A Message from the Club President

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As the 2012-2013 President, I would like to welcome you to the Rotary Club of Rochester, New Hampshire website.  Our Club was established in May, 1960 and has in excess of 90 members.   As one of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, Rochester serves the local community by providing financial assistance and in-kind services to a number of individuals and community organizations in pursuit of the Rotary Mission, “Service above Self”.

The Rotary International theme for 2012-2013 is “Peace through Service”.  As you read through the many projects and activities the Club is involved with, you will see that our Club does well to live up to the theme and continues to develop new and innovative ways to serve the community.  For instance, the Club has worked hard the past two years to construct a special needs baseball field that will enable athletes with physical and mental challenges to participate in the game of baseball.  This “state-of-the-art” synthetic field will be the first of its kind in New Hampshire and will benefit children ages 5-20 from around the region. 

We also volunteer at the Homeless Shelter of Strafford County, provide support to the local food pantry, sponsor a “back-to-school” clothing drive/giveaway for less fortunate families, volunteer for traffic control at the local holiday parade and sponsor youth sports teams.  Additionally, we sponsor a summer reading program for elementary students, offer finger printing and ID kits to first graders and distribute dictionaries to all third-grade students throughout the City.

The Rotary Club of Rochester also supports projects nationally and internationally.   When Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, the Club sent a significant financial donation to the Rotary Club of Belle Chasse in New Orleans to assist those in need.  Internationally, we have provided financial support to an eye-care program and sent medical equipment to Rivas Hospital in Nicaragua and purchased wheelchairs for those in need in third-world nations.  Club members have also been very generous in supporting Rotary International’s goal of eradicating Polio world-wide.

We invite you to come and make a difference in your Community, the Country and the World.  For more information email our Club Membership Chair or join us for lunch on Mondays at 12:15 PM at the Governor’s Inn in Rochester.

Yours in Rotary,

Gerry Gilbert

President 2012-2013