The Ayer Rotary Club extends its deepest condolences to the Eldredge Family of Ayer on the passing of the beloved Kathy Eldredge, wife of Rotarian Robert. We proudly administer the Captain Daniel Eldredge Scholarship Fund, which honors the memory of Bob and Kathy's son, Dan.
At the family's request, donations in the memory of Kathy, a retired Ayer school teacher, may be made to the fund that provides a scholarship to a high school senior from Ayer. Please send donations by check payable to the Ayer Rotary Club, with the memo "Capt. Daniel Eldredge Scholarship" and mail to Ayer Rotary Club, P.O. Box 239, Ayer, MA 01432.
Our club's weekly meetings often feature fascinating speakers who contribute to our community. Recently, we welcomed Michael Basile (third from right) of Catania Oils, a 4th-generation company located in Ayer.
Rotary's annual chicken BBQ for senior citizens of Ayer, Shirley, Harvard and Devens is Oct. 9. This year, the free event is "Grab N Go" with seniors asked to place orders only in advance and then pick them up at their chosen time.
Devens Dog & Music Festival, 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. . 29 Antietam St. (Museum Field), Devens, MA has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 31, 2021!
This event supports the Dogs2Vets Program. This annual fundraiser provides the vital funds necessary to support this program and provide much needed service dogs to Veterans. The Ayer, Shirley, Harvard and Devens Rotary Club has partnered with Clear Path for Veterans and the Nashoba Valley Rotary Club to bring this dog-loving fun to the area. Admission is $10; leashed dogs welcome.
The Rotary Club has expanded its Crutches Recycling Project by adding four drop-off locations to collect unwanted crutches, folding walkers, and canes. The donated mobility aids will be shipped to developing nations and given to people living with disabilities.
The drop-off locations are Gervais Ford and Jack O’Lantern Liquors in Ayer, Clear Path for Veterans New England on Devens, and the Office of Dr. Jeffrey G. Resnick, DPM, in Harvard. The business hours and addresses for the drop-off locations are available on ayerrotary.com, the website of the Rotary Club of Ayer, Harvard, Shirley and Devens.
Cleaning out your attic can change a person's life. Here's how.
Imagine if you could not walk. Imagine you had no wheelchair or crutches. How would you get out of bed? How would you cook? How would you go to the store or work?
In developing nations, countless individuals living with physical disabilities do not have access to mobility aids. They are left to crawl or be carried.
Yet, in closets and attics across the U.S., countless crutches, folding walkers, canes and wheelchairs sit unused, no longer needed. Our Crutches Recycling Project seeks to unite your unneeded mobility aids with people in desperate need.
We collect unwanted mobility aids and ship them to people living with physical disabilities in developing countries. We partner with Crutches4Africa, founded by a Colorado Rotarian, Dave Talbot, a polio survivor now contending with post-polio syndrome.
"We so overlook the gift of mobility that we don't realize how powerful it is," says Dave. "Crutches4Africa has given me the ability to say yes to people who are literally crawling on the ground."
If you have items to donate or would like more information about this project please email us at ayerrotary@gmail.com
The Ayer Rotary Club will build wheelchair ramps for people in our community who need a ramp but are unable to afford one on their own. The Club is currently accepting applications from area residents. For more information, or to apply, please contact Patricia Thorpe at 978-339-3419, or via email pattythorpe@live.com.
With proceeds from last year's Ducky Wucky River Race, the Ayer Rotary Club recently gave dictionaries as a personal gift to every third-grade student at the Page Hilltop School in Ayer.
Third-grade students at the Page Hilltop Elementary School received personalized dictionaries from the Ayer Rotary Club during a recent class assembly, just one example of public service funded by the club's annual Ducky Wucky River Race. Inscribed with each child’s name, the dictionaries are a gift meant to help students improve their communications skills and encourage them to excel in school.
“We are excited to provide a gift to each third grader to show them the Ayer Rotary Club and the entire community support their education and want them to succeed in school. We hope this will be the first year of a new annual tradition, and we thank the many individuals and sponsors who donate generously to support the community service work of the Ayer Rotary Club,” said Michael Phelan, the club’s president for 2015-16.
