Flags for Heroes Ipswich South Green

Community Service - Ipswich

Community Service - Rowley

Community Service - Ipswich Interact

International Friendship Exchange

Jingle Bell Walk will be December 18

Posted by Bob Wicks on Nov 29, 2021

Due an unusually busy schedule and travel restrictions, Santa Claus will visit Ipswich a bit later this year. On December 18, the Jolly Elf will once again arrive by boat at Town Wharf.

Upon his arrival, our guest of honor will be escorted by the Ipswich High School Interact elves on a 'Jingle Bell Walk' along Water Street to Town Hall. At Town Hall, Santa will greet the children while the elves host fun games and activities in Santa's Village.

The arrival is scheduled for 11 am, at the wharf.

This event is an annual gift to the town from Ipswich High School Interact.

Click HERE for more information from Interact President Claire O'Flynn.

Rotarians Ring the Ipswich Dinner Bell

Posted by Bob Wicks on Nov 16, 2021

On November 15, the Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Club served a meal of Shepherd’s Pie at the weekly Ipswich Dinner Bell.  Chef Ray Morley assembly a team of Rotary volunteers for preparation and service, which began at 4 pm in the Masonic Hall with the setting up of tables and chairs.

Once the tables were in place, Rotarians added tablecloths, cups, creamers, candy, salt and pepper, silverware, napkins, and water pitchers.  When the guests arrived, our crew served pitchers of lemonade and iced tea as well as cups of coffee.  Back in the kitchen, Rotarians also were assisting Chef Ray by unloading food from his vehicle, tossing the salad, and serving delicious food onto plates.  Runners serving as waiters the brought plated meals out to our waiting and hungry guests.  During dinner, Rotarians arranged a brownie and ice cream dessert into bowls.  And when it was all over, more than 70 satisfied and happy people had enjoyed a good meal and friendly conversation with friends and neighbors. A few guests left with some extra food for another day.

Following the meal service, a crew swung into cleanup mode, returning the room to its normal setting, while the dish crew was busy washing up.  And, when that was done, our hard working Rotary staff was able to sit down and share a meal and fellowship.

Chris Davis, our Community Service committee chair, noted that 12 Rotarians were on hand during the event.  In addition to Ray and Chris, the other Rotarians helping out were Kathy Bento, Chris Bevilacqua, Sr Leonore Coan, Kathy Frederick, Diane Herth, Martha Mauser, Nat Pulsifer, Cindy Quinn, Lisa Shanko, and Jim Tedford.

In the photo above, some of the team members included Diane Herth, Martha Mauser, Kathy Frederick, Lisa Shanko, Kathy Bento, and Sr Leonore Coan.  Our newsletter editor Cindy Quinn provided the photos and most of the content in this article.

Rotary Honors Local Heroes

Posted by Bob Wicks on Nov 12, 2021

At the first annual ‘Celebrate Our Heroes’ event hosted by Rotary District 7930 on Thursday evening in Danvers, two local heroes nominated by the Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Club were honored.

The Ipswich hero for 2021 is Lt. Colonel Meghann Plumlee, a graduate of West Point and the historic first ever female commander of the 101^st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts National Guard. The unit was established in 1636 and is one of the oldest serving regiments in the US Army. Plumlee’s active duty assignments included deployments to Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Honored from Rowley was Nerissa Wallen, a long-time member and past Chairperson of the Triton School Committee, and an advocate for Rowley based youth programs such as scouting. A graduate of the Triton school system, Nerissa began serving on the school committee in 2015 and co-founded ‘Support MA Regional Schools’, a grass roots group that advocates on behalf of regional schools at the state level.

Seen in the photo are District Governor Terry Rezendes Curran, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary President Clint Dalton, Rowley recipient Nerissa Wallen, Ipswich recipient Lt. Colonel Meghann Plumlee, and Past District Governor Joan Arsenault. The photo was taken by Keith Harris.

Rotarians Create Birthday Kits for Kids

Posted by Diane Herth on Oct 24, 2021

The Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Club recently gathered at Agawam Village in Ipswich for a service project to assemble birthday party kits for distribution to families from The Open Door food pantry!

Every child should have an opportunity to have a birthday party for eight, and now they can. Ipswich-Rowley Rotary provided the items, and assembled the kits for 96 families in need.  Each party kit included 14 items to throw a party - - - everything from cake mix, frosting and candles, to all the party decorations and paper goods. The kits also include a snack box with juice, raisins, pretzels, and party favor bags filled with lots of fun toys to send home with friends.

Do you enjoy helping others?  Rotary is a world-wide service organization looking for service-minded people.  Our local club meets weekly at the Village Pancake House on Thursday morning at 7:15 am (except for the second week of the month, when we meet in Ipswich on Wednesday evening at 6 pm).

Join us for breakfast and find out what our Rotary Club is all about, and how you can help make our communities a bit better.

Rotarian Nat Pulsifer Honored

Posted by Bob Wicks on Oct 12, 2021

From left to right in the photo are Scott Trenti, CEO of Senior Care, Nat Pulsifer, and Illia Stacy, Executive Director of Ipswich Aware and member of the Senior Care Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors of Senior Care, Inc, a Gloucester based senior citizen services organization, has awarded Nat Pulsifer the 2021 ‘Myra L. Herrick Outstanding Older American Award’ for his contributions to the safety and well-being of North Shore citizens, especially in his home town of Ipswich.

According to Scott Trenti, CEO of Senior Care, Nat was recognized for repeatedly volunteering at ‘the COVID-19 vaccination on-site in Ipswich, greeting the participants in the first two waves of vaccinations. He knew most of the people coming in, and welcomed everyone with genuine warmth and efficiency’. Scott is seen in the photo presenting the award to Nat following a recent club meeting at the Pancake House in Rowley.

In addition to being a long-time Ipswich-Rowley Rotarian, Nat is well-known as a Trustee of the Coburn Charitable Society, as the river captain of Ipswich Illuminating, and for his active support of numerous environmental and humanitarian non-profit organizations and charitable events.

Trenti informed us that ‘the Myra L. Herrick Outstanding Older American Award is given yearly to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the welfare of elders in an innovative, creative, or dedicated way, or who is a role model for continuing to live an active, healthy, and purposeful lifestyle’. Scott Trenti also is a Rotarian, and a member of the Gloucester Rotary Club.

Others recognized this year by Senior Care were Ipswich Pharmacist Alex Doyle, Massachusetts Senator Bruce Tarr, the Meals on Wheels team, and numerous volunteer medical transportation drivers. Along with Nat, these individuals provided heroic and vital services to senior citizens during the pandemic. In June, Alex Doyle was recognized by the Rotary club as their ‘Person of the Year’.

Congratulations, and deep appreciation, to our good friend and neighbor Nat Pulsifer!

Rotary Welcomes New Members

Posted by Bob Wicks on Oct 03, 2021

President Clint Dalton inducts our three new members. From left, President Clint, Lisa Shanko, Olivia Perez-O'Dess, Kathy Frederick, Nat Pulsifer, Heidi VonAsch, and Cushing Titcomb.

At its regular club meeting on Thursday, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary inducted three new members. These members join over 70 other area professionals who are dedicated to changing lives through community service.

Kathleen Frederick recently retired from her longtime position as a Special Needs Teacher in the Ipswich Public Schools. During her long tenure, that spanned over 30 years, she worked closely with parents and students and was actively involved in the in the arts and civic activities in town. As she joins our club, Kathy has expressed a strong interest in our broad range of youth oriented programs. Kathy’s sponsors and mentors are Keith Harris and Nat Pulsifer.

Olivia Perez-O’Dess serves as Director of Community Relations at the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber recently merged with the Ipswich Chamber and supports local businesses and community leaders to promote area economic growth and planning. As part of her expanded role following the merger, Olivia is a member of the Ipswich Roundtable. In joining Rotary, Olivia will seek opportunities to further strengthen collaboration between the club and the local Chamber. Olivia’s sponsor and mentor is Lisa Shanko.

Heidi VonAsch was promoted to Branch Manager of the Ipswich office of Brookline Bank in July. She brings 18 years of experience in banking, mostly as Assistant Manager of the bank’s location in Medford Square. In her new position, Heidi will oversee management of the office and assist customers with their financial needs. Heidi is excited to be joining the local Rotary club and becoming fully engaged in her new community. Cushing Titcomb is Heidi’s sponsor and mentor.

The Rotary club is thrilled to welcome these new members, and we look forward to expanding our services in our towns of Ipswich and Rowley.