New Falmouth Rotary Club President Spearheads Youth-Oriented Projects

Amy Leonardi has deep roots in the Cape Cod community. She was born and raised in Sandwich and spent the first several decades of her life there before relocating to Falmouth 16 years ago.

Since then, this wife and mother of two has become an integral part of the Falmouth community, both in her professional role as the Firm Administrator for a local CPA firm and through her community involvement. She’s the brand-new President of the Rotary Club of Falmouth as of June 2023, as well as the founder and owner of Cape Cod Moms and founder of the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Project. Leonardi was also a Top 40 Under 40 recipient in 2010 and a TedX Speaker at TedX Mashpee Women in 2021.

We spoke with Leonardi about her experiences in making Falmouth a stronger community, especially by investing in its youth, and why she loves living and working here.

Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Patch: As a lifelong Cape Codder, what inspired you to get more involved in your community?

Leonardi: I love our community and love to find ways to help strengthen the community through proactive change and volunteer work.

Patch: For those who are unfamiliar, what is the Rotary Club all about and why do you love being a part of it?

Leonardi: Rotary's motto is "Service Above Self.” To do my small part and help serve my community locally and internationally is a wonderful blessing and opportunity. I encourage all who feel the same to consider joining us at the Falmouth club or any club (we have over 46,000!).

Our members volunteer and regularly bring family members to our volunteer events like cleaning up the beaches, fundraisers, our Day of Play event, reading with students in Nepal at a school we sponsor and more! We also hold an annual Craft Fair event to raise money for scholarships, our grants and projects, as well as a Golf Tournament in partnership with Tommy's Place to raise funds for both organizations. We give out up to $8,000 in local community grants annually as well. Our annual summer free Day of Play event every July run by our committee chair Bobbi Richards is a wonderful Rotary initiative that I highly encourage anyone with kids or grandkids to attend.

Patch: What kinds of projects do you most enjoy working on with the Rotary Club?

Leonardi: All the Rotary youth programs from scholarships to student recognition to RYLA and Interact and really anything youth-focused, I enjoy doing. I truly believe the path forward is to heavily invest in our youth in all avenues, but especially within volunteer work, as it teaches leadership skills, empathy, social skills and more. By volunteering and taking on leadership roles within the community, we can model those same things for a younger generation. This leads to proactive change and less time focused on reactive solutions to regular community issues.

Patch: What do you wish others in your community knew about the resources, events and programs available to them through the Falmouth Rotary Club?

Leonardi: There are so many Rotary youth opportunities available, not only within our club but worldwide. Because Rotary is an international organization, we have a wide reach. We have local scholarships, student recognition highlighting rising seniors, middle and high school clubs (Interact), leadership development programs (RYLA), Youth Exchange where you can visit another country for a school year or even just a summer, and even a program for university or professionals up to age 30 to visit another country and learn.

Patch: In addition to your career and your work with the Rotary Club and Cape Cod Moms, you also founded the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Project during COVID. Can you tell us a bit more about it and what the project means to you?

Leonardi: The Falmouth Outdoor Learning Project is focused on supporting outdoor learning initiatives within the Falmouth Public Schools through professional development, nature trails, outdoor tented spaces, picnic tables, sunsail areas, lending libraries and more. We survey the students and staff to find out their needs and solve obstacles.

With this project, I truly loved seeing the community as a whole rally around a cause during COVID. When the world shut down, this community found ways to begin to problem solve a return to school, with over 200 volunteers and raising thousands of dollars plus donated supplies like picnic tables, recess bags and more. It was amazing to watch it unfold. Since then, the Falmouth Outdoor Learning Project was featured twice in the NY Times and on CBC Canada.

Patch: Are there any other community projects you’ve been involved in that you’ve been particularly proud of?

Leonardi: For three years, I ran a Cape Wide Parent Resource Fair to connect parents and caregivers with local and regional resources and family-friendly businesses and nonprofits. I loved connecting people with these businesses and resources so they could create a strong village of support. Strong families, raise strong children which creates proactive change.

Patch: What do you love most about being a part of the Falmouth community?

Leonardi: I love that Falmouth is a caring community full of people with diverse opinions that at the end of the day actually all want the same thing, to make our community a better place for all.

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