Current Happenings.
What has Rotary done? Coming up! Fundraisers. More.
Save the Date
Regatta Day - June 8th
Wine & Beer Festival - July 26th
Rotary Car Cruise - August 31st
APPLY TODAY
LEDYARD ROTARY CLUB
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 2024
Due May 1st
With financial support from the ROTARY CLUB OF LEDYARD, the LEDYARD ROTARY FOUNDATION annually awards scholarships, ranging from $750.00 to $1500.00 to college and trade school-bound students. In awarding scholarships, we are not seeking students with perfect credentials, but rather, we’re seeking people with potential to do well academically, to thrive in the workplace, and to be of service to their communities in the Rotary tradition of Service above Self. We seek to make awards to people for whom scholarship funds will have the greatest impact.
DAY OF SERVICE
When: May 18, 2024 @ 8:30 a.m.
Where: United Methodist Church of Gales Ferry, 10 Chapman Lane, Gales Ferry, CT
What: Six District 7980 Rotary Clubs (Groton, Ledyard, Montville, Norwich Sunrise, Norwich Noontime, and The Stonington), including the Norwich Rotary Community Corps, have partnered with the United Way of Southeastern CT and The Outreach Program to assemble 22,222 meals for food-insecure residents in Southeastern CT.
Volunteers will gather to assemble deluxe macaroni and cheese and apple cinnamon oatmeal. All meals will go to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center to be distributed to up to 72 food partners throughout New London County.
More than 800 Rotary clubs, over 30,000 Rotarians, and thousands of community volunteers spanning 10 States and 5 Countries will give back to their communities on Saturday, May 18, setting a new record-breaking ‘Rotary Day of Service,’ collecting clothes for the homeless, refurbishing parks, building shelters, and much, much more.
With clubs throughout the northeast United States, Bermuda, and Brazil involved, the Day of Service is an unprecedented Rotary effort to improve the lives of individuals and families in the communities they serve.
“The Day of Service will be the single largest coordinated Multi-District Rotary community volunteer effort we’ve ever held in our region,” said Drew Kessler, Rotary International Director for Rotary Zones 28 & 32.”
“Literally every community in our state will be impacted by what happens on May 18,” added Christene Freedman, Governor for Rotary District 7980, which has 55 Clubs planning projects for the Day of Service, and Governor Christine Burns Rotary District 7890, which has 54 clubs. Our projects will make a difference where help is needed most.”
Weekend of March 9. 2024
Rotary International President-Elect Stephanie Urchick came to Southeastern Connecticut this past weekend. On July 1, 2024, she will become Rotary International's president, encompassing 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million members in over 200 countries worldwide. To have the RI President or President-elect visit our area is a great honor for all local Rotarians!
After two days at the Northeast Presidents-Elect Training Seminar in Newton, MA, Stephanie spent Saturday and Sunday in the local area. On Sunday morning, she hosted a brunch for recipients and leaders of the regional Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) leadership development weekend to be held May 3-5, 2024, at Camp Hazen in Cheshire, CT. Those who attended were Rowan Fothergill, a senior at Ledyard High School; Katie Anbari, a junior at Stonington High; Gemard Guery, a senior at Johnathan Law High (Milford); and Third Class Cadet Noah Mesa, U.S. Coast Guard. Cadet Mesa was one of six cadets from the Coast Guard Academy who facilitated the Fall RYLA event. The students said that Stephanie made them feel right at home, and they had a great conversation about their interests, dedication to helping others, and future career aspirations. Gemard said,
"It was such an amazing experience meeting rotary leadership from across the state and the world. It really just got me more excited about this year’s RYLA!”
Pictured to left: RI President-Elect Stephanie Urchick accepts a Rotary Club of Ledyard commemorative coin from Sam Roudebush, Assistant District Governor and past president of the Ledyard Club.
Sometimes you just need volunteers and lumber.
Our first Trivia Night was SO MUCH FUN!
We raised $1,400 on our first-ever trivia night. We sold 72 seats (12 teams).
Teams were: The 5 Families, Cupids Arrow, The Love Boat, Mom's Night Out plus Scott, The Quizzards of Oz, The Dumble-Dorks, Punx, We Know This Inside/Out, Far from Right, The British are Coming, The Homeless & Happy Campers.
The teams did a great job decorating their tables and dressing the part.
Team Punx won BEST TABLE!
Team Cupid's Arrow was the winner and received a bag of Smarties!
Everyone enjoyed the free hot chocolate bar and raffle prizes.
Thank you to these generous donators Sunnyside Diner/Fireside Brick Oven, Triple B Best Burgers & Brew, Ledyard Lasercraft LLC, The Cookiefarm LLC, Board + Bliss CT, Perfect Clean, The Allyn Family, Holdridges, Brand Services, and Jeff & Dodie Wade for the awesome raffle prizes!
A portion of the money raised will benefit the
Ledyard Parks & Rec scholarship fund.
Ledyard Social Services established a Scholarship Fund to make Ledyard Parks & Recreation Summer Camp available to residents with a financial need.
Ten bags of food were collected for the Linda C. Davis Food Pantry.
On behalf of the Rotary, we THANK EVERYONE who attended to make this event a success, and a huge THANK YOU to Dodie and Jeff Wade,
who helped organize and were the BEST Trivia MC's
Laffle Raffle Results
Thank you for supporting the Annual Laffle Raffle. We drew the 2 winners on December 14th and called both winners on the spot!
Even if you did not win, you are WINNERS to us. Each dollar raised will go back to support those in need. You Helped Us, Help Others!
We streamed live on Facebook. Watch here.
Empower
Growth
QUARTERLY
ROADSIDE CLEAN UP
November 11, 2023
The Ledyard Rotary cares for the 2-mile-long section of Rt. 12 from the Groton Line to the entrance of Richards Road on the East side. This handsome group of Rotarians collected 5 large bags of garbage, 100 yards of silt cloth, sheet plastic, and, of course, nips - all in 1 1/4 hours. Great job guys!
Front: Dan Reilly - Left Front: Terry Jones, Ed Lynch, Dave Thompson, Ron Miller
Left Back: Fred Allyn, Harry Pearson
Steer Project
Last year, the Ledyard Rotary Club discovered a critical need at the Linda C. Davis Food Pantry as there was a severe shortage of proteins - specifically meats. An idea arose for the Club to partner with the Ledyard High School Ag-Science program to purchase a steer calf, have the students feed, care for, and raise the steer, and then process the meat for the food pantry. The first calf program was successful, and the students valued giving back to the community.We are now in year two, and the LRC has purchased two beef steers. The students are raising the steers again and doing an excellent job. One steer will be processed in May and the other in October 2024. The meat will be provided to the pantry, and LRC will package a few select cuts of beef and sell it to help re-fund the program. The program is proving successful for Rotary, the Linda C. Davis Food Pantry, and the Ledyard High School Ag-Science students! What a great project.
Annual Rotary Dictionary Day!
It was a pleasure presenting dictionaries to Ledyard 3rd graders today, October 16, 2023. The kids were prepared, enthusiastic, and respectful. We love this annual event as much as the kids do.
Pictured Left: Terry Jones & Dan Reilly
Pictured Right: Sam Roudebush & Steve Geothius
2,587 PAIRS OF
SOCKTOBER WAS A SUCCESS!
We are excited to announce that the Ledyard Rotary Club was able to donate 2,587 pairs of socks! We could not have done this without our fantastic community.
A huge shout-out to Ocean State Job Lot and Store Team Leader Krystal and Area Team Leader Gary. OSJL donated 812 pairs of socks! And St. Luke's in Gales Ferry donated 866 pairs. Isn't that amazing?
A special thank you to the sock bin hosts.
The adult socks were donated to The Homeless Hospitality Center in NL and MALTA.
The children's socks were donated to Safe Futures.
Left Image: Left to right
David Horst (HHC), Jami Allyn (Rotarian), Beth Botelho (MALTA), Tori Bulted (MALTA), Bella Grace (Tori's daughter) and Scott Johnson (President Ledyard Rotary).
Right top image: Left to right
Sam Roudebush (Rotarian and AG), Krystal (OSJL Team Leader), Jami Allyn (Rotarian)
Right bottom image: Left to right
Jami Allyn (Rotarian), Gary (OSJL Area Team Leader)
Historic Cemetery Clean-up
What a great time these Rotarians had in the annual Rotary Latham-Hallet Cemetery Clean-up, this Saturday, October 14, 2023. This historic cemetery is circa 1798 and is located on Shewville Road in Ledyard.
Pictured left to right: Terry Jones, Sam Roudebush, Sam Kilpatrick, Doug Chung, and Dan Reilly.
Have you noticed we always have fun?
This past Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Rotary sponsored the American Legion pit stop in Old Saybrook for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation's 18th Annual Walk for a Cure. The pit stop was staffed by four Ledyard Rotarians who passed out water and snacks, keeping walkers hydrated as they completed their 26.2 mile walk.
QUARTERLY
ROADSIDE CLEAN UP
The Ledyard Rotary cares for the 2-mile-long section of Rt. 12 from the Groton Line to the entrance of Richards Road on the East side. Look at those smiling faces ready to pick up the garage from September 14, 2023.
Left Front: Jami Allyn, Terry Jones, Sam Roudebush, Ed Lynch
Left Back: Ron Miller, Fred Allyn, Scott Johnson, Steve Geotchius
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The Ledyard Rotary’s 8th Annual Classic Car Cruise, held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, was a huge success. Over 200 American, Foreign, Classic, and Muscle cars were displayed, and well over 1,000 spectators came to view the vehicles.
We sincerely thank our lead sponsor, Dawley Collision and Customs, in Waterford, CT. In addition to being the lead sponsor, they brought 7 classic vehicles to the Car Cruise!
There was a festive atmosphere, and the weather was perfect. There were many beautiful and interesting cars with owners happily willing to talk about their vehicle(s).
A big crowd surrounded the 1931 Detroit Electric, one of the first electric-powered cars produced with a range of 80 miles and a top speed of 20 miles per hour. Built between 1907 and 1939, only 13,000 cars were manufactured, and few are still in service today.
The Teacup Raffle, always a fan favorite, offered 55 teacup raffle prizes, to name a few: a family portrait session offered by a local photography studio, jewelry, flowers, oil changes, lots of gift cards, 2 tickets to see Kenny Loggins performing live at the Mohegan Sun, including a hand-made stained glass featuring a classic auto, and so much more!.
The food tent was busy all day. Our DJ Rotarian, Larry Erhart, played fabulous music, and eleven local vendors sold their wares.
Everyone had a great time, and Ledyard Rotary raised over $9,700 to benefit the Ledyard Community.
A special thank you goes out to Dawley Collision and Customs, all those who brought a showcase car, Kia of Groton, the Corporate Sponsor, the vendors who participated, and the community who came out.
Look for the Ledyard Rotary 9th Annual Classic Car Cruise next year, which is, once again, planned for the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend.
Ledyard Rotary Foundation is proud to announce that we are now Sponsors of The Ledyard Food Pantry
The Ledyard Rotary Foundation and The Ledyard Rotary have long supported the Ledyard Food Pantry through financial donations and volunteering. On January 5, 2023, the Ledyard Rotary Foundation became the proud sponsor of the Linda C. Davis - Ledyard Food Pantry.
With the Ledyard Rotary Foundation as its new sponsor, the Food Pantry can now expand food access with CT Food Share, the largest distributor to food pantries in the state. It significantly improves the Ledyard Food Pantry’s ability to acquire more food products especially milk, meat, and fresh produce.
The Food Pantry has been in operation for more than 30 years. The past year has been challenging with inflationary pressure on food prices and temporary Covid-19 programs ending. In 2022, the Food Pantry each month (on average) provided food for 50 households each, serving 117 people, for a grand total of 19,197 meals provided all year.The new sponsorship does not change how the Food Pantry is operated. The Food Pantry will remain at its current location in the Red Barn on the Lower Town Green.
Food donations can be dropped off at the pantry during Pantry hours or at drop boxes in any of the following locations: Ledyard Town Hall, Village Market, Parks Place, Holdridge Farm Nursery, Holmberg Orchards, and Mirror Image.
The Food Pantry is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 9 AM to 11 AM. Monetary donations can be mailed to Ledyard Social Services, 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard, CT 06339 – OR- You may also donate via the online portal:
Town of Ledyard - Giving Campaign: https://town-of-ledyard.snwbll.com/giving-portal
If you would like to become a volunteer, please email ledyardfoodpantry@gmail.com.
Any Ledyard resident wishing to utilize the Pantry for the first time should contact Ledyard Social Services at 860-464-3222 for an application.
The Linda C. Davis Food Pantry is supported almost entirely by generous donors in our community. Now, more than ever, our community's food needs are great. Please consider donating!