(Fairfield, CT) — The Town of Fairfield and the Rotary Club of Fairfield will hold a dedication ceremony for a new Rotary Peace Pole at the Fairfield Police Department on Monday, September 21, 2026, at Noon.
The ceremony coincides with the United Nations International Day of Peace, observed annually on September 21st to promote the ideals of peace, understanding, and nonviolence throughout the world.
First Selectperson Christine Vitale, Police Chief of Police Michael Paris, and Fairfield Rotary President Tom Sansone will participate in the ceremony, along with Town officials, members of the Fairfield Police Department, Rotarians, and community residents.
Town of Fairfield and Rotary to dedicate Peace Pole on International Day of Peace, 9/21: Community invited to attend ceremony at Fairfield Police Department
On September 14th, Fairfield Rotary presented a $2,500 donation to Gift of Life International. Gift of Life brings hope to children with heart disease worldwide by providing doctors and nurses with the training, equipment, funding, and support needed to develop sustainable pediatric cardiac programs in their own countries.
Pictured Rob Raylman, Chief Executive Officer of Gift of Life International and Fairfield Rotary's own Bob Vossler
(Fairfield, CT) — The Fairfield Rotary Club in it’s annual grant process is soliciting applications for grants from local community non-profit organizations. Through its Club Foundation, Fairfield Rotary annually distributes funds to local groups who apply for and demonstrate a need for capital to finance a project. In the past twenty years, the Club has given over $500,000. And this year, the Club will be giving out $50,000 in total in various donations up to $5,000 for a single organization. Applications can be filled out now through September 30th submitted via this link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7MJ3QM2.
Rotary Grants: A Call For Grant Applications from Local Non-Profit Organizations
Kalaki Unity School Playground Project - Fairfield Rotary financed the playground, located at the Kalaki Unity Nursery & Primary School, Kalaki, Soroti-Kaberamaido Uganda
On Thursday, June 25th Fairfield Rotary welcomed and transitioned to new leadership for the upcoming 2026-2027 year. In doing so, we thank our immediate Past President Brendan McKeon and the entire board for their work on successful year. The Pass the Gavel celebration this past Thursday brought in the new Board and recognized a few club members for their exemplary service contributions.
Born in the Bronx, NY, Mary Elizabeth, or “Mea” to many of her friends, and her family moved to Fairfield, CT at age six. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield and Notre Dame in Bridgeport.
Mea has worked for Crystal Restoration Services in Norwalk, CT for twenty-two years, providing emergency services for water, mold, and fire remediation. Originally hired as Accounts Receivable Manager, Mea took over claims and dispatched crews and eventually focused on Marketing efforts there. In 2022 she started marketing for a&a Windshields supporting the state of Connecticut.
Within Rotary, Mea has been an active member, a member of our Grants committee and supporting events like Pillars of the Community, Shredfest, Paddlefest, our collections for veterans during the Memorial Day parade, our annual Golf tournament, as well as volunteering at the Operation Hope food pantry and Bridgeport Rescue Mission food truck. We thank Mea for her active participation and embodying Rotary’s mission of “service beyond self”.
The Norman K. Parsells Award, is presented annually to honor the memory and spirit of Norm Parsells. He was a dedicated Rotarian who served his community and Rotary, demonstrating Rotary’s ideal of “Service Above Self”. This year’s recipients of the Award will be recognized as Rotarians who personify the same spirit and dedication to their community and Rotary that Norm represented during his lifetime. Clubs in Areas 4 and 5 participate. (Bridgeport, Fairfield, Trumbull, Monroe, Stratford, Milford, Devon, Orange and Derby-Shelton).
Fairfield Ro Rotary recognizes Mary Elizabeth Anderson (‘Mea”) as the 2025 Norman K Parsells Awardee
Originally from Brazil but now based in Fairfield, CT, May has a background in HR and over a decade of experience in customer relations.
Currently, May works as an Auctioneer Advisor at Tranzon Auction Properties, guiding clients through the auction process for both Personal Property and Real Estate.
She is passionate about traveling, learning, and discovering new places and their histories. She also dedicates a great deal of time to reading, listening to books, and caring for her family.
May loves taking on new challenges, especially when stepping into something and learning all about it, including ways to make it better. Whether it's at work, in her community, or even at home, May always wants to contribute in a meaningful way. We look forward to May’s contributions to Rotary and the Fairfield community!
Welcome to Fairfield Rotary‘s newest member - Maila (May) Guedes
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
This is how Rotary responded to the influenza pandemic that began in 1918 and came in three waves, lasting more than a year.
The Rotary Club of Berkeley, California, USA, meets in John Hinkel Park during the 1918 flu pandemic.
Photo by Edwin J. McCullagh, 1931-32 club president. Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Berkeley.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter.
Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
Women are active participants in Rotary, serving their communities in increasing numbers and serving in leadership positions in Rotary. The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.
“My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world,” said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01.
The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.
The club would be the only one in the country for more than 12 years. Eventually, Manila club members organized Rotary clubs in the Philippine cities of Cebu (1932) and Iloilo (1933). Iloilo club members then started a club in Bacolod (1937), and Rotary continued to expand across the country.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
Every hero has an origin story. “I was 10 years old when the entire journey started,” explains Binish Desai. It began with a cartoon called Captain Planet, an animated TV series from the 1990s about an environmentalist with superpowers. Desai can still recite the show’s refrain: Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Gonna take pollution down to zero! “That tagline stuck in my mind,” he says. “I wanted to do something to help Captain Planet.”
In early 1919, Rotarian Roger Pinneo of Seattle, Washington, USA, traveled to the Philippines to try to organize a Rotary club in Manila. Leon J. Lambert, a Manila business leader helped Pinneo establish the club. Several months later, on 1 June 1919, the Rotary Club of Manila was chartered and became the first Rotary club in Asia.
