for the preserve wildlife-- consisting largely of animal carcasses and live chickens, scratching, petting and holding many of the wildlife, and learning about the various species, and the conservation actions necessary to protect them. Paula's next trip is going to be to work at a large animal and marine mammal preserve in the southeastern part of South Africa.
 
 
Upcoming Events
Speakers
Andrea LaCroix
Jan 08, 2025 12:15 PM
Beyond Plastics - Working To End
Todd McGrath
Feb 26, 2025 12:15 PM
Remembering veterans from all wars & little known Amesbury History
Kathy and Ozzie Morrill
Mar 12, 2025 12:15 PM
Presentation about the trip they took last fall to Europe that was a cruise/bike trip.
Learn More
Want to learn more about the Club? We would love to hear from you.
 
Contact: President:
Cathy Toomey
Email:CathyT@stoneridgeproperties.com
Mobile: 978-609-3970
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