Events

James Moore has more than 30 years in the banking and mortgage arena, but today he will speak with us about his role as President of the Merrimack Valley Toastmasters.  Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that builds confidence and teaches public speaking skills through a worldwide network of clubs that meet online and in person. In a supportive community or corporate environment, members prepare and deliver speeches, respond to impromptu questions, and give and receive constructive feedback. It is through this regular practice that members are empowered to meet personal and professional communication goals. Founded in 1924, the organization is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado with approximately 270,000 members in more than 14,000 clubs in 150 countries. Learn how Toastmasters can help improve your public speaking and build leadership skills!

Andover High School students made a splash on the world stage recently after winning an international physics competition and being invited to a laboratory in Germany.

It all began at the start of the 2023-2024 school year when then-junior Richard Chen approached physics teacher Daniel Donovan with a lofty idea. Chen, a member of the Andover High School Physics Club, wanted to enter a group into Beamline for Schools, a challenging particle physics competition.

Last May, the team received news that it was one of the competition’s three winners and earned the team a trip to Hamburg, Germany to test their experiment.

Only the third team from the United States to win this competition, the team is bound for Germany in September 2024, excited for a unique two-week long learning experience that will serve Andover students in years to come.

 Nasser and Kathleen run Transmural Systems, a medical device company addressing structural heart failure.  Transmural Systems is a Clinical Stage Medical Device Company with a Platform of Innovative Transcatheter Electrosurgery and Heart Failure Therapies headquartered in Dundee Park in Andover. 

They have been residents of Andover since October 1997 and will share insights into the pioneering work that they and their team do every day, right in our back yard!

Monica is a strategic nonprofit leader developing comprehensive plans for inclusive, community-wide art and social impact projects. She effectively curates experiences and manages projects to ensure alignment with organizational values and mission.  Monica is the new Executive Director of the Essex Art Center and will oversee EAC’s mission and work to advance the Center’s education and exhibition programming and broaden its impact.

Since 1809, the Andover Bookstore has been located on Main Street, in the heart of historic Andover, MA. We take pride in being the country’s oldest continuously operating independent bookstore, in the value we add to our local community, and in our part in the fight to save small, local independent bookstores across the country from the faceless, ruthless online corporate behemoth that threatens all of our Main Streets.

Sarah Klock has worked as the manager for the Andover Bookstore since August of 2022. An lifelong reader, Sarah has loved being a part of the storied history of Andover Bookstore and has bold visions for its future in downtown Andover. She believes that a town that supports a bookstore is a town worth living in. Sarah lives with her husband and three kids in Ballardvale.

Katie provides audit, tax, and consulting solutions to sophisticated nonprofit organizations, including multi-service human & social service providers, residential and day treatment agencies, early education and care (EEC) agencies, and independent schools. She has extensive experience auditing nonprofit organizations in accordance with Uniform Guidance/Single Audit and Government Auditing Standards as well as those with Uniform Financial Statement filing requirements.

Recently 60 Minutes reported on fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid that has created the worst drug crisis the United States has ever faced.

Last year, more than 70,000 Americans died from a fentanyl overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a higher death toll than U.S. military casualties in the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined. 

Drug cartels in Mexico have flooded the United States with fentanyl, often hiding it in counterfeit pills designed to look like authentic prescription pills, including OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall. And fentanyl is also showing up as an additive in street drugs, like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. This has led to an increased risk of accidental overdoses, cases where someone has unwittingly ingested fentanyl without knowing it was present.

This week, as part of our ongoing Andover Cares efforts, Paul Salafia will present on this harrowing topic.

The Rotary Club of Andover is pleased to welcome Town Manager Andrew P. Flanagan for his annual Town Meeeting preview. 

Also, Joanna Reck, a member of the Central Street Historic Study Commmitee will provide an update from the committe as well. 

Handmade with love by Gale Page, these warm wonders have fleece on the outside and cozy sherpa and hand pockets inside. Learn about the inspiration to start this small business.

Richard brings 39 years of distinguished service within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), culminating in his retirement in October 2024. Throughout his career, he played a pivotal role in shaping and overseeing the Physical Security organization. As a key leader responsible for developing and implementing Physical Security Policies and Standards for an organization of over 100,000 employees across more than 500 facilities, Richard ensured the highest levels of safety and compliance. His expertise extended to co-authoring critical policies, including the Department of Homeland Security's Interagency Security Committee guidelines and the Active Shooter Policy, demonstrating his commitment to interagency collaboration and forward-thinking security measures.

Richard was deeply engaged with Government Accountability Office (GAO) security audits, leveraging his expertise to ensure robust security frameworks and address areas of improvement. Under his leadership, the IRS developed cutting-edge physical security software designed to streamline compliance with federal standards, enhance operational efficiencies, and serve as a benchmark for other federal agencies seeking to elevate their physical security protocols. Richard's contributions have not only strengthened the IRS's security posture but have also influenced broader federal security initiatives, reflecting his lifelong dedication to safeguarding employees, facilities, and the public.

Mark Spencer holds a PhD in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has spent two decades in environmental research, research and development and product development. He was last Director of Technology for Agiltron, a contract R&D company north of Boston. He spent a decade at NASA Ames Research Center measuring infrared absorption of atmospheric species. His experience in securing and managing government funded R&D programs will be used to expand the technology of water quality analysis.

THIS WEEK WE MEET AT THE ROBB CENTER.

Our own Jean Leider will present on her recent trip!  https://rotaryandover.org/stories/rotary-district-7930-39-s-rotaplast-cebu-city-mission

In June 2024, AVIS was awarded a $100,000 MassTrails Grant to construct an All Persons Trail at the Goldsmith Woodlands Reservation.  AVIS has miles of woodland trails, none of which are accessible to people of all abilities. We understand how important it is for people to spend time in nature, yet many people with disabilities, especially mobility challenges, cannot access this benefit in Andover.  Ensuring universal access to the physical and mental health benefits of nature is a top priority.

Why Goldsmith?

• Goldsmith is AVIS’s most visited reservation, attracting approximately 100 visitors a day, depending on the weather.  It is easily accessed from Rte 28 and conveniently located near the junction with Rte 125.
• The flat grade of the trail makes it well-suited to meet Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG)
• Foster’s Pond provides a beautiful destination at the end of the proposed trail

Angelina Berube is the Andover and North Andover reporter at The Eagle-Tribune. She has been at the newspaper since July 2022, covering New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley during that time.

Berube has covered a wide range of topics in the community and enjoys writing features about the people who make her communities vibrant. The job keeps her on her toes with different stories to write each day.

Berube has experience with sports reporting as a former high school and college hockey player. She writes about the Professional Women's Hockey League Boston Fleet's players and its games in Lowell for The Eagle-Tribune in addition to her daily news reporting.

Great Dog Rescue New England is a nonprofit, shelterless, all-breed rescue group headquartered in Massachusetts. Our group is comprised of volunteers all over New England who love dogs and want to help those that end up homeless through no fault of their own. Loyal and loving dogs turn up every day in New England and Southern shelters, as owners turn them in or they’re found roaming the streets after being dumped.

Great Dog is dedicated to animal rescue. In addition to our primary goal of helping homeless and abandoned dogs find loving forever homes, we:

– DONATE money to spay and neuter clinics in the south to help solve the problem of pet overpopulation.

– ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY OUTREACH activities with local schools to help educate children and young adults about animal rescue, responsible pet ownership, proper pet care, etc.

– ADOPT DOGS to agencies that train dogs to assist the physically disabled and hearing impaired (many dogs that were abandoned are now helping people lead independent lives).

We are proud of the work we do with the dogs and in local communities.

Karla is the Executive Director at Stone Hill at Andover and has been with the community since November 2018, before the building opened. As Executive Director, Karla ensures the community is in compliance with state, federal and safety requirements.

Karla is also an esteemed Rotary member!

Judith Hull has worked for Community Heart & Soul since 2021 as a coach and market development consultant. Judith notes: “I really believe in Community Heart & Soul as an effective tool for long-lasting change because it is a resident-driven process that emphasizes the positive. Stories that residents contribute about why they love their communities builds new relationships, trust, and a strong foundation for long-term planning.”

Her experience with community work is long-standing and she considers facilitation, listening, critical thinking, and teamwork important strengths. She is a member of both the Northern New England and the Massachusetts Chapters of the APA.

Judith taught for several decades in professional schools of architecture where attention to urban planning and community development are fundamental to the curriculum and where she honed her skills as a facilitator in leading classroom discussions. She received a B.A. from Binghamton University, an M.A. from UMASS Amherst, and holds a PhD in the history of architecture from Columbia University.

Tom is a Senior level financial and operations professional with over 37 years of for-profit and non-profit experience. His areas of expertise include financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, non-profit governance, banking compliance, cash management, system implementations, policies and procedures documentation, grant management (federal and private), internal control reviews, board presentations, organization assessments, audit management, organization formation and dissolution, and IRS non-profit application completion and submission. Prior to joining CLA, Tom worked for a professional services firm, for nine years, that specialized in working with Non-Profit organizations. He held positions as CFO, Treasurer and Executive Director for many of the Non-Profit Association clients for a Professional services firm (including Senior Vice President for the firm managing four departments), that managed more than 70 Non-Profits (primarily Associations), around the world. Prior to that Tom held positions as Director of Finance and Administration for a social services non-profit and CFO of a long-standing non-profit preservation society. Tom currently works with a variety of nonprofit industries: Associations, Human Services, Community Development, Religious and Tech groups. 

At Neurowaves Brain Wellness Center, we specialize in advanced neuromodulation treatments for a variety of conditions, including Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and other neurological and sensory disorders. Our approach, Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT), is a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, and highly personalized treatment designed to address the unique needs of each patient.

A well-planned garden completes the story of your home, it looks beautiful, smells beautiful, and sounds beautiful. It can even taste beautiful. It’s a place you come to at the end of the day to relax, play, eat, and connect with the people in your life. 

Our mission at Samantha’s Gardens is to spread joy and happiness to our clients and throughout our communities. We don’t just want to landscape your home, we want to transform it into an environment you will love.

The kind that has the power to transport you.