Submitted by Bob Wicks
Ipswich-Rowley Rotary
On November 12, 2025, Rotarians from across the Northeast MA District (7930) gathered at the Andover Country Club to thank their members who served in the armed forces. These veterans were awarded the prestigious “Paul Harris Fellow” in appreciation of their service.
Seven veterans from Ipswich-Rowley Rotary were recognized at the event, including present and past members Bob Arsenault (Air Force), Bob Gravino (Coast Guard), Larry Jordan (Marines), Bob Snow (Marines), Jim Tedford (Army), and Bob Wicks (Army) who could not attend. Also on hand was Micaila Britto, a retired Marine who was severely injured while on active duty and to whom the club presented a service dog from the Ipswich based “Service Dog Project” in 2019. That gift was made possible by a District grant orchestrated by the Ipswich-Rowley club.
The evening’s speaker was retired US Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond, Chief Executive of the Home Base Foundation which was co-founded by the Boston Red Sox and Mass General to assist veterans, service members and their families through “world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research”. Since its founding over 50,000 veterans have been treated.
During the event, Ipswich-Rowley Rotarian and Past District Governor Joan Arsenault presented General Hammond with a check for $20,000. The money was raised by clubs through a District managed grant and will provide backpacks for each veteran participating in the two week program. The backpacks contain materials they will need throughout their stay. The grant also will replenish flags in their Memorial Garden on the Boston Common.
Micaila Britto, herself a victim of such an injury, really captured the spirit of the moment in a subsequent Facebook post:
“I’ve held this pin countless times since Wednesday, trying to wrap my head around being named a Paul Harris Fellow – Hero. The more I read about the honor, the more humbled I feel.
It made me ask, “What did I really do to deserve this?”
And the answer I keep coming back to is simple: sometimes the impact we make happens quietly. In the work no one sees. In the service we give without a spotlight. In the way we show up for others because it’s who we are.
I’ve spent my life serving in those quiet ways – as a Marine, a Veterans Service Officer, and now through my work telling stories that deserve to be seen.
So, I’ll accept this honor with gratitude, humility, and a renewed commitment to keep serving in the same steady way I always have.
This pin isn’t a reward. It’s a reminder that even the silent work matters.”
Thank you, Micaila, and all those who have served – and too often sacrificed – to keep our country free. ♦
