Dear Rotarians,
This week, our Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club meeting will be held at Franklin Pierce University on Thursday, April 17th, at 7:15am.
We’ll begin with breakfast, coffee, and informal conversations at each table — a wonderful opportunity to connect, share stories, discuss ideas, and brainstorm upcoming club activities before the meeting officially begins. Our meeting will start up with invocation prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and singing "America the Beautiful," and then we will have brief discussions on:
- Roadside Clean-Up: New dates for the roadside clean-up project. The original date, April 12th, was canceled due to snow. Many thanks to Mike Shea and Russ Gaskamp for leading this important effort!
- Evening Social Event & Community Outreach: We'll find a date for an evening social event where members can invite potential new members. As part of this, we plan to send formal invitations to local companies in Jaffrey and Rindge, including Millipore, Teleflex, Walmart, local credit unions, banks, investment firms, and law firms — offering them a unique opportunity to reconnect and engage with the community. Many of these organizations were previously represented in Rotary — we work to welcome them back! We will also explore the ways to invite retired business professionals to join us. Special thanks to Andy Lawn for reviving this great idea. We’ve already received enthusiastic support from Bob Schaumann, John McCarthy, and Owen Houghton, who have stepped up to help lead this event. We’ll confirm a date and recruit a team to make it a success — with a goal of “at least one guest invited by each Rotarian.” What an amazing, enthusiastic club we have — I love it!
This week, we are excited to welcome our guest speaker, Beth Ann Hooper, an award-winning writer and poet. She’ll be sharing her inspiring personal journey and creative achievements — a presentation you won’t want to miss.
Last week we had a wonderful meeting opened with an invocation by Rotarian Bob Schaumann, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of “America the Beautiful.” We enjoyed a great presentation from Professor Jacques Pierre Weilleus of Franklin Pierce University, who shared valuable insights about bats in New Hampshire — a great learning experience about the nature and importance of these intriguing creatures in our state.
We would like to remind you about the upcoming Community Supper on Thursday, April 24th, at the United Church of Jaffrey on Main Street. Please get in touch with Sheila Bergeron to find out how you can help.
Last month, our club was proudly represented at the Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting and Cocktail Reception. A special congratulations once again to Rotarian Jon Frederick, who was honored as Citizen of the Year! We also received a heartfelt thank-you note from Rotarian Jon and Lynette Fredericks, expressing their sincere appreciation to the club and to all the Rotarians who attended and showed their support by being at the event. It was a wonderful reminder of the strength and spirit of our Rotary family.
We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday. Your continued enthusiasm, dedication, and spirit of service are what make this club a vibrant force for good in our community.
Yours in Service,
Rudra
Pictures from our Photographer...
Professor Jacques Pierre Weilleus, Guest Speaker
Professor Jacques Pierre Weilleus provided an interesting update about his research into the declining population of bats in New Hampshire. His presentation was met with many enthusiastic questions from Rotarians about the impact of what is called "White-nose syndrome (WNS)," a fatal fungus disease that has killed millions of bats throughout the United States.
Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here....
