Home Page | Agawam Rotary Club, Inc.

We meet In Person & Online

Tuesdays at 4:15 p.m.

Agawam Housing Authority

66 Meadowbrook Manor
Agawam, MA 01001
United States of America

1st Tuesday of the month 4:15 pm - Agawam Housing Authority; 2nd Tuesday of the month 4:15 pm (Board Meeting) - Agawam Housing Authority; 3rd Wednesday of the month 12:15 pm - Storrowton Tavern; ***Check Calendar for details.***

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Rotary Day of Service

Food Drive at Stop & Shop

On March 28, 2026, the Agawam Rotary Club held a food drive for the Church Cupboard at the Feeding Hills Congregational Church. Thank you to Stop & Shop in Feeding Hills and our community your generosity.

With the support of funds from The Rotary Foundation - DISTRICT 7890 DISTRICT GRANT, the Agawam Rotary Club is proud to support the Church Cupboard.

2025-2026 District Grant Project

On February 14th members of the Agawam Rotary Club attended the Open House at the Church Cupboard at the Feeding Hills Congregational Church. With the support of funds from The Rotary Foundation - DISTRICT 7890 DISTRICT GRANT, the Agawam Rotary Club is proud to support The Church Cupboard, a new food pantry at Feeding Hills Congregational Church Hall in Agawam, MA. Open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month from 9-11 AM, it offers free, no-questions-asked access to non-perishable groceries. Guests may visit once per month, with food amounts based on household size and donation availability.

2025 Harvest Festival

We are so pleased to have had such a great turnout at our Harvest Festival! Thank you to the vendors, car enthusiasts, and visitors for making it a great day. Congratulations to Starr Dixon, our Rotary Raffle Basket Winner. See you next year!

32nd Sustainable Water and Sanitation Project in Guatemala

Twenty-six Rotary Clubs in northern CT and Western MA (Rotary District 7890) have joined together to fund a project that will bring fresh drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene training to a needy Mayan community in Guatemala including matching funds from The Rotary Foundation and those contributed to ALDEA, the Cooperating Partner NGO, a total of $176,486 was raised. Adding this amount to the funds raised during the previous sixteen years brings the total to $1,856,900.

District Governor Visit 2025

8/5/2025 - During her official Club visit, District Governor, April Beston, presented John Barber with an Avenues of Service Award for Community Service. The Rotary Avenues of Service Award recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate outstanding service across all five Avenues of Service. These avenues are Club, Vocational, Community, International, and New Generations. The award acknowledges a member's active participation and contributions within each of these areas.

For over 25 years, John has been a devoted and active member of the Agawam Rotary Club. He consistently reminds us all that at the heart of Rotary is service—and he lives that truth every day. John plays a vital role in building and strengthening our community connections. He regularly invites local leaders and organizations to speak at our meetings, helping us learn more about our neighbors and the services that support them. Through his efforts, Rotary becomes not just a club, but a bridge to the greater community. A tireless advocate for service, John never hesitates to step up. He champions small but meaningful donations to local organizations and is especially passionate about engaging with youth, always looking for new ways to connect and support the next generation. Perhaps most importantly, John is the kind of person who makes you feel seen, valued, and included. He looks out for others and creates a sense of belonging wherever he goes. He’s more than a Rotarian—he’s the heart of the Agawam Rotary Club.

8/5/2025 - Also during her official Club visit, District Governor April Beston presented John Barber with a Paul Harris +3 recognition pin. This recognition pin is his 4th, signifying that he is a 4-time Paul Harris Fellow.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. The recognition is given in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations between peoples of the world. Congratulations to John and thank you for all you do and for your generosity to The Rotary Foundation!

2025 Scholarships Awarded

Our 2025 Scholarship winners were invited to a luncheon in their honor on June 18th at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield. Congratulations to our recipients!

District Grant Project 2024-2025

The Agawam Rotary Club received a $2,100 grant from the Rotary Foundation through Rotary District 7890 to support a project to improve the newly created Still Brook Park in Feeding Hills, MA. Left to Right Rotarians at Work: Marlene DeJesus, Club President, John Barber, Past President and Mary Ann Ludtke, Treasurer, pose on one of the benches at Still Brook Park (formerly Tuckahoe Park) provided by the Agawam Rotary through The Rotary Foundation District Grant.

Sunshine Village

Tuesday, January 7, The Agawam Rotary Club started of the new year with presentation from Gina Maggi Golash Kos and Corinne “Coco” Dumont from Sunshine Village, Inc. Sunshine Village is not only a great program, providing a wealth of services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families, but they are also our neighbor having expanded their services with a facility in Agawam. To learn more about Sunshine Village visit https://www.sunshine.us/

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Bell Ringing

Our club has a long standing history of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. It has become a family affair.

Christmas Present Wrapping

The Agawam Rotary Club came together at Kaptain Jimmy's Restaurant & Distillery to wrap and bag lots of wonderful toys, games, and gifts for 5 Agawam families. Elves Danielle LaTaille, Jennifer Connolly, Mary Ann Ludtke, President Marlene DeJesus, John Barber, Erin Wilson and Ayla Alkan, organized, planned, purchased, and wrapped for the event.

Thanksgiving 2024 Joint Meeting with West Springfield Club

Thanksgiving is for sharing special traditions. Agawam and West Springfield share a football rivalry and our Rotary clubs come together to honor and celebrate our teams. Our Clubs came together on November 26th and met in the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield.

Pictured Left to Right: Agawam Club President Marlene DeJesus and West Springfield Club President Dan D'Angelo.

Pictured Left to Right: Bud & Mary Breeding, and Barb & Dave DeLancey

Check Presentation to AOK

Members of the Agawam Rotary Club presented a check to Mary Ann Hanlon, Program and Outreach Director for AOK, All Our Kids. AOK's mission is to empower Western Massachusetts foster and adoptive families to thrive by enriching community connectedness, providing education and resources, and helping the public understand and support our experience.

Pictured Left to Right: Albert "Bud" Breeding, Marlene DeJesus, Mary Ann Ludtke, Mary Ann Hanlon, John Barber, and Dave DeLancey.

SummerFest Cleanup Crew

Members of the Agawam Rotary Club cleaned and prepped the concession stand at School Street Park ahead of the first Summer Concert on June 26, at 7:00pm, featuring "Skid Marks," playing Vintage Rock 'n' Roll delivered with the look and sound of an authentic 50's and 60's rock show.

Thank you, John Barber, Mary Ann Ludtke, Erin Wilson, and Dave DeLancey for today's cleanup!

Join the fun, listen to great music and BRING CASH to buy popcorn, ice cream, and drinks and support the community efforts of the Agawam Rotary Club!

2024 Rotary Day of Service

The Agawam Rotary Club's 2024 Rotary Day of Service project was very rewarding. Club members distributed Summer Activity Bags, that promote reading, play, and safety during the summer, to youth from Brady Village in Agawam and we met some wonderful families! Everyone had fun! Thank you to the Agawam Schools for donating books to the project! Thank you everyone for a great event!

2024 Rotary Day of Service Preparations

Getting ready for the Rotary Day of Service! The Agawam Rotary Club is distributing Summer Activity Bags to youth ages infant to 18 at Brady Village in Agawam on Tuesday, May 21st at 5:30pm-6:30pm. Rotarians and volunteers are welcome to help distribute bags and oversee family games.

We had a great group of Rotarians and some family members stuffing bags yesterday at the Pavilion at School Street Park. Thank you for all your help!

The Parish Cupboard

Rotarians are dedicated to service above self. Hosting Guest Speakers from area non-profits, is one way Rotary Members learn about opportunities to help the community. On April 3, 2024, Agawam Rotary Club members heard from Bob Fastie, Executive Director of the Parish Cupboard in West Springfield. The Parish Cupboard provides meals and groceries to individuals and families in need throughout West Springfield, Agawam, and Feeding Hills.

Valentine's Day Donations

Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at our Valentine's Day Dinner, donations were presented to Therese Ross, Director of Rick's Place; Marlene DeJesus, representing the Agawam Public Schools Family Resource Center; and Debra F. Mainolfi Board member of Unify Against Bullying, to support their organizations' efforts in the community.

Pictured left to right are: Therese Ross, Club President John Barber, Club Member Marlene DeJesus, and Debra F. Mainolfi

Pollinator Garden

The Agawam Rotary Club created a pollinator garden next to the existing community garden at the Agawam High School. The garden is an educational opportunity for the students and will be dedicated to the teachers and staff of the Agawam Public Schools.

2023 RYLA Students

On Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the Agawam Rotary Club hosted several Agawam High School students at a luncheon at the Agawam Senior Center.

Shown above left to right are Agawam Rotary Club members Marlene DeJesus, Michael Squindo, George Bitzas, Donna Bys, RYLA Students Hazel Meyer, Isabella Olivera, and Samantha Dean, Club President John Barber, RYLA Student Mia McGregor, Club member Joe Clark, Mayor Bill Sapelli and Club member Dave DeLancey.

2023 Scholarship Winners Recognized

The 2023 Agawam Rotary Club Scholarship winners were hosted for lunch at Storrowton Tavern in West Springfield on June 21, 2023.

Pictured left to right – (Front) Gabriel Zollo, Olivio Salva , Marissa Rufo, Emily Gariepy, Maureen Cayer – Scholarship Chair, (Rear) Matthew Benard

Rotary Day of Service 2022

Rotary members, family, and friends joined together on April 9, 2022 for the District Day of Service to clean out, and freshen up the old senior center located in the Agawam housing Authority. This was the first step in transforming this space into a FUNctional space for the Agawam Housing Authority.

10,000 Medical Face Masks Distributed

Rotarian Judy Pothul delivered 4,500 medical face masks to Heritage Hall West in Agawam which were then distributed to each facility within the Heritage Hall campus.

3 (Not so) New Members Welcomed

John O'Farrel, Maureen Cayer, and David Moore officially welcomed to Agawam Rotary.

District Governor Joanne inspired club members, both live and via Zoom, during our July 28th hybrid Club meeting.

Savers FUNdrive 2021 - Delivered!

Thank you to everyone who supported our FUNdrive! We delivered approximately 900 pounds of clothing and fabric items and 400 pounds of housewares. We help to reduce, reuse and recycle items while raising funds that will back into our community and do good in the world.

Agawam Rotary Receives 5,000 Medical Masks

On September 29th , a cargo ship arrived in Boston with 800,000 masks on board to be distributed to communities across New England. The mask cargo was part of a project launched by Rotary District 7980 which includes southern Connecticut, Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. With an additional 200,000 mask donation from East Hampton, CT Rotarian Ted Rossi and the Rossi Family Foundation the project was named the “Rotary Million Mask Challenge Tour.”

Lois M. Nesci, CEO of Gandara Center

Mental Health Awareness Month

May 06, 2026 4:30 PM

Kimberly Haidinger

"A Kid's Guide to Climate Activism" and "A Kid's Guide to Economic Activism for the Climate".

Feb 03, 2026 4:00 PM

August 2026

The Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideals of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster the following:

FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Four-Way Test

This test, which guides all Rotarians and Rotary activities, has been translated into more than 100 languages and asks the following four questions:

Of the things we think, say, or do:

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Mission

The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Avenues of Service

Based on the Objects of Rotary, the Avenues of Service are Rotary’s philosophical cornerstone and the foundation on which club activity is based:

Club Service focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.
Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.
Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community.
International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.
New Generations Service recognizes the positive change implemented by youth and young adults through leadership development activities, service projects, and exchange programs.

Diversity and Rotary

Rotary International recognizes the value of diversity within individual clubs. Rotary encourages clubs to assess those in their communities who are eligible for membership, under existing membership guidelines, and to endeavor to include the appropriate range of individuals in their clubs. A club that reflects its community’s diversity with regard to professional and business classifications, gender, age, religion, and ethnicity is a club with the key ingredients to its successful future.

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Pavement Management

Pavement management refers to the process the Agawam Department of Public Works uses to plan the maintenance and repair schedule for the network of roads and other paved facilities throughout the town. Many factors are considered when prioritizing which streets will receive repairs in a given year including, but not limited to: average daily traffic volume, proximity to schools, other planned utility or construction projects and input from residents. The DPW and the Engineering Department regularly assess the condition of all accepted streets and strive to utilize the limited available funding for pavement repair as efficiently as possible.

Veteran's Services

Agawam is the home office of the Department of Veterans’ Services for the Western Hampden District, which includes the towns of Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Russell and Tolland.

Election Information

View election documents and resources.

Beautification Committee

The Agawam Beautification Committee is made up of town residents who volunteer their time, energies, and talents to make Agawam a more attractive place to live.

Parks & Recreation

The Town of Agawam Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to providing quality recreation facilities, programs, and services to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Agawam and Feeding Hills.

‘One simple word’

Leaders highlight the power of gratitude at The Rotary Foundation Donor Summit

Talking reading and Rotary with Dolly Parton

The entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton died 25 August 2026. This Q&A was originally published in the March 2010 issue of The Rotarian (now Rotary) magazine. Later that year, she spoke at the Rotary International Convention in Montreal, Canada.