Events

Lydia is the founder and CEO of Simplify the Journey LLC, an adult special needs consulting business for adults and those approaching adulthood with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, including autism. She educates families on the financial benefits, supports, and services available to their loved one and provides strategies to maximize these financial benefits and guidance to access the supports and services necessary to create a meaningful life. She is available for one-on-one consultations, workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements.

Lydia resides in Andover with her husband Brian. They have four adult children, including two who have autism.

www.simplifythejourney.net

This District 7930 Mid Year Leadership Meeting is highly recommended for all current club Presidents, Presidents-Elect and President Nominees and ANY Rotarian interested in enhancing their leadership skills and contributing to the District's mission. 

New members are also invited and will have the opportunity to learn more about Rotary and the District.  

For more info and to register: CLICK HERE

Nick DiSalvatore is an educator and wellness mentor based out of Beverly, MA. He holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from Boston College, and he teaches philosophy and theology in the Boston area, including at Merrimack College where he is a full-time professor. He has over a decade of experience mentoring young people in their transition into adulthood, with a focus on intellectual, moral, spiritual, and vocational development.

Join us on Monday, January 26th, 2026 at Otto Pizza in Andover for a community fundraiser.  10% of ALL sales for the day (eat-in, take out and delivery) will benefit the Andover Rotary Charitable Trust. 

If you would like to dine with your favorite Rotarian(s), some of us will be meeting for lunch at 12:15 pm and dinner at 5:30 pm.  To join us, please sign-up. 

A coupon code will not be needed for your order to count.  Please help spread the word!

The Rev. Craig A. Phillips, Ph.D. is a retired Episcopal priest and Professor of Religion. He currently teaches as a Lecturer in Theology at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.

Craig is a member of the Rotary Club of Milford, NH, where he resides with his wife, Marguerite.

He graduated from Brown University, earned his Master of Divinity at Harvard University, and received his doctorate from Duke University. He has taught at many colleges and universities.

Craig also has served in a variety of ministry settings in the Episcopal Dioceses of Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

His blog may be found at https://craigphillips.co and his free Substack page at https://craigphillips.substack.com.

Fifteen years ago, Andrew joined ALKU as an intern. He was just trying to figure out who he was as a professional and where he could contribute to a new and exciting specialty staffing company recently founded. He had the opportunity to grow, lead, and learn from some of the best people in the business. His journey may sound unique, but he's proud to say it’s just business as usual at ALKU. ALKU is a company that develops talent from within, giving employees every chance to thrive and it's right here in Andover!

You are cordially invited to the District's World Peace & Understanding Fundraising Event on Thursday, Feb. 12th, 5:30-9 p at Spinelli's in Lynnfield.

The topic will be Navigating the Polio Vaccine During Turbulent Times! with keynote speaker PDG Mike McGovern, special guest PDG Eric Denu (D7850) and invited guests - Inbound Global Scholars from Australia and Taiwan Youth Exchange Students from Argentina and Thailand.

For more info and to register: CLICK HERE.

Community-driven collaboration is at the core of our work, and we focus on bringing employers, municipal leaders, and professionals together to expand opportunity. We partner closely with companies across the region to understand their workforce needs and build pathways that serve both businesses and the broader community. Veterans and Military Spouses bring strong, transferable skills that can directly support these businesses.  Casssandra will highlight how this approach can complement Andover’s economic growth efforts and support businesses of all sizes.

Although most widely known as a world Champion Archer who beat 2 countries in 12 languages, he is so much more than that. Sean is a modern day Robin Hood who uses his vast talents to help others whenever possible. A teacher of design and manufacturing for over 30 years, Sean has produced many of the products you see and use in the outdoors. When Sean witnessed an ice skating tragedy on a lake with multiple victims and first responders in peril, Sean immediately went to work on a solution.

Today, Sean will be discussing his patented Ice Rescue Tool for first responders. The ADK 3 in 1 Ice Rescue Tool is celebrated the worldover as the most effective and safe ice rescue tool ever built.

Sean is currently a Licensed Professional Outdoor Guide and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Specialist for Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife. He resides with his 3 boys in North Reading.

Samer Abouhamad is a Boston-based adventurer, long-distance cyclist, and motivational speaker. Between 2022 and 2025, he completed a 46,000-mile solo cycling journey across six continents, traveling fully self-supported through 61 countries. Now back home, he shares lessons on resilience, navigating uncertainty, and the power of human connection with companies, schools, and community groups. His talk, Pedaling Over Impossible, highlights stories from the road and the mindset shifts that helped him transform a dream into a reality.  

Lazarus House Ministry has 50+ full and part-time staff, 5000+ volunteers, and 6500 donors working together to serve the most vulnerable people of Lawrence, MA – people struggling with material poverty, homelessness and food insecurity. We are a community.  Gail will bring her team to speak about opportunities for everyone to participate and ask questions about areas that are of interest to them.

Abigail (Abbe) Wertz is the Trauma Program Manager at MerrimackHealth in Lawrence, a role she has held since 2020 after more than two decades of service as an Emergency Room nurse. With 23 years of frontline ER experience and 13 years as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Abbe’ career centers on trauma informed patient care and community safety.

In the role of Trauma Program Manager Abbe is active in the Merrimack Valley in injury prevention and education: teaching Stop the Bleed classes in schools and community groups to help the layperson identify and take steps to control severe bleeding while waiting for 911, organizing and supporting town Bike Rodeos to promote safe riding and helmet use, and sponsoring a biannual car seat safety check in Lawrence where Car Seat Patient Safety Technicians check the installation and appropriate size and condition of car seats.

A resident of Haverhill for the past 27 years, Abbe is active in the community primarily in the area of food insecurity. Abbe is also the mother of four adult sons and one granddaughter. She spends her free time happily working in her flower and veggie gardens and walking her dogs.

Aqueous Consultants is a Professional Engineering firm that specializes in providing our clients with irrigation, water resources, rainwater harvesting, alternative water design, and water feature design solutions. Founded by Michael Igo, PE in 2014 in Andover, and joined full-time by his spouse and partner Andrea Igo, PE in 2016, the firm’s passion and desire to provide efficient water systems for architects, engineers, and end-users has made Aqueous a trusted partner for our clients.

By engineering systems that promote water conservation and efficiency, we lessen the dependence on drinking water, preserve ecological balance, and watch the economic bottom line. We are fortunate to have worked on some of the most prominent institutional, commercial, and residential construction projects around the United States working for the most sought-after architects, developers, and engineers. Reaching as many as 8 employees in 2025, Aqueous always seeks continued growth and forecasts a bright future with a talented staff and expanding satisfied customer base for our engineering and consulting services.

Andrea and Mike have lived in Andover (Ballardvale) for 19 years and have two sons at Andover High School.