How will you Make a Difference in the goal to eradicate polio? I have an idea for you! Register to plunge at our 8th Annual Polar Plunge for Polio on February 3, 2018. 

 

If you have plunged in prior years, you know the excitement and the joy that is at the center of this incredible experience. The few moments of discomfort provides a glimpse into the impact that polio has on the lives of the children that we have helped immunize and will continue to do so until we have reach our goal: a polio free world! 

 

If you cannot plunge, please donate to a plunger in your club and help them raise money to make the biggest impact possible. The holiday season is an excellent time to share the story, ask for pledges and to build momentum until the day of the plunge.

 

Reach out to your friends, family, coworkers, and those who share in our work to provide better health to the world. Use each opportunity to demonstrate the great work that Rotary does locally and worldwide and maybe, just maybe, they will want to join our family and Do Good in the World.

 

Our district goal is to raise $125,000 at this year's plunge, and with your help, we will get there. If we meet our goal, we can ensure that another 500,000 or more immunizations will be provided and, through your efforts and generosity, children will be saved from this horrible disease. In fact, I am sure that your prior donations have already saved many lives of children around the world. For that, I thank you - and so does the rest of the world!

 

Are you ready to register to plunge or donate? Click here!

 

The District Membership Committee has announced the availability of the Winter 2017-18 Club Membership Mini-Grant. The purpose of this mini-grant is to increase membership and improve retention among the Rotary clubs of District 7930. Clubs may apply for funds to suppliment FRIENDraisers, improve its orientation process, or develop its mentor capabilities.

Download the Mini-Grant overview and application for more information.

The Ipswich High School Interact Club held their annual Jingle Bell Walk on Saturday, December 2nd. Over 300 children, along with parents, older siblings and friends, greeted Santa at the Ipswich Town Wharf as Jolly Old Saint Nick arrived by the Ipswich Police Department Marine Patrol’s vessel, escorted by the Ipswich Fire Department’s fire boat spraying red and green water. Santa’s waterside arrival was followed by a short stroll to the Town Hall, where Interact Club members provided games and entertainment while the young passed their Christmas gift wishes to Santa.

 

Your Club could win $500 for its WASH Projects!

What is World Water Day? World Water is celebrated on March 22nd. It focuses on the approximately 1.8 billion people worldwide who must rely on water contaminated with feces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio and other waterborne diseases. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty. In 1993, the UN General Assembly designated March 22nd as World Water Day. It is now a globally recognized event.

 

The Newburyport Rotary Club was the proud sponsor of the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce Breakfast "Coffee & Commerce" featuring Rosalin Acosta, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, who spoke about "Attracting and Retaining a Skilled Workforce" on Thursday, November 30, 2017, at the Masonic Hall on Green Street, Newburyport. Pictured here with Secretary Acosta are many Rotarians who attended along with Mayor Donna Holaday and State Representative, James Kelcourse.

On December 6th, 100 years ago, Halifax suffered a horrible explosion that devastated a large section of the city. Two ships, the Mont Blanc and the Imo collided in the narrows in Halifax Harbor. The Mont Blanc was a French ship carrying a full load of TNT and many other chemicals that provided the fuel to the sparks created when the ships continued to grind against each other. It went from bellowing smoke to smaller explosions that brought about the attention of many Haligonians. As they approached the harbor or viewed it from their homes, the explosions started to increase, until the fires swept into the cargo hold and reached the tons of TNT. The explosion was so immense that pieces of the ships were strewn miles from the harbor, including whole cannons. Buildings were leveled within a half mile radius, windows were shattered miles away all of which caused 2,000 deaths and 9,000 injuries, many of those were people blinded by the shattered glass.

 

Don Sword, DG of District 7820, and I were honored with placing a wreath at the Commemoration. In pouring rain, hundreds of Haligonians and visitors from around the world, came to reflect on the 100th anniversary of this tragic event. From residents, to families of survivors and many dignataries, there was not a dry eye in the house. The tragedies were offset by the outpouring of love and support that occurred from Boston and around the world. 

 

In addition, the blast created a tsunami that produced 30-60' waves from the harbor which swept away all of the settlements along the shore. To add insult to injury, the next day delivered a snow storm producing 16 or more inches of snow. This covered the blackened city with a freezing coat of snow, hampering the ability to find both survivors and those who perished in the blast.  It is hard to imagine that the city survived, and has prospered since that fateful day.

 

Boston was the first to arrive in Halifax to provide assistance. A medical team from Massachusetts General Hospital boarded a train within hours and was on the way in the blizzard that required them to exit the train and shovel the track throughout the mission. The medical expertise, supplies and unfailing service to the people of Halifax is something that is still remembered today. In fact, Halifax demonstrates their appreciation yearly when they donate and deliver a 50-100' Christmas tree to Boston. Now you know the rest of the story!

Members of the Gloucester High School Interact Club, sponsored by the  Gloucester Rotary Club, organized the annual Christmas Party for students and families at Pathways for Children, a Head Start agency serving Cape Ann and surrounding communities, in early December at Pathways' facility in Gloucester.  

Interact students  decorated  the Pathways gymnasium with Christmas trees, snowflakes, ornaments and large polar bear figurines the night before.  Children attending the party were able to make ornaments and other decorations, decorate their own holiday cookies baked during the week by Interact students, get their faces painted in festive holiday colors, have a special lunch served up by Interact members, meet the princesses from Frozen and Frosty the Snowman, and have a story read to them by Mrs. Santa Claus (A.K.A. Gloucester Rotary Club President Julie Geary).  The highlight, of course, was a visit from Santa himself, as students lined up to sit on his lap and tell Santa their Christmas wishes.

The Pathways Christmas Party is one of Interact's major programs each year and annual provides holiday cheer to more than 100 children and their families.