Meredith Rotary Club

10/13/2026

Ten Rotary Youth Exchange students got a full taste of the Lakes Region last weekend, and we had a great time showing them around! The students come from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Finland, France, Japan, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, and they’re spending the whole school year with host families across northern New England.

They met their weekend hosts over dinner on Friday. On Saturday, they visited the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center climbed Rattlesnake Mountain for lunch at the top (thanks, George's Diner!), checked out the Sandwich Fair (thanks, The Sandwich Fair!), and finished the day at FUNSPOT. Sunday was all about Gunstock Mountain Resort Adventure Park, where they tackled the treetop adventure course, the zip line, and the mountain coaster, with lunch from our friends at the Gilford Rotary Club.

Do you know a student who’d love to study abroad, or a family who’d enjoy hosting one? We’re looking for long term students for the 2028 to 2029 school year, short term students for summer 2027, and host families for 2027 to 2028 and beyond.

08/26/2026

Heading to the ILMHS open house this evening? Stop by our tables between 4:30 and 6:30 to meet us.

Youth is a major focus for our club. Since 1982, nearly 35% of our donations have gone toward youth programs and scholarships, and tonight you can see two of those programs up close.

Our Rotary Youth Exchange Program offers local students the chance to live abroad, either for a full year or a shorter term, with a host family and attending school in another country. Families here also have the opportunity to open their homes to a student from elsewhere in the world. If you have ever thought about hosting an exchange student or want your own student to experience life in another country, this is the table to visit.

We will also have our Interact Club. Interact is Rotary's service club for high school students, giving them a way to take on real community projects, build leadership skills, and connect with peers who care about making a difference locally and globally. Any student curious about joining is welcome to stop by and ask questions.

Come say hello and learn how to get involved.

08/24/2026

Our friends at Gilford Rotary Club are hosting their 42nd Annual Pancake Breakfast this Saturday, August 29, from 7 a.m.- 10 a.m. at the Gilford Youth Center on Potter Hill Road. Ten dollars gets adults all the pancakes they can eat, along with sausage, orange juice, and coffee, and kids eat for five dollars.

Every proceed from the breakfast supports the Cheryl Walsh Scholarship Fund, which has helped 59 Gilford High School graduating seniors since 1988 with grants ranging from $500 to $3,000. It is a great example of what Rotary clubs do best, turning a community tradition into lasting support for local students.

If you are in the area this Saturday, stop by and support Gilford Rotary. It is a great way to spend a morning and a great cause to back.

GILFORD ROTARY OLD HOME DAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST THIS SATURDAY AUGUST 29!

The best part of waking up on Gilford Old Home Day? The Gilford Rotary Club hosting their 42nd Annual Pancake Breakfast Saturday morning August 29 from seven till ten at the Gilford Youth Center on Potter Hill Road. Cost is ten dollars for adults and five dollars for kids. Gilford Rotary’s secret recipe, all you care to eat pancakes will be served with hearty sausage, orange juice, and piping hot coffee. Blueberries will be freshly picked from Stone Brook Hill Farm. Gluten free pancakes available by request! All proceeds benefit the Cheryl Walsh Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship was started by Gilford Rotary in 1988, and Gilford Rotary initially funded the Scholarship with seed money. The earnings of the early investments plus contributions by members of the Foundation Board and Selection Committee, as well as Gilford Rotary, family members, and friends have resulted in $500 to $3,000 grants to the 59 graduating seniors over the years.

A silver commemorative bowl, a citation, and the financial grant are given to recipients at Gilford High School’s Senior Awards Night in June. Since the beginning, a selection committee of board members, friends and past recipients has conducted interviews to select the recipients. The Scholarship has traditionally attracted applications from the brightest and most talented leaders and scholar/athletes of the senior class.

The long-standing Annual Old Home Day Rotary Pancake Breakfast is currently the major fund-raiser for the scholarship. The ongoing goal is to raise and conserve a substantial enough principal to give a meaningful and truly helpful grant to each year's recipient(s). Also, tax-deductible contributions may be sent to Treasurer, Cheryl Lynn Walsh Memorial Scholarship Foundation, c/o Gilford Rotary Club, Post Office Box 7091, Gilford, New Hampshire 03247-7091. Contributors, who cumulatively donate $1000.00 or more to the Scholarship, are named to a Foundation Fellowship to recognize their intent to help sustain the Scholarship’s goals.

The original fund goal of $100,000 was reached in 2021. It is hoped that increasing the fund past the original goal will allow for bigger scholarships and additional recipients

Gilford Rotary is an organization of business and professional men and women who have accepted the ideal of service as a basis for attaining fulfillment in their business, personal, and professional lives, and by serving their community. Gilford Rotary meets Fridays at 7:00AM in the Fellowship Hall at Gilford Community Church, Potter Hill Road, Gilford.

08/21/2026

This week our club heard directly from two of our own RYLA participants, and it reminded us why this program matters so much for our local students. Kylee and David, both sophomores, attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy at Northern Vermont University alongside roughly 100 students from across the district, and they came back to share what they learned about leadership, service, and teamwork. A third member of our group, Ivy, also attended but is currently overseas on a Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Kylee talked about the friendships she built through activities like a talent show and closing circle, and David described a silent team-building challenge where his group had to build a structure strong enough to hold a ten-pound paint bucket, no talking allowed. Both students received their RYLA completion awards from Jim McFarlin, who was serving as our club president when Kylee and David were first sent to the program. Our club has sent sophomores to RYLA for the last three years, and we are proud to keep giving local students this kind of leadership experience.

Want to learn more about our youth programs? Visit meredithrotary.com

07/24/2026

⭐️ One week ago, Meredith Rotary boarded rafts to spend 24 hours supporting Make-A-Wish New Hampshire. During the opening ceremony, many of us were moved to tears listening to the stories behind the children's wishes. Then we watched one of those wishes come to life in real time, as costumed characters arrived at the docks by jetski while we cheered them on.

Our team was made up of Rotarians, family, and friends, and we spent the time trading stories and playing games with the other teams on the water. It was a genuinely special way to live out Rotary's Service Above Self motto, showing up for kids and families during some of their most meaningful moments.

We are already looking forward to next year.

07/22/2026

🐥 What a fun day at Loon Festival! Our members spent Saturday serving up hot dogs and ice cream to all the visitors who came out, and the smiles made every minute worth it.

Events like this are exactly why we love being part of this community. Getting to meet neighbors and visitors, hear their stories, and hand over a scoop of ice cream on a nice day is a pretty great way to spend an afternoon.

07/20/2026

💂 This June, the Meredith Rotary Club celebrated the close of another strong year and welcomed new leadership at its annual Changing of the Guard.

⚓️ During Jim McFarlin's presidency, the club awarded its highest total scholarships in recent memory to local schools. Members built a wheelchair-accessible ramp for a community member living with Parkinson's disease, donated to local food pantries, supported the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, contributed to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and awarded grants to many organizations, including the Circle Program. The club also introduced AI-generated meeting notes and completed a full website refresh to make it easier for prospective members to find and connect with the club.

⚓️ Bonnie Ireland steps in as Club President for the year ahead. She has been a Rotary member since 2017 and has been involved in nearly every corner of the club, from organizing spring cleanups at Meredith Bay and coordinating the installation of mini-splits at the Meredith Grange to serving on the Scholarship, Derby, and Senior Dinner committees. For the past two and a half years, she has served as Sergeant at Arms. She knows this club well.

We're excited for the 2026-2027 year. 🎉

07/17/2026

🛶 We're boarding the rafts today! Meredith Rotary Club members and friends are hitting the water on Lake Winnipesaukee for Rafting for Wishes, a 24-hour fundraiser benefiting Make-A-Wish New Hampshire. We hope to see the community out at Hesky Park cheering us on. Learn more about the event here:

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07/16/2026

At our annual Award Night on June 3rd, the Meredith Rotary Club was proud to recognize two people whose dedication to this community speaks for itself.

🏆⭐️ Eliza Leadbeater received the Community Service Award for 15 years of volunteer work with the Friends of the Meredith Library, raising thousands of dollars for library programs, shipping book donations to underserved communities, and showing up with the kind of quiet, consistent commitment that sustains organizations long-term.

🏆⭐️ Dean Gulezian was named Rotarian of the Year for his 15 years leading the club's Youth Exchange Program and his district-level work coordinating youth exchange across the entire New Hampshire and Vermont. His colleagues describe him as tireless, organized, and genuinely invested in young people.

🎉 Congratulations to Eliza and Dean. Read more: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2942/Stories/meredith-rotary-club-honors-eliza-leadbeater-and-dean-gulezian-at-annual-award-night

07/15/2026

☀️ This weekend, Meredith Rotary Club members will be joining the Loon Preservation Committee at the Annual Loon Festival, manning the grill and serving up ice cream. The festival runs from 10 AM to 2 PM on July 18th at the Loon Center in Moultonborough and features balloon animals, face painting, live animals, a dunk tank, and a Discovery Table from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. It is a great morning for the whole family and a chance to learn about the loons that make Lake Winnipesaukee their home. We hope to see you there! 🌭

In an ongoing effort to educate the public about loons, we host a number of fun and informative events through the year, for example, talks, cruises, festivals, and fundraisers.