It was Althea Volper Day! We learned just how her journey took her to Amesbury and to the Rotary Club. She was born and raised in Boxford MA to a mother and father that were both mental health professionals. Her father was a psychiatrist and her mom a psychiatric nurse practioner. Her father was Jewish and her mother converted. They were one of only three families in the town that were Jewish and her mom went into the schools every year to teach about Chanukah and the Jewish culture. At the time Thea was a bit horrified but in retrospect she admires her mom for doing so. Her father was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy while Thea was still young and that became part of the fabric of her life.

While in school she became friends with a girl whose father was a minister. Thea traveled with the family as part of a youth group that did work in Haiti and Puerto Rico. She also volunteered at the Beverly Hospital in the maternity wing. She also did work with Habitat for Humanity.

Thea went on to college at Skidmore where she majored in government, (international affairs) as well as Spanish and dance. She then went to Brooklyn Law School where she met her husband. After passing the NY bar she stayed on and worked in a variety of jobs including litigation and working with loft artists and landlords. Eventually she found herself back in Massachusetts and bought a house right here in Amesbury and went to work for Healey, Deshaies, Gagliardi and Woelfel. She and her husband have a little boy named Leo and he will be joined by a baby sister in June. Thea is a welcome addition to the club and her long history of service fits in beautifully with our motto of service above self.

In other business the cornhole tournament is Saturday. Registration starts at 4 and the bags will start flying at 5. Please get the word out. People can just show up and pay and play. This is just so much fun. Wear Patriots gear and be entered into a special drawing.

There will be a joint meeting with the Haverhill Rotary Club on February 15th at Poet Corner at Whittier Vo Tech. This will be followed by a tour.

We will be voting on the bylaws next week (Feb 1). If you can’t attend then you can email your vote to Dianne. Remember that will be a night meeting at the Sports Park.

Terri and Cathy are plunging on Saturday Feb 3. Feel free to come watch!

The 5th Annual Cornhole Bonanza is coming to Amesbury during the last weekend of January! This year's event is an indoor tournament during the middle of winter. With no football on the schedule during the last weekend of January, there's no better place to be than tossing a few bags, and trying to take down 1st Place. Come on down to Coastal Connections in downtown Amesbury to enjoy an evening of Cornhole, food, drink, and music.

We'll be taking advantage of our extra space inside of Coastal Connections. We'll have other backyard games, such as: washers, ladder golf, beer pong and polish horseshoes. So, if luck isn't with you in the cornhole tournament, you can still enjoy a taste of summer with our other backyard game options.

There will be dozens of 2-person teams competing in group play format - guaranteeing each team at least 3 games - with the top teams advancing to a single elimination playoff. Registration begins at 4pm with a shotgun start at 5pm.

Teams consist of 2 players, and prizes will be awarded to the top three teams.