Robin Jaffee Frank, PhD, is an art historian specializing in American visual culture whose career spans senior curatorial leadership, academic teaching, and museum administration. She formerly served as chief curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, and curator in American paintings and sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven.
Robin has organized exhibitions that toured museums nationally, lectured extensively, published widely, and secured significant public and private funding. She brings strategic vision and institutional stewardship to advancing MoCA\CT’s mission and is excited to have the opportunity to deepen the museum’s engagement with artists, audiences, and the community. She earned her doctorate at Yale University.
The Club Calendar is at the end of this newsletter. Please refer to it to see the meeting schedule, social events and more. It will be updated when speakers and events are added.

The updated Greeters and Openers schedule is also near the end of the newsletter, so please check to see if you are on there!
Friday Meeting - April 17
Samantha Sarelli
Miss Globe USA 2025, President Kaleido Inc.
Sam Sarelli shared how her organization is educating the society in learning about human trafficking and helping victims find help.
====================================
Joe Renzulli opened the meeting and shared meaning of Earth Day
Luisa was the lucky raffle winner.
Ken shared joke of the day.
=====================================
Rotary District 7890 Four Way Test Speech Contest Finals
Four students competed in the finals of the District's 4-Way Speech Contest on Saturday morning at Stratford High School. The student that our club sponsored, Alex Burtzlaff, was one of the finalists. All of the students' speeches were excellent, and the judges had a difficult time choosing one winner.....but as Nancy Morin, the 4-Way Speech Contest Chair said, they were all winners!
The first prize of $500 was awarded to Shreya Viswanathan, a student at Amity Regional High School, sponsored by the Orange Rotary Club. The other three students were all runners-up and received $250 each. We are very proud of Alex, who is a regular volunteer at the Gillespie Center and gave his talk about how our state can better serve those facing homelessness, poverty and drug abuse issues. We see a future for him as a changemaker!
Positive Directions: The Center for Prevention and Counseling
Saturday Academy
Sweet P Bakery
Team Woofgang and Co., Inc.
The Rowan Center
The Susan Fund
Wakeman Town Farm
Westport Bookshop/Used Book Sales
Wheel it Forward
As part of Westport Parks & Rec. Clean-up Westport Day on Saturday April 25th volunteers from Westport Sunrise Rotary and Westport Rotary Clubs come together to pick-up trash at both the on and off ramps of I-95 Exit 17 and surrounding parking lots.
Peter Helt, President Westport Rotary Club and thanks to Anil Nair, Westport Sunrise Rotary in capturing the success of this morning’s Clean-up by volunteers assembled from both Westport Rotary Clubs.
To become a district or club champion, to register your project, and/or to participate in a project at your local, national or global level please visit www.epicdayofservice.org
Sustainable Westport, Earthplace and Boy Scouts Troop 36 are co-sponsoring another mattress recycling collection event on Saturday, May 2nd, 8:30-11:30, at Earthplace.
There are limited spaces available for pick-up, and should sign up soon, before the spaces fill up. Scan the QR code to complete the Pick-Up Request Form, only available to Westport residents.
However, ANY CT RESIDENT can drop off a mattress or bed spring at the drop-off site on May 2nd.
GUESTS LAST MEETING:
Sam Sarelli, speaker
Nick Sarelli, Alma's husband
GILLESPIE CENTER COOKING / SERVING SCHEDULE
One of our club’s ongoing and rewarding commitments to community service is our commitment to serving dinner meals on the first Saturday of each month at the Gillespie Center here in Westport.
We are back to serving meals at the newly renovated Gillespie Center. We have the option to drop off prepared meals at 4:30 PM or to bring meals to serve in person at 4:40 PM (allow extra time if the meals need to be reheated). Meal service should include a main dish, side dish, vegetable, and dessert (no nuts or shellfish please). The number of meals to provide, currently 25, will be confirmed to you to in advance when it is your turn to serve.
If you choose to drop off prepared meals at 4:30 PM you have the option to prepare homemade meals, purchase prepared meals at the store/restaurant of your choice, or you can contact Fresh Market on the Post Road in Westport where you can purchase prepared meals (protein, two sides and cookies for $7 - $10 per meal). If you choose the Fresh Market option call Tory at 203 227-2910 on the Monday prior to your meal service to place your order. You can pay for the meals when you pick them up.
If you are unable to work on your assigned Saturday you will be responsible to call other Rotarians on the list to switch dates.
