Tuesday, March 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Auburn
GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE
Join With District 7910 To Address Opioid Crisis: Together, we can make a difference
By Pat and Skip Doyle
A question that we have been hearing from many parts of District 7910, from many clubs, and from many individual Rotarians , Interactors and Rotaractors, is, "What can we do about the opioid crisis in our communities? Certainly, individual clubs have taken some initiatives.
The Rotary Club of Worcester last year chose opioid addiction and prevention as its major local project. Last December, the Worcester club made a presentation and donation of $41,000 to the City of Worcester to be used by the Health Department to provide education and purchase needed supplies that can save lives. A portion of that donation also went to the Parks and Recreation Department to help keep a couple of schools in high-risk area stay open after hours to provide a safe environment for children to play. This was done to prevent children from getting caught up with drugs and gangs.
The Rotary Club of Hudson is using a District Grant to help the opioid fight in their community. There are at present at least a dozen other clubs with plans to put forth efforts in their communities to help solve the problem.
The Rotary Club of Newton has recognized the need to bring together interested Rotarians, and to that end they are sponsoring a working meeting to exchange ideas on how Rotary clubs in Massachusetts can lead or participate in projects that deal with the opioid-addiction problem in the Commonwealth. Representatives from all clubs and districts are welcome.
When: Monday, March 6, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: West Suburban YMCA, 276 Church St., Newton
Cost: Free - just bring and share ideas
The purpose of the meeting is to bring together the collective works from each club and produce a plan that serves every city and town in the district. We are stronger when we combine our collective energies, efforts and resources. One club cannot make a significant impact on the issue of opioid abuse and drug addiction, but the combined efforts of every club can be a major force in the fight against this disease. That's our message and our goal.
To quote Heidi Heilman, of the Rotary Club of Wellesley, "One of the greatest current challenges of the opioid crisis, is that way too often, despite best intentions, efforts to address it are:
- fragmented;
- exercised in the silo of an agency or group, which creates duplication and turf issues where groups compete for the limited funding and resources available;
- not based on best, evidence-based strategies that yield intended outcomes;
- and, not adequately resourced given the scope of the problem.
"Please, let us collaborate to be certain we avoid these issues and dilemmas, land with a strong Rotary response that is highly collaborative with other community stakeholders invested in this issue, and get us the outcome we seek: Rotarians involved in the solution that yields less opiate abuse and addiction.”
Every one of us knows someone who has had their lives changed by this crisis. Meet with fellow Rotarians on March 6 in Newton as together they work to find a solution. We see Rotarians working together for a common goal. What a powerful force.
QuadCon Call
Interactors from all over the District 7910 are getting excited about the Youth Conference to be held as part of the Multi District Conference - QuadCon, for short - this April in Providence. Check Quadcon web page for updates. 
Seeking three trustees
We are now seeking two Rotarians to become trustees of the District Board of Trustees plus one Rotarian to become a trustee of the District Special Fund Board. The need for two trustees for the Board of Trustees is due to an unforeseen circumstance.
Those who applied before are eligible to apply again. For more information, contact us at pwdoyle2@verizon.net and skipdoyle2@verizon.net.
Six important things to know:
1. The weekly submission deadline for the Newsletter will remain the same: Friday. As usual, text content must be submitted in Word format, and image content, in either JPEG or PDF format. Continue to submit your content to Immediate Past District Governor/Newsletter Editor Jim Fusco at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.
2. Resolutions: The District Resolutions Committee met on January 10 and addressed three changes to the DistrictmResolution that will be proposed and voted on at the annual District Business Meeting, to be held during the Multi-District Conference in Providence, on Saturday morning, April 29. For more information on the District Resolutions, contact Resolutions Chair Doug Detweiller (shown, right) at rotary@detweiler.org.
3. District Nominations: The District Nominating Committee is seeking qualified applicants to serve as District Trustee for 2017 to 2019 and District Charitable Fund Trustee for 2017 to 2020. Clubs and club leadership are asked and encouraged to actively recruit and promote service in Rotary through their member
s' service as district leaders. The deadline for submitting applications was this February 18. All completed applications should be either e-mailed to Nominating Committee Chair Michael Ellis (shown,right) at mellis0144@comcast.net, or mailed to him at: Michael Ellis, District 7910 Nominating Committee, 88 Coburn Ave., Gardner, MA 01440. Postmarked mail after February 18 will not be accepted. To download the Trustee Nomination Form, click here. To download the Nomination Form Supplement, click here.
s' service as district leaders. The deadline for submitting applications was this February 18. All completed applications should be either e-mailed to Nominating Committee Chair Michael Ellis (shown,right) at mellis0144@comcast.net, or mailed to him at: Michael Ellis, District 7910 Nominating Committee, 88 Coburn Ave., Gardner, MA 01440. Postmarked mail after February 18 will not be accepted. To download the Trustee Nomination Form, click here. To download the Nomination Form Supplement, click here.4. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards: The RYLA Club Pack has been updated and posted on RYLA7910.org. When you 
download it, you will notice changes from last year. Please read the material carefully and direct your questions to Christine Pinney, chair of the RYLA Committee,who may be reached at christine@christinepinney.com. The RYLA season has begun and the RYLA Committee is working to make RYLA 2017 the "best RYLA ever." (See RYLA article, right-hand column.)
download it, you will notice changes from last year. Please read the material carefully and direct your questions to Christine Pinney, chair of the RYLA Committee,who may be reached at christine@christinepinney.com. The RYLA season has begun and the RYLA Committee is working to make RYLA 2017 the "best RYLA ever." (See RYLA article, right-hand column.)5. Club Planning Worksheet: To download the Club Planning Worksheet, click here.This worksheet is made available to
clubs so they can gauge their progress in achieving the goals they set last July. This month is a good time to review the worksheet and see how far you have come and how much farther you need to go as a club. You may surprise yourselves and realize that you are well on the way to earning district recognition. We recommend the club president appoint the president-elect to be the "champion" of the Worksheet, and to use it as a guide for the club, and to report monthly to the club's membership and board on the club's progress.
clubs so they can gauge their progress in achieving the goals they set last July. This month is a good time to review the worksheet and see how far you have come and how much farther you need to go as a club. You may surprise yourselves and realize that you are well on the way to earning district recognition. We recommend the club president appoint the president-elect to be the "champion" of the Worksheet, and to use it as a guide for the club, and to report monthly to the club's membership and board on the club's progress.6. As your district governors, we have resolved to:
- Revisit as many clubs as possible in the next few months.
- Help our clubs achieve the goals they set in July
- Do all we can to build membership in the district
- Plan a grand event to celebrate our Million Dollar Foundation Journey
- "Move the ball forward," in harmony, with District Governor-ElectKarin Gaffney, District Governor-Nominee Steve Sager and District Governor-Nominee-Designate Pamela Anastasi
- Celebrate all of this at our Multi-District Conference this April in in Providence
'GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE' PAGE (in case you want to share a link to this article)
District Governors Pat and Skip Doyle (shown, right) may be reached
at pwdoyle2@verizon.net and skipdoyle2@verizon.net, respectively.
Click here to submit content for the Tuesday, March 7 issue. The submission deadline for this issue is Friday, March 3.
- Lucinda Ellert, Lowell
- Scott McCluskey, Shrewsbury
Remember to ask ... ask ... ask!
REMEMBERING OUR ROTARIANS
George Bernardin, Worcester
Ellen Goguen, Fitchburg
ROTARY MEANS BUSINESS
Next Networking Meeting on Tomorrow Night in Chelmsford
By Ron Bott
The next Rotary Means Business event in Rotary District 7910 will be held on Wednesday, March 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at theRadisson Hotel and Suitesin Chelmsford. The cost is$15 for Rotarians and $20 for non-Rotarians. Light appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. To register, click here.DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE, MARCH 15
Applications Sought for David and Eleanor Morley Endowed Global Grant Scholarship
To learn more about the Morley Scholarship, click here.
To download the Morley Scholarship flyer in PDF format, click here.
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CLUB MEMBERSHIP GROWTH, ’16-‘17
We share with you the results of club-membership growth in our district during Rotary year 2016-2017, which began July 1.
This is a unique opportunity for Rotarians and friends to discuss partnering on humanitarian projects affecting our local communities.
DISTRICT & CLUB ROUNDS
In Support of Polish-Ukrainian Rotary project
By Roy Balfour
The Polish-Ukrainian Rotary project deals with rehabilitation in Poland of a group of 25 Ukrainian children who are 10 to 12 years old, plus three accompanying adults. The children belong to families who lost their parents in the war unleashed in the East of Ukraine. This project has been successfully going on for the last three Rotary years successfully, and its main financial burden was carried by Polish Rotary clubs.
Concord Inducts Jennifer Silverstone as Newest Member
Left to right: Past Presidents Dick Hale, Dick Levinson, Sheila Watts June Grace and Jennifer Silverstone; and President-Elect Leigh Ann Crimmings
To learn more on Concord Rotary, click here.
Nashoba Valley Celebrates 5th Birthday
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley celebrated its 5th birthday on February 23, which happened to be Rotary International’s 112th birthday. The club, which was chartered on February 24, 2012, celebrated with party games, cake, decorations, video highlights from the past five years, and a speaker from Boston Gleaners. Check out the Facebook photo album for more pictures, including a rousing game of Simon Says.
To learn more on Nashoba Valley Rotary, click here.
Westborough Welcomes Exchange Student
Left to right: Marcia Davis, chair of District 7910's Eastern States Student Exchange Committee; Exchange Student YukaIchihawa; Jeanne Reimonn; and President Gerry Gross
To learn more on Westborough Rotary, click here.
D7910 Well-Represented at Zone 24/32 Coordinator Training in Evanston
Among the people shown posing at the entrance to RI headquarters are District 7910 Rotarians who have appeared in our weekly newsletter and/or have spoken at D7910 events.CAN YOU FIND THEM?
They are: Immediate Past District Governor Jim Fusco; Past District Governor Carol Toomey; District PR Chair Laura Spear; Past District Governor Greg Roche; Carolyn Johnson, of District 7780; Rotary International Director Dean Rohrs; Incoming RI Director Jeffery Cadorette; and Past RI Director Bryn Styles.
Shown posing inside RI headquarters are, left to right: Jim Fusco, assistant Rotary coordinator form Zone 32 and immediate past district governor, and a member of the Rotary Club of Montachusett Area; Carol Toomey, End Polio Now coordinator for Zone 32, past district governor, and a member of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley; Laura Spear, Rotary public image coordinator for Zone 32 and a member of Nashoba Valley Rotary; and Greg Roche, assistant regional Rotary Foundation coordinator for Zone 32, past district governor, and now a member of District 7950.
Wellesley's Newest Member
Tory DeFazio (left), of the Rotary Club of Wellesley, presents the Rotary Four-Way Test to the club's newest member, Romeo Adams(right).
To learn more on Wellesley Rotary, click here.
Montachusett Area Sponsors New Interact Club
Members of the Rotary Club of Montachuset Area gathered together on February 15 to celebrate Charter Night for the new Interact Club at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School. Present at this celebration were many members of Montachusett Area Rotary.
District Interact Chair Bob Anthony, a Wellesley Rotarian, addressed the group as well as Monty Tech Principal Thomas Browne and Monty Tech Superintendent Dr. Sheila Harrity.
The Interact club, which has 20 members, was born because Co-Presidents Kayla Gerry (shown, left) and Casey Szlosek (shown, right) learned about Interact during RYLA 2016 and wanted to form a club.
Shown, below, are members of the new Monty Tech Interact Club
To learn more on Montachusett Area Rotary, click here.
Our Co-DGs Reunite with ESSEX Student
Co-District Governors Pat Doyle (seated, right) and Skip Doyle(seated, left) pose with, left to right, Alex Incorvia (daughter of the host mom), Host Mom Stacy Incorvia, and former ESSEX StudentMarilia Lomani.
To learn more on ESSEX, click here.
Dean College Rotaract Organizes, Holds Blood Drive
During a recent blood drive by the Interact Club of Dean College, more than 40 people pre-registered to donate.
Left to right, sitting: Dean College Rotaractors Dean Bennett and Elizabeth Donahue
Left to right ,standing: Dean College Rotaract President Nua Toy-Giles and Franklin Rotary President Terry Katsaros
Gardner Speaker Promotes SAVE
The fundamental principal on the SAVE program is to advocate for Veterans who are not able to obtain the benefits they have earned due to institutional or personal barriers.
Left to right: Gardner PresidentDawn Casavant; Gabriel Nutter, regional team leader for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services' SAVE Team for the counties of Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Berkshire, with companion dog Sammy; and Past District Governor Mike Ellis, a Gardner Rotarian.
To learn more on Gardner Rotary, click here.
Nashoba Valley' Chris Spear Now Paul Harris +4
Ron Bott
(left), past president of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, recently pinned Nashoba Valley President Chris Spear(right) as a Paul Harris +4 donor.
(left), past president of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, recently pinned Nashoba Valley President Chris Spear(right) as a Paul Harris +4 donor. A Rotarian becomes a member of the Paul Harris Society when he or she donates $1,000 or more to The RotaryFoundation's Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. When he or she gives an additional gift of $1,000, he or she becomes a Paul Harris +1 donor. The + number increases by one with each additional gift of $1,000.
To learn more on Rotary donor recognition, click here.
To learn more on Nashoba Valley Rotary, click here.
Acton-Boxborough Changes Meeting Location to Rapscallion
Shown, left to right, during a recent Acton-Boxborough Rotary meeting are club President Joe Badenhoff, Assistant Governor Kevin Fry, and District Governor Pat Doyle.
To learn more on Acton-Boxborough Rotary, click here.
Pre-PETS Meetings Held in Waltham, Leominster
District Governor-Elect Karin Gaffney (shown, standing) is preparing the incoming presidents-elect for their year, which begins July 1, by holding Pre-President-Elect Training Seminar meetings. One Pre-PETS meeting was held last Saturday in Waltham, and another one took place last night in Leominster. All PEs are looking forward to attending the NEPETS -NorthEast Presidents-Elect Training Seminar - gathering that will be held on March 9, 10 and 11 in Framingham.
Shrewsbury Welcomes Justin Mussler, Anna Chittim as Corporate Members
Frank Jelinch (left), president of the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury, poses with the club's newest corporate members,Justin Mussler (middle) Anna Chittim (right).
To learn more on Shrewsbury Rotary, click here.
Uxbridge Donates $500 to Tri-County Meals On Wheels
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On February 7, the Rotary Club of Uxbridge presented a $500 check to Tri County Meals on Wheels.
Left to right: Joan MacKinnon; Bev Clarke, fundraiser; Kristen McCarthy, President Linn Doll-Butler and Mike Rooney.
To learn more on Uxbridge Rotary, click here.
Needham, National Honor Society Join Forces for Food Packaging
The Rotary Club of Needham recently joined forces with 80 students from Needham High School's National Honor Society. They teamed up with Stop Hunger Now.
To view the event's photo album, click here.
To learn more on Needham Rotary, click here.
Franklin Presents Rotaract Charter Certificate, RYLA grant
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Terry Katsaros (left), president of the Rotary Club of Franklin, recently presented Robert (Nua) Toy-Giles (right), president of theRotaract Club of Franklin at Dean College,with that Rotaract club's charter certificate.
Also recently, Julie Rougeau (left), Franklin Rotary's Vocational/RYLA chair, and Terry Katsaros (middle), presented a $1,000 scholarship grant to UMass student Nicole Rabovsky (right), a 2016 graduate of Franklin High School.
To learn more on Franklin Rotary, click here.
Southborough Expands Scholarship Program
Southborough Expands Scholarship Program
The Rotary Club of Southborough has announced a second scholarship for high school students from Southborough. The winning student will receive $1,000 per year to help attend a four-year Massachusetts state college or university. Applicants will be judged on academic achievements and public service. Prior to this, Southborough Rotary was only able to help one student for four years. Thanks to stepped-up fundraising efforts and generous donations, the club is now able to expand its program. The new scholarship means the club doesn't have to wait for its current recipient to graduate in 2020, to award another scholarship.
Applications are due by April 10. The application forms areavailable at the Algonquin Regional High School’s Guidance Office, and by contacting Southborough Treasurer Carl Guyer atcarl.guyer@gmail.com.
Shown, are several members of Southborough Rotary.
To learn more about Southborough Rotary, click here.
Multi-Club Power Play
Needham Teams Up with Framingham, Newton, Waltham and Watertown on India Solar-Power Project
The Rotary Clubs of Needham, Framingham, Newton, Waltham and Watertown have partnered to fund a $6,000 solar-power project (shown, left) for Film Nagar High School in Hyerabad, India. The host club there is the Rotary Club of Jubilee Hills, in District 3150.
Needham paid $3,000 of the $6,000 - $1,500 of which should come back as District Grant match. Watertown, Waltham, Newton and Framingham paid $500 each.
To learn more about:
- Framingham Rotary, click here
- Jubilee Hills Rotary, click here
- Needham Rotary, click here
- Newton Rotary, click here
- Waltham Rotary, click here
- Watertown Rotary, click here
Bedford Gears Up for April Meal-Packing Event
Members of the Rotary Club of Bedford were recently invited to speak with Rod Brooks, president and CEO, and the Marc Vermouth, New England program manager of Stop Hunger Now. Held at the Red Heat Tavern in Bedford, the meeting was in recognition of Bedford Rotary’s enduring (annually since 2013) and successful meal-packing programs (more than one-quarter-million total meals packaged to date) in the Bedford area assisted by other Rotary clubs and industry partners. Rod Brooks congratulated and thanked Bedford Rotarians for their efforts, and revealed expanded directions for Stop Hunger Now, including water, agriculture and educational programs to combat worldwide hunger. In the next few weeks, Stop Hunger Now will announce a new global branding and logo to reflect this focus.
For 2017, Bedford Rotary has secured the morning of Saturday, April 8 at Middlesex Community College (Bedford 
Campus) for this year’s exciting meal-packing event. The club plans to have again multiple Rotary club and industry partners, including BAE Systems as the major corporate sponsor. If you are interested in joining this year’s event, please contact this year’s chair, Past District Governor Bob Cassidy, at rac011846@comcast.net.
Campus) for this year’s exciting meal-packing event. The club plans to have again multiple Rotary club and industry partners, including BAE Systems as the major corporate sponsor. If you are interested in joining this year’s event, please contact this year’s chair, Past District Governor Bob Cassidy, at rac011846@comcast.net.Shown right: During Bedford Rotary's 2016 meal-packing event, volunteers from Rotary, industry and nearby communities had fun fighting world hunger, with assembly lines running from raw rice, in the foreground, to packaged boxes, in the background.
To learn more about Bedford Rotary, click here.
Great Fundraising Tool for All Clubs
Westborough Uses PayPal to Raise Nearly $2,000 for Polio Plus
We are all well aware that The Rotary Foundationis celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017.Steve Kirk, president of the Rotary Club of Concord, has produced a five-minute video that outlines our own district’s fundraising goals for the current Rotary year, which ends next June 30.
To learn more about The Rotary Foundation, click here.
Video Now Available: Governor Baker addresses district Rotarians
The Rotary Club of Billerica has provided a video of Governor Charlie Baker's address to District 7910 Rotarians on September 27 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bedford. To watch the two-hour-47-minute video, click here.
The Rotary Clubs of Bedford, Billerica, Lowell, Newton and Shrewsbury sponsored the event, which was a unique opportunity for Rotarians and friends to discuss partnering on humanitarian projects affecting our local communities. To view event photos, click here.
Great Fundraising Idea for All Clubs
Milford Distributes '16 Tab to 13,000 Homes - Record sales, 94 photos, 334 smiling faces
To read the Milford RotaryTab, click here.
Planning to attend? Contact District RI Convention Chair Steve Glines.
To learn more, click here.
To register for the 2017 RI Convention in Atlanta, click here.
District Banners Available
Our district banners are available for your use when you have an upcoming event or fundraiser.
If you want to reserve one of the banners, please contact PR Chair Laura Spear at laura@spear.net.
MAJOR DISTRICT & CLUB HAPPENINGS: WINTER & SPRING 2017
Wednesday, March 1: District 7910 - 'Rotary Means Business' in Chelmsford
To learn more and register, click here
Friday & Saturday, March 3 & 4: Gardner - 'Annual TV Auction'
To download event flyer, click here
Saturday, March 11: Uxbridge - 'Wine and Chocolate Tasting'
Wednesday, March 15: District 7910 - 'Deadline for Morley Scholarship Applications'
To learn more, click here
To download flyer in PDF format, click here
Friday, March 17: Auburn - 'St. Patrick's Day Music & Wine Fundraiser'
To learn more, and to purchase tickets, click here
To download event flyer in PDF format, click here
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Friday, March 17: Billerica - 'Finnegan's Wake Hilarious'
To download flyer in PDF format, click here
Tuesday, March 21; Thursday, March 23; Tuesday, March 28; or Thursday, Match 30: - District 7910 - 'Membership Workshops'
To download flyer in PDF format, click here
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Friday, April 7: Concord - 'Pops for a Playground'
To download event flyer, click here
SUBMIT MAJOR CLUB HAPPENINGS
Send flyers of your club's major events and activities, in either JPEG or PDF format, to Immediate Past District
Governor/Newsletter Editor Jim Fusco at jim.fusco2@gmail.com.
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We hope that you've found Rotary International’s 
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