Stories

January is Mental Wellness Month.  It’s a perfect time to shift your focus from the holidays to your own well-being.  Prioritize your mental wellness!

 

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is more than just the winter blues.  It's a fairly common form of depression that affects many of us, but there are ways to help and feel better.

 

Stress affects your entire body, mentally as well as physically.  To learn tips and techniques about reducing your stress levels, click below to read more!

 

 

 

 

Rotary Club of Middletown (CT) is launching a Mental Health Campaign as it enters its centennial year.  We are turning the wheel to support Mental Health.  Our goal is to decrease stigma, raise awareness, and improve access to resources and care.  Each month, we will share another new article on our continuing series.

 

 

 

Patricia Tucker was a longstanding member of the Middletown Rotary Club, working tirelessly over the years to support numerous notable projects within in our community.  After her death, the Club searched for ways to honor her legacy and support her passion for literacy and education.

 

The Rotary Club of Middletown frequently participates in the Connecticut River Conservancy's (CRC) Annual Source to Sea Clean Up.  One location where we often help is Wadsworth Falls State Park in Middlefield.  All friends, family, and community neighbors are welcome to join us for a morning of fresh air, friendship, and worthwhile environmental service!  Stay tuned for announcement of the next clean-up event.  

 

Pictured here at a recent outing are Rotarians Carmela Gagnon, Helene Vartelas, and Cheryl Duey.

 

The Middletown Rotary Charitable Fund, Inc. participates in the 2025 Travelers Championship Birdies for Charity program!

 

 

 

As in so many of our communities, many of our neighbors and friends in the greater Middletown experience ongoing difficulties making ends meet.  Further, many of our smaller non-profits and other valuable efforts face difficult fiscal challenges, hindering their ability to help serve our community. 

 

One of the ongoing initiatives here at the Rotary Club of Middletown is our partnership to Amazing Grace food pantry in Middletown.

 

Our Club regularly supports Amazing Grace and its efforts, and recently made a $1,050 contribution to assist those in need of food during the pandemic. The Club has been supportive of the food pantry and the St Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen for many years, but recognized the need for increased support due to unprecedented recent challenges.  “This spring has been especially difficult for those who have lost jobs due to virus related business closures, for those with health issues who can no longer head to a grocery store safely and for hundreds more who find themselves in need of our support…your support", said Maryellen Shuckerow, Executive Director of Amazing Grace.

 

While the forty-year-old mission of Amazing Grace remains the same - to feed the hungry in the Middletown community - the way in which it operates has changed. Volunteers have switched from escorting guests through the pantry to packing boxes with fresh healthy food that people can pick up easily out front, under a tent.   This keeps volunteers safe while increasing capacity needed to meet current needs.

 

This past March, the pantry partnered with the Middletown Senior Center to feed area seniors who, for health or other reasons, need to stay home. Over 130 seniors have taken advantage of this bi-weekly home food delivery program at no cost.  “We are absolutely convinced that this program has saved lives by keeping people out of public transportation and grocery stores” Shuckerow stated, adding that “another 200 or so families are also receiving home delivered groceries due to immune deficiencies, disabilities and other health conditions which put them at high risk.”

 

The "Rotary Mantra" is what's known as our 4-Way Test: "Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it bring goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"  Watch this short video to learn about how we at the Rotary Club of Middletown interpret the 4-Way Test and apply it to our own lives.