I am honored to be your District Governor for 2022-23. It has always been a dream of mine to become a 3rd generation Rotarian. The District Installation event was a rousing success, with close to 100 Rotarians and family enjoying a wonderful evening of fellowship in The Barn at Gibbet Hill. The energy in the room was electric and was a fitting launch of our Rotary year.  

Let me tell you about issues that we are addressing in our district. When I say we, we have a great DG chain, with DGE Elliott Wittenberg and DGN Joyce Graff following me.  We’re in constant communication addressing district issues on a weekly basis. We’re putting together a 3-year strategic plan with the help of Joyce Fukami. But I also want to remind you that we are not dictating to the clubs what to do, but we view the District as providing help to the clubs, making available tools, templates, information, and opportunities that clubs can use to help them fulfill their goals. We are having monthly Zoom meetings on specific topics and I have open office hours (two Fridays a month) where you can just drop in and tell us your ideas, problems or whatever is on your mind. We are listening.

My objectives for my Rotary year follow Jennifer Jones’ theme Imagine and action plan.  She would like us to imagine how to:  1) increase our impact through service projects and Rotary storytelling; 2) expand our reach by partnering up with organizations and other clubs; 3) enhance member engagement through better engagement of all of our members leaving no one behind; and 4) increase our ability to adapt to new opportunities and new member ideas. Over the course of the year, we’ll work with the clubs to find ways we can help our clubs make progress in one or more of these areas.

I know that the pandemic has curtailed many in-person events that we loved to attend in pre-pandemic times. We long for the fellowship and interactions that Zoom cannot fully replicate. So check our district calendar for these events, such as New Member social, Foundation dinner, Holiday Party, District Conference and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.  And speaking of the Foundation, I am laying down a challenge to District 7910 to raise $5,000 for Polio Plus, and if we meet that challenge I will do the Polar Plunge in the icy cold Atlantic Ocean.

Thus far, I have visited about 12 clubs. By the end of August, I will have visited half of the clubs (25) in our District. I’m pleased to report that our clubs have exhibited passion and have plans for an exciting year. In future newsletters, I will add additional detail and news from the District so that all Rotarians can see what our District is accomplishing.

Cooperative Elder Services takes a comprehensive approach to supporting the health of seniors and adults with medical and/or cognitive challenges. (CES is also one of the four beneficiaries of our Club's 2022 Bid for Brighter Futures fundraiser.)

Do you know of medical-device manufacturers based in the United States who may want to either donate or sell at a deep discount at least $25,000 worth of battlefield-quality tourniquets for emergency-response efforts in war-torn Ukraine? These devices are used for stopping the flow of blood through a vein or artery - typically by compressing a limb with a cord or tight bandage.

Browse Now • Bidding Opens May 1 at 12:01 AM!
http://bit.ly/rotary-auction

Don't Miss Your Chance to Bid on These Amazing Items!

• One-day Gallery Tickets for the U.S. Open Golf Tournament at The Country Club in Chestnut Hill, Brookline, Massachusetts
• Gift Cards to many of the delightful restaurants and food shops in Brookline
• Gift Cards for some wonderful shopping experiences
• Unique Experiences for adults and children
• Services of various professionals -- legal, accounting, tutoring, and more

Please help us address the Acton Food Pantry's never-ending need for both baby diapers and women's underpants.

Cliff Rober, our 2021-2022 district governor, met with us on January 5, 2022. We had a wide-ranging, informative talk with him about various District and Club issues.

The Rotary Club of Sturbridge is delighted to bring to our community this inaugural combination of timed races and other activities:

• a timed 5K Trail Run ($30)
• a Fun Walk on the same 5K trail ($30)
• a timed 1-Mile Race for pre-teens (12 years & under) ($15)
•  Costume Parade, Relay Races and Organized Games for young children. (Free)

Andrea Becerra, sustainability director for the Town of Acton, was the guest speaker during our bi-monthly Club Meeting on October 20, 2021 at the Boxboro Regency. To watch her 21-minute presentation, click here.

Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough members will apron up on Sunday, September 19 to serve up a Senior Citizens Lunch. This fun, delectable repast will be held from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center.

By raising a net of $5,700, the Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough scored a hole-in-one with its 29th Annual Presidents Golf Tournament. on August 18 at Acton's Quail Ridge Country Club.

The World Disability Advisers group of our World Disability Advocacy club is now up to 194 members of which there are 78 Rotarians and 116 non-Rotarians. We have 50 group members from the United States, including several in District 7910.

The Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough invites you to join us on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at Acton's Quail Ridge Country Club, for our 29th Annual Presidents Golf Tournament. Because this is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, we welcome and appreciate all players and all sponsors.

Barbara Robichaud has been a member of the Rotary Club of Athol-Orange for more than 30 years. She is a past president, a past secretary, a past board member-at-large, and currently sergeant arms.  She has always been the “go-to” Rotarian who volunteers for all fundraising and project committees.

FRIDAY, MAY 27

ALL SEGMENTS

https://youtu.be/n8Amz34miis

1. Opening Ceremony: In this segment: “Opening Remarks,” by Emcee and District Governor District Diana Nestorova; “Words of Wisdom,” by President Lynn Duffy-O’Shea, of the Rotary Club of the Brookfields; and “Toast to World Peace and Understanding,” by President Rob Bussey, of the Rotary Club of Southborough.

2. Hat Contest: This segment is hosted by Steve Levitsky and Sharon Spaulding, of the Rotary Club of Concord.

3. Top Clubs with Net Membership Growth: This segment is hosted by Ron Bott, of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, who chairs the district's Membership Committee. 

4. RI ‘Service Above Self Award’ to Bud Flannery: This segment is hosted by District Governor District Diana Nestorova, who presents the award – Rotary International’s highest - to Bud Flannery, of the Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough, who founded that club in 1962. 

5. Assistant Governor Awards and Recognitions: In this segment, those AG awards and recognitions are presented by: District Governor District Diana Nestorova; Assistant Governor Sue Peghiny, of the Rotary Club of Newton; and the district's Public Image chair, Laura Spear, of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley. 

6. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Citations: In this segment, the DEI citations are presented by Bill Paulson, of the Rotary Club of Needham, who chairs the district's Social Equity Task Force. 

7. Closing Remarks: In this closing segment, District Governor Diana Nestorova previews the Saturday, May 22 session of DisCon ’21. 

INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS

1. Opening Ceremony: In this segment: “Opening Remarks,” by Emcee and District Governor District Diana Nestorova; “Words of Wisdom,” by President Lynn Duffy-O’Shea, of the Rotary Club of the Brookfields; and “Toast to World Peace and Understanding,” by President Rob Bussey, of the Rotary Club of Southborough. https://youtu.be/Fcc_xKCWiDI

2. Hat Contest: This segment is hosted by Steve Levitsky and Sharon Spaulding, of the Rotary Club of Concord. https://youtu.be/YlZ_vMauXVc

3. Top Clubs with Net Membership Growth: This segment is hosted by Ron Bott, of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, who chairs the district's Membership Committee. https://youtu.be/YlZ_vMauXVc

4. RI ‘Service Above Self Award’ to Bud Flannery: This segment is hosted by District Governor District Diana Nestorova, who presents the award – Rotary International’s highest - to Bud Flannery, of the Rotary Club of Acton-Boxborough, who founded that club in 1962. https://youtu.be/gIdIW91Gk0A

5. Assistant Governor Awards and Recognitions: In this segment, those AG awards and recognitions are presented by: District Governor District Diana Nestorova; Assistant Governor Sue Peghiny, of the Rotary Club of Newton; and the district's Public Image chair, Laura Spear, of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley. https://youtu.be/wt_7DvqMUng

6. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Citations: In this segment, the DEI citations are presented by Bill Paulson, of the Rotary Club of Needham, who chairs the district's Social Equity Task Force. https://youtu.be/DYrcRO83qyk

7. Closing Remarks: In this closing segment, District Governor Diana Nestorova previews the Saturday, May 22 session of DisCon ’21. https://youtu.be/yPEJuEgjuQc

SATURDAY, MAY 28:

ALL SEGMENTS

https://youtu.be/d8BeZ9XfPCc

To learn more on District 7910, visit https://www.Rotary7910.org.

Robert Mosher never seeks the spotlight and always delivers quality results collaboratively.  

This year, he has:   

• chaired our Bristol Lodge Service Team as he has since his father, the founder, stepped down;  

• WW Rotary has prepared and served dinner at Bristol Lodge once a month every year for more than 30 years. Rob manages all our volunteers and interacts with the MHSA leadership team.  

• chaired our first-ever Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale;  

• Rob created the partnership with the Weston Baptist Church to take over their long-standing Christmas Tree Sale and then directed and  managed all of the success of the incredible experience that delivered volunteer and fellowship opportunities despite COVID restrictions.  

• chaired our scholarship selection team for 10+ years; 

• Rob engages experienced and new members each year to evaluate and select scholarship applications.   

• advised our Interact Club at Weston High School; 

• Despite the pandemic, the Interact Club has been successful this year and its members have joined our volunteer efforts, notably with the Christmas Tree Sale and, now, our spring conservation team efforts.  

• participated on our RYLA selection team;  

• Rob was a part of the team that succeeded in selecting and recognizing 18 students with our local RYLA award and sending 10 (perhaps 12) students to the RYLA OLA.  

• been an invaluable member of our Board and advisor to me throughout my year as president.  
•  

Past President Mark Messina offered this additional, personal perspective:  

“Rob does soldier along quietly. Nothing flashy, just persistent and thorough thoughtfulness that helps keep the project moving forward while including and making available opportunities to anyone who may be interested in joining. I think it is special that he keeps the Bristol Lodge project his dad started with the club alive, and thriving. We haven’t missed a month ever, I think. It is always good to remind new members that his dad and mom were very active with our Rotary Club, and Rob honors their memory through this service.” 

Barbara has been a member of the Athol-Orange Rotary Club for over 30 years.  She is a Past-President, Past Secretary, Board Member-At-Large and currently Sergeant-At-Arms.  She has always been the “go-to” Rotarian that volunteers for all fundraising and project committees.  

This year, she has been the “rock” behind the very stressed President during the unprecedented conditions created by Covid-19.  While, many Rotarians have work and home commitments or health issues that precluded them from volunteering this year, Barbara stepped up for our grant project and our online fundraiser. 

Our grant was for a Habitat for Humanity home build in Athol.  We donated the windows and made a commitment to help.  Barbara not only came to two build days; she was the liaison to coordinate the work dates.  She loved the project so much, that she joined the Local Project Committee, which helped coordinate other aspects of the project including choosing the family. 

One of our fundraisers was on online auction.  She called every Rotarian reminding them to donate.  She picked up items when needed.  She spent days organizing and writing the scripts for all the items.  The auction was a combined event with the local YMCA.  That should net $3,000.  

Barbara joined most weekly meeting via Zoom and reminded in words and deeds the meaning of Rotary.  

John has been a faithful member of this club since 1988.  Throughout that time, he has been a model Rotarian behind the scenes – a Silent Supporter, always ready to help when the Club needed him.   

As a young man, he learned several languages and had the opportunity to travel and live abroad. He is always ready to share his broad knowledge and experience, and is devoted to the idea of cross-cultural understanding through student exchange.  He has been an enthusiastic supporter of educational efforts, especially in Latin America, and a strong supporter of cultural exchange programs.  His love of languages and learning is always evident.   

He quietly stands behind the programs he loves, such as the Clean Water project in Nicaragua, and has made considerable contributions to strengthening the club even when the group may not yet have identified a weakness.  This year he was particularly helpful to us in moving our fundraising efforts to the internet.   

We are grateful for his friendship and his steadfast support, and are happy to nominate John Grew Jr.  as our club’s Unsung Hero. 

1. Meet or reconnect with business people with impeccable business values and ethics.
2. Find new clients, partners, and vendors.
3. Learn something new about your business, how you present your business, or someone else’s.
4. Meet prospective Rotary members. Wait, what? Yes, this “business” initiative has been the source of six new members this year for the Rotary Club of Weston and Wayland.
5. Get results: Here’s a success story: "I had a call today with an international company. At the end of the call, in setting the expectations to the salesperson, I mentioned that I am involved with various projects for the Rotary. It turned out that his father (in Ukraine) has been a Rotarian for years and he's been thinking of joining. The conversation instantly turned more welcoming and warmer. I invited him to one of our Rotary @ Work events and any other meetings we might have. Simply using the word 'Rotary' shifted his perspective and the conversation right away. I thought it was absolutely wonderful and so refreshing – at 7 a.m. for a conference call.”

Rotary Disabilities Advisers meets every Monday at 9:00 a.m. (ET)  via Zoom, to encourage Rotary districts, clubs and members to welcome more people with disabilities into the Rotary organization.

The RDA group consists of Rotarians and non-Rotarians globally, and focuses on areas of accessibility, awareness, inclusion, and support.

Those who have an interest in disability rights are encouraged to attend the next RDA meeting by contacting Ken Masson at daurotary@gmail.com.

Members of all Rotary clubs in District 7910 are invited to the Rotary Club of Westford's St. Patrick's Day Virtual Celebration, this Thursday, March 18, from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Dr. Kuhn Hong Lee, PhD, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 21 at his Cambridge home, at age 83. He was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Watertown and promoter of peace and justice.