Home Page | Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley

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.

We meet on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Thursdays of each month at 7:15 - 8:30 AM

Emma's Cafe

Stow Shopping Center
117 Great Road (Route 117)
Stow, MA 01775

Check our Calendar for Monthly Social and Service Events!

District Site

Emma's Cafe

Rotary Site

Nashoba Rotary Awards Scholarships to Nashoba and Minuteman Graduates

The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2019 scholarships. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley awarded a $2500 college scholarship to Collen Pokorney, who graduated from Nashoba Regional High School and will attend the University of Connecticut to pursue a degree in psychology. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley also awarded tool scholarships to Jeffrey and Tyler Benoit, who graduated from Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School. Jeffrey will continue his education at University of Tampa where he will study management. Tyler will major in marine biology with a research focus on marine micro-organisms.

These scholarships are eligible for students who have demonstrated significant community service and plan a career aligned with Rotary’s six areas of focus: promotion of peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. Our scholarship awardees each met and exceeded the scholarships’ requirements, and we wish them well in their future studies.

2019 Devens Dog Festival: June 2

Clear Path for Veterans NE, along with the Rotary clubs of Nashoba Valley and Ayer, Devens, Harvard and Shirley, hosted its second annual Devens Dog Fest in support of the Dogs2Vets program to match service dogs with local veterans. The program, perfected in Clear Path for Veterans' center in New York state and now available in Massachusetts, involves a veteran in the canine-training process, working together with the trainer to achieve individual goals.

The goal of the 2019 Devens Dog Fest was to raise funds for both the dogs and the training costs associated with the Dogs2Vets program in support of local veterans. Festival sponsorships included the opportunity to either sponsor or co-sponsor a service dog. Many thanks go out to Tito's hand-made vodka, which sponsored the event for the second year.

Bolton Repair Cafe Mends Again!

The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, with support from Bolton Local and the Repair Cafe Foundation, hosted its eighteenth Bolton Repair Café on June 1 at Bolton's Florence Sawyer School. 59 guests attended, bringing 89 items for repair. Thanks to the 28 volunteers, about 79% of the items were repaired! Among the more interesting items for repair were a hoverboard. an electronic lawn mower that needed rechargeable batteries, and a decorative well with a broken chain for the bucket. See more photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/YtRb3guStdkH4sQg9.

Bulletin for May 30th Meeting

Posted by Catherine Hammill on Jun 04, 2019

Mary Garcia welcome new member, Susan Wilkinson. Razia Jan was our honored guest and speaker.

Reality Fair 2019 Held on April 5

The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley ran its seventh annual financial Reality Fair for Nashoba Regional High School sophomores on Friday, April 5 . Over 50 volunteers brought a taste of financial literacy to the 243 students in the Sophomore class.

The Reality Fair was a financial management event for the high school’s sophomores, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, Nashoba Regional High School, and Clinton Savings Bank. The objective was to give students a better understanding of the financial responsibilities they will face in the real world. Students picked a career, received a monthly paycheck, and had to maintain a lifestyle within their budget.

“On the day of the fair, students get a paycheck based on a career that they select,” explained Jacky Foster, President of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley. “The paycheck shows their monthly salary and deducted taxes. With the remaining money, they need to pay for essentials like housing, utilities, insurance, transportation, clothing, and food. They are also tempted with “nice-to-have” luxuries, such as pets, travel, and entertainment, and they must spin a Wheel of Fortune that will help them understand life’s unexpected expenses or windfalls. It’s a real eye opener for most of them, and we can use more help for this learning experience. Besides, it’s a ton of fun!”

After students visited the various tables at the fair, they balanced their budgets and reviewed their spreadsheets with a credit counselor. The completed ledgers will be sent home to the students for further discussion. As a result, each student should gain greater financial literacy and appreciation for future financial decisions.

Congratulations to RYLA 2019 Recipients!

Congratulations to scholarship winners Abigail Ayotte, Emma Conant, Leo Lukaszevicz and Teagan O’Connor, who were all selected to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Award conference in June 2019. Robert Johnson, local Committee Chairperson, said that the chosen students will be among the more than 150 Massachusetts high school sophomores who will attend the RYLA Conference at Fitchburg State University.

Aimed at developing the leadership potential of young men and women, the conference will feature many thought-provoking events including interactive Leadership Labs, exciting guest speakers, and challenging mental and physical activities that will provide the participants with a chance to excel among and with their peers. Topics will include decision-making, critical thinking, communicating effectively, ethics, and public service.

To be chosen, the candidates needed to qualify by showing leadership potential and good citizenship characteristics, and showing a strong desire to attend and benefit from the conference. Additionally, in their individual interviews, they needed to stand out from the other applicants. We thank all applicants for this program!

Appreciation for Our First Responders

To kick off the new year, the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley baked and assembled plates of goodies, which were then distributed to the police departments, fire departments, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in our three primary service towns: Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow. It was an opportunity to show our gratitude to every-day heroes that serve our community!

Razia's Ray of Hope Thanks Rotary for $58,000 Global Grant

Razia’s Ray of Hope sent the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley a thank-you note for the $58,000 Global Grant the club sponsored and awarded in 2017:

For the past two years, the Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation’s (RRH) Midwifery Program Global Grant has provided medical equipment in conjunction with education and training for future maternal and child health professionals and skilled birth attendants at the Razia Jan Institute (RJI) in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan. We are especially grateful to the Nashoba Valley Rotary Club for spearheading the grant process for the Foundation.

The Global Grant for $58,000 specifically supported medical equipment and supplies; salaries for Afghan professional services (doctors, nurses, midwives, program manager and support staff); and gas, repairs, and maintenance for a van to transport faculty and students.

The Razia Jan Institute is a tuition-free, two-year midwifery training program and educational facility emphasizing the importance of maternal and infant health while supporting health-sector employment for Afghan women. Learn more about Razia's Ray of Hope at https://raziasrayofhope.org.

27 Founding Members Installed at New Interact Club of Maynard High School

Twenty-seven founding members of the new Interact Club of Maynard High School were inducted during a ceremony on January 28, 2019 at the public school. John Erb, who sponsored the Interact club as a member of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, asked the members to "promise to do goodwill within your community and your country. In addition to service, you will have the benefits of strong bonds of friendship with fellow Interactors, locally and worldwide, as well as the chance to develop strong leadership and professional skills." John also led them in stating Rotary's Four Way Test. View the photo album, and learn more about this new club and its new officers: http://ht.ly/bnlW30nFVp6

Part of Rotary International, Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self. Learn more at https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/interact-clubs.