2026 Comedy Bowl - Come Laugh with us for a Good Cause!
For more information and to purchase tickets visit Eventbrite,
email us at queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com or call 603.391.1110.
email us at queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com or call 603.391.1110.
Stories
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations to our Reverse Raffle Pot of Gold Winners!Congratulations to our Pot of Gold winners Jim Standish and Kevin Finke (the final two ticket holders decided to share the $5,000 pot). Thank you to all that attended, it was a fun filled evening with lots of excitement and laughs (thanks to our amazing host Todd Angilly) who started our evening by belting out our national anthem just like he has done at the beginning of Boston Bruins games for many years.  Thank you to our amazing sponsors.... EVENT SPONSORS AND OUR YEAR LONG SPONSORS!!!!   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reverse Raffle - Your Chance to win $5,000 for a Great Cause!
Pot of Gold Reverse Raffle Join us for an exciting evening of fun and chance at the Pot of Gold Reverse Raffle! This event will be held at Auburn Pitts Bar & Grill in Auburn, NH where if your ticket is the last to be drawn you win the pot of gold - $5,000! Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a part of this exciting event hosted by Boston Bruins anthem singer Todd Angilly. Raffle tickets are $100 each and permit you and a guest to attend the evening event drawing. Feel free to share the cost of a ticket with friend(s). A maximum of 300 tickets only will be sold so your odds are good. Doors open at 5:00pm with drawings beginning at 6:00pm. Light appetizers and a cash bar are available with additional fun and games planned including a 50/50 drawing. While you don't have to be present to win the Pot of Gold jackpot, we hope you come and join us so you can collect your jackpot live if you win! Proceeds from this event support grants from Queen City Rotary which are reinvested in nonprofit organizations serving youth in the Greater Manchester community. Queen City Rotary Club thanks you for your support and GOOD LUCK! Sponsorship opportunities are available, please refer to the Home Page Download section for more details. Tickets may also be purchased directly from our website (select the Donate Now button) as well or email us at queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Handing Off The Gavel: Queen City Rotary Club Has A New President
The Queen City Rotary Club extended its heartfelt thanks and gratitude to outgoing President Natalie Jutras and welcomed the new president, Heather Francoeur, during a special ceremony held recently at the Puritan Back Room in Manchester. “Natalie was an inspirational and energetic leader during the past year and helped our club flourish in all ways,” noted Francoeur. “We truly appreciate her service and strong commitment to our mission of helping kids in need.” Over the past year, the Club completed numerous community service projects across the city, hosted its annual “Night at the North pole” celebration for inner city children, provided scholarships to outstanding students, held recognition events for public safety officers and area champions, held a polio prevention fund drive, launched a monthly TV program on Manchester Public TV, and held two signature fund-raising events – the Reverse Raffle and Comedy Bowl. In May, the club held its annual charitable grants program, and distributed $50,000 in donations to 45 youth-centered non-profits in Greater Manchester. Additionally, the Club revamped its member outreach program and added several new members over the course of the year. “What an amazing year it has been,” said Jutras. “I am so grateful to all the club members for their friendship, camaraderie, and unwavering commitment to our mission. I am excited that we will continue this momentum as I pass on the gavel to Heather.” The club also recognized members Dan Bednarski, Monica Labonville, Linda Seabury, Tom Stewart, Hal Sullivan, and Pete Winslow with special awards for their extraordinary volunteer service and commitment to area youth. The 2025-2026 slate of officers is: Heather Francoeur-President, Alisha Cahall -President-Elect, Sheamus Standish-Vice President, Cindy Gaffney-Secretary, Dan Bednarski-Treasurer, Monica Labonville-Past President, Karen Metz-Director, Meg Timbas-Director, Anne-Marie Hafeman-Director, and Rick Lundborn-Director
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations to our Award Recipients!Toolship Award Recipients Since 1995, our club has presented Toolship Awards to deserving graduating seniors from the Manchester School of Technology. These awards help students get a head start in their career with funds to help purchase the necessary tools unique to their specific trade. This could include specialized clothing, tools, or equipment. Having the right tools for the job is a prerequisite to success in any trade profession. This year’s recipients of $1,500 each are David Dumond and Katrina Maglio! David will be focusing on an automotive mechanic career and Katrina Maglio will be focusing on radiology! Ken Wakefield Community Service Award Recipient Brandon Nguyen was the recipient of a $4,900 award to support his pursuance of a 4 year degree at Boston College. Brandon demonstrated a tremendous level of "Service Above Self" as a cofounder to two non-profit organizations - Lotus4Hope provides meals to underprivileged children in India and Vietnam, and Made2Learn is an educational platform designed to provide financial literacy. Congratulations Brandon, well deserved! David Dumond Katrina Maglio   Brandon Nguyen  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 Grant RecipientsCongratulations to our 2025 Queen City Rotary Club grant recipients! We are excited to distribute $50,000 to over 45 organizations across the Greater Manchester area supporting youth related programs making an impact in our community.    
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CLOSED 2025 Grant Program Announcement - April 11th Deadline to ApplyAPPLICATION SUBMISSION IS CLOSED. RECEIPENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY THE END OF THE MONTH (APRIL) The Queen City Rotary Foundation (QCRF) is pleased to announce the opening of our 2025 Grant Program. We are excited to offer two distinct grant opportunities for organizations committed to making a difference in the community. Please note that organizations may apply for both grants, but only one grant will be awarded per organization each year. A Grant Application(s) should be completed and emailed to queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com. Application deadline, Friday, April 11, 2025. Program Guidelines and Application are located in the Download File section to the left. Grant OpportunitiesImpact Grant: This grant is designed for organizations whose primary focus is serving underprivileged youth in the Greater Manchester area. The program will award a total of five grants per year. The funding amount will range from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the scope and needs of the proposed project. Youth Services Grant: This grant supports organizations with a youth-focused mission. The maximum award for this grant is $1,000. After reviewing all applications, a Grant Committee will make recommendations to the Board of Directors for final approval with estimated notifications to recipients in late April and distribution of grants in early to mid-May. We are eager to support organizations that are dedicated to enriching the lives of youth in the Greater Manchester area. We encourage all eligible organizations to apply for these grants and look forward to learning about the innovative projects you are undertaking to make a positive impact on our community. Natalie A. Jutras, President Queen City Rotary Club
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another Successful Comedy BowlThanks to all our sponsors and all who attended our 2025 Comedy Bowl. The night was huge success with lots of fun and laughter and over $50,000 raised to support local youth charities. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!    |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 Comedy Bowl - January 25th almost Sold Out! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reverse Raffle Results!What an amazing night we had giving away $5000 during our Reverse Raffle fundraiser! Congratulations to Robert Bennett and Adam Johnston who won our Pot of Gold Jackpot! Thanks to all that came down to Auburn Pitts Bar Grill to join us for a fun evening of games and hanging out with us as we drew down 300 #'s to find our lucky winner! We raised over $20,000 where 100% of the proceeds will be donated back to non-profit youth oriented organizations across Greater Manchester. Thank you to all our amazing sponsors as well!        |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations to Vick Mahindru our Ken Wakefield Scholarship RecipientThis year’s recipient of our Ken Wakefield Scholarship is Vick Mahindru. Vic is a West High School graduate and was recognized for his community involvement and academic excellence. Vick has served as the Manchester Ambassador for the SHOALS Marine Laboratory Program, as a SEE Science Center intern conducting Social Science Research, and interviewed U.S. Presidential Candidates, where he asked them “how the soaring obesity rate in the U.S. is in direct correlation with major companies branding chemicals & preservatives as healthy for our children,” Recently, he was awarded a $40,000 Amazon scholarship. https://www.mansd.org/article/1581865. This fall, Vick will attend St. Anselm College and major in Computer Science and Political Science to connect his passion for Engineering, Computer Science, and Journalism. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 Grant Program is CLOSED...We will get back to recipients by end of May!The Queen City Rotary Foundation (QCRF) is pleased to announce the opening of our 2024 Grant Program. There are two grant opportunities for interested organizations. Applications are available in the Home Page Download File section to the left here. 1) The “Impact Grant” – This grant is targeted to organizations whose primary focus is serving the underprivileged youth in the greater Manchester area. It is limited to a maximum of 5 recipients each year. Grants will range from a minimum of $1000 to a maximum of $10,000. In the application, please provide an overall description of the organization and a comprehensive description of the project and how the award will be used (suggested 500 words +/-). We will also require a mid-year update on the impact the grant has made for the organization. 2) The “Youth Services Grant” – This grant supports organizations that have a youth related focus. The maximum award is $1000. In the application, please provide a three to five sentence overall description of the organization, details of the request, and how the funds will be used. Mid-year follow up will not be required for the Youth Services Grant. The Queen City Rotary Foundation Grant Committee will review the applications for both award levels and make recommendations to our Board of Directors for final grant approval. This committee includes members serving for multiple years to establish and maintain continuity over time. Please send completed application forms to queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com no later than Friday, April 19th, 2024. Shilpi Mehrotra, President Queen City Rotary Club |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome Dianne Mercier!We are excited to welcome the newest member to our club Dianne Mercier! Dianne has served as a champion for the nonprofit sector for many years. She supports the Boys and Girls Club which holds a special place in her heart having helped her as a single mom and serves on multiple boards. Diane is a retired President of People's United Bank and was also named the 2017 Citizen of the Year by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Welcome to our Rotary family Dianne.  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Laughing All Night Long for a Great CauseAnother successful Comedy Bowl is in the books! Thank you to all that came out to support our event and all of our amazing sponsors. For those that purchased Super Bowl Squares, check the Download Files column to the left to get your #'s and GOOD LUCK! Sponsors to thank: Super Bowl level: Clark Insurance and Elliot Hospital Solutions Touch Down level: ARMI, Bank Prov, Crown Chimney, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Harvey Construction, Bangor Savings Bank, Eastern Propane and Oil Club level: Guaranteed Rate, Re/Max Prime, Saint Anselm College, Edward Jones, Morin Contracting, Essex Private Wealth, Robert Singer Kickoff level: Sheehan Phinney, Primary Bank, McMahon Group of Wells Fargo, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Bay State Financial, Matuszewski Architects, Puritan Backroom, Waypoint, Berry Dunn Partners, Sullivan and Sullivan, College Bound Movers, GSC IT Solutions, Boufford & Sons Funeral Home Safety level: DuganPR, Bank of New England, Linda Seabury, Arias Spa, Karen Metz, Tokena, Art Burns, Bangor Savings, Write Connection, Red Carpet Realty, John K's Professional Painters, Kim Griswold, Fran Ciriello, Raymond Area Rotary Club, Pro Cut CNC Machine, Wadleigh Starr Peters, Cambridge Trust, Primerica, Pelletier Realty Group, NH Demolition, Granite State Tire Golf League, In Kind Sponsors: Amoskeag Beverages, Angela's Pasta and Cheese Shop, Christian Party Rentals, Special Events Rentals, St. George's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, NH Print & Mail Services, Frank DiDonato/Keller Williams Realty, Martinetti, Mr. Mac's Macaroni and Cheese, Puritan Backroom Restaurant, Rig A'Tony's Lastly, thanks to all of our amazing club members who organize, sell, cook, wrap, set-up, tear down, clean and in general work VERY HARD to bring you this event and make it AMAZING!        |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Announcing our 2024 Comedy Bowl!   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We've Got Something Magical in the Works!We are very excited to share a new event that our club has been working very hard on....An Evening at the North Pole! Kids from non-profits in the Greater Manchester area will be invited to join in on this magical evening!  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Welcome Osman Sari to our Club!Osman Sari is one of our newest club members, but he is not new to Rotary. Osman shared with us that he is from Turkey and currently studying at SNHU. In Turkey, he was a founding member of a Rotaract Club (a Rotary Club for young professionals). Osman’s energy and sense of humor are infectious, and the Club is lucky to have him as a member. Welcome Osman!    |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pot of Gold Reverse Raffle - Wednesday, Sept. 11 The Queen City Rotary's Pot of Gold Reverse Raffle is BACK! Join us for a fun-filled night of excitement as we see who the luckiest person in the room will be!! This event supports the Queen City Rotary, allowing us to help youth-serving non-profit organizations throughout our Manchester community! Date: Wednesday, Sept. 11th Time: 5:00-9:00pm Location: Auburn Pitts Bar & Grill, 167 Rockingham Road, Auburn NH Tickets: $100 each (300 max tickets sold) Pot of Gold: $5,000.00...the last ticket drawn wins the Pot 'o Gold. Here's how it works:
Keeping it Fun
Tickets: Can be purchased through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pot-of-gold-reverse-raffle-tickets-916609372307or directly from a Rotarian by sending an email to us at queencityrotaryclub@gmail.com. Sponsorship Opportunities: If you are interested in sponsoring our event, check out the Sponsorship information and levels flyer under the Document Download section to the left. THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS!!  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Taking time to give back at Families in TransitionTaking time to help Families in Transitions with a new facelift on their Market Street Property.     |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QC Rotary Club Welcomes Dan Bednarski!Our club continues to grow with amazing new members! Welcome Dan.  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 QC Rotary Club Scholarship RecipientsEach year our club gives well deserving kids in our community funds to help out with their extended schooling after graduating high school. Our Toolship Awards focus on the trades and we give out two $1500 awards to graduating seniors from the Manchester School of Technology (MSOT). Our recipients this year were Savannah Alves (left) who will be studying Cosmetology, and Hannah Jenkins (right), who will be studying Architecture. Congratulations to both! We also give out a Ken Wakefield Scholarship to a graduating high school senior who demonstrates a passion for giving back to our local community through volunteering. This year's recipient is Emily Bisson who will be attending Mount Holyoke College in the Fall. Congratulations to all three of these amazing young ladies!!   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NH4Ukraine Brian and John are friends and both retired from their respective careers. Brian was a business owner and John was an air traffic controller. Together they decided they needed to help the Ukraine people survive this horrific war. They presented a sad but hopeful tail of their humanitarian trips to the Ukraine battle zone.   |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comedy Bowl Success! A BIG THANK YOU!!Our Comedy Bowl event held on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 4th was a HUGE SUCCESS! The #'s are in, drumroll please.... over $45,000 DOLLARS raised with ALL proceeds to be granted back to our local community non-profit youth oriented organizations in the coming months. There is much THANKS to be given to pull off this major fundraising event. First our sponsors (identified below) which provided us the foundational funds to build from. Second, our 400+ amazing guests that came out in the frigid cold and joined us that evening and reached deep into their pockets to buy raffle tickets, bid on auction items and provided drink donations. We hope you enjoyed the event and had lots of laughs with our comedian line-up. And lastly, a big shout out to all of our fellow Rotarians who worked tirelessly to pull off this event. Efforts included the endless solicitation of sponsors and auction items, ticket selling, venue set-up (including our amazing stage backdrop), venue tear down and clean-up, food and bar prep, serving and cleaning, silent auction management, raffle ticket and Super Bowl Square selling, front-desk check-in and coat check crew...the list goes on. Truly an amazing Rotary VILLAGE effort by all. The success of our largest fundraising event would not happen without our sponsorship support! Please join us in supporting these amazing businesses who are doing good in our communities!          Our major Super Bowl level sponsorship is CLARK INSURANCE!  Touchdown level: BanProv, Matuszewski Architects and Morin Contracting Services    Club level: College Bound Movers, Edward Jones Investments, Guaranteed Rate Mortgage, Harvey Construction, Lally Property Source, Pro Cut CNC Machine, St. Anselm College, Tokena Corp. Kickoff level: ARMI, Bank of New England, Berry Dunn, Boufford Funeral Home, Elliot Hospital, GSC IT Solutions, LAZ Parking, Monarch Title, Parnell Michels & McKay, Primary Bank, Sullivan & Sullivan, Truncellito and Davis Insurance, Waypoint Safety level: Arias Spa, Art Burns, Butenhof & Bomster, Cambridge Trust, Franne Ciriello, Craig Donais, Dugan PR, Essex Private Wealth Management, Friends of Aine, Mike Domingue, Granite St. Tire Golf Leauge, Kim Griswold, HarborOne Mortgage, Karen Metz, Primerica, Safe Sports, Linda Seabury, The Write Connection, Wells Fargo |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Community Catalyst Project!Gear Up for School - Manchester Memorial High School Gym, August 14th: Gear Up for School is a backpack drive focusing on bringing together the community (and specifically kids) to assemble 3,000+ backpacks to distribute to other kids in the community. The Queen City Rotary and Hooksett Area Rotary Clubs are looking for volunteers to assemble the backpacks, which will be distributed to kids in the Manchester, Hooksett, and surrounding Southern NH town school systems. More information on the Community Catalyst page . . . . |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hitting the road for a great causeAs part of its ongoing mission to support youth in need across greater Manchester, the Queen City Rotary Club proudly announces the return of a critical fundraiser, The 2021 Road Rally. Saturday, June 5 @ 3:00 p.m. Brady Sullivan Building (back parking lot area) 1750 Elm Street, Manchester, NH “The Road Rally is a wonderful part of our legacy,” said Leslie Gendron, President, Queen City Rotary Club. “And as with all of our efforts, 100% of the proceeds directly benefit youth across the community.” The Road Rally is “a scavenger hunt on wheels,” according to event chair Rory Parnell. “Teams compete against each other to figure out clues and solve puzzles to find their next destination in the quickest time with the most correct answers. It’s also a neat way to explore greater Manchester and learn about its rich history.” |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Chris Sununu Speaks at QCRLook who dropped by this morning . . . .Thank you to Governor Sununu for taking time to speak at our weekly Rotary meeting.Very informative update on the state of the State!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giving the Manchester Police Department a "Clean" Start  The Queen City Rotary Club is pleased to announce a donation of two special cleaning machines to the Manchester Police Department (MPD) to protect the force and the public from COVID-19. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Catie's Closet UpdateCatie's Closet is opening up another location at Parkside Middle School here in Manchester! The Community Service Committee is looking to organize a Paint Party to get this space finished for them. We are planning to get the painting done on Saturday November 14th, beginning at 8:30am at Parkside Middle School, 75 Parkside Ave., Manchester. Please RSVP to Lisa via email at lallypropertysource@comcast.net if you are able to volunteer on the 14th. Painting will go until it's done.....last finish time was around 12:00pm. All paint and supplies are provided - just need volunteers! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Food DriveA Food Drive is in the works, please collect non-perishable items. Perishable items will be collected the week leading up to Thanksgiving. They may be dropped off at MPAL
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MASK UP NH |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QCR FOOD DRIVE SUCCESS!Thanks to everyone who participated in our food drive this past weekend. You helped to keep a lot of families in the greater Manchester area fed! The Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., and MPAL are very appreciative . . .     |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QCR FOOD DRIVEQCR FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, MPAL AND GIRLS INC. SATURDAY, MAY 23RD 9-11 AM CURBSIDE, NO CONTACT DROP OFF AT NORTHEAST DELTA DENTAL/FISHER CATS STADIUM. NON PERISHABLE ITEMS.  Here's a list of non-perishable and other items: Cereal Juice Boxes Granola Bars Bread Canned Meals (meals for kids to open and make themselves) Ramen Noodles Soups Pasta Canned veggies Pasta sauce Peanut butter Jelly Tuna Mayonnaise Rice Beans *Any non-perishables Individual snacks are a big request: Peanut butter crackers Pretzels Cheeze-its Popcorn Cookies Goldfish Hygiene Items: Hand soap Sanitizer Toilet paper Shampoo Conditioner Deodorant Toothpaste Laundry soap Kids activity items: Coloring books Art School supplies Jump rope Kick ball Board or card games Jax Miscellaneous items: Gas card Walmart or Grocery store gift cards |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another Successful Comedy BowlA big thank you to everyone who joined us or supported the Comedy Bowl in any way. It was a fantastic evening with lots of fellowship and laughs. We'll post the results of our fundraising efforts as soon as we have them!  |
