Happy New Year!

2013 was another banner year for the Milford Rotary Club.

We welcomed Michael Brisebois, Tim Finan, Karen Keating, Steve Sareault, Rob Keller, Armand Chery, Mike Rasmussen, Paula Telage, Mike Viola and Doug Knott, and re-welcomed Ed Killam to the club. Paul Harris Fellows were presented to Dave McBee, David Hammer, Chuck Simpson (Monadnock Club), Joe Clement (Henniker Club), and Sheila Sturm.

The Club provided support and assistance to a wide variety of charitable causes and community betterment initiatives in 2013. Those donations included the following: NH Association for the Blind, Wilton-Lyndeborough Co-Op High School pitching machine, Milford High School We The People program, Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club projection equipment, SHARE Outreach Inc. capital campaign and program support, Bridges Domestic & Sexual Violence Support second year of a three year commitment, Opportunity Networks capital campaign, Watatic Grange dictionary project, Open Cupboard senior dinners program, Shelter Box for Typhoon Haiyan relief, Polio Plus and many many more.

Pictured above - Milford Rotarians present a capital campaign donation to members of the SHARE Outreach Board of Directors.

Partnering with Pure Water for the World, Milford Rotary embarked on a Global Grant project to provide sustainable clean water and sanitation facilities along with hygiene education  to at least 140 homes (630 people) in the municipality of Trojes, El Paraiso, Honduras. This initiative is proceeding like gangbusters with support and participation from other District 7870 clubs and from clubs in New York and Montana. Without a doubt, we'll be hearing more good news about this project from Doug Rupert and the committee in 2014. For more information on Rotary's Global Grant program click here.

Phatsuda Somsuk, our inbound Rotary Exchange Student from Pak Kret Thailand, arrived in August. According to Janet Spalding, Phatsuda's first "host Mom", the experience has been fantastic for everyone involved. Maggie Zavgren our outbound Exchange Student is spending this school year in Turkey. To learn more about Maggie's adventures, here is a link to her BlogSpot.

	What would a Milford Rotary Club fundraiser or community service event be without the great help we receive from the Interact Club members? That said, what would Columbus Day weekend be without burger flipping and sausage cooking with the Interact Club during the Milford Pumpkin Festival? Great fun and super collaboration all around!
	Each November the Monadnock Rotary Club organizes a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) event.  Our Club once again sponsored four area students to attend the 2013 RYLA program: Jaida Silomba, Wilton-Lyndebourgh ~ Hanna Hembrow and Erin Tyrrell, Milford ~ Annie Feraco, Souhegan Valley Boys & Girls Club.

Together, club members and friends of Rotary, successfully put on the 35th annual Senior Citizens Chicken BBQ in May for around 300 Seniors; organized the two-day Milford Rotary Swim Meet for over 500 swimmers and the 100 Holes of Golf in One Day tournament in July; once again flipped hundreds of pancakes in September; and sold over 700 Christmas Trees before year's end. We roasted consummate Rotary Fine Master George Infanti in February and mourned his passing along with that of longtime Milford Rotarian Richard Fitzgerald Sr. (aka Papa Fitz) in 2013. In between Milford Rotarians also participated in Bowling for Kids' Sake with the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Greater Nashua, and Snow Golf at Loon for CASA of NH!

Speaking of Snow Golf - CASA's 14th annual SnowFest is coming up on February 7th and Coach Joe (Raczek) is putting a team together for the 2014 event. See Coach Joe to sign-up for the title defending Swamp Rats Golf/Ski Team and here's a link for more info - CASA SnowFest 2014

From recent meetings and club assemblies, it sounds like Prez John and Prez-Elect Rick have lots in store for 2014.  So stay tuned - 2014 promises to be another great year of fun fellowship and enriching community service! FYI - January is Rotary Awareness Month, let's all help spread the word!