Great afternoon, even if a little chilly, with 20 teams, both professional and social, competing.  Thank you Betsy for bringing this together,

Our speaker was Brandon Armstrong, President of
Framingham United Soccer, established in 1975. Alumni
include Bob Thompson, an All-American at BC, and Sarah
Darcy, an All-American at North Carolina.

United Soccer has over 1200 players ages 4 to 18; 89 teams;

200 volunteers; fees are $375 per year with financial aid available.

No one is turned away, and everyone gets to play 50% of game time!!
The season involves 20 games and 40 practices; one team
won the state championship for its age bracket; Coaches are
educated through workshops; Rotarian Chris S. led the goalie training.
NOTE: Chris was a professional soccer player and even
played a game in Iran!

Our speaker was Framingham Deputy Police Chief Ruiz, who gave a most interesting presentation on crowds and crowd control. He has been on the force 26 years and provided much practical advice regarding the upcoming Spring Craft Fair:

*Always be aware of closest exit; keep passageways clear; never argue with a troublemaker

*Be aware of potential issues: mental health, erratic behavior, arguments, intoxication, and lost children

*Suspicious person – keep under observation and know where he/she is at all times

* For emergencies at Keefe, when calling, tell of the closest door and have someone there
* If calling 911 from a cell phone, GIVE ADDRESS!! and describe the issue

*Program into the cell phone the numbers of key people involved in the event….as well as police….especially that of the officer at the event.

 

Leora Mallach, Framingham City Councilor (since 2021), spoke to us regarding how she became interested in public service. She became involved in politics to meet neighbors and learn about the needs of the City. There weren’t any candidates in her district, so she ran for City Council and is now in her third 2-year term. She is focused on bringing people into and being involved in government.

 

Ten of our Club members attended the Rotary Foundation Dinner to network and hear about Rotary worldwide projects funded by our Foundation.  The Dinner was well attended by Rotarians from all over our district.

Our speaker today was Bill Sell, speaking about his experience with the RAM (Remote Area Medical), a cooperative program tied in with the Public Health Dept, the Medical Reserve Corp, and Tufts Dental to provide free health care services …no ID or insurance needed. 374 patients were seen over 2 days; Many children hadn’t seen a medical professional in years.

Our speaker today was our District Governor, Johnny Ahern, who spoke of the district structure and his role as a Governor…..the district organization mirrors that of the clubs, and its sole function is to assist the clubs.
He strongly recommended collaboration with other organizations as a way of finding new members….that new members should be those who will contribute, not just those seeking to belong.
There is a district-wide, multi-club food packaging project with a goal of 100,000 meals!!! If this goal is reached, Johnny will do a polar plunge!!!
He noted that members tend to be more active with service projects; they want to “do” not just “attend”.
Johnny stressed the importance of getting new members involved in established club projects so that they can “take over” and perpetuate the legacy of the club.

Our speaker today is Larry Stoodt, a long-time community service participant and working member of Framingham’s Sustainability Committee, which strives to make Framingham a more sustainable community. Larry mentioned that Framingham has done a decent job implementing solar energy with over 25 square miles of solar installed. However, Natick and Wayland is doing better. And, with climate change driving over 35 extreme weather disasters costing over $10 billion, we need to do more

Marisa Lutz, Director of Resource Development,  gave a most impressive presentation about the Boys and Girls Club; we have justifiably supported them over the years. Their mission is to provide social, educational, physical, and cultural social programming for Boys & Girls in MetroWest. $25 is the annual membership fee. In Framingham, 40% are foreign-born and 65% qualify for free or subsidized lunch.
They have 4 buses for bringing the students to their facility ($325 pr bus per day). The club remains open when there is no school, as parents may still need to work. Academic programs for kids to hone their skills. Opportunities for kids to donate time to the community, sports and cooking classes; digital arts room; music studio; STEM education promoted early; career path presentations.
This is one of those “sorta under the radar” organizations doing great things in our community

On Monday 19th May, 12 high school seniors from Framingham, Ashland, and Hopkinton were given scholarships from our Club.  They also received citations from Karen Spilka, President of Mass. Senate and from Jack Lewis, Mass. State Representative. 

Amy Miller, from Family Promise, was our speaker today.   Family Promise is a private non-profit that provides shelter, education, comfort, and support, primarily as regarding existing and potential homelessness for families. Massachusetts currently has the highest percentage of child homelessness in the country. Family Promise works to mobilize a diverse community to provide shelter and establish comprehensive support for families in need. Their shelters can hold up to three families at a time.

Today, our speaker was Zach Bourke from Minot DeBois Advisors, the investment advisor for our Education Fund. We have had 2 years in a row of over 20% gain; the past 5-10 years have been very good for the US market and for our high school senior scholarships fund.

Rwbecca Maynard Spoke at our Club recently.  Rebecca teaches honors biology and AP Environmental Science at Framingham High School and is a Co-Advisor of the school's environmental awareness club. She recently received the prestigious Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship made possible by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions. 

As Co-Advisor of the Environmental Awareness Club, Rebecca worked with the Framingham Rotary Club in acquiring 20 rain barrels which were painted by the environmental club members and will be given away to registered participants.  Please see the following page to register.

   

 

 

Paul Surapine is the founding director and the artistic director of the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra in Milford; he is a Past President of the Milford Rotary Club and remains active in Rotary activities.

Paul started playing the clarinet at age 9 (1968), studied in New York and moved to Milford in 1992. Milford has a great history in music, having an Opera House that hosted Caruso and the Vienna Boys Choir. I

Historically, there was a Framingham-Milford Concert Band which became the Milford Concert Band in 1993. Paul joined and became Concert Manager in 1996. This has evolved into the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra now celebrating its 25th year!! They now play to virtually full houses for each performance. Claflin is an opportunity to perpetuate great music to successive generations.