July 6, 2025 • 11 mins
We spoke with Member Jackie Post about the mission of the organization, the new mental health initiatives implemented by the Glastonbury Rotary Club, projects, and how to become a member.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Jackie Post. She is a member
of the Glastonbury Rotary Club.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning, Good morning Allison. Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
For those who don't know about the Glastonbury Rotary Club,
how did it all begin? What's your mission?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes, yeah, So the Glastonbury Rotary Club actually was chartered
by Rotary International in nineteen forty eight. There were twenty
one charter members representing respected businesses in the community, and
today we have about sixty five active members who contribute
their time and resources to our club's many community events
(00:39):
and services. So we've been around for quite some time.
We are a strong club and the overall motto actually
of Rotary is service above self, So it really is
putting service to others above yourself, so making sure that
you're active in the community and helping those less fortunate
and just really being an upstanding member of the community.
(01:00):
So it's been you know, the Rotary Club has changed
over time, but it's it's still doing really well and
we're trying to contribute in the best way we can
to the issues that people, you know that people are
struggling with at this moment. So that's pretty much our mission.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Tell me about some of the services you provide.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So we actually do a lot of different initiatives. So
in Glastonbury we have contributed to the local community pretty heavily.
We've done different projects throughout the community, like building the
Glastonbury High School concession stand at the football stadium. We've
redone their softball dugouts, we built a splash pad in town,
(01:44):
we built a pavilion at the Riverfront Park. So we
do those kinds of things that improve the aesthetic of
our community. And then on the other side, because we
raised so much money, we're able to give back to
some of the local nonprofits that are in need. A
couple of those include the ABC House in Glastonbury, which
takes students from inner cities and brings them to Glastonbury.
(02:06):
They live in the house in Glastonbury and then they
go to Glastonbury Public schools, so they're offered this really
great opportunity to have a chance at a better life.
And then another one is called the Olive Branch. This
is a woman who started a nonprofit that helps families
going through the Department of Children and Family Services. So
(02:27):
whether that's you know, getting them Christmas gifts for the
parents to give to the kids, or you know, prom
dresses so that they can actually like look nice and
go to their prom. These are all the things that
we donate monetarily to, so we give money to those
organizations as well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
That's absolutely wonderful. And something else that you're focusing on
is implementing mental health awareness initiatives.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, we have been focusing pretty heavily on that right now.
A couple of the initiatives. It's taken us a little
while to get where we are, just because it is
such a vast topic and it impacts so many people
in such different ways. Right, So a couple of the
different things that we've done so far. The first thing
we did after you know, like I said, we have
(03:12):
we have a giant fundraiser that allows us to do
things like this. But the first thing we did was
we purchased a therapy dog for the Glassobury Public School System.
So that has been greatly impactful. It's something that really
helps kids who are struggling with anxiety, depression, mental health
or even like things like ADHD and autism, those kinds
(03:34):
of things. So we did that last year. We purchased
a little puppy for the Glassobury Public Schools, So that
was pretty exciting. And another initiative that we recently did
just a couple of months ago was a pickleball tournament
to raise awareness for mental health. Now this is actually
done by what we call our student it's basically the
(03:55):
Student Rotary Club, but it's called Interact Club and there's
one Glastonbury High School where the kids basically created this
entire event from the ground up. They did such an
amazing job. We had a great turnout, we had kids,
you know, there was there was a bunch of different
booths that obviously talked about mental health and combating mental
(04:17):
health and helping people and you know, the different things
that you can do to help someone who is struggling.
So that was very, very successful, and then we really
want to focus coming up this March, so March of
twenty twenty sixth on. There is a woman named doctor
Sally Spencer. She's actually from Glastonbury, but she is a
(04:40):
national mental health advocate and she does a lot of
speeches across the nation and even the world. Just to
give you an idea of some of the organizations that
she's worked with, The White House ABC, which is the
Associated Builders and Contractors Association, Saunders gil Vane, all these
big organizations who are trying to tackle mental health. Now
(05:03):
what she does is she comes in two communities and
she'll do a day long workshop with businesses, so local
businesses that really want to come up with ways to
tackle mental health in the workplace. So whether that's instituting
policies or instituting you know, how they react to some
(05:23):
of their employees who either have mental health issues or
are grappling with a family with mental health issues. So
that is something that we're doing coming up in March,
and you know, that's that's kind of a big event
that we're hoping will attract tons of business owners people
who are in need of some kind of guidance in
that respect. So that's another one that we are really
(05:44):
focusing on right now.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So why has the Glastonbury Rotary Club decided to focus
on mental health? Is there a dire need in the community.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, So, you know, I think everyone has been impacted
by mental health in some capacity, right, So we've had
some club members sadly who have lost loved ones to
suicide or drug use, all of these things kind of
interrelate and you know, if you talk to people throughout
the community, I mean, I think everyone has been impacted
(06:15):
in some way, whether someone has anxiety, or someone has depression,
or you know, maybe someone it's led them to drug use,
which is you know, also that is something that is
sort of a side effect of mental health, right. So yeah,
so I think we just kind of decided as an organization, like,
what is something that we really could make a big
(06:37):
impact on. Since we have the dollars and we have
the people, how can we really make a big impact.
And because this has been such an issue in the
last several years, you know, with the rise and like
anxiety and kids with mental health problems, you know, obviously
related to screen youth. So yeah, we just thought, you know,
how can we really make a difference, And that's pretty
(07:00):
much where we decided to put our efforts.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
We've talked about how the organization has positively impacted people's lives,
but as a member, how has it positively affected you?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
You know? And I when I first started doing so,
my dad was in Rotary, so you know, I always
watched him going to all the different Rotary events and
giving back to the community, and so It's been instilled
in me since I was younger. But when I first started,
you go and it's obviously very social and you you know,
you enjoy meeting new members and you do small events
(07:31):
they give back. But I will tell you I had
the most impactful experience with the Olive branch. That was
the organization I just mentioned where they put on a
like a prom sort of a prom event for girls
who were not going to be able to attend their prom.
And they did it Bucklund Mall and so all of
(07:53):
our members who volunteered got to sign an individual girl
and you followed them around, so, you know, you would
help them get their dress on, then you would pick
out jewelry with them. Then you would do their hair
and their makeup. They would all get it done by professionals,
and then they walked a red carpet carpet in front
of their family members who attended, and it was just
(08:15):
it was it was just basically the most I can't
even describe it, Like I cried during the event. It
was so impactful just watching these girls shine and have
the opportunity to feel and look beautiful, and you know,
people clapping and cheering for them, and then they got
their picture taken with a rose. It just was so
(08:37):
wonderful to watch. And I think for me, as a
member of Rotary, I never would have gotten that opportunity
if I wasn't in Rotary, right, I mean, I may
have found it somewhere. But I just think it opens
up so many opportunities for you to really see the
way you can make a difference in your community, right
to give back, to make sure you're supporting people who
(08:59):
are less fortunate in need, and you know, just trying
to make their lives a little bit better, right, just
trying to do good in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yes, so touching, so beautiful. I wish I could have
been a fly on the wall that day.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
That it really was awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
If somebody would like to become a member. You even
mentioned that the youth can become involved, how would they
go about it?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, So, you know, it's really cool because Rotary is international,
so you can I mean we have you know, we
have clubs from here all the way to Taiwan, right,
I mean, it's just it is all over the place.
I mean, Rotary International. Rotary became sort of well known
for ending polio, so back in the day that was
(09:43):
like a major health problem, and they literally eradicated polio
back in the day. I mean they've had there's a
few cases that have been since popping up, so we've
been working really hard on doing that again. But if
you wanted to become a member, there are several ways. Obviously,
you can check Rotary International site for a location in
your town. You know, I definitely know there's there's a
(10:05):
Glastonbury Rotary, Manchester, East Hampton when we're talking about local
areas here in the Hartford area, but all across the
state there's there's different clubs. And then if you really
wanted to get active within you know, the youth community,
there's an Interact Club and a lot of high schools
have these clubs already, especially if they have a rotary
in town. They work very closely with their local rotary clubs.
(10:30):
So what's great about the Interacts club, and I think
this is what I've been trying to instill in the
kids who are in our specific one at Glastonbury High School,
is it is such a great way, number one to
get connected to business owners in the community. So that's
like really great for you in terms of your long
term career, right and then it's just a really great
(10:51):
way to I don't know, just have empathy for other
people and kind of see that. You know, Glastobury is
a very privileged community and you know you have a
lot here, right, but there are kids who don't have
a lot, and so how can we help them, How
can we give back and how can we make a
real impact as a young person. So yeah, those are
two different ways that you can get involved, and obviously
(11:13):
volunteering for you know, rotary clubs always looking for volunteers.
We have a giant event called the Lobsterfest every summer.
We just finished our twenty twenty five Lobsterfest. There was
a huge success. There were twenty one hundred people there
and we raised over one hundred thousand dollars. So, you know,
we're always looking for volunteers for events like that. So
I'm sure your local rotary probably has something similar that
(11:36):
they need volunteers for.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Excellent I'm speaking with Jackie Posset. She is a member
of the Glastonbury Rotary Club. To find out more information,
make a donation, sponsor, volunteer, find out about these events,
become a member, go to Glastonbury Rotary Club dot Org Jackie,
thank you so much for being here today and for
serving the community.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Thank you, Alison
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Jackie Post. She is a member
of the Glastonbury Rotary Club.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Good morning, Good morning Allison. Great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
For those who don't know about the Glastonbury Rotary Club,
how did it all begin? What's your mission?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yes, yeah, So the Glastonbury Rotary Club actually was chartered
by Rotary International in nineteen forty eight. There were twenty
one charter members representing respected businesses in the community, and
today we have about sixty five active members who contribute
their time and resources to our club's many community events
(00:39):
and services. So we've been around for quite some time.
We are a strong club and the overall motto actually
of Rotary is service above self, So it really is
putting service to others above yourself, so making sure that
you're active in the community and helping those less fortunate
and just really being an upstanding member of the community.
(01:00):
So it's been you know, the Rotary Club has changed
over time, but it's it's still doing really well and
we're trying to contribute in the best way we can
to the issues that people, you know that people are
struggling with at this moment. So that's pretty much our mission.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Tell me about some of the services you provide.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So we actually do a lot of different initiatives. So
in Glastonbury we have contributed to the local community pretty heavily.
We've done different projects throughout the community, like building the
Glastonbury High School concession stand at the football stadium. We've
redone their softball dugouts, we built a splash pad in town,
(01:44):
we built a pavilion at the Riverfront Park. So we
do those kinds of things that improve the aesthetic of
our community. And then on the other side, because we
raised so much money, we're able to give back to
some of the local nonprofits that are in need. A
couple of those include the ABC House in Glastonbury, which
takes students from inner cities and brings them to Glastonbury.
(02:06):
They live in the house in Glastonbury and then they
go to Glastonbury Public schools, so they're offered this really
great opportunity to have a chance at a better life.
And then another one is called the Olive Branch. This
is a woman who started a nonprofit that helps families
going through the Department of Children and Family Services. So
(02:27):
whether that's you know, getting them Christmas gifts for the
parents to give to the kids, or you know, prom
dresses so that they can actually like look nice and
go to their prom. These are all the things that
we donate monetarily to, so we give money to those
organizations as well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
That's absolutely wonderful. And something else that you're focusing on
is implementing mental health awareness initiatives.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, we have been focusing pretty heavily on that right now.
A couple of the initiatives. It's taken us a little
while to get where we are, just because it is
such a vast topic and it impacts so many people
in such different ways. Right, So a couple of the
different things that we've done so far. The first thing
we did after you know, like I said, we have
(03:12):
we have a giant fundraiser that allows us to do
things like this. But the first thing we did was
we purchased a therapy dog for the Glassobury Public School System.
So that has been greatly impactful. It's something that really
helps kids who are struggling with anxiety, depression, mental health
or even like things like ADHD and autism, those kinds
(03:34):
of things. So we did that last year. We purchased
a little puppy for the Glassobury Public Schools, So that
was pretty exciting. And another initiative that we recently did
just a couple of months ago was a pickleball tournament
to raise awareness for mental health. Now this is actually
done by what we call our student it's basically the
(03:55):
Student Rotary Club, but it's called Interact Club and there's
one Glastonbury High School where the kids basically created this
entire event from the ground up. They did such an
amazing job. We had a great turnout, we had kids,
you know, there was there was a bunch of different
booths that obviously talked about mental health and combating mental
(04:17):
health and helping people and you know, the different things
that you can do to help someone who is struggling.
So that was very, very successful, and then we really
want to focus coming up this March, so March of
twenty twenty sixth on. There is a woman named doctor
Sally Spencer. She's actually from Glastonbury, but she is a
(04:40):
national mental health advocate and she does a lot of
speeches across the nation and even the world. Just to
give you an idea of some of the organizations that
she's worked with, The White House ABC, which is the
Associated Builders and Contractors Association, Saunders gil Vane, all these
big organizations who are trying to tackle mental health. Now
(05:03):
what she does is she comes in two communities and
she'll do a day long workshop with businesses, so local
businesses that really want to come up with ways to
tackle mental health in the workplace. So whether that's instituting
policies or instituting you know, how they react to some
(05:23):
of their employees who either have mental health issues or
are grappling with a family with mental health issues. So
that is something that we're doing coming up in March,
and you know, that's that's kind of a big event
that we're hoping will attract tons of business owners people
who are in need of some kind of guidance in
that respect. So that's another one that we are really
(05:44):
focusing on right now.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So why has the Glastonbury Rotary Club decided to focus
on mental health? Is there a dire need in the community.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, So, you know, I think everyone has been impacted
by mental health in some capacity, right, So we've had
some club members sadly who have lost loved ones to
suicide or drug use, all of these things kind of
interrelate and you know, if you talk to people throughout
the community, I mean, I think everyone has been impacted
(06:15):
in some way, whether someone has anxiety, or someone has depression,
or you know, maybe someone it's led them to drug use,
which is you know, also that is something that is
sort of a side effect of mental health, right. So yeah,
so I think we just kind of decided as an organization, like,
what is something that we really could make a big
(06:37):
impact on. Since we have the dollars and we have
the people, how can we really make a big impact.
And because this has been such an issue in the
last several years, you know, with the rise and like
anxiety and kids with mental health problems, you know, obviously
related to screen youth. So yeah, we just thought, you know,
how can we really make a difference, And that's pretty
(07:00):
much where we decided to put our efforts.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
We've talked about how the organization has positively impacted people's lives,
but as a member, how has it positively affected you?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
You know? And I when I first started doing so,
my dad was in Rotary, so you know, I always
watched him going to all the different Rotary events and
giving back to the community, and so It's been instilled
in me since I was younger. But when I first started,
you go and it's obviously very social and you you know,
you enjoy meeting new members and you do small events
(07:31):
they give back. But I will tell you I had
the most impactful experience with the Olive branch. That was
the organization I just mentioned where they put on a
like a prom sort of a prom event for girls
who were not going to be able to attend their prom.
And they did it Bucklund Mall and so all of
(07:53):
our members who volunteered got to sign an individual girl
and you followed them around, so, you know, you would
help them get their dress on, then you would pick
out jewelry with them. Then you would do their hair
and their makeup. They would all get it done by professionals,
and then they walked a red carpet carpet in front
of their family members who attended, and it was just
(08:15):
it was it was just basically the most I can't
even describe it, Like I cried during the event. It
was so impactful just watching these girls shine and have
the opportunity to feel and look beautiful, and you know,
people clapping and cheering for them, and then they got
their picture taken with a rose. It just was so
(08:37):
wonderful to watch. And I think for me, as a
member of Rotary, I never would have gotten that opportunity
if I wasn't in Rotary, right, I mean, I may
have found it somewhere. But I just think it opens
up so many opportunities for you to really see the
way you can make a difference in your community, right
to give back, to make sure you're supporting people who
(08:59):
are less fortunate in need, and you know, just trying
to make their lives a little bit better, right, just
trying to do good in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yes, so touching, so beautiful. I wish I could have
been a fly on the wall that day.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
That it really was awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
If somebody would like to become a member. You even
mentioned that the youth can become involved, how would they
go about it?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, So, you know, it's really cool because Rotary is international,
so you can I mean we have you know, we
have clubs from here all the way to Taiwan, right,
I mean, it's just it is all over the place.
I mean, Rotary International. Rotary became sort of well known
for ending polio, so back in the day that was
(09:43):
like a major health problem, and they literally eradicated polio
back in the day. I mean they've had there's a
few cases that have been since popping up, so we've
been working really hard on doing that again. But if
you wanted to become a member, there are several ways. Obviously,
you can check Rotary International site for a location in
your town. You know, I definitely know there's there's a
(10:05):
Glastonbury Rotary, Manchester, East Hampton when we're talking about local
areas here in the Hartford area, but all across the
state there's there's different clubs. And then if you really
wanted to get active within you know, the youth community,
there's an Interact Club and a lot of high schools
have these clubs already, especially if they have a rotary
in town. They work very closely with their local rotary clubs.
(10:30):
So what's great about the Interacts club, and I think
this is what I've been trying to instill in the
kids who are in our specific one at Glastonbury High School,
is it is such a great way, number one to
get connected to business owners in the community. So that's
like really great for you in terms of your long
term career, right and then it's just a really great
(10:51):
way to I don't know, just have empathy for other
people and kind of see that. You know, Glastobury is
a very privileged community and you know you have a
lot here, right, but there are kids who don't have
a lot, and so how can we help them, How
can we give back and how can we make a
real impact as a young person. So yeah, those are
two different ways that you can get involved, and obviously
(11:13):
volunteering for you know, rotary clubs always looking for volunteers.
We have a giant event called the Lobsterfest every summer.
We just finished our twenty twenty five Lobsterfest. There was
a huge success. There were twenty one hundred people there
and we raised over one hundred thousand dollars. So, you know,
we're always looking for volunteers for events like that. So
I'm sure your local rotary probably has something similar that
(11:36):
they need volunteers for.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Excellent I'm speaking with Jackie Posset. She is a member
of the Glastonbury Rotary Club. To find out more information,
make a donation, sponsor, volunteer, find out about these events,
become a member, go to Glastonbury Rotary Club dot Org Jackie,
thank you so much for being here today and for
serving the community.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Thank you, Alison
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