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Amesbury

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m.
Ristorante Molise
1 Market Square
Amesbury, MA 01913
United States of America
Regular meetings are on the 2nd. and 4th.Wednesdays of the month @ Ristorante Molise, Amesbury; 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM. Click on the Calendar tab above for details, exceptions, and changes due to holidays, service projects, and special club events.
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2025 Educator of the Year
May 14, 2025
 
 
 
 
 
 
ROTARY EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR 2024
May 14, 2025

43nd. Annual Award

The 2025 Educator of the Year is Johanna Kimball, who has been making a significant difference in her Music students lives at the Amesbury Middle School; she has been teaching in the Amesbury school system for 12 years.. Johanna was nominated by Middle School Guidance Counselor; Caitlin Bailey, and Health Teacher; Mary Mitchell.  Present for the award presentation were her family, most notable of whom were her father; Peter Hoyte - the 1984 and 3rd recipient of this award and her mother Patty Hoyt - the 1986 and 4th recipient of the Educator of the Year. Recognition of Johanna's work, contributions and accomplishments were may by remarks from Amesbury Superintendent (and Amesbury Rotarian); Elizabeth McAndrews, and Amesbury Middle School Principal; Doug Nebel. 

The Amesbury Rotary Club is committed to serving the youth of our community. We sponsor scholarships and offer interest-free loans to Amesbury students. We also honor one of the many outstanding educators in our school system each year. This award recognizes professional excellence and the performance of outstanding service in the Amesbury School System. Eligibility requirements as follows:

  • Must teach in the Amesbury School System - this includes all classroom/special education teachers and specialists in technology, art, music, library, guidance counselors, etc. Administrators are not eligible.

  • Must have been employed in the Amesbury School System for at least five years.

  • Must not plan on retiring within the next two years.

  • Must not be a previous recipient.

43 years and counting

This is the 43nd. year that the Amesbury Rotary Club has given an Educator of the Year award,” said Donna Collins, who heads the nominating committee., “which recognizes professional excellence." The Amesbury Rotary Club takes nominations from students, parents, co-workers, anyone in the community, Collins said. “We get all these letters and I screen them. The teachers have to have taught in Amesbury for at least five years and not plan to retire within the next two years.”

After Collins sifts through the nomination letters and verifies eligibility with the school department, the committee, which includes three or four Rotarians and four past winners, reviews all eligible nominations. Rotarians make the final decision,” she said, “but the input from the teachers is very valuable to us in making that decision.”

For a  list of all Educator of the Year awardees,, please click on the READ MORE button on the lower right of this screen

Read more...
Bike Safety Day 2025
  
 
 
 
 
May 17, 2025
Amesbury Rotary held its annual Bike Safety Day, in cooperation with the Amesbury Police Department. There were a bike riding course, bike tune ups, free helmets for all participants, and a free raffle for a new bike. Rotarians present were Donna Collins Todd Schell, Julia Phelps, Steve McKenzie, Judy and Paul Dodier, Hassanatou Bah, and Tom Farrell.
 
New Members
On May 14, 2025, Amesbury Rotary set a record;  by inducting 4 new members. Their pictures and bios follow:
 
 
 Michelle Miakos

Current Owner and CEO of an Amesbury, MA marketing agency. Responsible for the overall direction and performance of the agency, including strategic planning, client acquisition and management, team leadership, financial oversight, business development, industry development, market strategy development, operational management, and brand representation.

Michelle is passionate about helping others. She continues to serve on boards is a member and sponsor of many organizations that focus on helping the community, families and children around the world. Some of these organizations are Anna Jacques Hospital Board of Trustee Quality Committee-Member, Anna Jacques Hospital Aid Association-VP & Board Member, The Firehouse Center for the Arts, Executive Committee Board Member, The Wish Project, the Firehouse Center for the Arts, Haiti Global Youth Partnership-Board Member, Member of the BNI Newburyport, NEBA, North Shore She’s Local organization, Amesbury Chamber of Commerce, and The Rotary of Amesbury. A Sponsor for Reach for Uganda, Opportunity Works, the Amesbury Educational Foundation Inc.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” ~ Gandhi

 

 
 
 
 
 Justin Lussier
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Samantha Hayes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Elaine Bussey
 
 
 
 
 
Serving at Our Neighbor's Table
 April 30, 2025
Amesbury Rotary sponsored and served its annual evening meal at Our Neighbor's Table Those Rotarians in the picture (L to R) are Mac Odell, Cheryl Keim, Marcia ODell, Lee Ford, Donna Collins. Also present were Cathy Toomey, Althea Volper, Tom Farrell, Julia Phelps, and Steve McKenzie. A total of 293 meals were served to adults, children,  both for dining-in and take away.
 
Opportunity Works
  
 
On April 23, 2025, the staff and many of the clients of Opportunity works made us aware of their mission, vision: and progress through presentations by some of their clients.
 
Empowering People With Disabilities
to Experience the Freedom to Live, Work and Enjoy A Valued Role in Society

With facilities in Newburyport and Haverhill, Opportunity Works is a 501(c)3 private, non-for-profit corporation serving more than 300 men and women, ranging in age from 22 to 85, who come from 24 Merrimack Valley/North Shore communities. The agency operates with a staff of 150 professionals who bring a broad range of experience in working with people with disabilities. Additionally, hundreds of volunteers participate in fundraising and outreach events, serve on advisory committees, and volunteers in programs. The agency has consistently earned exemplary recognition for setting leading standards of excellence in the provision of employment, specialized day rehabilitation, community, and recreational services and programs for adults with disabilities



 

 
Bill Cushing - Classification Talk
 
April 9, 2025. Bill Cushing, one of our new Amesbury Rotarians, presented his Classification Talk. Bill graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a major in sports management, which he pursued for a few years. He hen earned his MBA, and is now building his career in the financial advisory field with Edward Jones. Bill lives in Derry, NH.
Kathy & Ozzie Morrill, and Jeannine Bailey - Italy Bike and Barge Tour
March 12, 20225
Kathy and Ozzie Morinll, joined by their trip mate; Jeannine Bailey, gave us a very interesting and well photo documented presentation of their recent bike and barge tour from Mantua to Venice, Italy. It was a 7 day trip on a self powered barge, measuring 122 ft long with a 22 ft beam. The crew was a Captain, First Mate, 2 chefs, and 2 guides. They biked 15 - 37 miles a day, for total of 123 miles. .Bikes were both conventional and electric power assisted (19). There were 32 bikers in 13 cabins on board. The food was excellent with lots of wine paired to each meal. The trip ended in Venice, where they were able explore, on foot, much of which this fascinating city and the island of Murano; famous for its blown glass work. have to offer.
 
 
 
 
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Todd McGrath

26 Feb 2025  

   

Life long resident Todd McGrath walked us through images of the sparsely known parts of Amesbury’s history- our cemeteries. He presented the legacies of 50 local men & women who have served America.

Todd has served on the Amesbury Cemetery Commission.

Over the last five years he has traveled each of these grounds many times, logging names and service records into a digital data base. Existing base maps of St Joseph, Union and Mt Prospect are dated 1940. Todd and the Cemetery Commission believe it is critical to provide visiting family and / or visitors with a plot location and a service record for a loved one.

The City has funded a drone overflight mapping with data entry to digital data set in 2025.

The 5 municipal cemeteries are under the control of the DPW Director with a commission budget of $1,000. The City has two openings on its appointed three member Commission. Ms. Jane Snow is the Chair and long term appointee.

The largest cemetery is Union on Rt 110 ( Haverhill Rd) with 900 veteran plots. Mt Prospect cemetery is on Elm St @ the top of the hill : with 500 veterans interred. Old Corner is also on Elm St at the Cumberland Farms, with 25 +/- veterans : some Revolutionary and Civil War veterans are here.

The small pox cemetery on Kimball Rd at the Elec. easement is un-marked and is a 17 the century parcel.

The Tuxbury family plot is also on Kimball Rd at the highest spot on the hill with 2-3 Veterans.

There are also 4 private cemeteries;

Bartlett on Main St adjacent to the Macy Colby house. There are 116 Veterans interred here.

Salisbury Point on Clarks Rd behind Burger King. There are 66 Veterans here.

ST Joseph on Rt 110 across from Andy Mans Bakery. There are 852 Veterans here from the Civil war through Iraqui Freedom.

Salisbury Plains is found on the Amesbury Salisbury town line on Monroe St. It is owned by the Bartletts.

 

The goal is to have each of 2,350 Veterans marked with a branch specific PVC flag holder identifying

his/ her service. Currently only St Joseph has a full set of flag holders with 605 new PVC medallions

and 150 +/- to be funded, purchased and installed in place ( $ 1,950.)

We estimate $ 19,500 is required to provide service markers for the 1450 unmarked headstones.

To date, all the funding has been provided by one benefactor.

Jane and Todd’s time is all volunteer.

If you wish to support this worthy and ongoing project please contact Todd directly at tmmcgrath@comcast.net.

Service Project - Socks for Link House
On February 12, 2025, Amesbury Rotary met at the Amesbury Senior Center to put together Valentine bags with socks for Link House residents. This is now an annual service project, with this being the 4th. year. The following Rotarians were present: Tom Whalen, Cathy Toomey, Lee Ford, Donna Collins, Cheryl Keim, Tom Farrell, TOdd Schell, Julia Phelps, Smantha Hayes, and Dianne Webster.
Joe Buckley-Director, AMSB Public Works
  On January 22, 2025, Jor Buckley, Amesbury Director of Public Works, gave us a very interesting overview of the DPW and his career in the public works departments of Worcester, where he managed the Sewer Operations Division for 12 years, the as Director of Public Works in the Town of Rutland, MA. He accepted the position of Director of Public Works in Amesbury in 2023. Joe earned a BS degree in Civil Engineering at UMass Lowell, is a Registered Professional Engineer, and received a Graduate Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management from Suffock University.
 
When Joe first joined the Amesbury DPW, he  said, “Whether as an engineer or a manager, throughout my career I have worked as a problem solver. I believe a Public Works Director is simply that, a day-to-day problem solver, keeping the roads functional and the sanitary conditions of the city acceptable. It is easy to get wrapped up in the public works projects people see, like a newly paved road or walkway, or critical operations like snow plowing, but I also have experience in the important tasks people sometimes take for granted, like safe drinking water, responsible operations of sewer systems, drainage infrastructure, and impacts to river systems.  Amesbury Public Works supports the folks who live, work, and simply stop by."
 
One of the most important functions that the DPW is responsible for; dealing with snow, was a tasking that is not a skill set that training as a Civil Engineer prepared Joe for. So, as an inveterate problem solver, he learned how to digest weather forecast, determine what city and contract equipment would be required, for how long, where to preposition them, when and if to pretreat the roads with salt and or sand, and work with rest of the city Decision Team to make decisions on declaring a snow storm emergency, parking bans, and school delays or closures. Amesbury has 15 plow equipped trucks, and contracts for another 10. Snow plowing is very hard on trucks, and reduce their service life by 3 years.
 
The Amesbury DPW has a budget of $12.5MM, with 32 employees, About 75% of the budget is required for water and sewerage treatment. Amesbury has separate sewerage and storm drainage mains, which significantly reduces the likelihood of sewerage contamination getting into the river during rain storms.
Beyond Plastics - Working to End: Andrea La Croix

 January 8, 2025  Andrea Lacroix has been interested in trash and recycling for as long as she can remember. She has served on her town’s Waste Reduction   Committee   for the past 10 years and is active in community events promoting sustainability. In October, 2022, she took Judith Enck’s master class on plastic pollution   and was stunned by the extent not only of plastic waste but of the health issues faced by humans as a result. She joined the Speakers’ Bureau to do her part in   educating as many people as possible. She lives in Ipswich, MA.

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
Amesbury Rotary Serves at COA Senior Holiday Lunch
On Tuesday, December 11, Amesbury Rotarians and members of the Amesbury High School Interact Club plated and served meals to seniors at the Amesbury Council on Ageing Holiday Lunch. The two groups acted as a single team to get meals, and deserts out to the guests on time, and tables cleared. This is a longstanding annual Rotary service project. Rotarians present were: Cathy Toomey, Donna Collins, Lee Ford, Tom Farrell, Sandy Carlisle, Todd Schell. Althea Volper with fellow attorney Carrie, Julia Phelps, Greg Dunkel, Cheryl Keim with fiend Harriet Polner -- and last, but certainly not least; our newest Rotarian; Bill Cummings.
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Members of the AHS Interact Club were (L to R) Josiah Fugate, Lauren Talbott, Maggie Himmel, Dom Beane, Jackson Doxey, and Interact Advisor; Emily Little -- they were pivotal in our ability to get the job done on time -- thanks for pitching in.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pre Thanksgiving Day  Football Lunch at Newburyport
On Tuesday, November 26 a contingent of Amesbury Rotarians. joined Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove at the annual pre Thanksgiving day football teams luncheon; hosted this year by Newburyport Rotary at the Elks hall. Rotarians present were: Tom Farrell, President Cathy Toomey, Donna Collins, Superintendent of Schools - Elizabeth McAndrews, Sandy Carlisle, Todd Schell and Sierra Partlan.
Veterans Day at Amesbury Rotary
 
November 12, 2024 Was Veterans Day at Amesbury Rotary. There were 6 veterans as club guests, including our two Veterans Agents; Jeramiah Murphy and Kevin Hunt. All gave a bit of their service background and some of their more memorable experiences.
Sailing Above the Artic Circle,, with Captain Graham McKay
October 23, 2024. Captain Graham McKay, Executive Director of Lowell's Boat Shop presented his experience of sailing on board the gaff rigged 88 ft long schooner "Bowdin" this past June and July; above the Artic Circle to 70 degrees North latitude. The Bowdin is owned by the Maine Maritime Academy and is used for training students in the operation and management of an ocean going sailing vessel. The vessel departed and returned to Maine Maritime Academy with a crew of 15, 9 of whom were students, the remaining being Academy staff.
 
During the voyage they logged 4,575 nautical miles, and made 6 ports of call, The distance traveled converts to 5,261 statute miles, which is approximately the round trip air miles between Boston and Los Angeles (5,218 miles). Due to opposing winds during the voyage, they had to run on the ships auxiliary diesel engine about 85% of the time. In the earlier working years of the Bowdin, as an Artic research vessel, the north bound voyage was timed to take advantage of the prevailing south winds, and the return was timed to coincide with the wind shift to the north. This was not the case for this voyage, as it had to fit within the Maine Maritime academic calendar.
 
While in the northern latitudes, the crew had a surprise and pleasant encounter - with the Danish royal family, aboard the Danish royal yacht.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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For Graham McKay's very interesting biographical sketch, please click on the READ MORE button at the lower left of this page. For a detailed history of the BOWDOIN, click on the following link: Bowdoin (Arctic schooner) - Wikipedia
Read more...
Dori Sawyer, Administrator of Norther Essex Elder Transport
On October 9,2024, Dori Sawyer, Administrator of Northern Essex Elder Transport (NEET) presented and overview of the NEET services, accomplishments, and reasons to  consider becoming a volunteer driver. NEET provides transportation services to age 60 and over to residents of 13 northern Essex county cities and towns.to medical and other essential appointments, which are scheduled through the local Councils on Aging. In 2023 NEET logged over 100,000 miles through a network of volunteer drivers to local and regional destinations, including metro Boston. Riders are individuals who cannot not drive (20% of people over age 65 cannot drive; for a variety of reasons) and those who cannot afford public transportation (Buss, MBTA, etc.), or private transportation (Taxi, Uber, or their own car). NEET is currently averaging 250-300 rides per month across the 13 communities it serves.
 
Rider Requirements are:
- Must be a minimum of 60 years old  
- Must be able to self-transport from their home into and out of a vehicle
- Must complete a NEET registration form and waiver   
- Must wear a seat belt
 
NEET rider services are scheduled Monday - Friday, and are free of any charge except riders are responsible for road/bridge tolls and parking fees. The most notable driver scheduling restricition is that drivers are unable to drive riders from appointments that include sedation.
 
Five reasons why you should consider driving for NEET:
1. Sense of purpose and fulfillment
2. Flexible and convenient scheduling
3. Opportunities to meet new people
4. Expenses are covered - millage reimbursement of $0.55 to and from your home, plus a supplemental insurance policy.
5. Stay active and engaged in your community
 
Our own President Cathy is a NEET volunteer driver.
 
Dori's contact information is:
   NEET Web site: www.driveforneet.org
   Email: info@driveforneet.org
   Phone: 978-388-7474
 
 
         
Christina Ploof
 
 
On Wednesday, September 25,2024, Christina Ploof, Volunteer Recruiter and Mentor Match Coordinator at Family Serices of Merrimack Valley for the Big Friends Little Friends Mentoring Program was our guest speaker. She gave us a very interesting presentation of the program which she recruits for and coordinates. 
 
Big Friends Little Friends - is a mentoring program serviced by Family Services of Merrimack Valley, which currently has over 50 children on our waitlist, hoping to be matched with a caring adult in the Merrimack Valley. 
 
A common thread in her work experience is the desire to help people, especially our youth, in reaching their full potential. She continues to exercise this goal in her current position at Family Services of Merrimack Valley. She believes everybody has the potential to succeed as long as they are given the necessary tools and opportunities to thrive. Mentorship can have these kinds of lasting impacts on the lives of young adults. Through her work in the Mentorship Department at FSMV, She is dedicated to ensuring that the children we serve are matched with reliable, kind and positively influential adults.
Cheryl Kiem

Rewilding Inside and Out -

What we can all do to help cool our planet.
 
July 24, 2024
Our own Cheryl Keim did a masterful job of boiling down the complex science surrounding CO2 emissions, and it's impact on global warming and linking this to actions that we collectively and as individuals can take to both control CO2 emisions and to counter their effect. This has become Cheryl's lifework about which she is a passionate advocate.  
  
 
Mac Odell - Great Himalaya Trail Project Update
July 10, 2024
 
Our own Mac Odell presented an update of the progress that has been made by the Great Himalaya Trail Project, which Amesbury Rotary has supported since its inception.
 
“Hitchhiking from Kathmandu”Update on Pilot Project
For The Great Himalaya Trail:
Results from Using Appreciative Planning and
Action (APA) - Village by Village for Sustainable
Development
Along a 1000 km trekking trail
…all while keeping Women at the Center
 
 
 
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President's Night 2024 - June17, 2024
Our annual President's Night was a fun evening for all. President Steve McKenzie reviewed all that the Club has accomplished over the past year, topping this only by a special surprise award to his wife; Julia Phelps (PDG & Amesbury Rotary Past President) for all of the assistance and guidance that she has given him during his term as our President. Julia was MC for the evening, but was totally taken by surprise with Steve's heartfelt gesture.
 
Steve presented another special award to Antionetta DiLemme and Elise Zullo, owners of Molise; in recognition for all that they have done to facilitate both our meetings and special events.
 
Donna Collins presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Mike Silver in recognition of all his support in growing Bike Safety Day over the years.
 
To wrap things up, District Governor for 2024-2025; Tom Hankard inducted our new President; Cathy Toomey for her third term, and administered the oath to the incoming Board of Directors. Also present were Maria Bertolone, Area Governor, and her husband Joe, 
 
 
 
 
 
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2024 Interact Club Meeting - June 12, 2024
This was our annual meeting where the President of the Amesbury High School Interact Club runs the meeting. this year Calista Catarius did great job of keeping us on track and on time; with an engaging smile. The AHS Interact Club has merged with the Peer Mediators, which both increases the number of members, and diversifies the group across all four AHS classes. The members of the combined clubs were: Calista Catarius, Maggie Himmel,
Josiah Fugate, Jessica, Silva, Jamie Hawkins, Lauren Talbot, Dominick Beane. 
 
Also present and recognized were the AHS 2024 Valedictorian; Zoe Moccia, with her parents (Sarah Chapman and Dennis Moccia), AHS 2024 Salutatorian; Ruby Moulton, and her mother (Polly Moulton)., Abby Arthur, recipient of the Boomerang Scholarship, and Aness Metz, recipient of the Brad Ford Scholarship.
 
  
Cathy Toomey - Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival - June 5, 2024
 
Our own President Elect Cathy Toomey gave us a fun and interesting slide presentation of their fall 2023 trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival, which she won in our annual raffle. After a one stop flight (no non stops flights from Boston to Albuquerque), they checked into their hot and then used Uber to get to and back from the Festival site. She said it was a great experience, which is documented in her pictures, many of which are included here. They took one day to go to by train to Santa Fe , which we said was one of the  highlights of thier trip. 
 
  
  
  
Read more...
Flags for Heroes May 25 ,2024
THE AMESBURY ROTARY CLUB IS PROUD TO PLACE THE 1st ANNUAL FLAGS FOR HEROES 

 

Flags are proudly displayed at the Amesbury Servicemen's Memorial Honor Roll on Main Street (across the street from Amesbury Middle School).  Flags will be on display starting  May 25th through Flag Day, June 14th.  The honorees are  veterans, active-duty service members,  first responders, police, firefighters, EMTs, teachers, coaches,  essential workers, family members, humanitarians, or best friends. Hero's names are personalized on a medallion, which are attached to a full-size American flag, and which will be given to each flag sponsor as a remembrance, when the display is taken down.  

To learn how Amesbury Rotary puts the support of this project to work in our community, please click on the "Read More" button.

Read more...
President's Message

Cathy Toomey

member photo
 

Welcome to the Amesbury Rotary Club website. We are a service group of business and professional people who are trying to do their part to make the world a better place.

We meet the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at Restaurante Molise in downtown Amesbury, at noon for a wonderful lunch, to network with each other, to plan and work on service projects, and to hear from very interesting speakers on timely subjects.

While we are serious about having a positive impact in the community we also like to have fun. Please consider joining us. You can either come to a meeting, or reach out directly to me, Cathy Toomey. 978-609-3970 or cathyt@stoneridgeproperties.com

 
Upcoming Events
Speakers
Brett Weiss
Jul 09, 2025 12:15 PM
Ending poverty per education
Hassanatou Bah
Jul 23, 2025 12:15 PM
Classification Talk
Diana DiZoglio, Massachuttes State Auditor
Sep 24, 2025 12:15 PM
State Auditor Update
View entire list...
Learn More
Want to learn more about the Club? We would love to hear from you.
 
Contact: President:
Cathy Toomey
Email:CathyT@stoneridgeproperties.com
Mobile: 978-609-3970
Club Executives & Directors
President
Cathy Toomey
Treasurer
Lee Ford
Secretary
Dianne Webster
Executive Secretary/Director
Donna Collins
Rotary Foundation
Todd Schell
Public Image
Sandy Carlisle
Public Image
Madison Barnes
Sergeant-at-Arms
Lee Ford
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