The following article by editor Trevor Meek appeared this week in ‘The Local News’.
Click HERE to download the application form
The deadline to submit is February 15, 2026
The Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Club is now accepting applications for its 2026 Community Service Awards, which support local organizations that are making a positive impact in the community. Applications are due February 15.
The awards have provided financial support to a range of local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community groups. Past recipients include the Ipswich Family YMCA, Ipswich Refugee Program, Mark Warner’s Professional Martial Arts Academy, the Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center, and both the Ipswich and Rowley Council on Aging.
“For the last three years, I’ve been knocking on doors, letting organizations know that we have money to donate and we’d like to help,” said Kathleen Frederick, chair of the Rotary’s Community Service Committee. “We really want this new application process to be more formal, but not a burden on applicants.”
Awards typically range from $500 to $1,500. “We really try to take the funds we have and support at least seven groups each year,” Frederick said. “We urge any new start-ups or groups to apply. There are so many great people in Ipswich and Rowley doing really great work.”
Applications are available at BankGloucester, 143 High St., Ipswich or click HERE to download.
Completed applications must be submitted by Feb. 15, either by email to kathleen.frederick2@gmail.com or by mail to 9 Capeview Road, Ipswich, MA 01938.
In the photo, Rowley COA Director Ellie Davis (left) receives an award from Kathy Frederick.
Ipswich-Rowley Rotary Events Chair Lisa Shanko announced the winners of the club's annual Holiday Raffle. 
On November 12, 2025, Rotarians from across the Northeast MA District (7930) gathered at the Andover Country Club to thank their members who served in the armed forces. These veterans were awarded the prestigious “Paul Harris Fellow” in appreciation of their service. 
The evening’s speaker was retired US Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond, Chief Executive of the Home Base Foundation which was co-founded by the Boston Red Sox and Mass General to assist veterans, service members and their families through “world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research”. Since its founding over 50,000 veterans have been treated.
A memorial garden at Cross and Pleasant Streets was the gathering point in September 11, 2025 for the ceremony, attended faithfully by Rowley Fire and Police department members, residents, and Ipswich-Rowley Rotarians.
Following our regular meeting last Thursday, several Rotarians joined Ipswich Library Director Nora Blake in front of the town Library. The occasion was the dedication of a new granite post and refurbished signage donated to the town by Ipswich-Rowley Rotary. 
Rotarians brought bag lunches and folding chairs to enjoy and explore Pine Grove School’s environmental education space behind the Town’s Community Gardens and school sports field.
Exploring the trail after lunch, Rotarians discovered numerous Ecology signs pointing out forest features, such as This Old Tree, Great Horned Owl, and Animal Signs. A loop around the far end created a blending of children’s literature with the outdoor experience. These StoryWalk signs were spaced at intervals, inviting children and their adults to follow the story of the Honeybees and Pollinators as they explored the wooded landscape.
The trail exit (or trailhead!) expanded the educational space for student pollinator gardens. Signs introduced more ecological concepts throughout the raised beds, such as Composting, Native Plants, Invasive Species, Milkweed, and Monarch Life Cycles. 
At our regular meeting last week, founder and Director Dorothy Calandra shared the story of the Ipswich Dinner Bell. It was formed in 2010 as a “non-profit cooperation of churches and community organizations to serve hot, nutritious meals, free to all who come, and create a mealtime atmosphere of fellowship with one another.” The Committee receives primary support from the Ipswich Masonic Lodge whose members support the food preparation and wash the dishes every week, the Ipswich YMCA which organizes the delivery drivers, and the Institution for Savings and Ebsco that provide generous donations.
At our recent breakfast meetings, Ipswich-Rowley Rotary presented this year’s scholarship recipients and introduced our short-term youth exchange students. 
Rotary Short-Term Youth Exchange is a family-to-family exchange. According to Martha Mauser, the club’s Youth Exchange chair, “When a student applies s/he is matched with a student about the same age and sex from another country. When the match is accepted, the families decide who will go where first. For example, with these boys, Sergio came to Ipswich first to spend about 3.5 weeks with Sean's family. 
Twenty-three teachers at Pine Grove Elementary School, Rowley, were provided workshops in grade specific environmental education curricula through an Ipswich-Rowley Rotary District grant. Each classroom, for a total of 430 students, joined their teachers for a demo outdoor lesson along the new nature trail, Trackers Trail. It elevated the entire schools awareness of the local surroundings and built sustainalbe support for environmental education in the future.
On Wednesday, we participated in the opening and dedication of ‘Our Place”, a new recreational area designed and developed by the Ipswich Housing Authority for its residents. Ipswich-Rowley Rotary was a major donor, along with the Institution for Savings. Our donation marked our club’s 100 years of community service in Ipswich.
On Flag Day, we assembled with local veterans and area dignitaries on the Ipswich South Green to pay tribute to our local heroes in Ipswich and Rowley. Each year on this day of remembrance, we formally dedicate our fields of flags which are on display in both towns from Memorial Day through July 4.
And we also received final approval of our $5200 matching grant to assist Pine Grove School teachers in Rowley to develop skills in leading grade specific environmental educational programs on the new ‘Tracker’s Trail’ on adjacent town land. This sustainable learning program will directly benefit 23 teachers and 413 students and promote science literacy. The club's total investment in this project now exceeds $8,000. 
Rowley, MA 01969
United States of America