Donations to this year’s Polar Plunge are being directly made through the donate button in MyRotary or through your club’s Foundation Chair.  Once a club has donated a minimum of $1500 it qualifies them to receive the End Polio Now Certificate from Rotary International.   Last year only four clubs in our district reached that benchmark.  I’m pleased to say that the top four clubs below have already surpassed that level.  Let’s try to get our District back to more participation throughout the clubs.  The “Official” Polar Plunge has been scheduled for April 2nd and is being sponsored by the Gloucester Club.  Again we will meet at the beach at the Cape Ann Motor Inn.  More information on whom to contact in the Gloucester Club to apprise them how many people will be joining them, and information on how to make reservations at the Cape Ann Motor Inn will be forthcoming.  The list below includes all donations made to PolioPlus from July 1, 2021, as of January 14, 2022. Year to date we have raised $24,906.01 of our $100,000 goal.

 

1. Marblehead

2. Rockport

3. Reading

4. Arlington

5. Lynn

6. Chelsea

7. Swampscott

8. Amesbury

9. Wakefield

10. Boston #7

 

The deadline to submit a District Managed Grant for either local or international projects is January 31, 2022. Your club must be grant qualified to apply for a grant. District Designated Funds (DDF) can provide 50% of funding up to $3000.00 for local grants and $5000.00 for international grants. For example, if your club contributes $6000 for a local project, then DDF match would be $3000.00. DDF monies are available to distribute once grant applications are closed, our spending plan is approved by RI and monies received. Once the district receives the funding and after your project is completed, you will receive the grant distribution. Please note: due to reduced giving to the Annual Fund Share in year 2018-2020, (Annual Fund Share giving provides our grant monies 3 years later), only one grant is able to be approved per club. 

If you need support contact Martha Holden at marthahealeyholden@gmail.com or Joan Arsenault at joan@massteximaging.com.

On January 12, 2022, the Rotary Club of Lynn continued with its tradition of distributing dictionaries to 3rd graders in the 18 public elementary schools in Lynn.  Since 2008, the Rotary Club of Lynn, MA has presented over 1,200 dictionaries annually to third-grade students in the Lynn Public Schools.  This year marks the 14th consecutive year of this service project for the club and a distribution of nearly 18,000 dictionaries since its inception! 

 

This year the Reading Cooperative Bank (RCB) funded the cost of the dictionaries.  The prior sponsor, the Coastal Heritage Bank branch in Wyoma Square was purchased by RCB in 2021.  Tess Cunha, VP and Branch Administrator for RCB was more than happy to step-up and sponsor the project.  In 2021, due to Covid 19 restrictions, the dictionaries were distributed by the teachers, but this year the Rotarians and employees of RCB were able to personally distribute them. 

 

It's 2022, and Marblehead's Got Talent (MGT) is back with $15,000 in performance art scholarships for Marblehead students. 

 

Every year, Marblehead Rotary awards scholarships to qualified students who compete for the top three prizes: $6,000 for first place, $4,000 for second place, and $3,000 for third place.  With an additional four runner-up winners of $500.00 each.  Marblehead Rotarian David Deutsch explained, "More and more financial scholarships for the performing arts are hard to come by.  But we made it a goal to recognize our talented high schoolers through healthy competition to foster their development in the performing arts and help them pay for college." 

 

How to join?  It is open to all Marblehead High School. Send a video audition to us by midnight on January 24.  The audience will choose semi-finalists on Thursday, February 3, at the Marblehead High School Auditorium, and then capping the event in the grand finale at Cabot Theatre in Beverly on Thursday, the 17th.  For more information and to get an application online, visit: www.marbleheadsgottalent.com.