Weekly Bulletin - March 7, 2013 Meeting

Posted by Barbara Myles 
on Mar 10, 2013
 

Sophie Wadsworth, Executive Director of The Nature Connection, spoke about the animal and nature programs they bring to people with limited access to the natural world.


 

The mission of The Nature Connection is, “To support the human spirit by building connections between people and the natural world.”  Sophie told us that approximately 80,000 people in the U.S. have no access to the outdoors (2010 U.S. Census).  The Nature Connection serves at risk youth, people with disabilities, and elders by bringing transformative nature experiences to them.  When volunteers from the Nature Connection bring animals to people, they are not trying to teach them about the animals.  Instead, they give people the chance to interact and engage with the creatures.  The array of animals that the Nature Connection volunteers bring to people include: a dove, chinchillas, rehabilitated crows, and hedge hogs.  For some people, seeing the animals over a period of time helps them.  Sometimes people want to learn how to take care of the animals.  Sometimes people with disabilities are motivated to reach out and do something new.


Guests: Matt Tucker and Sophie Wadsworth (speaker)


Club Announcements:

  • No meeting on March 14.

  • Chuck’s business is doing so well that he will not be able to step in as club president after Laura’s term.  RichardS agreed to be president after Laura!

  • Karin will be an Assistant Governor of District 7910 beginning in July!

  • Ron Burton, President Elect of Rotary International, will be speaking at the PETS Conference on March 7 in Framingham.  Some our club members will attend the dinner.  Karin and Laura will attend the PETS Conference too.  There will be a table at the PETS Conference promoting our We Are One project.

  • Reality Fair – Dana brought in the wheel of fortune he made for the Reality Fair.  It works very well!

  • Cruise Nights – Laura is the chair of the planning committee for this event.

  • Opening Day Meals at COAs – The date for this event is April 1 at the Stow COA.  Seniors from all three of our towns (Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow) will attend this event.

  • We are One international project – District gave its approval for our project.  Now we are in the queue to get approval from Rotary International. The big push now is for fundraising.  Our April 4 meeting will be about this project.

  • Rotary Foundation – our club’s goal is to donate an average of $100 per member to the Rotary Foundation.  If we do not reach this level, then we do not qualify for a grant from Rotary International.  Contact Carol about ways to donate money to the Rotary Foundation.

  • RYLA – members from our club will interview high school sophomores, who are interested in attending RYLA, next Thursday March 14.

  • Acton Boxborough Rotary Club’s Wine Tasting event – This event is on April 25 and we are selling tickets.  Our goal is to raise $1,000 for our club by selling 100 tickets.  All proceeds we receive will go toward our We Are One project.

  • Nanci is working on a fundraising event with the Rotary Club of Hudson called, “Hudson Block Party and Brew Fest.”  The event will take place on August 17 from 3 to 7PM.  Retail stores will be open and food and beer will be sold by local restaurants.  Volunteers on the day of the event are needed.  Contact Nanci to sign up!

  • Recycling Day in Lancaster – Natascha and Chuck are organizing this event.

  • Stow’s Kid Fest/Spring Fest – Bill and Barbara will work on this event.

  • Donations – At the March 5 Board of Directors’ meeting, it was decided to donate $75 each to The Massachusetts Brain Injury Association and UBECI (United to Benefit Ecuadoran Children, International).

  • Women in Rotary event – 2014 marks the 25th year that women have been eligible to join Rotary Clubs.  Karin is a member of the District 7910 committee working on this event.

 

Happy/Sad Fines: 

Happy Fines:

  • Bob was happy to get ready for the Reality Fair.
  • Sophie was happy that she went the Maynard Fine Arts theatre last night to see the OARS film.
  • Laura was happy that a high school teacher she spoke to is excited about the upcoming Reality Fair.
  • Chris was happy that the high school has a buzz about the Reality Fair.
  • Catherine told us that one of her relatives is a long time Rotary member and that her family is very happy that she joined Rotary.
  • Carol was happy that she spoke at a Rotary event last week.  She was also happy about our club.
  • Nanci was happy that Matt was at the meeting and hoped he would join our club.
  • RichardS was happy that other Rotary Clubs have signed up to donate funds to our We Are One project.
  • Matt was happy to be at the meeting and happy that Nanci found him.
  • Barbara was happy that Dana will install the library’s new book drop.
  • Dana was sad because he has to make the hole in the brick wall larger for the new book drop.
  • Ron was happy that his son got a varsity letter in wrestling as a freshman.
  • Karin was happy that Laura has done so much on the Reality Fair and that Mary has done so much for the We Are One project.  Karin was also happy that she recently had the biggest sale of her banking career.

 

Sad Fines:

  • None!

 

Non Club Announcements:

  • DVSN’s “Art of Hope and Spirit” fundraising event – is a mixed media art show at the Concord Art Association with over 40 participating artists.  The show is open to the public from March 19 to March 23.  The festive reception and auction is Saturday, March 23 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM.  For more information and to purchase tickets with PayPal, visit DVSN’s website: www.dvsn.org.  To purchase tickets with a credit card, call (978) 318-3421.

  • Marlborough Rotary Club fundraiser – Death by Chocolate event will take place on March 22 from 6PM to 11PM at the Hellenic Hall located at the corner of Central and Cashman Streets in Marlborough.  Tickets are $25 per person.  Go to www.marlboroughrotary.org or call (508) 460-1920 for more information.

  • Billerica Rotary Club fundraiser – Joey’s Voices Dinner Show, April 27 at the Billerica Elk’s Lodge.  For more information go to www.billericarotary.org. 

Future Meetings

First, third, and fifth Thursdays:

7:15 AM to 8:30 AM

Houghton Building (across from the school)

697 Main Street, Bolton, MA 01740

(Route 117 West from I495, Exit 27)

Second and fourth Thursdays:

Nancy’s Airfield Café

302 Boxboro Road

Stow, MA 01775

5:45 PM to 6:45 PM

 

About Rotary:

The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley serves the communities of Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow, Massachusetts. Our members are business, community, and professional leaders who meet weekly to plan local and international service projects; host interesting speakers on local, national, and international issues; and enjoy fellowship. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley was chartered by Rotary International on February 24, 2012, the first new Rotary club chartered in District 7910 in over a decade!

For more club information, go to www.nashobarotary.org or contact Club President, Karin Gaffney, at 978-387-5369 or karin.m.gaffney@rbscitizens.com.