Rotary Club Contributes to Memorial Hall Restoration
By Patrick DeVivo
Members of the Melrose Rotary Club and Friends of Memorial Hall
Photo From Melrose Rotary Club
On March 6th, the Melrose Rotary Club approved a donation of $20,000 to The Friends of Memorial Hall. These funds will help pay for the ongoing renovations to the Memorial Hall building on Main Street. “The Rotary Club is always looking for worthy projects,” said Board Member John Tozza, “and is happy to make this contribution to the reconstruction of Memorial Hall, to help ensure that future Melrose residents continue to have the use of this historic building.”
This monetary donation is the most recent initiative of the Melrose Rotary Club, the local arm of Rotary International, a worldwide organization of approximately 45,000 local clubs and 1.2 million members. The first Rotary Club was founded in Chicago in 1905 “so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships.”
The Melrose Rotary Club, which founded in 1920, is made up of approximately sixty Melrose residents who voluntarily donate their time to help fund and deliver initiatives – donations, single events, projects, or ongoing programs – that help improve and enrich civic life for Melrose residents. The organization seeks to utilize the variety of skills and perspectives of its members to address some of the most compelling needs of the Melrose community.
As a non-profit organization, the club oversees the Melrose Rotary Club Charitable Fund, which is funded by donations made by present and former members or from friends of Rotarians who support the organization’s goals. Member dues and fundraising efforts pay for the ongoing expenses of running the Melrose Rotary Club.
Club members meet over lunch every Thursday from 12:15 to 1:30 pm at Memorial Hall to review donation requests and discuss new ideas. Each donation request is reviewed, and a decision is made whether to fund the request in whole, in part, or not at all.
A decision to fund a donation request out of the Charitable Fund is generally based on whether the requesting organization or individual has demonstrated a current and significant financial need for funds that will directly benefit Melrose. All donation requests should be submitted in writing and must explain how the funds will be used.
In the case of the Memorial Hall renovations, club members have been meeting in the Hall’s Grand Army of the Republic conference room for many years, and most members were aware of the renovation needs of the building before the request from the Friends of Memorial Hall was submitted. Discussions began a few months ago to make a large gift to the hall, since members believed that the city and the Friends of Memorial Hall are in the best position to know where best to apply the spending.
Historically, the Melrose Rotary Club has approved monetary donations for a wide range of organizations and projects, including: The Bridge School and Community Partnership, the Greater Boston Stage Company, the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, the Melrose Alliance Against Violence, the Melrose Community Coalition, Mystic Valley Elder Services, the Polymnia Choral Society, the Melrose Public Schools Robotics Team, and Temple Beth Shalom’s Christmas Dinner. Most of these grants were for under $1,000.
In addition to reviewing and approving such donation requests, the Rotary Club organizes or supports the following ongoing events and initiatives:
- Preparing and serving dinner at the Bread of Life once a month
- Hosting Rotary After Hours monthly evening social gathering
- Conducting semi-annual clean-ups of the Rotary Community Garden, the Adopt-a-site on Green Street, and the Rotary-sponsored skateboard park on Tremont Street
- Supporting the Victorian Fair in September
- Conducting the Rotary Spelling Bee
- Participating in the annual MLK Day of Service
- Conducting an annual Rotary Event - Talent Show, Family Feud, etc
Members can also submit plans for Self-Directed Projects to be sponsored by the Rotary Club, including clothing/food/supplies drives, annual bike rides, runs, walks, mission trips, etc.
All Melrose residents are eligible to join the Rotary Club at one of three membership levels: Full Time, requiring $200 annual dues and 70% attendance at weekly meetings; Service, requiring the same $200 dues, with no minimum meeting attendance requirement; and Corporate, where 2-3 employees of a local business share the requirements of full-time membership.
More information about the Melrose Rotary Club can be found at their website or by email at melroserotaryclub@gmail.com.
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