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Apr 24, 2023 6:00 PM
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Rotary Club of Reading, Massachusetts, USA

Rotarians have fun serving the community.  Join us!

New Meeting Schedule starting September 2022. 
1st Monday: Residence at Pearl 12:15 pm. 
3rd Monday:  RCTV at 6 pm. 
4th Monday:  Board Meeting. 
 
Home Page Stories
Thanks to the great crew of workers who stuffed around 300 literacy bags for our Rotary Readers project.  We will be visiting all the Kindergarten classrooms and reading to the students.  Each K student will receive a literacy bag including 2 early reading books.
 
Thanks to Amy, Sherilla, Gina, John and Brenda.  Not pictured Peter and Tim.
Rotary District 7930 is actively searching for qualified high school sophomore, junior and senior candidates to attend this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Conference, which will be held from May 12-14 at the Camp Rotary in Boxford, MA.  The Annual RYLA Conference offers participants an opportunity to live, work and interact together in an atmosphere of cooperation and growth.  The program is designed to challenge participants to utilize and improve their skills and accept the responsibilities of leadership.  The entire cost of the program, aside from a $25 application fee provided by applicants, will be covered by the Rotary Club in your area.
 
Participants will be selected who have exhibited leadership abilities and who are currently in their sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. RYLA is now contacting high school Interact clubs, Rotary clubs, guidance counselors, youth organizations and other sources for nominations of conference participants.
 
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where students develop their skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.
 
Here’s what students experience at RYLA… 
  • Explore and practice new concepts of leadership and citizenship
  • Discover creative approaches for resolving family, social and professional conflicts
  • Experience the joy and the value of learning teamwork to get an advantage for the future
  • Challenge participants to exhibit “Service Above Self” in their communities and lives
 
Applications are now live and are available at bit.ly/2020RYLA as well as on our RYLA linktree found at: https://linktr.ee/ryla7930.
 
For additional questions or resources, contact RYLA Chair Christina Harris at Christina@PartnerWithChoice.com or Reading Rotary Co-President Sheila Clarke at smwclark1@gmail.com.
Reading Rotary will welcome back Dr. Philip Haydon as a speaker at its meeting on March 20 at 6 pm at RCTV.  Philip Haydon is an internationally recognized neuroscientist, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine. He runs an active laboratory researching a multitude of neurological disorders, including epilepsy.
 
Dr. Haydon founded Sail 4 Epilepsy, with a mission to use sailing to inspire people with epilepsy, their families, and their caregivers to take One More Step towards living a fuller life, with the necessary safety measures in place.  Dr. Haydon has had trauma induced epilepsy since he was 15.  Roughly ten years ago, he decided to start talking about his epilepsy to promote greater understanding. 
 
Dr. Haydon is an impressive and inspirational speaker and who previously spoke to Reading Rotary in April 2022.
 
Sail For Epilepsy posts photos, videos, and blogs and broadcasts live while underway, but this project is about more than sailing.  During in-port events, Phil and his crew engage with the local community to share his story and hear about ways others are living a fuller life, despite epilepsy. He gives presentations with the goal of educating the public about epilepsy and seizure first aid.
 
The public is invited to attend.  For questions, please contact John Douglass (jldouglass@comcast.net) or Sheila Clarke (smwclarke1@gmail.com).  
 
Pictured here is Co-President John Douglass with Dr. Phil Haydon.
Saturday, May 6th at the Wakefield Elks Club
63 Baystate Road
Wakefield, MA 01867
 
Doors open at 3:30 
Races begin at 4:00
Appetizers and Cash Bar
 
Reading Rotary is hosting what is sure to be a fun-filled event on behalf of Pep's Peddlers and Pan Mass Challenge.  So, corral all of your friends, put on your best Derby attire, and trot on down to the Wakefield Elks.
 
Afternoon to include DJ, streamed races, derby themed games, best hat/attire prizes, raffles & more!
 
On Feb. 27, Town Manager Fidel Maltez attended our meeting to introduce Ben Cares, the new Director of Economic Development in Reading.  Ben was our speaker and talked about the many exciting things going on in the Town and what he has been working on since his arrival toward the end of 2022.
 
Ben has already been working with our Reading Fall Street Faire Committee and plans on working on with Rotary on this hugely popular event.
 
 
We have been invited by Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee to attend a community workshop on disability inclusion.  Sudeshna is Reading's Director for Equity & Social Justice and was recently spoke at our meeting.  She is hosting this workshop with Reading SEPAC on March 30, 5:30 to 7:30 PM at RPL Community Rooms.  Reading like many municipal and school districts have long struggled with disability inclusive recreation and services for the youth and seniors alike.  In a first of its kind community workshop/training, the goal is to bring together community members including residents, advocates and employees in the interest of inclusive culture development in town, geared specifically towards collaborative learning and inter community trust building.  Partner include Reading Schools, the Y and Pleasant St Center for this program.
 
Dr. Chatterjee has specifically extended an invitation to all Rotarians to attend.  Registration link is here:  https://libcal.readingpl.org/event/10395418.
Join the Belle Isle and Parkway Rotary Clubs on March 4th, 2023, to raise funds to End Polio Now.
 
Join other Rotarians at the East Boston Yacht Club and dip into the Boston Harbor "Bay of Pigs."
 
Arrive any time after 10:00 am.  Plungers will be going down the ramp at 11:00 am.
 
After the dip, come on and join the hosting Rotaries inside for coffee, cocoa and a cash bar.  There will also be a potluck to warm us up.
 
Donations go into the District Raise for Rotary.
 
Or use the Donate Button on the RI home page to donate directly to Polio Plus.
 
RSVP to Tom Hankard at Belle Isle or Terry Curran at Parkway Rotary.  Please let them know if bringing Interactors.  Download the flyer here.
 
Reading Rotarians interested in joining in, can contact John Douglass.
Note our next scheduled meeting is Feb. 27 at 6 pm at RCTV.  Featured with be Reading's new Economic Development Director, Ben Cares, along with Town Manager Fidel Maltez.
 
We pushed our monthly evening meeting to the 4th Monday due to the Presidents' Day Holiday.
 
Ben and Fidel will be our speakers.  Ben is taking over the position formerly held by Erin Schaffer.  We anticipate Ben will also take an interest in the Fall Street Faire as did Erin before him.  
 
Please attend if you are able.  If anyone from the public is interested in attending, we ask you to email Sheila Clarke if you can.  However, all are invited to attend for this dinner meeting.
 
Note that we get back to our regular schedule (1st Monday lunch at Residence at Pearl & 3rd Monday dinner at RCTV).  We have interesting speakers for both March meetings.  Please spread the word and bring guests.
 
 
Reading Rotary is turning 100 years old in 2023.  We will be participating in a Multi Club Gala on May 13 at the Ipswich Country Club, so please save the date.  More information will be coming regarding pricing and how to reserve tickets.
 
There is a working group from 9 Clubs also turning 100 this year.  If you are interested in helping out with the details, please contact Prez John or Prez Sheila.  This group has been meeting on Zoom approximately once per month.  The next meeting is Wed., Feb. 22 at 6:30 pm.  Anyone interested, contact Tim and I'll send the Zoom info.
 
In addition, the Club will be hosting a separate event in the fall. 
 
Reading Rotary was chartered December 7, 1923.