By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

Jerry Hanauer has discovered volunteering is an occupation without borders.

Hanauer has lived in Bedford since 1984, and prior to joining the Bedford Rotary Club had worked in the Department of Housing and Development for 30 years.

Jerry Hanauer, president of the Bedford Rotary Club is proud of the plaque the club received last year. Members will be manning a Salvation Army kettle at the Bedford Mall Monday through Saturday until Dec. 24. (J. Edgerton Photo

"The club is a fine group of people, and I wanted to replace some social contacts from work," he said. "But primarily, I joined because there's lots of possibilities for volunteering."

The father of two and grandfather of two is the current president of the Bedford Rotary Club, and has been a member since 2001.

To the Rotarians, who work under the motto "Service Over Self," the only thing more important than raising money is giving it away. After the cost of last year's events, the club donated $20,000 to $25,000.

One of Hanauer's favorite events is the annual senior citizens Christmas luncheon, which the club has sponsored for 31 of its 36 years.

"For a lot of the elderly citizens in Bedford, it's the highlight of the holiday season," Hanauer said. "It's a big deal for them, and it's a big deal for us."

This year's luncheon will be held on Monday, Dec. 12, at noon, at the Wayfarer Convention Center.

"It's a really fun time," said Hanauer. "We have a full turkey dinner, and we also sing carols with the band. Last year, we had a couple hundred people altogether."

The Rotary Club helps out Bedford residents of all ages, and in all locations, Hanauer said.

One of their most recent projects was to adopt a New Hampshire Army National Guard unit that recently returned from deployment in Iraq. The 1st Battalion of the 172nd Field Artillery, CORPS Rear Area Operations Center was sent to Southern Iraq and received care packages with soap, coffee, books and other necessities courtesy of the Bedford Rotary Club.

"Most people join the club for the same reason; they get the satisfaction of doing good work and good deeds as a group," said Hanauer. "There's a social part to it, too, but most of the people who are only interested in business networking usually drop out."

Members of the Bedford chapter have two other ongoing initiatives in the works, and have teamed up with the Rotary Foundation to achieve their goals.

One campaign is to eliminate polio on a worldwide scale.

"There are 31,000 other Rotary Clubs in the world and we've been working with them," he said. "The goal is to virtually eliminate polio by 2005, and the foundation sends teams to administer oral vaccinations." Hands to Honduras is another humanitarian mission organized by the Foundation to improve the quality of life in the South American country.

"I haven't gone down there myself, just yet, but I'd like to," said Hanauer. "Rotary members built a school last year, and also put up water purification systems."

Even though he is part of the far-reaching ambitions of the Rotary Club, Hanauer still keeps the local scene in focus.

This year, each member will take turns as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army.

"We have a Salvation Army kettle set up and we.ll be at the Bedford Mall from 10 a'm. to 8 p'm. daily," he said. "Last year, we almost tied for first place in the greater Manchester area."

The Bedford Rotary club has approximately 55 members, and Hanauer said there is room for more.

Those interested in learning more can visit the web site at www.rotarybedfordnh.com.

Any senior citizen interested in attending the seniors citizens luncheon can call Chairman Stu Frizzell at 472-3121, or call Hanauer at 472-5587.