Margaret Koch spoke about the Healing Garden


 

 

The Healing Garden, an educational non-profit organization serving people with cancer, was founded in 2001 in honor of Ginny Thurston, who was a prolific volunteer in Harvard.  She was a master gardener and her husband, Bill, was an engineer.  Their home included eight acres of gardens.  While she had cancer, she found social, psychological, spiritual, and physical ways to find comfort.  Bill donated two acres of their land with a cottage to the Healing Garden.  He also donated money to the support programs.  With the exception of counselling, most of what they do is not paid for by medical insurance.  There are sliding scale fees that make the services more affordable.  A special fund is used to support the programs when clients are not able to pay for them.  Margaret does fundraising to support the work done at the Healing Garden.  For more information about the Healing Garden go to their website at http://www.healinggarden.net/

         

Next meeting on November 21 Nancy’s Air Field Café in Stow, 5:45 p.m., Leonard Bernstein will discuss the importance of the learning experience between the age of birth and 5 years.

 

Guests:

  • Margaret Koch, the Healing Garden

 

Rotary and Club Announcements: (Capitalized events earn points for our club!)

  • At our club’s November 4 Board meeting the following actions were taken:

o    Our bylaws were updated

o    A sister club request was approved Sister for Rotary Club Aurangabad West, which is located in India: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-Aurangabad-West/138471989511905,

o    We received two tickets to an upcoming arts event at Nashoba Regional High School in return for advertising in their event programs.  Nanci got the tickets!

o    A $250 donation was given to the Raise the Roof project that will use the funds to put a new roof on an elderly Bolton couple’s house.  If you would like to donate to this effort, go to https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kw93/raise-the-roof

  • Local projects:

o    We Are One – RichardS reported that we are waiting for the $52,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation.

o    Boost for Hope – This event raised $1,175 for Domestic Violence Services Network’s Lawyer for a Day program.  This year there were 40 district grant applications and 24 were approved.  Last year only 18 applications were approved.

o    Dictionary project – The dictionaries were distributed at the Mary Rowlandson School during the week of November 4.

o    Purple Pinkie Day – Students and their families from schools in Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow contributed generously to Rotary’s End Polio Now project.  The contributions are still being received and we have received over $2,000!  Laura passed around the article in the “Beacon Villager” about our club raising funds for a polio free world.

o    Natascha is sponsoring a spa day on November 23 from 1-5 p.m. at Bolton Essentials to brainstorm project ideas in honor of the 25th anniversary of admitting women into Rotary.  Please let Natascha know if you plan on attending this event.

o    Warm Hearts of Stow – Families in Stow can use our support with the approaching holiday season and colder months.  Laura distributed envelopes to contribute gift cards for basic necessities as well as family activities.  Donations are due by December 15.

o    Stop Hunger Now – On January 25 we will package food for Stop Hunger Now packages at the Nashoba Regional High School.

  • Everyone should have received email in regards to We Are One credit from The Rotary Foundation!
  • Seven members of our club attended the Acton Boxborough Rotary Club’s fundraiser for the Acton Food Pantry and presentation by Hank Phillippi Ryan!
  • Karin had an interview on November 14 to become a Rotary Trustee.  Good luck, Karin!
  • Kudos to Karin for reaching the +1 level of the Paul Harris Society!
  • November 19 is World Toilet Day.  For more information go to http://worldtoiletday.org/.
  • December 14 is the District’s NEW GENERATIONS MEETING from 9-4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at Boxborough.
  • The new Rotary branding was described in the district newsletter that was emailed to us.
  • We are invited to Littleton Rotary Club’s holiday party that includes a Yankee Gift Swap on December 14!
  • Laura asked for suggestions about how much money to donate towards relief efforts for the Philippines due to the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan on November 8.
  • Rotary clubs from around the world are making donations to the Phillippines.  Shelter Boxes and Stop Hunger Now packages are en route to the Phillippines.
  • Laura has posted the Best Club award criteria and the updated 2013-2014 Calendar of Activities on our website www.nashobarotary.org.
  • The Hudson and Marlborough Rotary Clubs have new meeting locations.  See the list of local Rotary Club meetings at our website www.nashobarotary.org.
  • Rotary International’s new website requires a new user account.  Go to http://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/home to register for a new user account.

 

Nonclub/public announcements:

  • Thanks to Cyndi King, who donated 50 tubes of Jane Iredale mascara as care kit contents for RIA House.
  • Thanks to Nanci Bishop for donating toiletries for Voices Against Violence!
  • Dana participated in the Habitat for Humanity build on November 7 in Lowell.
  • The Stow Gobbler road race is on Thanksgiving morning.  Register at www.stowgobbler.org.
  • Need a daily shot in the arm or a smile? Sign up for John Dowd Jr.’s positive email messages, designed to help kick-start the day with an inspirational thought. John was one of our speakers and is a new member of the Worcester Rotary club! http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=eob5bgmab&p=oi&m=1112599889348&sit=r9ipwquhb&f=a28a014c-6292-46c5-baa2-875987b497cd
  • On December 14 there will be an emergency services appreciation day at Minute Man Air Field.  There will be cake and ice cream at around noon!

 

Birthdays:

  • November 3 – Karin Gaffney

 

Happy/Sad Fines:

  • Dan was happy to be here.
  • Cyndi was happy about her trip to Texas.  She saw a friend who is also in Rotary.  She is sad because she is having surgery the day before Thanksgiving.
  • Nanci was happy to be here with her Rotary friends who are friends, not just Rotary friends.
  • RichardS was happy to be here and happy that Fatima could be at the meeting too.
  • Fatima was happy to be here.
  • Mary was happy to be here and was happy about the beautiful sunset.
  • RichG was happy that his daughter got the job she wanted!
  • Dana was happy about starting a job that was delayed while the room got cleaned up.
  • Ron was happy to be “seen” rather than “viewed.”
  • Karin was happy about the great sunset.  She also had a fun week with numbers.  On 11/12/13 she and Dana celebrated their 9/10/11 wedding anniversary!
  • Margaret was delighted to be at the meeting.  She was also glad that our club is growing.
  • Don was happy that he has a label for the raw honey that the bees make at the Minute Man Air Field.  He was also happy about the calendar of classic cars that Liz West gave to him.  Some of the photos are from our Wings & Wheels events!  He is also happy that he has lost 30 pounds!  Don participated in Career Day at Nashoba Regional High School.  He talked to the students about aviation jobs.  He’s also happy that his firewood business is doing well!
  • Nancy was happy that Don moved the pizza oven from the air field to the café.
  • Barbara was happy to be here.
  • Mary Ann was happy that her cousin got good health news.
  • Jim was happy that he saw snow on the mountains on his drive back from Vermont.  He was also happy because he saw an ultrasound of his future grandchild.