Events

Registration Open Now – Closes December 9, 2025

Help us make Andover shine bright this holiday season!

Join the Rotary Club of Andover for our 1st Annual Holiday Lights Contest. Compete for bragging rights in the following categories:

• Best House
• Best Neighborhood
• Best Business
• Best Professionally Installed Display

Key Dates:

• Registration Deadline: December 9th, at midnight
• Judging: December 10th (ensure your lights are on!)
• Winners Announced: December 15th

Entry Fee: $20
Register: Click here to register

Location: Andover, MA (Participants’ homes, neighborhoods, or businesses)

Contact: For more info, visit the registration link or contact Event Chair Jamie.

Let’s light up Andover together!

The Good Shepherd Soup Kitchen at Lazarus House provides freshly prepared hot meals for more than 300 people a day at breakfast and lunch sittings.  Volunteers serve food to the individuals who stop in for a hot meal and socialization.  4th Thursday of each month...with 4 volunteers from The Rotary Club of Andover.

(In November 2025, we're serving food on FRIDAY 11/28, day after Thanksgiving.  PLEASE see Al if you're interested to help them food there on Thursday 11/27...they ARE open that day, and may need help that day in addition to our team there on 11/28)

260 Park Street (Corner Park and Exchange);  Lawrence, MA

Ellen is the Executive Vice President of Ozzy Properties, Inc and has been actively engaged in the field of commercial property development and historic building renovation for nearly 25 years.  She is fully accountable for all day-to-day property operations, overseeing and enhancing the value of the property portfolio comprising over a million SF of office and industrial space and nearly 200 residential units.  She manages a team of building managers, tradesmen and administrative personnel and has solid construction management experience.  Ellen was appointed to the Permanent Town Building Advisory Committee by the Town Manager in 2019 and is the current Chairperson.

Lazarus House Food Pantry (aka St. Martha’s Food Pantry) supplies healthy groceries to over 1900 families each week. The Pantry offers a dignified shopping experience, allowing choices and greater independence and planning.

On Mondays, Volunteers help unload food delivery truck, and may help stock shelves too.

2nd Monday of each month...with 4 volunteers from The Rotary Club of Andover

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.

You, your family and guests are cordially invited to celebrate the holidays with us on Thursday, December 18th starting at 5:30 pm at the home of Mary Ann Millar in Andover. Appetizers and dinner buffet will be provided.  If you would like to bring a dessert or beverage to share or need Mary Ann's address, please email Diana who will be coordinating incoming fare.

We will also be collecting unwrapped gifts for pre-school children and canned food to benefit the Andover/No. Andover YMCA who generously offers meeting space throughout the year for our Club.  Amazon Wish/Gift List is coming.  Gifts from the wish list can be mailed directly to the YMCA if preferred.

RSVP by signing up online (click blue button under Online Registration to the left) or via the sign-up sheet which will be circulated at the weekly meetings.  If you are signing up for more than one person, please use the appropriate registration category to help ensure adequate food. 

Looking forward to celebrating another joyeous season together!

This year, The Rotary Club of Andover be competing to regain our title for the biggest cash haul in the Merrimack Valley to benefit the Lawrence Salvation Army. The Free Christian Church will try their best to hold onto the title that we previously held for eight consecutive years. We may have been the Washington Generals last year but we're lacing up our shoes and returning as the Harlem Globetrotters. (If you are under 40, you may have to ask a Boomer or Wikipedia.)  

...But, only if you join in the merrment on Tuesday, December 23rd from 9 am to 5 pm in front of Andover Old Town Hall. 

Sign up for one or more one hour shifts. Shifts involve serious emoting, like dancing, singing and (if you're Doug Mercurio) begging. Friends and family members are invited!

Questions, contact Coordinator: Mark Spencer  or 978-884-6958

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

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!