Chester Rotary meets around the long table
The Chester Connecticut Rotary Club has 22 friendly, hardworking, fun-loving members with an interesting collective sense of humor.
Meetings are held around a long table where all Rotarians can easily see and interact with each other which keeps everyone interested and engaged. This effective meeting format is also used by the Deep River Rotary, Black Rock Rotary and The Stoningtons Rotary Clubs.
President Ron Woodward introduced PFC (Performance, Fun & Cohesion) as a concept for everything that the Club does this year. All of their meetings and events have these elements.
Ms Chest Hair contestant 2012
Fun is so important to the Club that they practically require it in their bylaws. Need more convincing? The Club has run a Womanless Beauty Pageant the past 3 years where they crown “Ms. Chest Hair” as a fundraiser; a great example of having fun while doing good.
The Club is one of 29 Connecticut Clubs that participate in the Liberty Bank Turkey Drive each year so that they can raise funds to give away meals at Thanksgiving time to Chester area families in need through their local food bank. They proudly exceeded the $1,000 mark in collections at last night’s meeting and are pushing forward.
The Club is famously known for their two big annual fundraisers; the 4 on the 4th road race (4 miles on July 4th) and the longest running Lobsterfest in D7980 but they are about much more than that.
Every year they host a recognition dinner where they give community recognitions to deserving citizens as provide financial support to the Tri-Town area. Below are some highlights of the support provided by The Chester Rotary Club at last year’s event:
- Motley Scholarships
- Tri-Town Youth Services
- Bikes for Kids
- Chester Backpack Program
- Early Chilhood Council
- Camp Hazen
- Chester Parks & Rec
- Chester Hose Company
- Barzilian American Youth Cultural Exchange
- Boy Scout Troop 13
- Dictionary Project
- Valley Regional High School Football Boosters
- Interact
Chester Rotarians
Chester Rotarians
The Chester Rotary Club enjoys their evening meetings during the warm season outside on the banks of the Connecticut River at Crisholm Marina. They meet at the Ivory Restaurant & Pub in Deep River during inclement weather and the cold season. Be sure to visit this group of fun loving Rotarians that do amazing things in their community. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon.