District Site 
Emma's CafeOn June 11, President Carolyn Read awarded a $2500 scholarship to Audrey Arsenault, who graduated from Nashoba Regional High School. Audrey will be attending St. Anselm College in the fall.
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley is a diverse, action-oriented, fun-loving club that serves the youth, the seniors, and the needy in our communities, often partnering with others. While focusing our service in the communities of Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow, Massachusetts, our club acts upon service opportunities wherever there is a need – regionally, nationally, and globally. Join us!
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Check our Calendar for Social and Service Events!
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At this year's District Conference, the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley received numerous awards for our activities in the 2020-2021 Rotary year:
- Best Club - Diamond award in recognition for continuous highest performance in the district for the third year in a row
- Public Image - Gold
- Service - Gold
- Youth service - Bronze
- The Rotary Foundation support - Silver
- Ray Pfau, Unsung Hero
- Mary Garcia, Rotary Foundation District Service
- Jacky Foster, District Service as the District Secretary for Administrative Excellence
- Rotary International Significant Service Award for our Stuff a Cruiser service project
It was a challenging year with virtual meetings, done-at-home service projects, and a few masked and outdoor community service projects! We appreciate all of the partnerships and support that kept this club running at top gear!
We still have masks! Members of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley delivered masks to many local organizations over the past year, including public safety offices and nursing homes, and as far as Kenya as part of the Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour. Despite the "opening up" of life in light of vaccines, many businesses, healthcare facilities, and public institutions still require masks. If you or your organization needs masks, please contact info@nashobarotary.org.
To date, we have delivered masks to:
- Guidewire in Springfield (4000)
- Consortium in Holyoke (2000)
- Cultivate Counseling in Bolton (200)
- Our Father's House in Fitchburg (400)
- Athol Orange Rotary (2000)
- Boston Medical Center, Boston (100)
- Sullivan Optometry, Hudson (50)
- Dr. Padma Jonnavithula, North Acton Dental (125)
- Seth Barron, Barron Chiropractic in Acton (70)
- Belknap House Homeless Shelter (200)
- Habitat for Humanity NCM (400)
- Comfort Zone Home Care (150)
- BCF Member for refugee camp (700)
- Open Table in Maynard (1000)
- Bolton COA (100)
- Maynard Neighborhood Brigade
- Leaving the Streets Ministry in Haverhill (1000)
- Stow COA
- BostonSight (500)
- Minuteman Arc (500)
- Worcester Fellowship (400)
- Integrative Family Medicine (50)
- Hope for the Children (400)
- WHEAT (500)
About the Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour
In the early morning hours of October 1, 2020, a cargo ship carrying 800,000 face masks arrived at the Port of Boston as part of a Million Mask Challenge. Over the course of the next 14 days, those masks were delivered to first responders, healthcare providers, and frontline workers in cities, towns, and villages from Boston to Maine, from Massachusetts to Connecticut. This effort is a story of service and leadership. It’s a story about answering the call, working together, and saving lives. It is the story of Rotary. A tractor-trailer, emblazoned with the Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour story, will distribute face masks to Rotary clubs throughout New England and nine major city center distribution points in six states for those in need in their communities. To date, over 200,000 masks have been delivered across central Massachusetts by numerous Rotary clubs.
In May 2021, the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley cleared land for a Habitat project in Stow, MA as part of a district grant. Through this effort, two families will have access to safe and affordable housing. Donations and volunteer support build on the investment of $150,000 in Stow Community Preservation Act funds, and a modest, energy-efficient duplex is slated for construction later this year. Learn more at https://ncmhabitat.org/coming-up/.
Rotary partnered with Habitat for Humanity in 2017, based on shared values, enabling Habitat to extend its volunteer pool by tapping into Rotary’s 1.2 million members in 200 countries and regions.
See more photos at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=NashobaRotary&set=a.3898216413601064.
To reach out to those who are more confined at this time, members of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley sent cards and letters to the residents of the River Terrace Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Lancaster, MA for 50 weeks since June 2020. Every week, members sent hand-written messages, sharing their own pandemic activities, musings and stories, and notes of inspiration to the more than 65 residents who have been confined during the pandemic. Many of the messages included jokes, riddles, puzzles, and activities to help entertain the residents. The envelopes were sterilized before being given to the residents. In a note from the Diane Sevigney-Staples, Life Enrichment Director, "Thank you all so much for the letters and cards you have been sending to our residents and patients. It is much appreciated and thoughtful."
Additionally, the club sent cards and letters to the residents at the Bolton Country Manor, which offers supportive housing to residents in Bolton, MA. Many residents were trapped in isolation amid coronavirus. Cards and letters brightened their days! Now that Massachusetts has loosened restruction rules, it is time for the club to embrace in-person service projects!
The Rotary Clubs of Nashoba Valley, Littleton, Acton-Boxborough, and Wachusetts Area, along with the Nashoba Regional High School Interact Club, the Maynard High School Interact Club, the Littleton High School Community Service Club, the Littleton High School Interact Club, and Workers Credit Union, sponsored the eighth annual Rise Against Hunger food packaging event on May 15, 2021. The goal was to package 20,000 meals in a couple of hours and for shipment to feed the hungry around the world. The group actually packaged 23,500 meals over several hours due to generous fundraising and a lot of overtime work from volunteers.
The event took place at Littleton High School in Littleton, MA, held in the school cafeteria with windows open for maximum ventilation. Below are members of the Nashoba Regional High School Interact Club at work! See more photos at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=NashobaRotary&set=a.3886142144808491.
The Police departments of Bolton, Stow, and Lancaster, along with the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, participated in a Stuff a Cruiser Food Drive on Saturday March 27, 2021, collecting over 4000 pounds of food and personal care items and raising more than $250 in additional donations!
Donations benefit WHEAT Community Connections in Clinton, MA. Rotary volunteers are helping WHEAT sort through and organize all of the donations. Many thanks to the police departments, Shaws and Emma's Cafe in Stow, various town organizations and community developments, and to our volunteers. It was a beautiful day to stuff all of the police cruisers and more! Check out the photos on our Facebook page!
The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley has selected qualified candidates for this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference to be held online during the weekend of June 25, 26, and 27. The program will offer an action- packed and interactive learning environment, designed to challenge participants to use and improve their leadership skills. Best of all, there is no charge to students who participate. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley is sponsoring six students and two alternatives for this year’s conference.
Robert Johnson, local Committee Chairperson, said that participants were selected from students who have exhibited leadership potential and are currently in their sophomore year of high school. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley contacted high school principals, guidance counselors, youth organizations, and other sources for nominations and welcomes applications and recommendations from the public.
The conference will feature thought-provoking events, including interactive Leadership Labs, exciting guest speakers, and challenging mental and physical activities. Topics will include decision-making, critical thinking, communicating effectively, ethics, and public service.
For more information, contact Robert Johnson at johnson@itesafety.com, 978-875-3143. Visit www.ryla7910.org for the latest information about RYLA.
