ROTARY ROUND-UP: February 2010
News of the Ashburnham/Westminster Rotary Club
Submitted by: George Lane
Oakmont Interact Club
In December, our club had a visit from the Interact Club at Oakmont. Interact is the Rotary organization for high school students. The current members are Katie Burstall, Maegan Porpora, Brys Scotland, Kelly Burstall, and Amanda Daigle. The club is engaged in a variety of community service projects. If you are a junior or senior at Oakmont and interested in working on community and international service activities, get in touch with one of the current members to discuss possible projects this Spring and next year.
Yemen and the Challenge of Terrorism
On January 13, George Lane spoke to the club about Yemen and the challenge of terrorism. He described Yemen as a "miniature Afghanistan" where al Qaeda's influence has been growing. He also discussed the attack on the "USS Cole" in October, 2000, and the efforts of the US government to bring the attackers to justice.
Ashburnham Conservation Trust
On January 20, Gary Howland from the Ashburnham Conservation Trust spoke about their efforts to protect and preserve our natural landscape. ACT is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that relies on the support of sponsor donations. They work as facilitators with developers and government agencies and assist the town with grant writing.
Rotary Comedy Night Raises Money for Haiti
Saturday night, January 30, the third annual Comedy Night was held at the Wachusett Village Inn, with all proceeds to benefit Haiti relief. During January, the club also made donations to the Westminster and Ashburnham food pantries and to Polio Plus, Rotary’s ongoing campaign to wipe out polio world-wide.
The Fitchburg Rotary Club is sponsoring a concert at Monty Tech on Saturday, February 27, featuring the Maverick Street Band. Proceeds will go to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. Our club is now actively planning its schedule for this Spring. The annual vocational awards night is scheduled for March 24, and keep in mind the annual golf tournament which is planned for June.
Rotary always welcomes new members, If you are interested in finding out more about the kinds of projects and activities Rotary supports, call Rotarian Roland Morin at (978) 537-1010.