To reach out to those who are more confined at this time, members of the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley have been sending cards and letters to the residents of the River Terrace Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Lancaster, MA since June. Every week, members send 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 include jokes, riddles, puzzles, and activities to help entertain the residents. The envelopes are 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." The club intends to continue until the pandemic ends or the center no longer needs the community outreach.

 

Additionally, the club started sending cards and letters to the residents at the Bolton Country Manor, which offers supportive housing to residents in Bolton, MA. Many residents are trapped in isolation amid coronavirus. Cards and letters are brightening their days!

 

Recently, third graders at Mary Rowlandson Elementary School in Lancaster, MA received dictionaries of their own, complete with personalized book plates! The donation was part of The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. 

 

So far this school year, The Dictionary Project has reached an estimated 484,948 students for a total of more than 33 million students. The Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley has participated in the program since its inception, providing 1,056 students in Lancaster, MA with personal dictionaries over the past years!

 

To honor Stow-area veterans, the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley provided about 40 veterans and guests with a pre-packaged lunch and the opportunity to meet with town and state officials on Veterans Day, November 11. Lunch included a sandwich, chips, salads, beverage, dessert, and more, and more than 30 volunteers provided the lunches to participants who remained in their cars.

 

 

Local dignitaries, including State Representative Kate Hogan, Selectmen Ellen Sturgis, Megan Birch-McMichael, Jim Salvie, and  Chair Tom Ryan, Fire Chief Landry, and Acting Police Chief Sallese, joined Rotarians, members of the Nashoba Regional High School Interact club, and community volunteers, to greet and thank the veterans. The lunch served as an alternative to the traditional Veterans Day breakfast.

 

This Veterans Day appreciation lunch was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley, Friends of the Stow Council on Aging, Worker’s Credit Union, Shaw’s Stow, and Honey Pot Hill Orchards.