John Perez

In the book "Start with Why, How Great Leaders Inspire Others to Take Action" by Simon Sinek, he shares what all of the most influential leaders have in common. They all start with the why. These leaders motivate their followers with a purpose before anything else. They share their message with others that believe what they believed. But, how do you find the ones who believe what you believe in the first place? For me, that place was our Rotary Club.

Why had we become Rotarians? Why we do what we do? Our primary purpose as Rotarians is to serve others. Our motto, Service Above Self, reflects this fact. Rotary Clubs are organized for the primary objective to help others, and the reward we receive is the personal satisfaction felt when you assisted or provided the means to assist others.

This week, we kick started our first service project participating in the New England Rotary Million Masks Donation. We received 20,000 disposable masks donated by Rotary district 7980 and the Rossi Foundation. Last Tuesday, our Club delivered a total of 18,000 disposable masks to First Responders and Essential workers of the City of Springfield. We donated 10,000 disposable masks to the City of Springfield; 5,000 each for Police and Fire Departments, 2,000 masks to United Way of Pioneer Valley, 1,500 to the Shriner's Hospital, and to Spirit of Springfield, and 1,000 masks to the Gray House, Square One, and the City of Springfield Library. Thanks to Jack Toner, Keri Davidson, Sue Mastroianni, Bernie Spirito, Stephen Jablonski, Maurice Powe, and my son Giovanni for their assistance in coordinating, storing and carry boxes, and help to deliver these donations to all these deserving organizations.

VIRTUAL ROTARY MEETINGS

No Meeting this Friday, October 30th

Please join us next Friday, November 6th at 12:30pm

To join the zoom meeting please use the link below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4839941111

Meeting ID: 483 994 1111

By phone: 1-929-205-6099

We hope you can attend!

ROTARY CLUB OF SPRINGFIELD, MA UPDATES

MASK DONATIONS

The above photo and below statement are from The Republican regarding the donations.

In an effort to meet the New England Rotary Clubs mission of donating one million masks, the Springfield chapter of the worldwide service organization has donated 20,000 disposable masks to various organizations across the city. “Sanitation and clean water is one of the Rotary Club’s overall goals and this donation coincides with that,” said John Perez, president of the Springfield Rotary Club. He said the donation is an effort between the club and the Rossi Family Foundation.

THE GRAY HOUSE SEEKS TURKEYS TO FEED NEIGHBORS IN NEED

Thanksgiving is approaching and The Gray House, a nonprofit human service agency in the North End of Springfield, is requesting donations to help ensure everyone enjoys a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

“Our annual Thanksgiving food distribution has an even greater significance this year. The holidays are usually a challenging time for our low-income neighbors. When you factor in all the additional stress and the sacrifices that both children and adults have had to make this year, along with the fact that many families won’t be able to physically be together for the holidays, it can seem insurmountable. This is our chance, as a community, to remind people that we are all in this together and that we will take care of one another. For our turkey recipients, this meal is a reminder that Thanksgiving is not cancelled. We hope it will help them enjoy the holiday to its fullest,” shared Gray House executive director, Kristen McClintock.

Knowing that many families won’t be together due to the pandemic, The Gray House has reduced the eligible household size requirement.

This year, households will only need to show that at least two people live together, in addition to proof of financial need.

If anyone has any questions please contact Sue Mastroianni at samastro@comcast.net or call 413 355 4871

FILL THE PLATE, FEED A FAMILY CHALLENGE

“Fill the Plate, Feed a Family Challenge,”

The Gray House is happy to announce that they surpassed their Fill the Plate, Feed a Family Challenge goal of $12,000!

Donations keep trickling in, but so far they have raised $12,308 to support the Market at Gray House.

These donations will help to feed families in need throughout our community.

Sue Mastroianni (Captain of Team Rotary) would like to thank all the Rotarians who helped them reach this goal.

There were 3 teams and collectively they raised almost HALF of the entire goal amount:

Team PBJ: $3,020; Team Founders: $1,985; Team Rotary: $868

If you were unable to donate last month, but are still interested in helping feed our neighbors in need,

please consider making a donation by clicking on this link https://www.mightycause.com/team/Springfieldrotary;

calling the Gray House at 413-734-6696 or mailing a check to The Gray House 22 Sheldon St Springfield, MA 01107

Thank you again!

WEEKLY REFLECTION

MESSAGE FROM ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

No current updates

MASSACHUSETTS COVID -19 INFORMATION

MASSACHUSETTS COVID-19 RESOURCES

Amid COVID-19, Fewer Cancer Patients Are Seeking Care - Docwire News

Sign up for text message alerts by sending COVIDMA to 888-777

General Information

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information

Daily updates

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information#daily-updates-

Regulations and guidelines

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information#regulations-&-guidance-

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW

2020-2021 BOARD OFFICERS AND MEMBERS

WANT TO REACH ROTARIANS?

Do you have some news or information that might be of interest to fellow Rotarians?*

If so, please email Samalid Hogan at smhogan413@gmail.com by TUESDAY of each week for inclusion in Friday's bulletin.

Our weekly Bulletin goes out to more than 70 local leaders every week and is a wonderful way to spread your message. *All submissions are subject to approval.

ROTARY MAGAZINE

Did you know you can easily reach the Rotarian Magazine, Rotary International, the District website and our own club website right from this bulletin?

Well, you can! Just check out the links under "ROTARY ONLINE" on your left.

Member Birthdays

Maurice Powe

October 28

Spouse Birthdays

Robin Sunter

October 1

Norma Lee

October 2

Nancy Perez

October 13

Rich Bravman

October 24

Anniversaries

Paul Lambert

Cynthia Lambert

October 1

Richard Fulkerson

Elena Leon Fulkerson

October 1

Gillian Amaral

Alex Amaral

October 21

Join Date

Ed Sunter

October 8, 2004

16 years

Claudine Wega

October 18, 2019

1 year

Ellen Freyman

October 18, 1991

29 years

Rosemary Woods

October 28, 2016

4 years

President

John Perez

President Elect

Maurice Powe

Secretary

Keri Davidson-Bravman

Treasurer

Michael Kelley

Immediate Past President

Bert Carter

Membership

Sue Mastroianni

Sergeant-at-Arms

Michael Cooley

The Rotary Foundation

Jack Toner

Service Projects

Marie Angelides

Public Relations

Samalid Hogan

Second Vice-President

Richard Fulkerson

Assistant Treasurer

Bernie Spirito

Director

Gillian Amaral

Director

Valerie Dulude

Rotary Club of Springfield - Meeting Fridays-12:15 PM

Service Above Self

Fridays at 12:30 PM

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1150 West Columbus Ave.,
MassMutual Room
Springfield, MA 01105
United States of America

Until further notice, our club meets online using Zoom. Our meeting ID and Password are viewable to Rotarians within our Rotary District. For other access, please contact President John Perez: john.perez@consiliumopis.com

Join Us Online

District Site

Venue Map

Keri Davidson-Bravman
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)