To read all about the District Conference, click here.
To register for the District Conference A La Carte Package Specials, click here.
As many of you know, Puerto Rico is suffering as it was struck by an earthquake and then a serious tremor earlier this month. The Rotary clubs in that area are working very hard to raise money to help the community survive and rebuild.
It is with great sadness that I share with you that George Siener, of the Rotary Club of Ayer, passed away on January 30 – he was 94. He was a longtime Rotarian, and served proudly in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.
Check out my January 2020 Video Newsletter! To watch the video, click here.
For more information, please contact me at pamela.anastasi@ebtc.com.
DG Pam & Salem
Seven Rotarians graduated from the District 7910 Rotary Leadership Institute, held on January 25 in Marlborough. They are shown posing with District RLI Chair Dave Kaiser (far left), District Governor Pam Anastasi (second from right), and RLI Regional Vice Chair Liz Cullen (far right).
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It is with great sadness that I share with you that Eldon Strickland Jr. passed away on January 23. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Ayer, Shirley, Harvard & Devens, and a past president of that club for 1978-'79.
Rotary International President-elect from Germany Holger Knaack (shown) has announced Rotary Opens Opportunities as the 2020-2021 Presidential Theme. He made the 
announcement at the opening ceremony of the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, CA. The International Assembly was attended by 535 district governors-elect from around the world. To learn more, click here.
announcement at the opening ceremony of the Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, CA. The International Assembly was attended by 535 district governors-elect from around the world. To learn more, click here.The incoming DGs were gathered for Rotary's annual training meeting. The week-long event gave them a chance to share with other Rotary leaders ideas for strengthening clubs and improving communities.
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, with support from Bolton Local and the Repair Cafe Foundation, hosted a Bolton Repair Cafe on Saturday, January 11 at the Florence Sawyer School in Bolton. We had 74 residents of Bolton and surrounding towns come and find out what a Repair Café is all about, and 32 volunteers to serve them. A bell, which gets run when an item is fixed, was rung many times. Click here to view event photos.
On December 21, the Random Acts of Kindness Committee of the Rotary Club of Framingham gave out 40 $50 bills to children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest. The gifts were presented by RAK Committee members Ken Erdelt (chair), Jim Patterson, Bob Schecter and Tom Sturiale..jpg)
On December 11, the Rotary Club of District 7910 Passport (Provisional) officially launched by electing officers and approving a draft of Club Bylaws. The initial set of officers is: Karin Gaffney (second from left), president and interim membership chair; Ron Bott (center), interim secretary and interim treasurer; Tatjana Kobb (on screen), foundation chair; and, Tamar Russell Brown (second from right), public-image co-chair, and Steve Jones-D'Agostino (holding screen), interim public-image co-chair. (The position of president-elect has yet to be filled.) Also shown is club member Sam Squailia (far right).
The next meeting of the Passport Club will be on December 30 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) via Skype. Tatjana Kobb, who is organizing the Skype call, may be reached at t.kobb@northeastern.edu.
Please join me in congratulating Cliff Rober (shown, left) as the 2021-2022 District Governor and Victor Tom (shown, below) as the 2022-2023 District Governor for Rotary District 7910. Cliff is a past president of the Rotary Club of Bedford, and is currently serving as the District Sergeant at Arms. Victor is also a past president of the Rotary Club of Bedford, and is currently serving as chair of the District Rotary Foundation Grants Subcommittee and an assistant governor.
Both were selected on December 9, 2019 by the District Nominating Committee. Once confirmed, they will assume the role of District Governor Nominee (DGN) and District Governor Nominee Designate (DGND), respectively.
Please join me in congratulating Jacky Foster (shown, left) of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley and Ed Tarquinio of the Rotary Club of Fitchburg East for being selected as Trustees of the District Funds. Jacky is an immediate past president of her club, and serves as an assistant governor. Ed is a past president of his club, and is a retired CPA. They are both looking to get more involved with the District, and we are excited to have them as Trustees.
Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Carol Toomey (shown, below) of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley will be our Delegate to the Rotary International Council on Legislation. Carol, a longtime Rotarian and a past district governor, had previously served in this capacity.
District 7910 will join District 7930 on February 29, 2020 for D7930's 10th Annual Polar Plunge to Eradicate Polio. (Snow date: March 14.) To download the event flyer, in PDF format, click here.
At 11:00 a.m., District 7910 Governor Pam Anastasi will take the plunge into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean at Long Beach in Gloucester. Her goal is to raise at least $5,000. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will then match it 2 to 1, so our $5,000 will become at least $15,000.
If you or others have attended Rotary (Learning!) Leadership Institute, you know the impact of this training program. RLI graduates often say that going through the program is what helped connect the dots for them and made them feel like a Rotarian. In my mind, RLI is the best Rotary training around!
The next RLI in our region will be held Saturday, January 25, 2020 at the Courtyard Marriott Marlborough in Marlborough. Registration is now open. Click here to get more information, and to register. All the details on RLI as well as how to register are at that link. This year's tuition is $110, which includes breakfast, lunch and the course materials.
Click here, to download the latest District 7910 Resolutions, in PDF format, effective July 1, 2019.
On October 19, five days before World Polio Day, the Interact Club of Acton-Boxborough High School in Acton held a wildly successful Charity Ball to support Polio. The $3,000 raised at the ball, along with the multiplying factors of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, means that $9,000 will be donated to fight the last occurrences of polio in the world.
The Charity Ball started with a small group of Interact students, rejuvenated in the last year by their new officers. They are determined to make a difference by making their fellow students aware of what a dreaded, deadly disease polio once was, and telling them the inspiring story of Rotary’s journey toward eradicating polio forever. Add a vibrant Rotary advisor, who challenged the students, asking “Now that you know about polio, what do you want to do to help?” Stir in the fact that teenagers love dances but few high schools are willing to hold them. And, voila! The Charity Ball was born.
Rotarian Ann Lee Hussey, a polio survivor whose life mission is to eradicate polio, inspired the annual District 7910 Foundation Dinner. The event was held on November 14 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center in Framingham.
To view and download the event photos, click here. Make sure to click on the final image. It's a three-second video with an inspiring shout-out by: District Governor Pam Anastasi; members of the District Foundation Committee, chaired by Steve Sager; and, event keynote speaker Ann Lee Hussey.
During this event, Rotary clubs in our District also shared the inspiration behind their current Global and District Grants projects. And, several clubs were presented District awards. They are:
By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter, Community Advocate
On a recent Saturday morning, nearly two dozen young members of the Northborough Rotary’s Interact Club gathered at the Northborough Police Headquarters to pack lunches that were to be delivered to a Worcester shelter later that day.
Interact clubs are youth-based Rotary International sponsored organizations affiliated with local Rotary clubs that bring together young people ages 12-18, who are committed to service above self while having fun and learning valuable leadership skills.
It is with sincere sadness and disbelief that I notify you of the passing of Doug Detweiler, on Tuesday, November 12. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Concord for 46 years, and served as District Governor from 2013 to 2014.
Doug was a very dedicated and passionate Rotarian, and he truly lived his life by the motto of “service above self.” In addition to all his work in Rotary, he served on various non-profit boards, and volunteered at the Concord Free Public Library.
Doug was an avid learner. As such, he loved to read, and was a strong supporter of the Rotary Leadership Institute, which he fondly referred to as the Rotary “Learning” Institute.
Barry Friedman passed away on Tuesday, October 29. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Westwood,
Barry had decades of service with Rotary International, was the co-founder and president of the Gift of Life New England, which has provided dozens of children with life-saving heart surgeries. His dedication and perseverance for this program saved countless lives.
I am saddened that Neill Osgood passed away on Sunday, November 10. He was a dedicated member of Rotary Club of Charles River for more than 35 years, and served as the club's treasurer. He was very active in the club, and was a Paul Harris Fellow four times.
Neill was an Army veteran, and served during the Korean Conflict. He was known for his vibrant personality and his constant availability to family, church and community. He was also involved with many charities.
Neill had just turned 91 on November 6 - although he didn’t look his age. His friendliness and passion for service will be missed by all. He was a dedicated Rotarian, and exemplified “service above self.”
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