President's Message (November 3, 2026)

Dear Rotarians,
 
             Freedom isn't free. Thank you to all who paid that price.     
                                                                                             - Unknown -
 
The Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club will meet this Thursday morning, November 5th, at 7:15am, at Franklin Pierce University. Karl Pruter has the Invocation.
 
Our guest speaker this week will be Mary Armstrong and Kathy Manfre. They will share their passion for banning plastic grocery bags. We will also honor and recognize our November student of the month, Greyson Markeseines, a fifth grader at the Rindge Memorial School.
 
Last week was a pleasure to hear from one of our Rotarians, Dr. James Potter. Thank you for sharing your background and family with the Club. We also had the pleasure to have a couple of the Interact members, Jenna and Nick, who came to talk with us about the Purple Pinky Project, which is directly tied to real-world polio vaccination campaigns and the eradication of polio.
 
If you haven't already done so, I hope all Rotarians VOTE Tuesday!
 
Downtown Jaffrey was filled with goblins and other scary entities this past Friday as several hundred kids descended on the Common to trick or treat on what has become an annual downtown tradition. Thank you to Bill Coleman and his wife, Joan, as well as Bob Schaumann for joining me as we handed out many candy bars! Nearby, Rotarian Dr. Marc Winiecki from Monad Doc Health Direct Family Medicine was there handing out toys to the kids. What a great idea!
 
Our next Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, November 11th, at noon at the Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce office. As Veteran's Day is observed the same week, there will be no Rotary meeting on Thursday, November 12th.  As Thanksgiving is November 26th, there will be no meeting that day, either.  The next Breakfast meeting will fall on Thursday, November 19th.
 
Yours in Service,

Donna 

 

Rotarian Dr. Jim Potter Shares His Background

Rotarian Dr. Jim Potter shared his many Alma Maters, his medical education, love of travel, and pictures of his family during his informative presentation at Thursday's Rotary breakfast meeting.  

 

Interactors Jenna and Nick -- It's Purple Pinky Time! 

It's about THAT time of the Year when Interactors from the Conant Middle High School visit our Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club for Purple Pinky awareness, a fund raiser to help eradicate polio.  This dreaded disease, which was rampant throughout the world up until the creation of the Salk and Sabin vaccines, has been a Rotary International Project over the years that has resulted in the near total elimination of polio.  Although Rotarians did not get to have their finger (i.e., pinky) dipped into the purple liquid this past Thursday, Rotarians nevertheless lined up to donate money to Interactors Jenna and Nick that is part of their Club's efforts to raise money for polio eradication.  They will return, however, so get those pinkies ready! 

 

Moments Before The Goblins Arrive for Jaffrey "Trick or Treat" !

The sun was bright just before 4:00pm, but once the breeze reached 25-30mph and the sun went behind the clouds, it got downright chilly,  Here Bill Coleman, President Donna Senechal, and Bob Schaumann enjoy the warmth of the sun moments before hundreds of Jaffrey boys and girls in Halloween garb filled their "Trick or Treat" bags with goodies from our table and those of other merchants and companies.

 

Rotarian Bill Coleman and Joan Coleman Oversee Hundreds of Trick or Treaters

Trick or Treaters, accompanied by parents (some of whom were also dressed in costumes), visited the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club table to scarf up candy bars and plastic ghoulish rings. Here Rotarian Bill Coleman and his wife, Joan, oversee the table. It was shortly after 5:00pm that the Club ran out of candy, but a good time was had by all!

 

Rotarian Dr. Winiecki, Monad Doc Health Direct, Gave Out Treats to Trick or Treaters 

"Is there a doctor in the house?"  Yep, as Rotarian and physician, Dr. Mark Winiecki, manned his table just thirty feet away from the Rotary table, giving out toys and candy to Jaffrey trick or treaters.  Love that tie!!