The Rotary Club of Hollis-Brookline marked the beginning of a new Rotary year on Saturday with its annual Passing of the Gavel ceremony, celebrating outgoing President Lynne Duval and welcoming incoming President Eitan Zeira.
Welcome to Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club — working to make the world a better place.
One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary “Four-Way Test.” It was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932, when he was asked to take charge of the Chicago-based Aluminum Company, which was facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company, which was mired in Depression-era financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow in their business and professional lives. The Four-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy.
Taylor later became president of Rotary International during 1954–55. The Four-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943 and has since been translated into more than 100 languages and published in thousands of ways. Its message should be known and followed by all Rotarians.
It asks the following four questions:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Rotary clubs throughout the world promote the study, application, and communication of the Rotary Four-Way Test as a moral and ethical model for behavior, decision-making, and daily life through a speech contest for high school students. The contest also demonstrates and strengthens Rotary’s commitment to youth by recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding hard work and accomplishment.
The speech must apply all four questions of the Rotary Four-Way Test to everyday relationships with other people. Each speech must be no less than five minutes and no more than seven minutes in length.
On March 25, the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club held its 2026 Four-Way Speech Contest. The Merrimack Rotary Club assisted with judging the event, with Maureen Tracey, Joseph Mitchel, Bill Wilkes, Ed Hilston, and Michael Duval volunteering to support the effort.
Ten students from Hollis Brookline High School took part in the speech contest. Jordan Cormier, the high school teacher organizing the students’ efforts, was on hand to guide them through the process. The students spoke eloquently about self-doubt, family expectations, career aspirations, and even dog food integrity — all with poise, stage presence, and conviction. In that sense, they were all winners.
The Community Flag Project Brings Neighbors Together Across Brookline and HollisNow is the time to take part in the annual Community Flag Project hosted by the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club. The program offers a simple way to display the American flag at your home or business on five national holidays while supporting Rotary’s charitable work.
At a time when symbols can carry different meanings, this project is intended as a unifying gesture—an opportunity to recognize shared values, honor the significance of our national holidays, and take part in an annual tradition alongside neighbors.
Participants receive a 3’ x 5’ American-made flag mounted on a 10-foot pole, installed by Rotary volunteers prior to each holiday and removed a few days afterward. In several areas of Brookline and Hollis, neighbors have joined together to create street-wide displays—a unique and fun opportunity to bring neighborhoods and neighbors together. At the end of the season, the ground stake is also removed, making the program easy and effort-free for subscribers.
Flags are displayed in observance of:
- Memorial Day
- Flag Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
The annual subscription fee is $50, supporting the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club’s service efforts, including youth exchange programs, education and literacy initiatives, food and health support, clean water and sanitation projects, and work to strengthen local communities.
How to sign up:
- Visit the online subscription page and enter your information and payment.
- Or download the subscription form, complete it, and mail it with payment.
Subscriptions may also be given as a gift, with flags placed in honor or memory of someone special.
In recent years, the Community Flag Project has become a familiar sight across our two towns, offering all of us a way to recognize important holidays while contributing to programs that serve both the local community and those in need worldwide.
Your support makes good things happen!
The Rotary Club of Hollis-Brookline has contributed $500 to our District 7870 Amigos De Honduras Program. This support will play a key role in the organization’s ongoing efforts to improve lives in Honduras through education, healthcare, and clean water initiatives.
Chris Parkinson, Chair of Amigos De Honduras, emphasized the impact of such contributions, noting that each donation will make a very meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Honduras. Over the past 24 years, the program has made remarkable progress, including constructing 10 new school buildings, adding extensions to five schools, painting and repairing 19 schools, and delivering critical medical and dental services to more than 28,000 people.
One of the most significant accomplishments of the mission is its clean water initiative. “We’ve installed water filters for more than 51,000 people, greatly improving their health status,” said Parkinson. These efforts have transformed the well-being of many communities, addressing one of the most critical needs in the region.
The upcoming 2025 mission trip will focus on several key projects, including building a new school in Quiscamotes, a pure water project in Ochoa, and providing medical and dental care to six villages around Danlí. Parkinson also highlighted the dedicated leadership team for the mission: “Dave Lawrence, formerly of Springfield Rotary and now with Lancaster PA Sunrise Rotary, and I will lead the mission. Nicole Lang, from the Henniker Rotary Club, will head the medical team, while Shannon Mills, of the Concord Rotary Club, will lead the dental efforts.”
The 2023 building project, named the Dave Lawrence Biblioteca, was recently dedicated in honor of Dave Lawrence. Parkinson praised Lawrence’s long-standing commitment, stating, “Dave is a great Rotarian, has been on 15 mission trips, and has led many of them.” The dedication ceremony was officiated by Danlí Rotarians and District Governor Maria Price of District 4250, who traveled from Belize to participate in the event.
To sustain these life-changing projects, the Amigos De Honduras team estimates they will need $25,000 in funding for the 2025 trip. Parkinson emphasized that every dollar donated goes directly to the mission’s work, as volunteers cover their own travel expenses. “Please know that 100% of the funds contributed go to the projects and services we provide,” he assured.
As a reminder of the power of action, Parkinson shared a favorite quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
On June 22, the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club met for its annual installation of a new President. President Josephine Jacques finished a successful year and passed the gavel to our new President, Lynne Duval of Brookline. In honor of Josephine, a native of Haiti, the affair was held at the Ansam Restaurant on South Street in Milford, a restaurant specializing in Haitian food. The Club thanks Josephine, a primary care provider in Nashua, for the time and effort she devoted to enable the Club to continue its good work for the Hollis and Brookline communities.
Incoming President Lynne said she is very excited to lead the club over the next year. “I couldn't ask for a better night and a better group of people to welcome me and to collaborate with me. The Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club is truly a group of amazing people who not only do great work within our communities but also support each other within the club and are great friends.”
The Rotary service year starts July 1 with the first community service event being the Brookline July 4th picnic, done in conjunction with the Brookline Lions Club.
In Rotary year 2023-2024, the Hollis-Brooklne Rotary Club collaborated as an International partner for a Global Grant Project, a state-of-the-art Haemodialysis centre, with Rotary Clubs of Hassan Hoysala, RI District 3182, at the Sanjeevini Cooperative Hospital, KR Puram, Hassan, a remote town in South India. Dr Preeti Mohan, Secretary of RI District 3182, is the champion of this project. Preeti with her team has steered this project from the project proposal to the successful project completion.
In April 2024, I visited Rotary Club of Hassan Hoysala in India to meet with Preeti and her dedicated team for the inauguration of opening of the Dialysis Centre. It is humbling and heartwarming to meet these dedicated Rotarians whose efforts will be literally saving lives.
I requested Preeti to write about her project to share with our District 7870 Rotarians. Following is the article from Dr Preeti Mohan.
DRFC 2020-2023
ARRFC 2020-2021, Zone 32
District Governor 2018-2019
Rotary District 7870 (Southern NH & VT)
Be The Inspiration
In a heartwarming display of international collaboration and unwavering commitment to community service, the Rotary Clubs of Hassan Hoysala, Rotary International (RI) District 3182, India, and Hollis-Brookline, RI District 7870, USA, joined hands to inaugurate a transformative healthcare initiative at the Sanjeevini Cooperative Hospital, KR Puram, Hassan, a remote town in South India.
The journey towards realizing this project was characterized by dedication and collaboration. Dr. BS Preeti Mohan, the Project Primary Contact, together with key individuals including District Rotary Foundation Chair Dr P Narayan (RI Dist 3182), DRFC Suresh Ambli (RI Dist 3192), Dist Grants Service Chair Vasanth Chandra (RI Dist 3192), and other Rotarians D Mohan, HR Suresh, local leaders, and members of both Rotary clubs, navigated the complex process with determination and diligence, exemplifying the Rotary spirit of service above self and international cooperation.
The Hollis Fast 5K race took place on June 13th, with nearly 1,200 registrants racing, running, walking, or wheeling! The weather was perfect, and it was another Hollis-traditional fun time for all!
Photo by Bob Heyer, 2022.
(Left) Mrs. Marie Salamone proudly posed with her students before the contest. (Right) On the right is winner Genevieve Scales, with HB Rotary treasurer Deb Cobleigh and president Josephine Jacques. Photos by Susan Holroyd
The Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club hosted its annual Four Way Speech Contest on Tuesday, March 19th, at the Lawrence Barn in Hollis. Eight courageous Hollis Brookline High School sophomores individually took to the podium to apply the principles of Rotary International's Four Way Test to their own chosen topic. Each topic was different and represented the student's idea of an ethical matter. The contestants spoke with the intention of persuading the audience, filled with family and friends, to agree with their point of view.
The Four Way Test reads:
“Of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
The brave contestants are all students in Mrs. Marie Salamone's College Composition class. They spent a couple of weeks writing, tweaking and studying their speeches. Each speech was between 5 and 7 minutes in length.
The students who participated are Kaylee Barchard, Caroline Crawford, Anika DiVirgilio, Sarah Hendrickson, John Masiello, Molly Morrissey, Kit Penasack and Genevieve Scales. The first place winner was Genevieve Scales, second place was Kit Penasack, and third place Kaylee Barchard. Genevieve will be a contestant at the semi-finals in Henniker on April 7th.
President Josephine Jacques (L) and Foundation Chair Venu Rau (R) present newest Club member Brandon Buteau (C) after the induction ceremony on February 21st.
From Friday's school lunch to Monday's school breakfast – 68 long hours – some 27 Hollis and Brookline kids would go hungry without the help of the local End 68 Hours of Hunger organization!
End 68 Hours of Hunger (www.end68hoursofhunger.org) is a program that provides food to children who need it to get through the weekend. In our own communities – in Hollis and Brookline – we have 27 children who depend on that help. A local chapter of the program (email: hollisbrookline@end68hoursofhunger.org) has been working hard to support those children. Volunteer members of the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club are lending a hand.If you have or know of a child who could benefit from this program, please get in touch with the guidance office at your local school to enroll the child. All inquiries and requests are confidential. There are no qualifications other than hunger. The program is free. Donated and purchased food is packed by volunteers. Each package contains Friday, Saturday, and Sunday breakfast and Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner. Each week they are delivered to the offices at the participating schools, where the school sees that each participating student receives one.
This program is only partially supported by public sources; it depends heavily on local donors and on volunteer help. You can help by donating to End 68 Hours of Hunger (see the above website), where 95% of your money goes to purchasing food and a tiny 5% covers administrative costs. Talk with your civic organizations, your company, your social groups and sports teams about providing financial support. Donate non-perishable food items. Contribute your time. Sponsor a child with a donation of $40 per month.
These are our kids. We can't let them be hungry. Thanks for joining us to help where we can.
In the first of an expected series of connections with local charitable-help organizations, Hollis Brookline Rotary is providing hands-on help to the local “End 68 Hours of Hunger” organization. Rotarian Susan Holroyd of Brookline is spearheading this start-up effort.
Susan has been working with charity head, Samantha Boudreau, to get the cooperation under way. For starters, they have set up an on-line work scheduling tool that allows Rotarians – and others! – to schedule their available help. The new tool list times, dates, locations, and how many helpers are needed, which permits the helper to choose and sign up to fill one of those specific slots at that selected time, day, and place.The Rotary Conduit for Local Help team emphasized the two complementary themes that thread the initiative.
First, this is a community undertaking, not a “Rotarians-only,” project. Any community member who seeks a way to help, or to meet a personal wish to “give back” to the community, is welcome to join in.
Second, the initiative seeks to be a solution to the problem of matching the surprisingly numerous needs for help in our local community with the would-be helpers in the community who have had no way to find, and then help to meet, those needs.
Asked what message she would like to send to the Hollis Brookline community, Susan Holroyd responded, in part, “. . . I am sure that they would be as shocked as I was when I learned how many schoolchildren right here, in Brookline and Hollis, depend on this program for food on weekends.” She added, “But now, with the program that ‘68 Hours’ has been operating, and which Rotary is just beginning to help, anyone in the community has a way to pitch in with us – and help feed these otherwise hungry children.”
For much more detail about the program, look to the right on this page, where clicking on the link "End 68 Hours of Hunger" will download the program's information sheet.
Have you ever noticed that there are local needs – folks right here in our communities – who need help, and you’d like to do something about it but don’t know how?Or maybe it’s that time in your life when you can ease off a bit, and maybe begin to think about “giving back” – sharing some of your success with needier folks – but you don’t know where to begin?
For nearly three decades the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club has been in the business of helping local people and local businesses who want to “do something to help” but who need a reliable and efficient conduit – a connection – through which their donations of money and their volunteer effort can be delivered to the places where it is so badly needed.
But that’s old news. The new news is the initiative just being launched by HB Rotary that will seek to reach out and connect the Club with some of our local non-profits. There are some amazing local organizations here that we would like to get to know and to see if there's a way we could partner with them on projects in ways that help them help others.
Watch this space for more on our hopes for being useful to other non-profits.
Another part of this new initiative will also encourage those folks for whom volunteering and wanting just to “help out” is becoming part of their lives. They will use HB Rotary as the conduit through which their energy and commitment delivers tangible hands-on help directly to places where it is badly needed.
But beware! We have seen some of the people who have worked through the Rotary conduit for a while decide to become Rotary members. That might happen to you!
Stay tuned for more about Rotary helping people to “help out.”
As 
the Hollis Town Band, led by its distinguished conductor, David Bailey, once more presents its traditional Christmas (“or Whatever”) concert, Hollis Brookline Rotarians look back over their decades-long connections with the Band, that most treasured of our communities’ institutions.
the Hollis Town Band, led by its distinguished conductor, David Bailey, once more presents its traditional Christmas (“or Whatever”) concert, Hollis Brookline Rotarians look back over their decades-long connections with the Band, that most treasured of our communities’ institutions.Consider the indestructible Clark Lambert, Rotarian and tympanist extraordinaire! Clark began playing tympani in the Hollis Town Band in 1948, decades before there was a Hollis Brookline Rotary Club. After playing in the Band for 52 years, he has only recently been forced to step down from his tympanist role by failing eyesight.
During his years in Rotary, and still today, Clark also served the Band as an energetic and persuasive recruiter of his Rotary Club colleagues. He has often succeeded in filling vacancies in the Band’s Christmas Chorus and – of special note – in filling the important role of the Band’s narrator from among Club members.
It is the Band’s narra
tor who delivers the spoken parts in such well-known concert standards as “Peter and the Wolf” and “Casey at the Bat” . . .
tor who delivers the spoken parts in such well-known concert standards as “Peter and the Wolf” and “Casey at the Bat” . . .. . . and, of course, in the Band’s traditional presentation during its beloved annual Christmas Concert of the classic story of “The Night Before Christmas”!
Decades ago, when a long-standing Town-favorite narrator stepped down, Rotary stepped forward. Tympanist and Rotarian Clark worked his wiles on Rotarian (now Honorary Rotarian) Dick Mills, persuading him to step into that critical narrator vacancy – “just for that year’s Concert.”
And Mills, with a lot of help from conductor Bailey and some very patient musicians, did manage to struggle through the narration of his first Christmas Concert performance.
But to his own surprise, now Mills was hooked. Those long rehearsal sessions and that satisfying hard work with conductor David Bailey and those real musicians had been too satisfying an experience for Mills to be willing so easily to give up his connection with the Band.
It was not until more than eight years later, after Mills’ own circumstances made it impossible for him to continue with the Band, that he handed the narrator role over – to yet another Clark Lambert recruit.Today the narrator is still a Hollis Brookline Rotarian: Brookliner Peter Webb. And so, on December 9th, it was the Hollis Town Band, with narrator Peter Webb, who kept the Band’s decades-long tradition of presenting once again the classic tale of “The Night Before Christmas”!
Years ago, Hollis and Brookline enjoyed their own town newspapers, allowing for the exchange of local information important to each community. Both papers have been gone for a while now and we have no one acting to collect and share town news. While we are all fond of our towns’ rural character, that’s not supposed to mean living in silos. A richer community life comes from people being aware of and, consequently, becoming engaged in the events, the people and developments which comprise life in their town.
What we notice is there is no broad common community outlet for:
- Town Committees and Commission news, including election and candidate information
- SAU 41 and local school information
- Local clubs and groups
- Local business news
- Community events
The Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club has seen the need and decided to bridge this void by creating a digital news resource for our two towns to share: “Hollis Brookline News Online”, available free to all.
This undertaking requires effort and organization in collecting and posting information about life in our towns. Because we have no “reporters”, for this to be successful we must rely on news submissions from town departments, schools, clubs, groups and businesses. News information and posting-ready content, photos and videos will be accepted at the present time through our dedicated email address, news@HBRotary.org. In the future, submissions will be done directly through the news site (Site Services). There will be no letters to the editor or opinion pieces and content must not be inflammatory or derisive.
We are exploring support and partnership with the HBHS journalism classes (a wonderful real-life, on-going learning opportunity for students) and are also looking for others in our towns who are interested in supporting and becoming more directly involved in this effort.
Although details are yet to be determined, we anticipate space for low-cost business advertising, real estate opportunities and community activities to be available. At some point, printed news pages may be available, but that is a possibility yet to come.
We want this news resource to serve the people of Hollis and Brookline in the highest way, following the tenets of our Rotary Four-Way Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Please join us in making this effort a useful and valued addition to our communities! Contact Juliana Rowland or Peter Webb at news@HBRotary.org to get involved. And submit your community-related copy-ready content, videos and photos now!
“Service Above Self"
The HB Rotary Flower Project continues!
This past Sunday we made it our plan to deliver 11 tubs full of beautiful cut flowers (and a few healthy plants) to the staff at Southern NH Medical Center. Calling in advance gave them a heads up, let us know our plan was okay, and directed us where to best deliver at this time of restricted movement.
We arrived just before shift change and were met at the ER door by two fully gowned and masked staff members (although I couldn't see their mouths, their eyes lit up and smiled when they saw what we were bringing!). After our temperatures were scanned and we passed a basic screening, we were given masks and permission to bring in all the flowers. We lined up all the tubs and plants along a wall where staff members could chose their favorites as they walked by, and also taped up a sign of our appreciation (Thank You for Making a Difference Every Day!). We know that indeed this is what everyone in healthcare does, and even more so now as we face this pandemic together.
Although we are not in this for any accolades (other than perhaps encouraging others to consider joining us in Rotary service!), we were surprised and touched by an email we received this week: "I am a nurse at SNHMC and was one of many healthcare workers who was incredibly blessed by the flowers rotary club members brought to us from Trader Joe’s. I cannot tell you much how they lifted our spirits and touched many, many people and our families. We love our jobs and are just doing what we are called to do, but support like this means so much to us all...On behalf of our staff, thank you very much! You made a difference."
What is shared grows. We are grateful.
This coming May marks the fourth year for the Flower Project and we've missed only a few weeks of deliveries in all that time. We created this project so that along with the flowers, we share thanks and gratitude to area businesses and individuals to acknowledge that we all make a difference in our communities, in life and in the lives of others. It's a way of bringing people together - and sparking unexpected joy. Our partnership with Trader Joes's in Nashua has made all of this possible. We are so grateful for this opportunity to spread some happiness to so many in our towns.
The evolving Hollis Brookline Rotary Interact has made a number of important changes over the years.Now, each member agrees to take on a more responsible role than before. They will plan, organize and execute their community service projects with each other, increasing their accountability enormously.
There are already plans to write holiday cards for the Holiday Card Challenge, bring joy to the residents at Xavier House in Nashua, support Liberty House in Manchester, be an integral part of the Pink Revolution Breast Cancer Alliance of NH.
This hard-working group of young people continues to thrive and to reach for the stars!
Highlighting Rotary's global presence as a leading international service organization, with 35,000 clubs in 220 countries, Sarja Jagadeesh and his wife Varja, who represent the Rotary Club of Shimoga North, India, attended the October 18th meeting of the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club.The purpose of their visit was not only to bring greetings from a distant sister club but was also to take special note of the ongoing involvement of the Hollis Brookline club in global, as well as their many local, charitable projects. Their son, who is a member of the Nashua West Rotary Club, joined the meeting to offer his own good wishes and to thank the Hollis Brookline club for its continued Rotary service.
In his remarks to the meeting, Sarja mentioned with some pride that the aggregated contributions to the Rotary Foundation by Indian Rotary clubs now ranks second among global supporters of the Rotary Foundation fund. He described one joint international project that his club coordinated with a Modesto, California club. Together they provided $36,000 to improve sanitation, water and hygiene to 21 schools.
In closing, Sarja extended a warm invitation from the Shimoga club and encouraged Hollis Brookline Rotarians to visit his club should members find themselves in the neighborhood.
The local Rotarians expressed their pleasure at meeting these dedicated Rotarians who honored them with a visit.
The Hollis Brookline "Fast 5K" road race, held each year in the summer, is the Club's major fundraiser.
This is a reminder that we will always need volunteers to make the race successful and safe – all for a good cause!
On Race Day the event itself usually begins at 9:30 a.m., but we will need our volunteers to help with registration, set-up, and so forth beginning at around 7:00 a.m. The event is over by about 11:00.
Thank you to those who have already responded. But if you haven't, please, if at all possible, spend the next Race Day morning with us helping to raise funds for local, State, National and International causes. Bring family members, neighbors and friends as well – the more help the better!
Once we have the team in place and as we get closer to the event, our Volunteer Coordinator will assign tasks and let everyone know where they can help and when to be there. Nothing our volunteers do is difficult – block a road intersection, hand out water, park cars, etc. Those who help do enjoy themselves and there is definitely fun and camaraderie!
Please register today so we can begin forming the teams for the next race. Thanks!
Email info@hbrotary.org to register as a Race Volunteer. We will need you!
In a typical Rotary-volunteer project, Rotarian Susan Holroyd, Interact Coordinator, asked our Hollis Brookline Rotary Interact group to help with a task for the Stork Project. More than 20 members showed up, and some even brought friends to help!
The task: to package 2,400 diapers into sleeves of 20, all to include wipes, and some with baby cream. Within an hour, all diapers were done, labeled, taped, boxed and put in the appropriate cars. 120 babies will not have to go without clean diapers!
Susan said, "These young Interacters have a very special place in my heart. We should all be very proud to have them in our community!"
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In 2012 – 2013, the Rotary Int.JPG)
ernational theme was "Peace Through Service." To Nathan Liu, a former District 7870 outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student, ways to be of service can be found at home or halfway around the world. On December 10, 2019, Nathan was sworn in as a member of the Peace Corps in Rwanda. He will be working as a Maternal and Child Care Educator in a southern rural district for the next two years.
ernational theme was "Peace Through Service." To Nathan Liu, a former District 7870 outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student, ways to be of service can be found at home or halfway around the world. On December 10, 2019, Nathan was sworn in as a member of the Peace Corps in Rwanda. He will be working as a Maternal and Child Care Educator in a southern rural district for the next two years.Nathan, sponsored for his youth exchange by the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club, spent his junior year of high school living in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina from August 2012 to July 2013. The experience opened his eyes and changed his view of the world, leading him to discover that what he wanted most was to work directly with people in need.
Upon his return from exchange, Nathan joined his family, who had moved during the year to Hampstead, North Carolina, where he completed high school and graduated in June, 2014. He attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington, finding service as a peer educator and coordinator. After graduating in 2018 with a degree in psychology, Nathan spent a year serving as an AmeriCorps maternal health worker in the Jacksonville, Florida area. He has also travelled extensively in South America and Europe.
After he completes his Peace Corps service in Rwanda, Nathan plans to go to medical school and hopes to work in other countries as part of the Doctors Without Borders program.
"Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a real goal and a realistic goal for Rotary. Peace is not something that can only be achieved through agreements, by governments, or through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find and that we can achieve, every day and in many simple ways."
Sakuji Tanaka President, Rotary International, 2012-13
. . . by New England Runner magazine!
In a fascinating two-page article in its January-February issue, in color and with photos, New England Runner magazine hailed the annual Hollis Brookline Rotary-sponsored Hollis Fast 5K event as its "Race of the Year"!Singling out Rotarian George LeCours as the powerhouse event planner and coordinator responsible for its growing success over the years, the article included other interesting history of the transformation by George and his friends of an early-days, local, three-mile race and walk into the 1,500-runner regional blockbuster that it has become.
For the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club, race registrations contribute valued operating funds, and the race is another vehicle for publicizing its major-contributor Partners. Without the important support of its Partners, the Club would be sharply limited in its ability to carry out its many educational and charitable good works.
The next running of the now-famous Hollis Fast 5K will take place on Thursday, June 11th, 2020. Click here for more information.
Last month nearly a quarter of our club attended Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) training in Concord NH. Thank you for your service to our club and to Rotary!
RLI seeks to provide quality education in Rotary knowledge and leadership skills to Rotarians interested in developing their Rotary participation and to those identified by Rotary Clubs as having a potential in club leadership. These educational opportunities teach skills that benefit the members in their lives and in their volunteer service.
(L-R: Venu Rao, Joline Manseau, Krishna Mangipudi, Erika Cross MacDonald, Juliana Rowland. Missing: Deb Cobleigh)
This week's Four Way Test Speech Contest was a great success. Thirteen HBHS students presented 5-7 minute well-prepared and impactful speeches on a wide variety of topics from self-respect to euthanasia, from parenting programs to honor killings, and many others, all through the lens of Rotary's Four Way Test.
The contest winner, Sarah Scott, will go on to our District's semi-finals in Henniker in April. The top three speakers at the semi-finals will present their speeches at our District Conference in May. All levels of participation include financial awards.
We are grateful to the students who participated and to Mrs. Marie Salamone for her championing of the contest through her curriculum. Thanks, also to our friends at the Rotary Club of Merrimack for their help with this event.
. . . for helping Syrian refugees!"
Dear Rotary Club of Hollis-Brookline,
Today, March 15, is the date widely recognized as the anniversary of the Syrian civil war, now entering its ninth year. More than 5.6 million people have fled Syria during that time and 6.2 million more are internally displaced.
With your club’s support, ShelterBox has supported more than 50,000 by providing tents, tarpaulins, water carriers, solar lights, mattresses, children’s winter clothing, and other critical aid items. Our work would truly not be possible without the support of Rotarians and clubs from across the world. Thank you.
Please find a special report on the work you have helped fund here.
Please find a special report on the work you have helped fund here.
I also wanted to share that ShelterBox recently launched the SHE campaign to shed light on the disparities women face in disaster and conflict. These vulnerabilities are particularly noticeable in Syria. From higher death rates, increases in gender-based violence and maternal mortality, to economic suffering and loss of education, women are more adversely affected by crisis situations.
While we do not know when the war in Syria will end, we do know that throughout Syria, tens of thousands of displaced families are able to stay together, their children are better protected from the weather, and your gift is empowering people displaced by the chaos.
Thank you for making a difference by supporting families on their worst day ever.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Sarah
Sarah Robinson
Director of Fundraising and Strategic Partnerships
Hollis, NH 03049
United States of America