Below on right is President Paul LeFleur giving a check to Diane Sanna, Asst. Superintendent of Bristol Warren Regional School District (center) for the Guiteras School Art Department to supplement their budget for art supplies. On left is Sarah Jacobs, Visual Arts Teacher, for Rockwell and Guiteras Schools, who gave a compelling presentation of the need to continue art programs at these difficult times for her students. 

Bristol Rotary has been having its luncheon meetings at DeWolf Tavern for over 10 years. Chef Sai Viswanath has made his restaurant welcoming and the home of Bristol Rotary all those years. And, the food is always excellent! The real test of this relationship was during the pandemic. Despite all the pressures that DeWolf and all the other restaurants faced during Covid, Chef Sai always accommodated Bristol Rotary and the changes we were forced to make. We both did what we could to help each other out.  Here, Elisabeth Habecker, President of Bristol Rotary (fiscal year 2021/2022), offers our thanks the Chef Sai for his unfailing support and hospitality to the Club. On the right, Chef Sai counters with his thanks to Bristol Rotary - at the meeting where a new President, Paul LaFleur, is inducted for fiscal year 2022/2023.

 

Steven Contente, Town Administrator for the Town of Bristol, updated the Bristol Rotary at a lunch meeting on a variety of projects currently being implemented to allow Bristol to grow without losing its charm. He stated that the Town of Bristol is in a very strong financial position. 

 

David Harrington, curator of Linden Place, spoke at our Rotary lunch meeting of the evolution of Linden Place from being the home of prominant Bristolians to a center for charitable and artistic events in Bristol. The history of Bristol is embodied in the beautiful house which was the home of DeWolf's, Colt's and Ethel Barrymore, as well as the families and historical activities they represented.

Maria Cesario joined Bristol Rotary and is being pinned by President Liz and her sponsor Mary Jo Fidalgo-Tavares. Maria recently retired from Textron where she was Senior Tax Accountant. She has now formed her own tax consulting company, called World Consultancy Services. Maria also continues to serve on the Bristol Fourth of July Committee as Correspondent Secretary. Welcome to Bristol Rotary, Maria.

 

 Zach Rivers, is owner of Judge Roy Bean and he is the President of the Bristol Merchants Association (BMA). He explained that "BMA is an association of Bristol Merchants and organizations who enhance the business environment for the profitability of our members through mutual cooperation by common marketing advocacy, event hosting and sharing of best business practices." In addition, there was discussion of how BMA could help Bristol Rotary help the Community through collaboration on charitable projects.

 

Chuck MacDonough, the new General Chairman of Bristol's historic 4th of July Celebration, spoke to our Rotary lunch at the also historic DeWolf Tavern. Chuck reviewed the cost and complexities involved in putting on the Celebration. He also summarized  the many fundraising activities to fund the over  $400,000 cost of the event. Become a Sponsor at "fourthofjulybristolri.com".

 

 

President Liz, at our December 1 meeting, launched Bristol Rotary's annual Christmas Food Gift Program by giving envelopes each containing gift certificates from Seabra Market worth $70. They will be distributed to the needy in our community by the Benjamin Church Senior Center, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Bristol Fire Dept. and Franklin Court Independent Living. Shown in the first picture are Maria Ursini and Donna Wilson from the Senior Center, and in the second picture, Jennifer Mancieri from the Ladies Auxiliary. All donations to purchase the certificates were made by the members of the Bristol Rotary Club. 

 

On November 17th, Bristol Rotary ran a Bingo fundraiser to create financial grants (scholarships) for graduating Seniors in our community. Barbara Palumbo, a Bristol Rotarian, showed her experience and mastery at running the game. Here, President Liz Habecker thanks Barbara for making it not only a fun evening, but also a financially rewarding one. 

 

Our speaker this week was Jennifer Mancieri, President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Bristol Volunteer Fire Dept. This group provides invaluable service to the victims of a fire disaster and to the firemen fighting it. Most significant is the support of the families who have survived such a disaster - by feeding and clothing them and helping to relocate them. In addition, they help the victims with the recovery process; as well as filling out insurance forms to initiate the recovery. They are a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation and gratefully accept donations. 

 

 

 

Glen Donavan a retired RN and Timmy Phongsamphanh a medical student and EMT (originally from Laos), spoke at the Rotary lunch about their involvement in helping a school in Haiti.  The school called "The Land" is for 200 students in the city of La Mothe.  They spoke and showed a movie of the team at the school where they had provided medical support, food, clothing and financial assistance to help them have a more survivable existence. The team also includes two Bristol Rotarians, Mary and Ken Watkinson. Glen also covered the tragedy that Haiti has become over the past few months. 

 

The Emergency Dialer Program (EDP) is a free service provided by the Town of Bristol for people who want the security of having a button to push to get Emergency Services to their home. It is run by Ed Carusi, Director of Social Services and Welfare and supported by outside donations primarily from Bristol Rotary. The device is installed, typically in the home of an aging or physically impaired person who would like to remain independent knowing that help can be on the way as soon as the button (which can be worn like a necklace) is pushed. EDP is installed and maintained regardless of the financial means of the client - free of charge. The battery backed up device is installed on a land line to insure that it works in a power failure. Many lives have been saved using EDP. Call Ed (401) 253-4831) to order one for you or a loved one, or to find out more. 

 

At the Michael Dimucci Concert on the Town Common, sponsored by Bristol Rotary are the one and only Joan Roth and President Liz.

Maria Cesario and Bruce Cox were the guest speakers.  Maria, as a new member of Bristol Rotary, gave us her background since coming to the US in 1967 from the Azores, her distinguished business career, and her involvement in the 4th of July Committee's activities. Bruce Cox, a 32 year member of Bristol Rotary, took us through his transition, from joining a local Rotary Club to becoming a Rotarian in the broadest sense, and what it has meant for his personal growth. 

 

On July 21, our lunch meeting at the DeWolf Tavern drew 29 members out from the pandemic haze. It was great to see so many old friends back. Thanks to President Liz for a very successful meeting. Also thanks to Chef Sai for the set-up. It was also great to see ex-President Deb Metaxas.

 

On June 23 an Installation lunch greeted our new President Elizabeth Habecker for the 2021/2022 year. And we thanked Paul LaFleur for his accomplishments during the very difficult Pandemic year.

 

 

 

Bristol Rotary Pres. Paul Lafleur donates a $4000 check raised from the community to Karen Griffiths, Exec. Dir of the East Bay Food Pantry. Other Rotarians Mary Jo Tavares, and Marty Roussel. $4K feeds 66 families of 4 to 6 each for a week. Our next goal - 333 families or $20K.