Stories

Click to read about our upcoming Rotary Club events.

Founded in 1970, the Rotary Club of Scituate Rhode Island is a fellowship and service organization dedicated to the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. We are over 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries, with over 1.2 million members worldwide. We serve our local community with the Scituate Rotary Playground on Battey Meetinghouse Road  and our Scituate Community Garden.

 

Our weekly meetings are held on Monday evenings at 6:30 pm.  Please refer to our calendar for meeting places, as they may change.

 

If you are interested in serving your community and adding enjoyment to your life through the company of like-minded men and women, we're interested in meeting you!! Email info@scituaterotaryri.org to learn how you can become a member of the Scituate RI Rotary Club.

Click here to read about updates for the Scituate Rotary Club Farmer's Market and our clothing drive.

Rotary International has adopted a new Area of Focus -- the environment! Click to learn more about our club's commitment to good environmental stewardship.

Due to the continued presence of the novel coronavirus and the State of Emergency, Scituate Rotary Club has been forced to call off the Wine Tasting and the Earth Day Clothes Drive, both of which were scheduled for April 2020.  We have not formally made a decision on if we will cancel Wine Tasting outright for this year or if we will try to reschedule it for a later date in 2020.  We are paying close attention to the State and CDC guidelines in order to make a final determination.  We will make a formal announcement once a decision has been made.

In regards to the Earth Day Clothes Drive, we do plan on having a clothes drive after the restrictions lift and once Savers reopens.  For those unfamiliar with our event, Savers allows non-profits to do collection drives for clothes, shoes, and other soft goods and will pay for the donations by the pound.  In the past, this has been a good fundraiser for us near Earth Day – it helps our neighbors declutter in an Earth friendly way and lets us raise some funds for the Rotary Battey Meetinghouse Playground.  We normally also have Earth friendly activities for the children.  Once restrictions lift, we will make an announcement on when our new clothes drive will be.  Since many people are stuck in quarantine, now would be a great time to start cleaning out your closets!  Please save your bags of clothes, shoes and other soft goods for us. 

Following the Rotary credo of “Service Above Self” member Sharon Johnson and Marcia Caranci of Sueno Boutique in Greenville have been busy during lockdown at their sewing machines.  They meet every morning for a half hour of yoga and then get busy for the rest of the day. As of the time of this writing in early April, they have sewn over 300 cloth masks using many of their own materials and fabric donated by many people in the community. The masks have gone to the Rhode Island National Guard for soldiers, Johnston Housing Authority, family and community members, and medical professionals at Kent Hospital, Miriam Hospital, VNRI, Women & Infants, and other locations. 

The masks can be worn by non-medical professionals to help stop the spread of Covid-19 as it is reported that wearing a mask can help keep the person wearing it from touching their face and therefore getting and spreading the virus through contact with the nose and lips, as well as some protection from the virus being spread airborne.  Medical professionals are also using the cloth masks, due to the extreme shortage of medical grade masks.  Medical professionals have been told to wear the same mask throughout an entire shift and even re-use their masks.  A cloth mask worn over the medical grade mask helps to keep the medical grade mask clean and better able to withstand a shift. Some places are even out of the medical grade N95 masks altogether. Sharon and Marcia are continuing to sew masks throughout the lockdown and are still collecting fabric donations.  

Members Bill Vangel and Lola Smith have been busy getting the playground cleaned up for the kids.  They have spent time raking leaves, replenishing mulch, clearing branches, and other needed work.  The playground will be ready for the kids once the weather breaks and we no longer have to follow social distancing guidelines.

We are also still raising funds to replace equipment at the playground.  Without the Wine Tasting this spring, a lot of revenue has been lost.  If you are able to make a donation for the playground in any amount, it would be greatly appreciated! We are also still selling personalized bricks to go in the playground around the Peace Pole.  We have two sizes, the smaller one is $50.00 and the larger is $150.00.  All proceeds from the bricks are reserved for playground renovations.  If you would like to make a donation or have an engraved brick, please contact us on Facebook or write to ScituateRotary@Aol.com or to PO Box 461, North Scituate, RI 02857.

Quite a few people and businesses have already purchased bricks and are anxious to see them laid in the ground.  We were originally planning to lay the bricks this April or May after the weather breaks and with the return of one of our snowbird members, Alan Howe, an engineer.  We are anxiously awaiting his return from Florida and hope to begin laying them once he is back and out of any mandated quarantine. Alan has the laying all planned out with how to make sure they are properly leveled and what materials to use which would allow the bricks to lay securely and aesthetically around the Peace Pole. 

Members Bill Vangel and Lola Smith are also working with Jeanne Grover from the Trinity Food Closet to try to secure a grant from Rotary District 7950 for use by Trinity to continue funding their food closet during this difficult time.  Rotary District 7950 announced that it had $32,000.00 allocated for Disaster Response to use to purchase food and baby formula for local food pantries and baby centers with a max of $1,000.00 per club within the district.  Rotary District 7950 covers 65 clubs in Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. We know getting the funding will be competitive, but Bill and Lola are determined to get all the paperwork completed and submitted.

With a staggering 10 million people on unemployment due to Covid-19, food pantries are under increased stress to keep up with demand.  You can contact Trinity Food Closet at (401) 647-2322 and 249 Danielson Pike, N. Scituate, RI 02857 if you have any questions, need assistance, or if you would like to donate directly.

Rotary Clubs worldwide have been responding to the Covid-19 outbreak, as “fighting disease” is one of our Areas of Focus. Here are some ways clubs around the world are responding:

Our club will continue to work with the food closet, Sharon is planning to continue making masks, and some of our club members who are medical professionals (Lynn DuBois, Colleen Rose, and Jennifer Huff) are still going to work daily to care for their patients despite the risks.  Stay safe and reach out to us if you, or someone you know, needs any assistance during this crisis.

 

 

As of the time of this writing (March 16, 2020), Governor Gina Raimondo has ordered a State of Emergency regarding the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19).  While we all hope this will end soon, the Scituate Rotary Club must be proactive in helping the public to be safe and healthy.  We are doing all that we can to take precautions and contribute to preparedness and response efforts related to the coronavirus.  We are hopeful that an ounce of prevention will aid the community that we, and you, care about.  Rotary International has Six Areas of Focus: (1) Promoting Peace, (2) Fighting Disease; (3) Providing Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; (4) Maternal and Child Health; (5) Education and Literacy; and (6) Economic Development.  Our flagship project on “Fighting Disease” is our fight to eradicate polio, however other diseases and viruses fall into consideration.  Therefore, to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 we have decided that we will be holding our Wednesday (6:30 PM) meetings virtually via conference call until advised otherwise.  Please check out our Facebook page and Clubrunner website (https://portal.clubrunner.ca/4898) for more information, including when we will be returning to regular in-person meetings.

 

Also as of the time of this writing, we still plan to continue with our Annual Wine Tasting scheduled for April 24^th at the Imperial Room, as well as our Earth Day clothes drive on April 18^th at the Battey Meetinghouse Road Playground.  However, we are constantly monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, as well as following the State of Rhode Island for any updates on the Coronavirus.  We will be posting updates on our Facebook page and Clubrunner.  You can also email us at ScituateRotary@AOL.com with specific questions. 

 

 

Scituate Rotary Club has decided to send a $250.00 donation to ShelterBox.  ShelterBox is a wonderful organization affiliated with Rotary International that provides emergency disaster assistance to people all over the globe.  A donation of $250.00 pays for one box which contains a family-sized tent that protects people from the elements as well as a number of life-saving contents. The contents differ depending on the disaster and the climate, but typically include solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets, and cooking utensils.

1 Photo credit: www.ShelterBoxUSA.org

 

We have donated to ShelterBox before, and a box was sent to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and to Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe after Cyclone Idai in 2019.  This year, the box will likely end up in Syria.  Here is some information directly from www.ShelterBoxUSA.org/Syria:   

 

“Another increase in aerial bombardments and a ground offensive in the province of Idlib has killed or seriously injured innocent people.  

 

More than 900,000 people have fled the violence since December alone. Fleeing families are squeezed into a smaller and smaller area, with the border to Turkey closed and government forces pushing to reclaim territory in Idlib.  New arrivals are moving into old, abandoned or damaged tents, or having to share with others. Heavy rain has brought flooding; tents battered by the elements are leaking.  ShelterBox is already working with ReliefAid to help thousands of families in Idlib province this winter. But we need your support to do more.”

 

While our club is local to Scituate, Foster, and Glocester, we are part of the larger Rotary International umbrella.  Our theme for this Rotary year is “Rotary Connects the World.”  Our main focus is still trying to renovate the playground on Battey Meetinghouse Road, but we cannot forget how lucky we are to live in an area free of conflict and which has been relatively safe from natural disasters.  This small donation will make a big impact for a family that is in a vulnerable situation.

 

 

On February 29^th, we had a gourmet Italian dinner hosted by our member Micheline Grossi Lombardi, who runs the Foster Home Journal column and publisher of the cookbook Mangia with Micheline.  This event was clearly a success, with close to 100 people attending.  We do not have the final figures yet, but we estimate that over $2,000.00 was raised for the playground restoration efforts. We owe a big thank you to establishments that donated items for our fundraiser:

Dial-in number (US): (425) 436-6355
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Join the online meeting: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/sarahmalley

For additional assistance connecting to the meeting text "Help" to the Dial-In number above. Message and data rates may apply.

 

On January 15, the Rotary Club of Scituate was privileged to welcome Rhode Island's State Treasurer, Seth Magaziner, who generously followed his presentation with a lively Q and A session.  Magaziner shared specifics of several programs he has developed since taking office which might not come to mind as one considers the traditional tasks generally associated with the Office of Treasurer.  He stressed the importance of building community from care for one another to foundational economics, and he remarked upon the value of service organizations which work to make a difference in their local communities. Magaziner's visit was not only very informative and interesting but he brought with him the happy surprise of a check in the amount of $1,159.26 from Unclaimed Property.  His office has made increasingly successful innovative efforts toward uniting dormant dollars with rightful owners.  This "Splendid Sum," personally delivered to Rotary after many years, is great news for 2020 spring plans at Rotary's playground on Battey Meeting House Road.  Scituate Rotary sincerely thanks Mr. Magaziner for visiting our club.

 

 

 

 

On December 6-8, the Scituate Business Association had their annual Christmas Stroll and Tree Lighting Ceremony.  For the second year, they have partnered with Scituate Rotary Club to have a Christmas decorations contest.  There are three categories, the Popular (Public) Vote, Club Vote, and President’s Pick.  We are happy to announce the following winners:

 

Popular Vote: Charming Treasures

Club Vote: Bewitched

President’s Pick: Get Your Glow

 

With 11 participants, we had a great year and every shop looked beautiful.  We look forward to another round next year.

 

 

Mark your calendars, Micheline Grossi Lombardi, author of the cookbook Mangia with Micheline and Foster Home Journal contributor is hosting a gourmet dinner to help raise funds for the Scituate Rotary Playground.  On Saturday, February 29 from 6:00-8:00 PM at Trinity Church in Scituate, there will be an Italian meal featuring some delicious recipes from Mangia with Micheline with vegetarian and gluten-free options available.  Seating is limited, and tickets will go on sale soon.  For more information, or to purchase tickets, email ScituateRotary@Aol.com; also keep an eye on our Facebook page where we will announce the sale and have a link to Eventbrite where tickets can be purchased online.