In the photo, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Past President Ann Witzig receives the 2024 Presidential Citation from Past District Governor Lori Karas.
Ipswich-Rowley Rotary members, working together, completed 17 of 20 goals set by the club at the beginning of the 2023-2024 Rotary year.
The goal categories outlined by Rotary International are:
- Enhance Participant Engagement
- Increase our impact
- Expand our reach
- Increase our ability to adapt
In recognition, our club received the 2023-2024 Rotary Citation from Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally. This is the most significant award a Rotary Club can earn each year.
On hand last week to present the award to Past President Ann Witzig was Past District Governor Lori Karas. Lori reminded us that is important to ‘celebrate the things we do since it is a catalyst for new members’. 
Some of our notable accomplishments during the past year include:
- Environmental Grant to support regional efforts to preserve regional water resources
- Comfort and assistance to senior citizens – including ‘Coffee with a Rotarian’, ‘Lend-a-Hand’ small projects support, annual Senior Lunch, and quarterly ‘Ipswich Dinner Bell’
- Food distribution – collecting and delivering food in support of The Open Door food pantry
- Youth programs – our annual programs include several school based service clubs, youth leadership development, international youth exchange, and scholarships including our yearly $10,000 donation to the ‘Gerry Beauchamp Camp Scholarship Fund’ at the Ipswich YMCA
- Centennial Gift of $15,000 – to support the updated community garden and recreational facilities being developed by the Ipswich Housing Authority (IHA)
- Tree planting at the IHA County Road campus
- Veterans and First Responders support – aka ‘Flags for Heroes’
- Public health – installing Buddy Benches at all school and library locations in Ipswich and Rowley, supporting Rotary International’s Polio eradication program, and funding ‘Manny’s Swing’ to assist an autistic child in Ipswich
Together we achieve more than we can alone.
Mary currently serves Ipswich as Assistant Town Manager and Human Resource Director. A dynamic and innovative human resources leader, her strong community service commitment extends well beyond her official duties and includes, among others, volunteering at the Ipswich Council on Aging, Ipswich Illumination, and the Ipswich Food Pantry (The Open Door). Throughout her life, Mary has sought opportunities to assist those who are suffering, in need or in crisis; as a town leader, she encourages other employees to help. 
As we approach another Earth Day, our planet home is in environmental crisis. Increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human energy and food production and consumption are accelerating climate change and extreme weather at an alarming pace, resulting in ecological destruction, human suffering and economic loss. We in the US have a disproportionate impact on the environment through our higher resource and energy consumption, and therefore have a responsibility to do more to be part of the solution. Here are 5 key things we can do to be better stewards of the earth and reduce our environmental footprints:
1230 pounds of food was collected in February at seven locations in Ipswich and Rowley. The Open Door staff said they appreciated both the quantity and the quality of the food donated.
Four times each year, assisted by Ipswich High School Interact, we also serve dinner to Ipswich residents at ‘The Dinner Bell’ - a weekly Monday evening community service hosted by the Masonic Lodge. In partnership with the Ipswich Council on Aging, we host an annual Senior Lunch in the Spring, also with the invaluable help of Interact. And recently we launched “Coffee with a Rotarian”, a joint initiative with the COA that brings coffee, conversation, and companionship to homebound seniors in need of a cheerful visit.
Gordon is a semi-retired carpenter and, since 2014, the official Ipswich Town Historian. This is a significant responsibility since the Ipswich Town Seal commemorates the town’s unique distinction as the ‘Birthplace of American Independence’, stemming from the resistance in 1687 of town leaders and citizens to burdensome taxes imposed by the British Crown. In his capacity as our official historian, Gordon is a prolific researcher and author of new and interesting articles about the town’s colorful past. As a carpenter and historian, he also assists homeowners in researching their historic homes. 
The US Surgeon General, the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute of Health (NIH), and Dr. Ruth (our first US Ambassador to Loneliness), have all recently acknowledged epidemic proportions of loneliness and isolation throughout the United States and the world. Older adults who have difficulties leaving their homes are particularly vulnerable to isolation, loneliness, and associated health issues.
In the photo, from left, Claire Buletza, Annika Johnson, Charlotte Donahue, and Jenny White. (Photo by John Muldoon)
At a gala dinner last Saturday evening at the Ipswich Country Club, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary was one of seven area Rotary clubs that were honored with Massachusetts Senate Citations presented by State Senator Bruce Tarr. Senator Tarr noted the clubs were being recognized for their historic founding by local business leaders in 1923, and for their many years of community service and social support. As he put it, “700 years of community and international service are represented in this room”.
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Rowley, MA 01969
United States of America