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At Bristol Rotary’s Meeting on January 7, 2026, we were proud to welcome three new members who have exemplified our motto of “Service Above Self, by having dedicated themselves to helping the community in their current positions, even before joining Rotary. They are: Donna Wilson, Erin La Ninfa and Emily Marshall.

Donna Wilson is shown in the picture below on the far left next to her sponsor Lynette Lacerda. Donna is the Executive Director of the Benjamin Church Senior Center, a 501c3 in Bristol, RI. She is a dedicated advocate for seniors in the East Bay, having developed programs such as Coffee with a Cop, Foster a Senior, Senior Garden Boxes, Free sponsored lunches for seniors, and many other activities and programs for the community. She resides in Bristol with her husband Dave and their two children.

Third from the left is Erin La Ninfa next to her sponsor Mary Almeida. Erin is the Executive Director of the Community String Project, a Bristol-based non-profit providing accessible and affordable string instrument education. She possesses a strong background in non-profit operations, communications, and fundraising. She is a Bristol Resident.

To the far right is former President of Bristol Rotary, Mary Jo Tavares, inducting them into Bristol Rotary.

Emily Marshall is shown below (center) with her Sponsor Jason Regan on the right and Mary Jo Tavares on the left. Emily serves as the Chief of Information and Public Relations at the RI Executive Office of Housing. A Roger Williams University graduate and former Rotaract President, she is active in the Bristol 4th of July Committee and the Bristol Prevention Coalition. She has extensive experience in public relations, media engagement and community outreach.

Welcome all to Bristol Rotary, we are fortunate to have you join us - Help Us Help Others!

Result of Bristol Rotary’s Dinner for 2 Fundraiser – Winners and Winners

Last August, Bristol Rotary kicked off a fundraiser called “Dinner for 2 – anywhere in the world.” For $25 a ticket, the winner of the drawing in November would receive a $10,000 award to travel anywhere in the world (with the help of AtlantiVacations Travel Agency). It was the second successful year of this fundraiser, whose proceeds were to be divided between two local charities. The charities this year were the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) and Bristol HEZ’ School-based Family Services. WRC cares for and supports survivors of domestic violence, and much more. Bristol HEZ’ School-based Family Services has offices in both the Kickemuit Middle School and Mt. Hope High School to help students and families with basic needs such as lunches, clothing, health products, food insecurities at home, and psychological issues.

The drawing was held November 17, and the trip was won by James and Susan Thompson of South Dartmouth, MA, who have chosen as their trip, three cities in Ireland and a castle for dinner: Dublin, Galway, and Adare (the castle)!

As a result of the drawing, Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation awarded donations of $10,000 each, to the Women’s Resource Center and HEZ’ School-based Family Services. The awards were presented at the Bristol Rotary meeting on December 17, 2025.

See below:

Left to right, Sydney Ormerod and Becky Hill from WRC; Bruce Cox, president of Bristol Rotary; Sandra Andrade, Rotarian and seller of the winning ticket to the Thompsons - with their picture; and Melissa Goldstein and Jessica Williams from HEZ’ School-based Family Services.

All Winners!

Rotary Club Makes the Season Bright

From 12/18/25 Bristol Phoenix!

Bristol Sports Club announces Bristol Rotary Organization of the Year

Earlier in November, at a reception for Steve Contente as the well-deserved Man of the Year for 2025, Elisio Castro, President, announced that next year, breaking with tradition of choosing a man or a woman as person of the year, it has chosen an organization – the Rotary Club of Bristol, Rhode Island. “This is an organization that has been tirelessly helping our community and local people in need for almost 99 years. In addition, it has reached out to support orphanages, shelters and schools for children in such international communities as the Azores and Haiti. “

Bristol Rotary’s theme has been ‘Help Us Help Others.” Through its Charities Foundation (a 501c3), Bristol Rotary has organized fundraisers, accepted donations and used all its funds from the Foundation to support local charities and programs generally for people in need in our community. Specifically, it has donated thousands of dollars to such organizations as: The Autism Project, Women’s Resource Center, the two Food pantries in Bristol - The East Bay Food Pantry and St. Elizabeth’s Food Pantry. Every year in May, the Club donates to over 30 local charities or charitable programs. It’s current “Dinner for 2, Anywhere in the World” fundraiser will donate all proceeds to the Women’s Resource Center and the School-based Family Services, which funds offices, in both middle school and high school, that support students in need of food, clothing and a number of other services. To participate in “Dinner for 2, visit “Bristolrotaryclub.com/dinnerfor2.” To help with the current food crisis, Bristol Rotary has set up a website to donate through the Foundation to both local food pantries (and it is tax deductible); go to “bristolrotaryclub.com/foodpantries.”

Bristol Rotary wishes to express its heartfelt appreciation to the Bristol Sports Club for the honor of being selected to be “Organization of the Year.” Some Rotary members are shown below at the announcement.

Front Row: Jacques de Labry, Steve Contente, Mary Jo Tavares, Cid Rodrigues, Mary Moreira. Back Row: Warren Rensehausen, Doug Gablinske, Police Chief Kevin Lynch, Maria Cesario, Angela Cabral, Mary Almeida

Two new members Join the Rotary Club of Bristol

At the November 19 lunch meeting, Bristol Rotary was proud to induct two new members into the Club. In the picture below, second from the left, is Nancy Coelho who is the Branch Manager of the Centerville Bank in Warren. Nancy was raised and lives in Bristol.

To the right of Nancy is Deborah Metaxas, who is certainly not new to Bristol Rotary, but we are delighted to have her back. Deb was President of Bristol Rotary in 2013. She had been a member of Rotary from 1999 to 2015 and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow award in 2014.

Welcome back Deb and welcome aboard Nancy!

From Left to right: Gina Helm, Nancy, Coelho, Deborah Metaxas, Jacques de Labry and Bruce Cox, President of Bristol Rotary.

Bristol Rotary is selected as Non-Profit of the Year for District 69 at Rhode Island Hope Awards at the Capitol

The Rhode Island HOPE Awards celebration, was held at the capitol on Thursday, November 13. November is Nonprofit Appreciation Month. The Alliance for Nonprofit Impact at United Way of Rhode Island hosted the First Annual Rhode Island HOPE Awards, where they honored one nonprofit and one volunteer from each General Assembly district, nominated by members of the General Assembly.

Community-based organizations across Rhode Island provide essential services like food, housing and medical care. They care for children and seniors and equip youth and adults to pursue their career dreams. Volunteers fight fires, tutor students, distribute toiletries, clean parks, serve on Boards, and help with budgets and fundraisers. Nonprofits make our lives richer, and volunteers make Rhode Island stronger. Too often their work goes unrecognized and underappreciated.

For the First Annual Hope awards, the Rotary Club of Bristol was proud to have been selected as the top non-profit of District 69 (Bristol & Portsmouth) which is served by State Representative Susan Donovan. In addition, the top charitable volunteer of the district selected, was Mary Jo Fidalgo Tavares, past president of Bristol Rotary and leader of many impactful fundraisers supporting the local community.

Congratulations to Bristol Rotary and Mary Jo!

In picture below, Mary Jo Tavares, Past President and Bruce H. Cox, President of Bristol Rotary

Winner Chosen in Dinner for Two Sweepstakes

Bristol Rotary Welcomes Two New Members

At our November 5^th meeting, Bruce Cox, President of the Rotary Club of Bristol RI, (shown right) inducted Bryan Dunphy, an Edward Jones Advisor from Warren (center) shown below with his sponsor Doug Gablinski (second from the right) into the Bristol Rotary team. Andrew Robinson, owner of an IT consulting services company, Robinson Consulting in Somerset, also joined the Club. He is shown below (second from the left) with his sponsor, Johnathan Birs (shown far left).

Welcome aboard, Gentlemen! More great skills to add to our "Service Above Self" team!

Help the local Food Banks at this critical time!
Bristol Rotary can help you help them

Posted in the Bristol Phoenix, Monday, November 3, 2025 2:50 pm

Bristol Rotary Club has received urgent requests from both the East Bay Food Pantry and the Friends of St. Elizabeth's Food Pantry. Due to the continued government shutdown and the suspension/reduction of SNAP benefits, both organizations are experiencing a critical shortage of food supplies.

On Tuesday, Friends of St. Elizabeth's Food Pantry saw an unusually high number of clients, to the point that they ran out of essentials such as bread, milk, cheese and eggs.

To help address this immediate need, Bristol Rotary donated funds to both organizations and setup a web page where anyone can donate with a credit card. All funds will be split evenly between to two local food banks. We made this web page for our members to participate, and now, we make it available to anyone who wishes to meet this critical need. This will a tax deductible donation.

If you would like to join our donations to the food pantries, you can go directly to the donation page by clicking on this link:

bristolrotaryclub.com/foodpantries

After you click on the donate link, there will be a "Leave Note..." box on the left. Write "Food Pantry" in the Leave Note... box. Then click on the right, in the box that says "Debit or Credit Cards" and make your donation.

If you prefer to write a check, send it to Maria Cesario at Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation, P.O. Box 469, Bristol RI, 02809.

This is a critical time and Bristol Rotary is trying its best to help. Remember, all donations through Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation (a 501(c)(3) are tax deductible. You will get a receipt for tax purposes.

Such a message.

Bristol Rotary welcomes a new member, Cynthia Larson

Cynthia Larson brings over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, having served as both a manager and lender. For the past 9 years, she has also worked as a dedicated realtor, helping clients navigate the housing market with confidence and care. She is an active member of the Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, and has marked 32 years of community involvement and professional service. Beyond her career, she is a proud mother of three and grandmother to seven, which keeps her life full and meaningful both personally and professionally. We are fortunate to have a new member with such experience in public service. In the picture below, Cindy is in the center, Mary Jo Tavares, her sponsor, on the left, and Bruce Cox, president of Bristol Rotary, is on the right. Welcome aboard, Cindy!

40-Year Anniversary of Bristol Rotary’s Scholarship at Roger Williams University

In 1985, Bristol Rotary established a Bristol Rotary Scholarship Fund at Roger Williams University (RWU). Its objective is to provide financial assistance to any student from Bristol attending the University, and also, to be made available to any high school student who is a resident of Bristol needing financial aid to attend RWU. As we come to the end of this academic year at RWU, we are proud to mark the 40^th year anniversary of the existence of this scholarship fund.

The University makes distributions from the Fund in accordance to a spending policy adopted by its Board of Trustees. The award rate provides for the university to allocate approximately 80% of the annual interest for the grantees and reinvest 20% for future growth.

Below, Amy Berkeley, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at RWU, hosts representatives of Bristol Rotary highlighting not only the 40-year Anniversary, but also for a donation of $10,000 this year to the fund.

Bristol Rotary also provides financial support annually to Bristol high school level students to assist them to move to their next level of education. In addition, as a result of fundraisers and individual donations, Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation, a public charity & 501(c)(3 ), has donated this fiscal year to over 30 charities and schools in the community.

In the picture below, left to right, in front of the statue of Roger Williams: Jason Regan – RWU Leadership Advancement Officer, Amy Berkeley - VP Institutional Advancement, Mary Jo Tavares - President of Bristol Rotary, Maria Cesario – Treasurer of Bristol Rotary’s Charites Foundation (BRCF) and also an Alumna of RWU, and Jacques de Labry – President of BRCF.

Change in Leadership at the Rotary Club of Bristol, RI & Awards
to Outstanding Charitable Contributors

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As has been traditional for the past 96 years, Bristol Rotary passes the responsibility for running the Club to another member, an experienced Rotarian, to assume the responsibility to lead the Club for the next fiscal year. The Rotary motto of “Service above Self’ is exemplified by the new presidents taking time from their “day job,” to lead (in Bristol Rotary’s case) 60 people to the contribute their time and funds to supporting the community.

At the lunch meeting on June 18, Mary Jo Fidalgo Tavares finished her year as president (July 2024 to June 2025), with a record year of giving, over $108,000 to over 30 local and international charities. Bruce Cox, the in-coming president, has been 36 years with Rotary, and was one of the founders of the Charities Foundation which is Bristol Rotary’s tax-deductible public charity (501c3), and its president for the past 11 years. He comes to the president’s role with a wealth of experience in charitable giving and raising funds for the Foundation with the entreaty of “Help us help Others.”

At the meeting on June 18^th, not only was the torch passed from Mary Jo to Bruce (see above) but also several awards were given, and the Board members and Club Officers were sworn in. In the second row of pictures, Ken and Mary Watkinson each received a Paul Harris Fellow Award which is named after Rotary’s Founder. The Paul Harris Award in Rotary is given for outstanding contributions to the charitable mission of Bristol Rotary. In the case of Ken and Mary, they have tirelessly worked to collect and make food, clothing and hygiene bags available for the homeless, and for school programs that assist needy students. In addition, with Rotary’s assistance they have raised funds, donated medical equipment, clothing, blankets and other life supporting goods to church groups that are helping orphanages and schools in Haiti and Ukraine. Recently, they solicited an ambulance to be sent to Ukraine to help with their medical needs.

Next to them, is Jessica Williams also receiving a Paul Harris Award. Although not a member of Rotary, she has been the lead School-based Community Health Worker in Bristol’s Health Equity Zone. She supervises two community Health Rooms at Kickamuit and Mt. Hope High School that have been set aside for her services. These services are available to students or adults who have financial needs, psychological problems or home issues. They are also provided lunches, clothing, food for those with food insecurities at home, health products, and much more. The number of students served in the last year was over 3,000. With Budget cuts this year, Bristol Rotary will continue to help this desperately needed activity.

Maria Cesario, Treasurer of the Charities Foundation was awarded "Rotarian of the Year" for her outstanding financial management of all fundraisers, donations, board updates and May Giving. She’s the engine behind our charitable activities.

And finally, the Board Directors and Officers for 2025/2026 being sworn in below by Paul LaFleur, the Assistant District Governor, are: Mary Almeida, Mary Moreira, Doug Gablinske, Johnathan Birs, Ken Watkinson, Paul LaFleur, Cid Rodrigues (Treasurer of the Club), Angela Cabral (Secretary), Mary Jo Tavares (Past President), Bruce Cox (President), Maria Cesario (Treasurer of the Charities Foundation), and Jacques de Labry (Vice President and President of the Charities Foundation). Not Shown is Cesar DaPonte.

Bristol Rotary has a Record Year

Since its establishment in 1929, the Bristol Rotary Club's mission has been to support the charitable needs of the local community. In 2014, in order to increase its ability to provide financial support to serve the many local charitable projects, the Club created the Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation which was given a “public charity (501(c)(3)” designation from the IRS. That approval allowed the Club to give tax deductions for any donations and fundraisers which subsequently increased funds available and its scope of giving. Every year the amount of donations made grew. 2025 became a record year when the Rotary Club of Bristol was able to donate over $107,000 to more than 30 local charities and to some international projects of those local charities.

Some highlights of Rotary’s special fiscal year (7/2024 to 6/2025) are: The Bristol Rotary became the top donor to The Autism Project’s annual Imagine Walk fundraiser for families affected by autism spectrum disorders by donating $15,000 to the Walk. In the summer and Fall, Rotary ran a “Dinner for 2 Anywhere in the World” trip contest that raised $28,000. Its proceeds were designated to support organizations combating food insecurities, and was evenly split between East Bay Food Pantry & Thrift Shop and Friends of St. Elizabeth’s Food Pantry. Upon return, the winner of the trip was quoted as saying, “The trip was wonderful! It was a trip I will never forget!”

In the Spring, funds were raised to provide over $16,000 in financial support for students graduating from high school and for the Bristol Rotary Scholarship Fund at Roger Williams University. Coincidently, 2025 is the 40^th year anniversary of the Fund at Roger Williams.

During the recent 250^th Anniversary of the Battle of Bristol in 1775, Bristol Rotary was pleased to fund 3,000 tickets for all students in the Bristol Warren Regional School District to tour the tall ship in the historical reenactment, docked at the Herreshoff Museum.

In addition, some samples of other organizations among the 30 receiving donations are: The Women’s Resource Center, the DECA Team at Mount Hope High School, Multitude Ministries for the homeless, Friends of Bristol Animal Shelter, Parents as Teachers (Looking Upwards), Food Gift cards at Thanksgiving and Christmas for Benjamin Church Senior Center and Franklin Court Independent Living, HEZ Student Needs Projects at Kickemuit and Mt. Hope schools, Bristol/Warren Village supporting seniors with home care, and, through local charities, orphanages in the Azores and Haiti, and many more.

Over the years and through major impacts to our community, such as Covid, Bristol Rotary has evolved from a hands-on field organization, running an occasional food drive, to one that provides financial donations to organizations that have the special or unique expertise to help the people they support. Rotary’s membership is comprised of business leaders and local professionals who donate their personal time and sometimes their money to the Club’s charitable objectives. Internally, the membership’s motto is “Service Above Self” or, contribute to the community of yourself in addition to what your job contributes. Bristol Rotary volunteer members are self-motivated, unpaid and have supported the community in Bristol now for 96 years. The motto for Bristol Rotary’s charitable objectives is “Help us Help Others.” As the previous information has attempted to show, tax deductible donations to its Foundation and fundraisers have helped Bristol Rotary to highlight and provide financial support to the needs of many more local charities and projects.

To Help us Help Others, please visit the Bristol Rotary website at “bristolrotaryclub.com.” An application to request a charitable donation from Bristol Rotary can also be found on the website.

Bristol Rotary Sponsors Tour of the Tall Ship for Students

Last weekend, Bristol was attacked by the British in the 250-year anniversary and reenactment of the Battle of Bristol. Even though the Tall Ship was American and not British, they flew the British colors as one of the reenactors. Then it docked at the Herreshoff Museum dock as a historical relic to be toured by the public. Bristol Rotary sponsored the tour of the Tall Ship free of charge for all students in the Bristol Warren Regional School District. Over 3,000 tickets were distributed in the schools at all levels. The weekend was a success thanks to the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society and the tour of the Tall Ship was well attended.

Below, Officer Rachel stands guard by the entrance to the dock, and when asked nicely, was kind enough to move her Police cruiser from blocking our banner. Thank you, Bristol Police Department as well. Here’s to another 250 years!

Bristol Rotary is proud to announce 2 new members

At our May 7 Lunch meeting, two outstanding individuals became the newest members of Bristol Rotary: Lynette-Marie Lacerda (below, far left) and Jason Regan (far right), Center: is President, Mary Jo Tavares & Sponsor, Jacques de Labry.

Lynette-Marie is a real estate agent for Revolv Real Estate in Somerset, and prior to that, she had an impressive career. She is fluent in Spanish, and resides in Bristol.

Jason Regan is a young higher education professional working in development for his alma mater, Roger Williams University, with a primary focus on community engagement, alumni fundraising, and professional pipeline cultivation.

We are looking forward to having their backgrounds and motivation add new skills to the support for our many charitable activities. Welcome aboard, Jason and Lynette-Marie

“Help us Help Others”

Bristol Rotary Top Sponsor for the Imagine Walk for Autism

On Sunday, April 27, The Imagine Walk – for Autism was held at Goddard Memorial Park where several thousand participants filled the park. The Autism Project conducts the annual fundraiser to help families with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The rate of children diagnosed with ASD has increased alarmingly (per the CDC) from 1 in 68 in 2015 to 1 in 36 today. For parents of a child on the spectrum, it is a life time commitment of caring and support that extends even beyond the parent’s life time. The Autism Project has been a local leader in helping families with ASD deal with a host of difficult and often unique challenges of children on the spectrum.

Bristol Rotary has been a supporter of The Autism Project (TAP) since 2015, when they teamed up with TAP to raise over $70,000 to create an East Bay Support Center. The Center was established to help what was estimated to be over 2000 families affected by ASD in the East Bay - out of an estimated 10,000 families in Rhode Island. With the arrival of Covid, the money for the Support Center was used to develop online lectures, interactive family sessions and subject specific videos that have been used to provide assistance, not only to the East Bay, but also nationwide and internationally.

For the second year in a row, Bristol Rotary has been proud to be the top donor to the Imagine Walk fundraiser. Please donate at theautismproject.org or to bristolrotary.com (Help us Help others).

Below, L-R: Maria Cesario, Treasurer of Bristol Rotary’s Charities Foundation (BRCF), Joanne Quinn, Executive Director of The Autism Project (TAP), Jonathan Roderick, Board Chair TAP, and Bruce Cox, President of BRCF.

New Rotary Banners Gifted by Ian McLellan

When a hard charging organization like Bristol Rotary has just one banner left, originally sewn by Betsy Ross, it’s time for action! That action came from our new Rotarian, Ian McLellan, President and Owner of Hill House Graphics, LLC. In the picture below, Ian (right) and his colleague Danny Liew are displaying some of the banners he has donated to Bristol Rotary.

The banners are made of indestructible materials that vary from tent cloth to vinyl to a hardwood structure that can stand on its own. Only a few are shown.

We thank Ian for creating these banners for any occasion, most of which will be fundraisers or recognition events even yet this fiscal year.

Thanks again, Ian!

Paul Prindiville Re-joins Bristol Rotary

What makes this event so special is that Paul was a past President of the Bristol Rotary Club in 2000/2001, and has decided to rejoin the Club while having previously spent 20 years as a Rotarian. And, the ties are deeper. Bruce Cox, our President-elect for the next fiscal year, was his sponsor when Paul first joined Rotary in 1992.

Paul is currently retired, but prior to his retirement, he was President and Owner of Diversified Capital Corp in Barrington for 20 years. Prior, from 1978 to 1981, he was Chief Operating Officer of UVEX Winter Optical in Smithfield, RI.

Paul was born in Toronto, Canada and has been in Rhode Island for 47 years. He is married and has 3 children. Welcome back, Paul!

In the picture, Paul Prindiville (center) is being inducted into Bristol Rotary on April 2 by Mary Jo Tavares, President of the Club (right), while his sponsor, Doug Gablinske is on the left

Bristol Rotary Supports the Autism Imagine Walk

In the promotional ad for the Autism Imagine Walk of 2025, Bristol Rotary is the top donor for the second year in a row (see below). This fundraiser is The Autism Project’s (TAP) largest fundraiser event of the year, and all of the funds raised go directly to activities to support families dealing with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Bristol Rotary has been a donor to this worthy organization since 2015 when we raised over $70,000 to create an East Bay Support Center, to help over 2,000 families with ASD in the East Bay. Since then, Bristol Rotary has been a consistent supporter of this very necessary organization. The sponsors page below reflects that Bristol Rotary is currently the top donor with a contribution $15,000 to sponsor the Imagine Walk at Goddard Memorial Park on April 27. This page, part of TAP’s promotion for the fundraiser, will go out every day until April 27, and we will also be part of all the other advertising as well as a formal thank you at the Park at the beginning of the Walk.

Bristol Rotary Supports a Winner

Last year, Bristol Rotary donated to a project at the School of Architecture at Roger Williams University to design and build a new gatehouse for the Bristol beach. In the March 7th 2024 issue of the Bristol Phoenix, Paul LaFleur, then president, was pictured with the team, awarding them a grant from Bristol Rotary. This was an exceptional team, as shown below, having won a national award, the Freedom by Design Award from the American Institute of Architectural Students. The project won the award over all schools in the Ivy League and schools across the country. As expressed by the project manager, Domonic Cavello, "...this is a point of pride for the town of Bristol in that they invested in something that is getting national praise."