By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood Rotary Club (WRC) hosted a Pancake Breakfast at Xaverian Brothers High School on Sunday, April 7th. From 8am to 1pm, members of the community filed through the cafeteria to enjoy a delicious breakfast including pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, and lots of maple syrup.
Within the crowd, a few familiar Westwood faces could be seen including Westwood Town Manager Chris Coleman, Westwood Select Board Member Joe Previtera, longest WRC member Bob Folsom, and previous WRC President Helena Drolette. When talking with Helena, she explained how this Pancake Breakfast has been the principal fundraiser for the WRC for many years. The funds that they raise through this event go back into the community by helping those who really need it. For Helena, there is always fun in fundraising, especially when it comes to the Rotary Club.
According to the WRC, they are “a local chapter of Rotary Club International, dedicated to serving the Westwood community by following the Rotary Club’s motto of ‘Service Above Self.’ In the last twelve months, the Westwood Rotary Club has supported the community in the following ways: provided funding to The Women’s Empowerment Scholarship to support the academic pursuits of a Westwood resident attending college in 2024-25, sponsored and participated in Westwood Day 2023, organized the ‘Flags for Heroes’ initiative, recognizing heroes who have inspired Westwood residents, provided a Rotary Academic Scholarship to a senior from Westwood High School, made holiday centerpieces for the Westwood Food Pantry, provided gifts through Westwood Youth & Family Services to Holiday Drive,” and so much more.
This Pancake breakfast additionally provided some activities for the children in attendance to participate in, such as: face painting, coloring, dancing, and even some special appearances from some characters like Mickey Mouse and a dog. Bob Folsom could be seen helping out his grandson eat some of the delicious pancakes, stating that he may be a part of the WRC in the future and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
It can be said with ease that this year’s Pancake Breakfast was another huge success that will ultimately go on to support different causes throughout Westwood. For more information about the WRC, please visit their website at www.westwoodrotary.com.
