Values In Action: Serve

Doug Walters

Doug joined the Rotary Club District 7150 in January 2020. His interest in the club began when his daughter went to Spain as a summer exchange student in 2019. The family that hosted her sent their daughter to stay with the Walters family later that summer. Doug and his family then hosted a second exchange student from Germany for the first three months of the 2019-2020 school year.

The Rotary Club is working hard to keep the group together during a time of social distancing. They continue to support the student exchange program and meet every Thursday via Zoom. The Rotary Club created the COVID-19 Response Fund, which receives donations to support clubs with expenses related to COVID-19 projects in their communities.

Aaron Evans

Every year, Aaron, a Gordon Fellow, speaks at the Northeastern University in Boston as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. The series is conducted by engineering executives from small startups to Fortune 500 companies. The presentation has grown over the years and now includes Financial Wellness. This year’s webinar topic was recent market activity.

Laura Powers

Laura is a Financial Advisor, wife, mother, Little Falls native and a passionate community activist. Heavily involved in events and community support, Laura is currently working on a campaign with Little Falls Mayor, Mark Blask. She is a committee member for “Little Falls Essentials: Support Those Who Support Us.” One worker is randomly selected and provided with $100 in gift cards for local restaurants and businesses. A new person will be randomly chosen for 30 days to receive the gift cards to spend locally. The program is funded through donations and will be used to give back to the community.

For more information about this community event, please visit https://mylittlefalls.com/new-initiative-set-to-thank-little-falls-essential-workers/

Greg Mattacola

Greg began the “Calendar Challenge” in April. A month-long run that adds up to 465 miles in 30 days. The challenge is designed for runners to run miles that correspond with the day of the month. On his daily route, he visits local businesses to bring awareness during a very difficult economic time. Although this challenge is not an easy one, he enjoys the time outside. Greg stated, “When I’m out there, particularly in the early mornings – I’m not thinking about the financial markets, the fear of this virus or more specifically – someone I care about contracting it. That’s been my biggest fear during all this. I have some elderly aunts that I’m very close to – and I’ve been terrified for them. But during the run, I’m not thinking of it. I’m not thinking about my sons’ college tuition or my financial planner coursework that I stress over. I clear my mind and I just keep grinding forward. I notice the wildlife, I notice the sunrises, I listen to music. It’s my favorite part of the day,”