What are you doing this Thursday?
JOIN US: Every Thursday at 7am
at the Ledyard Senior Center | 12 Van Tassel Drive in Gales Ferry
Join Us for an Hour
Learn about what Rotary does and how we impact the community. We welcome new members—whether you have a lot or a little time. Our meetings are fun, featuring guest speakers, raffles, and trivia. Build friendships and help us give back.
Help us make a difference!
Up Next
Th. May 29 - Free Event - Picnic on the Ledyard Town Green
Fri. Sept 12 - Beer & Wine Tasting
Sat. Aug 30 - 10th Annual Car Cruise
Epic Day of Service – May 17th
On May 17th, 55 Rotary districts across 7 countries came together for a single day to serve, lead, and showcase Rotary’s commitment to communities worldwide.
In our local effort, the Rotary clubs of Ledyard, Groton, Montville, Sunrise Norwich, Noontime Norwich, along with the Norwich Women’s Club and the Marine Science Magnet School Interact Club, joined forces to pack 30,000 meals for the Gemma Moran Food Center, which serves all of Southeastern Connecticut.
With over 70 participants, we successfully packed these meals in less than 2 hours—a remarkable achievement!
STEER PROJECT
One of our most exciting projects is the annual Steer Project. The Ledyard Rotary Club collaborates with the Ledyard High School AgriScience students and Devon O’Keefe. The students purchase, care for, and feed the steers—funded through grants and support from the Rotary. Afterward, the beef is processed and delivered to the Linda C. Davis Food Pantry in Ledyard, which the Rotary Club proudly sponsors.
This year, we delivered 829 pounds of beef and some stew meat. The club then sells steaks to fund next year’s program. For today’s delivery, we received assistance from two of our students, Charlotte Supik and Cassidy Baker, both of 12th grade, pictured below. We were met by Lois Reimer, Food Pantry Shift Supervisor, to unload this precious cargo.
In the bottom photo, from left to right: Fred Allyn III, Sam Roudebush, Lois Reimer, Jami Allyn, Ed Lynch, Charlotte Supik, Terry Jones, Jeff Ansell, Larry Erhart, and Kristen Chapman.
LEDYARD ROTARY CLUB SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
With financial support from the ROTARY CLUB OF LEDYARD, the LEDYARD ROTARY FOUNDATION annually awards scholarships, ranging from $750.00 to $1500.00 for college and trade-school-bound students. In awarding scholarships, we are not seeking students with perfect credentials, but rather we’re seeking people with the 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. Applications must be submitted no later than May 1, 2025. At this time the deadline has passed - Good luck to those that applied.
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On April 9, the Ledyard Rotary Club cooked dinner for seniors at the Ledyard Senior Center. The seniors enjoyed Pork Loin with gravy, scalloped potatoes, corn, homemade rolls, brownies, and cake with ice cream. Great food, great seniors, great fun.
Trivia Night 2025
Trivia Night Recap
On Friday, February 28, the Ledyard Rotary Club hosted a fantastic trivia night at the Gales Ferry Fire Department. The event was filled with delicious food, plenty of fun, and numerous winners!
Congratulations to Team Skibidi Trivia, who not only won the prize for the best themed table but also took home the first prize for trivia! Interestingly, the last prize for trivia was awarded to Team Dum Dums—who, amusingly, were the Dum Dums last year as well! Their team name? You guessed it: “The Dum Dums.”
Thank you to everyone who participated and made the night a success!
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Congratulations to our 2024 Laffle Winners
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From left to right: Jami Allyn (Rotarian), Beth Botelho (MALTA), Carol Christianson (President Ledyard Rotary), Ledyard Rotary, David Horst (HHC), Tori Bulted (MALTA), Bella Grace (Tori's daughter)
Since 2004, Liberty Bank Foundation, partnering with Rotary Clubs across Connecticut, have raised over $4 million to ensure all families in our community can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you for helping your local Rotary Club share the generosity of a thanksgiving dinner with your community – and helping your local Rotary Club take advantage of Liberty Bank’s generous match campaign.
The 2024 Liberty Bank Rotary Club Thanksgiving Drive campaign drive will take place between October 1 and November 18, 2024. During the campaign, you can support your local Rotary Club and nonprofit organizations in our region by making a donation to the campaign.The Community Foundation of Middlesex County is honored to join this incredible partnership and support our region this holiday season.
the 9th Annual Car Cruise
Was AMAZING!
A heartfelt thank you to all the car owners and spectators! You helped us, help others.
Ledyard Rotary Club 2024 Car Cruise Winners List
Antique (1900-1942): 1911 Baker Electric V owned by Bill & Linda Lillie of Gales Ferry
Vintage (1946-1960): 1956 Jaguar XK-140 owned by Alan Habbe of Gales Ferry
Classic (1961-1979): 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 owned by Deb Espinosa of Ledyard
Neo-Classic (1980-1999): 1987 Buick Grand National owned by Robert Forster of Oakdale
Contemporary (2000-2025): 2018 AC Shelby GT350 owned by Brian & Kirsten of Griswold
Foreign Import: 1974 Jaguar E Type owned by Anthony Amato of Wakefield
Truck: 1957 Chevrolet Pickup owned by Bob Ford of Deep River
Military/Jeep: 1942 Ford Ford GPW owned by Darryl Conner of Gales Ferry
Hot Rod: 1934 Chevrolet Coupe owned by John Testa of Colchester
Exotic: 2001 Plymouth Prowler owned by Rae & Jayne Elkie of waterford
People’s Choice): 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS owned by Steve Ballirano of Preston
President’s Choice: 1961 MGA 1600 owned by Gary Tiller of East Lyme
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The 2024 Wine & Beer Fest
Thank you for joining us at our annual Wine & Beer Fest. We had tons of fun, sampling wines and beers, listening to great music and enjoying relaxing times with friends and the community. Don't miss this great event next year!
The Ledyard & Montville Rotary Clubs hosted a FREE pasta dinner and presentation by Mary Lou Gannotti of the Alzheimer's Association.
On Thursday, July 18th Mary Lou Gannotti, the Eastern CT Development Manager for the Alzheimer's Association, CT Chapter, presented a seminar to a group of 39 attendees at the Montville Senior Center.
The event was sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Ledyard and Montville. The senior center staff served a dinner of pasta, meatballs, and salad. The seminar, "Recognizing Alzheimer's 10 warning signs" for caregivers, spouses, children, and patients who may be experiencing cognitive loss and behavior symptoms of someone in their family was followed up by a Q&A session.
Montville Treasurer Donald Dykes and Assistant District Governor Sam Roudebush presented a check for $1000.00 of donated funds from five Rotary clubs: Ledyard, Montville, Norwich Sunrise, Norwich Noontime, and Stonington. Mary Lou enthusiastically thanked the Rotary Clubs for this generous donation. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible
June is an exciting month!
On Thursday, June 6th and 13th, the Ledyard Rotary Club installed and welcomed AJ Sarrol and Shawna Bernard, respectively, as their newest Club members. AJ is a supervisory naval engineer with US Naval Shipbuilding in Groton, and Shawna works as a senior registered Virtual Branch Consultant for Raymond James. Pictured left are AJ Sarrol and Scott Johnson; Pictured right are Dan Riley, Shawna’s sponsor, Shawna, and Scott Johnson, Club President.
2024 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
On Thursday, June 6, Ledyard Rotary Club honored four Ledyard High School students who received Wes Johnson scholarship awards. Receiving a $1500 scholarship award is Madison McLeod, who was not able to attend due to recovery from knee surgery. Receiving $500 runner-up awards pictured with club president, Scott Johnson, are Emily Peckham, Sarah Banach, and Sean Harren. Congratulations!
Sunday, May 26, 2024, was a great day for a parade.
LEDYARD ROTARY HELPS THE LEDYARD LIONS IN THE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE. 33 different organizations were represented, approximately 55 vehicles, and well over 700 marchers and participants! The Ledyard Rotary organized the parking, vehicles, and marches to ensure the send-off was as scheduled. The Rotarians also had 3 vehicles and marchers—or should I say riders? The marchers chose to take a comfy ride in Sam Kilpatrick's old truck!
Rotary Day of Service 2024
22,222 meals were packaged for the Gemma Moran Food Center/United Way on May 18, 2024, for the Rotary Day of Service. The meals were packed at the United Methodist Church of Gales Ferry in collaboration with United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and Project Outreach. This was a joint effort between Ledyard Rotary Club; Rotary Club Groton: Rotary Community Corps of Norwich; Rotary Club of Norwich - Sunrise; Rotary Club of Norwich - Noontime; Montville Rotary Club CT; Ledyard High School Interact Club; Rotary of the Stoningtons; and the Marine Science High School Interact Club. We had a blast packaging the meals while singing and dancing to the music of Ledyard Rotary Club's famous DJ Larry. A team delivered the meals on May 20 to the Gemma Moran Food Center.
A special thank you to the following businesses for their donations to the event: SunnySide Diner, Bakers Dozen, and Mohegan Sun.
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.”
WHERE'S THE BEEF?
The Rotary Club of Ledyard, in conjunction with the Agri-Science & Technology Department at Ledyard High School, raised two Hereford beef cattle for the Ledyard Food Pantry. On Wednesday, March 13, over 970 pounds of processed beef was delivered to the Pantry. The two beef cattle were purchased from the 4H Club in Rhode Island in September 2023 and raised by the Ledyard High Agri-Science Department to their total combined weight of 1,320 lbs. Many thanks go out to the Ledyard High School Agri-Science Department for their 7 months of hard work to raise both cattle, including Devon O’Keefe, Agri-Science Department Head, and the students involved in raising, feeding and taking care of the animals, including Cassidy Baker (Junior), Ava Robinson (Senior), Raegan Stam (Freshman) and Alanna Rubin (Freshman).
The team below delivered 970 pounds of processed beef to the pantry!
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.
Road-side Clean-up
QUARTERLY ROADSIDE CLEAN UPNovember 11, 2023The 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 MillerLeft Back: Fred Allyn, Harry Pearson
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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 at the annual Rotary Latham-Hallet Cemetery Clean-up this Saturday, October 14, 2023. This historic cemetery, which dates back to 1798, 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 LynchLeft Back: Ron Miller, Fred Allyn, Scott Johnson, Steve Geotchius
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!