Alisha Cahall receives the gavel from outgoing President Heather Francoeur
The Queen City Rotary Club extended its heartfelt thanks and gratitude to outgoing President Heather Francoeur and welcomed the new president, Alisha Cahall, during a special ceremony held recently at the Puritan Back Room in Manchester. During Heather's presidency, the club experienced tremendous membership growth as its welcoming culture, strong fellowship, and meaningful impact throughout the Greater Manchester community attracted new members and renewed interest in Rotary.
Over the past year, the Queen City Rotary Club completed numerous community service projects, including hosting Night at the North Pole for inner-city children, serving meals at Families in Transition, supporting the Salvation Army's Bell-Ringing Campaign, providing holiday shopping assistance for families in need, and awarding scholarships to outstanding students.
The club also hosted its two signature fundraising events—the Reverse Raffle and the Comedy Bowl—raising funds that enabled the Club to award $60,000 in grants to 38 youth-focused nonprofit organizations throughout Greater Manchester.
The club also presented President Awards to members Dan Bednarski, Chris Dugan and Monica Labonville for their exceptional support during the year. Paul Fellowship awards (the highest recognition in Rotary) were awarded to Valerie Anderson, Joanie Bennett and Marguerite Wageling. Lastly, Rotarians Adele Baker (30 years), Brian Tremblay (35 years), and Jimmy Truncellito (45 years) were recognized for their longstanding commitment and dedicated service to the Queen City Rotary Club.
The 2026-2027 slate of officers is: Alisha Cahall-President, Sheamus Standish- President Elect, Pete Winslow-Vice President, Cindy Gaffney-Secretary, Dan Bednarski-Treasurer, Shilpi Mehrotra-Past President, Dan Granfield-Director, Anne-Marie Hafeman-Director, Meg Timbas-Director, and Marguerite Wageling-Director.