LobsterFest Tickets are SOLD OUT
Upcoming Speakers and Events
September 10: Michael Friedman & Donna Vita “The Lost Rock & Roll Negatives Project”
Between 1969 and 1973, with a Pentax Camera and Tri-X film, Friedman photographed some of the most notable musicians of the time, on and off stage. But before he printed most of the photos, he lost track of the negatives and eventually considered them lost. Then, in 2017, after 45 years, Michael’s wife Donna Vita discovered the long lost negatives in an old box of business records in the attic. She and Michael began the project of restoring the photographs, which is still a work in progress, with many images yet to be shared.
Friedman was an avid photographer while working in the music business in the 1960s and 1970s as a manager and producer. During that time, he had the opportunity to befriend, work with, and photograph, legendary musical artists including Janis Joplin, The Band, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Todd Rundgren, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, James Cotton, and the Rolling Stones.
September 17: Amit G. Oren from Yale School of Medicine
Amit G. Oren received her B.S. in psychology from Tufts University. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The New School for Social Research and completed her internship at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr.Oren began her career as a forensic psychologist, working in correctional institutions in the United States and abroad. A dedicated member of the psychology community, she has had a private practice in New Haven for over thirty years and serves as a clinical supervisor for the Yale Department of Psychiatry. Specializing in positive psychology, she enjoys lecturing on this subject at various universities and clinics in Argentina and Chile every winter. Her interests include travel and exploration, gardening, contemporary art, and the healing traditions of indigenous cultures.
October 1: Jaime Hastings, Arthur Miller Foundation
TBD
October 8: Shannon Calvert, President Westport Astronomical Society
TBD
~ LobsterFest SAVE THE DATE Saturday September 21, 2024 ~
LobsterFest is our primary fundraising event held at Compo Beach every third Saturday in September rain or shine. Over 1,500 meals of either twin lobsters or a steak with all the fixings are served. The ticket also includes wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, a live band and lots of entertainment for kids. It has become a popular day for Westport families and an iconic community event.
We also have an impressive list of generous individuals and companies who sponsor LobsterFest financially each year. We are extremely grateful to those sponsors!
We are also grateful to the 200+ volunteers from the community who help us run the event.
Our fundraising success allows us to give out charitable grants to both local and international organizations. 100% of the profits goes to charities.
BECOME A SPONSOR
All funds raised at LobsterFest are donated to local and international charities. Giving to the Westport Rotary Club is “one-stop shopping”. Donations support a wide range of both local nonprofit organizations and many international humanitarian projects. The Westport Rotary Club Charitable and International Giving Committees vet each grant application determining suitability and the greatest levels of need.
Interested in becoming a LobsterFest sponsor?
Please contact one of our Co-Chairs of Fundraising:
Kenny Epstein – kennyepst@gmail.com
Leslie Roberts – leslie2of8@gmail.com
LobsterFest Elite Sponsors 2024
Titanium Sponsors
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Recent Speakers and Events
September 3: Sara Deren, Founder and CEO at Experience Camps on “The Power of Grief”
Deren is the founder and CEO of Westport-based Experience Camps, a national organization that provides a free week of sleep-away camp to over 1,500 grieving children across the United States who have lost a parent or sibling. Under Sara’s leadership, Experience Camps has conducted original research on the state of grief and launched a network of programs and platforms to support these children. She blends her background in finance and buisness with her passion for the mission, making a significant impact in the lives of greiving kids and teens.
Experience Camps, founded in 2009, is a national, no-cost program for grieving children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. Its one-week, overnight summer grief camps, year-round programs, and content help to reframe the experience of grief, and empower kids with the necessary coping skills to move forward with their lives. Through compassion, connection, and play, Experience Camps allows grieving children to embody a life full of hope and possibility.
August 20: Jay Norris, Co-Founder Westport 10 on “Diversity and Innovation”
Jay is an innovative leader and lifetime entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in lifestyle, real estate, technology, and experiential concepts. He uses his creativity and imagination to uncover opportunities across multiple industries. Jay is the CEO & Founder of Guest Software – a Creative Leasing Platform; CMO and Co-Founder of Blacklight Extension – The World’s 1st Search Engine for Black-owned Businesses; Co-Founder and CEO of Lifestyle Equities – a Boutique Management Consulting Company; and host of Visionary’s Podcast – a Series of Unique Stories Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
August 13 Speaker: Lyla Steenbergen, Westport Rotary on “International Rotary Projects”
Steenbergen – who has been a Rotarian for 18 years, and who served as Westport Rotary Club President in 2021-2022 – will share news of Westport Rotary’s recent international charitable efforts. Steenbergen’s extensive international travel, including conducting anthropology research in the remote Amazon Basin, ignited her interest in serving as Westport Rotary International Chair since 2015. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College with an MBA from NYU’s Stern Graduate School of Business, she previously worked as a marketing executive at Hertz and later became involved in nonprofit development for the Westport Country Playhouse, St. Vincent’s Medical Center, and as a Gift Advancement Officer at Yale New Haven Health/Bridgeport Hospital for 9 years until her retirement last year. Since 2010, she has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), an international credential that attests to the skill, knowledge, ethics, and achievements as a fundraising professional based on valid practice-based standards. Steenbergen’s talk will include what makes Westport Rotary Club’s International work unique; the International Budget for 2022/2023; and a review of 24 projects completed or committed to this past year in 15 countries.
August 11 Event: Amistad Opera, Opus For Peace at the Westport Library
This performance, an abridged and narrated performance of Anthony Davis’s powerful opera Amistad, will take place at the Westport Library on August 11 at 2 p.m. It is the kickoff event of Opus for Peace, a Rotary District 7980 initiative designed to promote peace-building around the world, in our communities, and within ourselves through the Arts. The Amistad event is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Mystic, Westport, and Westport Sunrise. Learn more about Opus for Peace.
August 6 Speaker: Maria Davis, Development and Donor Relations Manager at Open Doors on “The Cycle of Homelessness”
Maria Davis brings extensive experience to her current role in donor relations at Open Doors, drawing on over 40 years of dedicated service across various sectors. Her professional background includes significant roles in corporate social affairs, where she spearheaded numerous initiatives aligning volunteer efforts with community needs. Maria’s career is marked by strategic leadership, community engagement, and a deep passion for supporting and empowering homeless mothers, a focus she continues to champion through her work in donor relations at a housing and homeless service organization. She strives to enhance the well-being of individuals and drive community progress through her ongoing efforts.
July 16 Speaker: Dan Woog, “Behind the Scenes at 06880”
Dan Woog, creator of the must-read Westport-focused news blog “06880,” has four passions: Westport, writing, soccer and LGBTQ issues. Occasionally, they intersect.
On July 16, he will address the Westport Rotary Club at Greens Farms Congregational Church, offering an entertaining glimpse of the inner workings of what has become a town institution.
The general public is welcome to attend. See the bottom of this page for details.
Dan started “06880” in 2009. The tagline is “Where Westport meets the world,” and it gets up to 20,000 hits a day. He has written over 16,000 stories and has never missed a day of posting. In 2021, “06880” became a nonprofit foundation with a mission to educate and bring the Westport community together.
A fulltime freelance writer, Dan has been published in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated. He has also written 18 books. His “Jocks” series on gay athletes marked the nation’s first introduction to this topic. His memoir about coaching is We Kick Balls: True Stories of the Youth Soccer Wars. In 2005, Dan wrote a 380-page history of Staples High School.
Dan was the head boys soccer coach at Staples High School from 2003 to 2021. He was named National Youth Coach of the Year in 1991. He was inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame (2000) and has earned the National Coaches Association’s President’s Award. He is on the organization’s board of directors overseeing all diversity, inclusion and equity efforts.
Dan was a charter member of TEAM Westport (the town’s diversity group) and is a 10-year member of the Westport Youth Commission.
New Club President Inducted
The Westport Rotary Club ushered in its new president for the 2024–2025 term, Goldie James (right), during its annual Pass the Gavel lobster dinner and ceremony, held on Friday, June 28, at the Ned Dimes Marina in Westport. Outgoing president Kenny Epstein (wearing a club gift of a Hawaiian shirt with his face plastered all over it) handed over the ceremonial gavel in front of an outdoor audience of club members and guests. Congratulations were given to both leaders as the club gears up preparations for this year’s LobsterFest, scheduled for Saturday, September 21 at Compo Beach in Westport. Tickets go on sale online August 15. Stay tuned!
What Is Rotary?
Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.4 million business, professional, and community leaders spread throughout 37,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries.
Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds. As signified by the motto Service Above Self, members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, share the main objective of service — in the community, in the workspace and throughout the world.
Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Membership is by application or invitation.
Westport Rotary Club invites you to join a meeting to learn more
Meetings are held every TUESDAY except the last Tuesday of the month in person at 12:00 pm. For more information please contact the club president or member chair.
In person lunch meetings are held at: Greens Farms Congregational Church – 71 Hillandale Rd Westport, CT 06880
Member Chair: Audrey Demetres – audreydemetres@gmail.com
AVENUES OF SERVICE
We channel our commitment to service through five avenues, which are the foundation of club activity.
Club
Service
A thriving club is anchored by strong relationships and an active membership development plan.
Vocational Service
Rotarians work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society.
Community Service
We find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities and to serve the public interest.
International Service
We promote peace & understanding globally by sponsoring or volunteering on projects around the world.
Youth
Service
Rotarians work to empower young people through leadership development programs, encouraging the next generation of leaders.