TownGreen 2025, a program of the Gloucester Meeting House Foundation, presents its second Cape Ann Sustainability Fair on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at O’Maley Innovation Middle School, located at 32 Cherry Street in Gloucester, MA, from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Come join the fun! We need volunteers throughout the day of the event. If you’d like to help please email Kelly Knox at TownGreen2025@outlook.com. We have a list of potential volunteer opportunities. Cape Ann is getting greener! Come help out!

The Cape Ann Farmer’s Market will be on site from 10 AM to 2 PM. There will be an arts and crafts area for young children. The high school and middle school kids will share what they are learning about climate change. Folks can bring their broken bicycles to be repaired by volunteers from the Cape Ann Timebank and unwanted bikes can be donated for refurbishing by Bikes not Bombs. There will be live music, speakers addressing clean energy technology, carbon neutrality, locally relevant impacts of climate change, and personal carbon footprint reduction and folks will be able to have enlightening conversations with our expert youth ambassadors about climate change concerns on Cape Ann. There will be Electric Vehicles to test drive! Admission is free.

For more information, visit our website at www.towngreen2025.org or follow us on Facebook.

You are invited to the Gloucester High School Interact Club’s 10th annual Pizza Taste-Off on Wednesday, March 29, 5:30-7:30pm at Cruiseport Gloucester, located at 6 Rowe Square in Gloucester, MA. Taste them all for yourself and vote on the best!

Tickets on $10 (children 5 and under $5). Tickets are limited to 300 and will be available at the door.

All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

SeniorCare Inc. will hold its annual Valentine’s Day Breakfast Fundraiser Breakfast at The Gloucester House, located 63 Rogers Street in downtown Gloucester on Friday, March 10, 2017, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  Tickets are $12 per person and include a buffet breakfast. Tickets are available in advance online or by calling 978-281-1750 or may be purchased at the door (cash or major credit card). Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit SeniorCare’s Meals on Wheels program.  For information about the breakfast, contact Paula Curley at 978-281-1750 x-560 or paula.curley@seniorcareinc.org.  (This event was postponed from its original February date due to inclement weather.

SeniorCare Inc. will hold its annual Valentine’s Day Breakfast Fundraiser Breakfast at The Gloucester House, located 63 Rogers Street in downtown Gloucester on Friday, February 10, 2017, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  Tickets are $12 per person and include a buffet breakfast. Tickets are available online at www.seniorcareinc.org or may be purchased at the door. Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit SeniorCare’s Meals on Wheels program.  For information about the breakfast or to become a sponsor, contact Paula Curley at 978-281-1750 x-560 or paula.curley@seniorcareinc.org.

Freezin’ for a Reason

The Gloucester Rotary Club and Rotary District 7930 will hold its 7th annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, February 4, at the Cape Ann Motor Inn on Long Beach in Gloucester at 11:00 am. The event is part of Rotary International’s ongoing campaign to eradicate polio in our lifetime. More than 200 people are expected to plunge into the cold waters off Cape Ann this year, including Gloucester Rotary President David Slade. Last year, over 250 people braved the icy waters, raising more than $95,000.

Since 1985, Polio has become the signature cause for Rotary International as it has teamed up with partners including The Global Poverty Project, The Global Eradication Initiative, The World Health Organization, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Since that time, more than a billion dollars have been raised among Rotary clubs worldwide and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. When Rotary International took on the battle against this disease, more than 350,000 people spanning 125 countries were impacted. Today there are three countries left where it has not been eradicated– Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

This year, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has again pledged a 2:1 match for every dollar Rotarians raise toward eradication efforts (up to $35 million/year until 2018). For as little as $0.60, your donation can make the difference in changing a person’s life. Please support your local Rotarians as they brave the icy waters off Gloucester to help eradicate polio in our lifetime. With a district-wide goal of raising $125,000, the district is utilizing an electronic fundraising process. Supporters are encouraged to log on to https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/polio/team/Gloucester%20Rotary and make a pledge to help Rotarians lead the way to eradicate this dreaded disease.

For more information on how the Rotary Club of Gloucester serves the local and global community, visit http://www.gloucesterrotary.us or https://www.facebook.com/RotaryGloucesterMA.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1568243283204206/.

SeniorCare Inc. has received funding to provide respite services to low-moderate income, with a concentrated effort to reach the underserved such as the LGBTQ Community. In addition, specialist staff will support family caregivers in problem solving, decision making and finding options for short and long term care needs. This funding is available to residents of Beverly, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester by the Sea, Rockport, Topsfield, and Wenham. By definition, respite care is substitute care given so that the regular caregiver can take a break and get some relief from the burden of caregiving. Respite care can be for a weekend, a day, or even for an hour.

Caregivers are often at increased risk of depression and other health problems as a result of the stress of being a caregiver. Having respite care can enable the caregiver to keep providing rather than burning out or becoming ill themselves.

Caregivers looking for respite may qualify for this support. SeniorCare can cover the cost for in-home care, weekend stays at long-term care facilities, and adult day care services. To see if you qualify and for more information about SeniorCare’s Caregiver Support Services, contact Susan Doughty at 978-281-1750 x520.

The 2017 Rotary Raffle Calendars are printed and can now be purchased. This calendar is our best ever, displaying the award winning photos of Cape Ann taken by serious amateur and professional photographers. Calendars can be purchased from any Gloucester Rotarian or at these locations: BankGloucester, Local Colors, Building Center Gloucester, and Carroll K Steel Insurance.

$20 each.  All profits go to the club’s local and international projects.

An added bonus is that this is a raffle calendar, and all are numbered, with a limited number being printed. The Club will give away $50 every week next year. There will be “bonus” giveaways of $250 in June 2017 and $500 the in December 2017.

Congratulations to the following photographers whose work is featured in the calendar:

• January-   John Zellenka
• Febraury-  Karen Joyce
• March- Jim Sousa
• April- Steven D Carr
• May- Arlene Taliadoras
• June- Marion Bayly
• July-  Jim Sousa
• August- Phil Ierardi
• September- Elinor Teele
• October- Rich Correale
• November- Cate Partridge
• December- Amy Smith
• Cover- Marion Bayly
• Back Cover- Donna Ardizzoni

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO #GivingTuesday

SeniorCare needs your help to continue helping our friends– like Mary. On Giving Tuesday-November 29, 2016, please consider pledging to donate $10 per month for one year. When 80 donors make this pledge, the cost of Mary’s services will be covered for one year-ensuring that Mary can safely remain in her home for as long as possible.Thank you.