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District 7780 Responds to Hurricanes’ Impact: Thank You!
Harvey, then Irma, then Maria. Texas, Alabama, Florida, the Caribbean, and then the devastation of Puerto Rico.
Beginning the final days of August, our clubs in New Hampshire and Maine fought back, with fundraising drives, gifts to the region, awareness events and more. This was a spontaneous outpouring of Rotary energy.
These funds remain active, and are being drawn upon at the direction of the district governors and clubs in the affected regions, under the supervision of RI President-Elect Barry Rassin and the Foundation Trustees.
A week or so ago, we asked our club presidents to summarize their relief response. Here’s a snapshot, put into alphabetical order simply because there’s no way to praise one over the others. Apologies if we missed your club’s story, more of them are being written now. Thank you, District 7780 Rotarians!
Bath: sent $1,000 each in relief funding to the DAFs for both Houston and Florida.
Bethel: sent $100 each to the three DAFs for Gulf, Florida and Puerto Rico.
Biddeford-Saco: funded their ongoing ShelterBox commitment and matched DAF donations by club members.
Boothbay Harbor: sent an incremental $1,500 to ShelterBox following Hurricane Harvey.
Damariscotta-Newcastle: members donated to the Rotary DAFs and ShelterBox, and contributed goods taken by truck to Marathon Florida.
Falmouth: hosted a ShelterBox two day event at a major soccer tournament, joined forces with middle and high school civic clubs to raise $15,000+ for ShelterBox.
Freeport: Sent $2500 to South Florida District 6960 for relief there, working with a former Freeport Rotarian who is now DG in that district.
Fryeburg Area: Conducted an Hometown Heroes breakfast to raise money for Gulf relief.
Kittery: Sent $500 to the DAFs and collaborated with a Traip HS senior to enhance social media awareness.
Kittery After-Hours: supported local company drives with social media.
Oxford Hills: donated $1200 to the Gulf DAF and $2300 to the Puerto Rico DAF.
Portland: $500 each donated to Houston and Florida, along with member donations to Puerto Rico DAF, and several participants in the Sunrise Club’s fundraiser.
Portland Sunrise: 5K race dedicated as a Hurricane relief fundraiser.
Saco Bay: Designated their club’s ShelterBox commitment for a hurricane zone, and donated $1,000 each to the DAFs for Houston and Florida.
Sebago Lake: $250 to the DAF for Texas, and $250 in partnership with Freeport sent to district 6960 in South Florida.
South Berwick-Eliot: Club matched $1100 of individual member donations for a total of $2,200, divided equally among the three DAF’s.
South Portland Cape Elizabeth: funded two ShelterBoxes to the affected regions, $2,000, now working on Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.
Wells: Club voted to match member donations up to $500, total of $950 at last report.
Yarmouth: held a ShelterBox event in the town green area, connected to Fall Harvest Scarecrow event, to raise money and awareness for ShelterBox.
York: converted significant portion of their Car Raffle event to disaster relief, supported further by member and club donations, raising over $10,000 in all for the Hurricane Harvey victims.
This reflects information from half of our clubs, and funds totaling over $45,000 that were sent directly to help those affected. If we missed your club effort, perhaps your team was too busy working on this to answer emails! We’ll do another update in the future.
Thank you, Maine/New Hampshire Rotarians, for all you’ve done to help our neighbors to the South.
The Rotary Calendar reminds us that November is Foundation Month.
I think every month is Rotary Foundation Month, because so many of our good works are driven by the money we invest in the Foundation. I’ve shared my view that Rotary is a peace organization, driven by our local and global attention to the six areas of focus that are the framework for Foundation Grants.
Look again at the many ways District 7780 Rotarians sprang into action to help victims of the hurricanes. Most of these efforts included the Donor-Advised-Funds of the Rotary Foundation, where stewardship and minimal overhead costs ensure that the dollars get to those who need them.
Last week we celebrated World Polio Day, and the progress Rotary has made with partner organizations like the CDC, World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Again, this vital, life-saving work runs on the engine of our Rotary Foundation.
During the past months our team has distributed district grant checks to our clubs for worthwhile projects that are now well underway. This week, we are announcing that our district-grant-funded cultural exchange program will serve the Kakamega Orphanage Care Centre of Kenya, following a recommendation of our district’s international committee. These funds come from your contributions to the Foundation’s SHARE fund, 50% of which returns to our district in the form of both district and global grant money.
Next week we welcome Rotary International Past Vice President Jennifer Jones to Northern New England, to meet with key donors and celebrate the final push of our 100-for-100 Foundation Centennial campaign. On an ongoing basis, our District Foundation team led by Marty Helman works on the annual fund, the Paul Harris society, the EREY campaigns, and also on bequest gifts. In all these ways during November, we will celebrate the annual giving and endowment gifts to our foundation.
The most powerful five words in fundraising are these: “Will you please join me?”
We lead by example. Put these five words in front of a sentence that combines your personal support of Rotary with the strength of our Foundation.
Will you please join me in one (or more) of these ways?
In an all-new "The Business Beat," Steve Jones-D'Agostino interviews Dave Underhill, governor of Rotary District 7780, which covers Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern Maine.
They talk about how Rotary is making a difference - both locally and globally.
In the spirit of full disclosure, Steve is a Rotarian, and is providing volunteer marketing services for the 2018 Rotary Summit in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, which involves five Rotary districts, including 7780 and 7910, which serves Central Massachusetts and Metrowest.
The 29-minute episode aired Sunday night on 90.5 WICN and streamed at WICN.org.
International Service Committee
NEW DISTRICT 7780 PROJECT IN KENYA
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Cultural Exchange Project will be to travel to Kakamega, Kenya with the Friends Of Kakamega to visit, explore, and learn about the Kakamega Orphans Care Center. Each year, funds for cultural projects are allocated from our District Designated Grant allocation.
A little background: In 2001, a group of Kenyan Quaker women founded Kakamega Orphans Care Center (KOCC) as an occasional (then weekly, then daily) free meals program for hungry children - many of them orphans - in their western Kenya community. This effort soon brought one of those women, Dorothy Selebwa, to the United States in search of sisters to join her in the call to help the needy children of her community. She soon found Molly Duplisea-Palmer, Sharon Salmon, and Sukie Rice, who formed Friends of Kakamega to help raise funds and answer Dorothy's call. Within months the generosity of dozens of people from all over New England helped the project to get off the ground.
For the past 15 years, with the support of more than a thousand different donors in the United States and abroad, the KOCC has grown into a mature and respected community organization. Today, KOCC thrives under the watch of the elders who founded it and eleven dedicated local staff members. It directly supports the education and well-being of over 350 needy young people.
Early in 2017, the Rotary clubs of Freeport and Bethel funded the KOCC’s newest program, the Women’s Farming Initiative - a small business training program for fourteen young Kenyan women who came from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds. This program taught and thus empowered the women to earn their own income and help build a better future. This program has since evolved into another initiative called Strong and Healthy Young Women.
The District 7780 Cultural Exchange Team will travel to Kakamega, see first-hand how this center is making a impact in its community, and learn how Rotary can help the center to continue its mission.
Through our grassroots partners in Kenya, we support the education and well-being of orphans and vulnerable young people as they become confident and caring members of their communities.
Are you interested in being a part of this team?
To learn more about the KOCC, and meet Ida Nelson, KOCC’s Administrator, please mark your calendar for Wednesday November 8, 2017 in the Freeport area. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about the KOCC,
As soon as the time and location are confirmed (working on it as we go to “print” here) we will let everyone know.
Applications to be part of this cultural exchange mission, and additional information, will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. If you have any immediate questions please contact: Emma Bodwell, District 7780 International Service Chair at ebodwell@icloud.com
Polio Plus Update for November
For those of you who may have missed the 2017 World Polio Day Live Stream Event from Seattle, Washington on October 24, it was taped and you can watch it at your leisure. The link is https://www.endpolio.org/world-polio-day. As you probably know Roland Gagne and his wife Paula, from the Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco, were the runner up winners of our drawing and won a trip to Seattle to be there for the event live. Our district contest was a drawing with every Rotarian who donated at least $25 to Polio Plus during the first three months of the Rotary year eligible to win the trip. The trip was given by an anonymous donor in the District and this terrific idea resulted in about $8,000 more money being donated in the first quarter than in previous years. But don’t stop giving now. The true prize will go to the children of the world when polio is gone from the face of the earth.
Sadly we had one recent additional case of polio appear in Afghanistan and we are now up to 12 cases this year: 7 in Afghanistan and 5 in Pakistan. But so far, none in Nigeria. Here’s hoping that as we move closer to the end of the year, there will be no more cases.
I’d like to remind you of the Polio Plus Society. This is a group of committed district Rotarians who have pledged to donate at least $100 per year until Polio is eradicated. You can find the application form on the District Website - click on Rotary Foundation and Grants and then on Polio Plus.
Finally, I have a 20-minute presentation on the history of polio, the nature of the disease, attempts to find a vaccine, and Rotary’s involvement leading to our commitment to eliminate the disease. If I haven’t yet visited your club, I’d love to. All you have to do is ask. (lkfurbish@mac.com, 207-490-6840)
Crutches 4 Africa
CONTAINER TO BE LOADED NOVEMBER 18TH
District 7780 will be loading its seventh 40 foot container on Saturday, November 18th.
A time has not been set up at this point in time but if you are interested in helping or coming by and watching please send an email to risc@maine.rr.com and Dennis Robillard will update you on the start time. Except for once we have finished in less than two hours and that one took less than three hours.
The Rotary Four-Way Test
ALLOW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PRACTICE THEIR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
Every day that you serve in Rotary, you have the opportunity to change lives. Everything you do matters; every good work makes the world better for us all. In this new Rotary year (July 2017 to July 2018,) we all have a new chance to change the world for the better, through Rotary Making A Difference.
Any topic that a candidate finds timely, interesting and important may be used for the speech contest. The topic and speech must be appropriate to a public, high school and adult audience and setting, in good taste, and the speech must not disparage or mistreat any individual or group. Libel, slander and obscenity laws must be followed. The topic must be specifically subjected to The Rotary Four-Way Test. It must be used throughout the body of the speech and is not to be reserved for the beginning or concluding statements only. A contestant must answer HOW YOU WOULD apply the 4 Way Test (how you would personally guide your own actions) NOT HOW OTHERS WOULD handle a situation.
At the District Final, a first-place prize of $750 cash will be awarded, along with runner-up prizes in smaller amounts.
How the contest works:
Contestants must be a high school student, grade 9-12, in a public, private, or credited home school. During the months of October to December, a local contest may be held by a school/Rotary Club or both, to determine who advances to the next level. Three students can move up to the District Mid-level from any school or Rotary Club. The fee, paid by the Rotary Club, to move candidates to the District Mid-level is $200, and with this fee the Club may send up to three candidates to the competition.
Each Rotary Club is encouraged to join with these groups to provide guidance and understanding of the Four Way Test. The idea is to pair up a Rotary Club with a school or class because this way the schools and clubs are drawn together. The District mid-level contest is assigned to the participant (based on the sponsoring club’s location and Assistant Governor’s serving area.)
The best method to recruit students is to find a speech, drama, debate, English teacher, head of a school team, or even make it a class project. The reason this program is started in the fall is that the spring semester is very busy.
During the month of January and March, mid-level contests will be held in each of nine Assistant Governor serving areas. The winner of each of the nine District mid-levels will compete in the District final competition at the Rotary District Assembly. In order to receive a prize, the contestant must speak at the District final. The District final will be held on April 8, 2018, at District Assembly at USM Hannaford Hall in Portland.
Our 2016-2017 winner of the 4-Way Test Contest is Marie Hamel and was a 10th grade student of York High School sponsored by the Rotary Club of York. Her presentation can be viewed at http://rotary7780.org/sitepage/2016-2017-4-way-test-winner.
Do you know that Rotary International President Ian H.S. Riseley will be hosting six presidential peace-building conferences in 2018 to evaluate the relationship between peace and Rotary's five Areas of Focus?
Every member and non-member are invited to attend: Basic Education and Peace Conference will be held on June 2, 2018 in Chicago.
Cooperative of Education (CoEd) is already planning for their Snapshot Tour in February 2018. Will you join us in Guatemala from February 20-25, 2018? We’ll travel to rural schools in Guatemala’s beautiful highlands, and spend time with students, teachers, and families that benefit from CoEd’s life-changing programs. As you can see from the photo, we had an absolute blast on this year’s tour, and we can’t wait for 2018! You can find more information on http://coeduc.org/tours/snapshot.html, but if you have any questions, feel free to email or call me at (513) 661-7000. We hope to see you in Guatemala this February!
We had one response to the Newsletter Request on October 1st – PP David Sutton from the Kittery After Hours Rotary Club! I have also gotten ten responses from the following Rotary Clubs – Saco Bay, Kennebunk Portside, South Berwick-Eliot, Biddeford-Saco, Scarborough, Wells, Bridgton-Lake Region, York, Fryeburg Area, Damariscotta-Newcastle and Brunswick Coastal!
Last Month’s District History Request:
I have started adding some individual club history to the District Website. We have started with the Club Presidents from day one of your club through 2017-2018 Rotary year. Send me the list of all your club presidents’ names and the date they served. We have 40 clubs and it would be great to have all 40 clubs and their past presidents listed before all that information is lost. This could just be the start of developing the information about our clubs on the District website. The Club Presidents’ names and dates of service for the club’s listed above will be posted on the District History pages by the time you read this. Who will be the next club(s) to be added?
Well, this month was different! I got one response to my newsletter request. SO I decided to email the clubs that had not responded in the last year and this year’s club presidents came through with flying colors. I got 11 more clubs added by the 19th of the month.
We now have TWENTY-EIGHT (28) Rotary Club pages with their club presidents’ names and dates of service from the start of the club, plus yours truly added any DGs from those clubs and the club charter dates. Out of these 28 clubs, we have clubs that were chartered in 1915, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1939, 3 in 1960, 1969, 1974, 1982, 2 in 1983, 2 in 1986, 1987, 1989, 2 in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2008, 2015 and 2016, we have the oldest and the youngest clubs in the District who have responded!
Check them out – On the home page of the District Website CLICK on About Us; CLICK on District History; CLICK on Rotary Clubs of District 7780; CLICK on the Rotary Club name that is light blue and it will bring you to that club’s page and you can see the list of their club presidents. THANK YOU to the 28 clubs for providing their information!
This Month’s District History Request:
We are still looking to add some individual club history to the 2017-2018 Rotary year. Send me the list of all your club presidents’ names and the date they served through the current Rotary year. We have 40 clubs and only 28 clubs have provided me with the information. Who out of the remaining 12 clubs will be the next ones to have their own page under the District History page? It would be great to have all 40 clubs with all their club presidents listed before the end of November – we are so close. This could just be the start of developing the information on our clubs on the District website. WILL YOUR CLUB BE THE NEXT ONE ADDED OR WILL YOU BE THE LAST CLUB ADDED?!
PLEASE send your information to me at mawilliamspdg@comcast.net along with your name and the name of your Rotary Club. The names of all those who share “their Club Presidents information” will be in next month’s newsletter and “the listing of their club presidents and dates of service” will be posted to the District History on the appropriate club page for everyone to read.
If you have any other District History information, please share it with me so it can be posted to the District History page on District 7780’s Website. I know it is out there, I just need someone to take the time to SHARE it with me so it can be shared with everyone in the District!
Two new members were inducted into the Damariscotta-Rotary Club during October: Meegan Burbank, attorney, and Jim Hodgkin, acting superintendent of AOS93. Welcome to Rotary!!!!
The Rotary Club of Bath Sunrise
NEWS FROM THE CLUB
Bath Sunrise Rotary is now on TV!
Bath Community TV has produced two video programs highlighting our speakers from the past few months. Gizmo Garden/Lonnie Hackett is featured in the first one, and Dr. Josymar Cardona-Vazquez, clinical psychologist from Puerto Rico sharing her first hand and continuing experiences from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. They can be seen at http://www.cityofbath.com/bctvondemand/. We look forward to having more programs featuring our clubs activities.
Bath Area Food Pantry
Many of our club members are involved in the Bath Area Food Pantry and we are replacing a freezer a year. A few months ago we bought the freezer for this year. Things don’t always go as planned, and they had a freezer fail a few weeks ago. What could we do? They needed a replacement, so we said, "order one!"
Morse High School
The Robotics Club is starting up. This is a new project we are working on with the school. Over the summer we received a Rotary District Grant to help get things rolling. Our members are very excited about helping the students with this new venture.
Patten Free Library
While we are on the subject of robots, the middle school program at the library is up and running for another year. The word on the street is that there is a musical theme. The young people are putting together a band. They may need a little practice but we can’t wait for their first performance. Stay tuned!
Wreaths Are Coming!
Just as we are finishing the Bath Sunrise Rotary Club Bulb Sale in October, we will be picking up Wreaths for Sale in November. Another fundraiser to help us continue our projects and programs. You can check our website or Facebook page for info on how to purchase wreaths. You’ll also see us the weekend before Thanksgiving putting wreaths up on all the light poles in the business district. We want the city to look festive when Santa and Mrs. Claus come to see the children on Saturday, November 25th.
The Rotary Club of Bethel
COMMUNITY TRAILS EXPANDED
The Bethel Rotary Club and other community members gathered on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (October 21st and 22nd) to work on expanding the community trail system behind Telstar from 3K to 5K. The work was made possible through a Rotary District Grant received by the club. The expanded trails will be available for runners, walkers, and Nordic skiers, and will bring the trail up to competition level.
The Rotary Club of Bridgton-Lakes Region
NATIONAL DICTIONARY DAY
The Rotary Club of Bridgton-Lakes Region recently celebrated National Dictionary Day on October 16th, by visiting Stevens Brook Elementary, Songo Locks Elementary and the Dodge House Schools. In all, over 150 dictionaries were distributed to the children, making the day a great success!
Rotarians present were Erin Nelson, George Klauber, Linda England, Carol Madsen, and Mike Daley.
BAKED, STUFFED POTATOES BOOTH
Once again this year, the Bridgton-Lake Region and the Fryeburg Area Rotary Clubs participated at the Fryeburg Fair by selling their delicious Maine baked, stuffed potatoes.
The Rotary Club of Brunswick
LONNIE HACKETT, ROTARY INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR
District 7780 Rotary International Scholar Lonnie Hackett has been invited to speak at the Presidential Peace Building Conference in Coventry, England. Lonnie will be the main speaker for the Foundation Dinner on Friday evening, February 23rd. He has also been invited to participate in a Breakout Session on February 24th. (see September Issue of The Rotarian, pg. 25)
Lonnie recently visited the eleven clubs in the district that supported the scholarship, which accompanied the bid from the Rotary Club of Brunswick to present him the prestigious Rotary Scholar award. Through his non-profit, Healthy Kids/Brighter Future (HKBF), Lonnie has received two Global Grants from the Rotary Foundation. District 7780 has contributed to both grants.
Lonnie spoke at the District 7780 Conference in 2015, where he shared his vision of training teachers as health workers in order to recognize and treat common childhood illnesses in the slums of Lusaka, Zambia. Lonnie has lived and worked in Lusaka since graduating from Bowdoin College in 2014.
Look for our 6 seconds of fame (and fabulous singing) in Reny's commercials on all 3 Portland stations. Filming this met the standard of the 5th test on the 4-Way Test scale: Is it fun? YES!
The Rotary Club of Hampton
WORLD POLIO DAY
From left to right: Geoff Merrill, Joan Correll, Ann Kaiser, Dave Reid, Jim Waddell and Anne Russell.
On October 24th, World Polio Day was observed by the Hampton Rotary Club at their weekly morning meeting. Pictured above are six members of Hampton Rotary who have participated in polio inoculation trips to three different countries. Each of them shared their memories of their experience and spoke of the need to continue this effort.
And a special note of congratulations to the Hampton Rotary Club, whose members raised more than $40,000 in the month of September! An amazing effort by a great group of Rotarians.
The Rotary Club of Portland
3RD ANNUAL VETERAN' APPRECIATION LUNCHEON TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 10TH
The Rotary Club of Portland will host their 3rd Annual Veterans Appreciation Luncheon on November 10th, 12PM at The Italian Heritage Center in Portland, Maine.
This year’s luncheon will celebrate veterans’ commitment and service to our country and feature Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, along with Joe Reagan, veteran and vice chairman of Veterans Count, an Easterseals charity supporting Maine's Military and Veteran Community.
Last year’s Veterans Appreciation Luncheon drew 300 attendees and sold out 10 days prior to the event. Due to the luncheon’s increasing popularity, this year’s event has been expanded to accommodate 350 guests and is anticipated to sell out in response to high-demand limited seating.
The event is made possible through support from the Portland Rotary as well as generous donations, which treat all attending veterans to lunch. There is a $20 charge for non-veterans, which is to be paid at the door on the day of the event. Only cash and checks will be accepted and pre-registration is required.
Capturing the Rotary Club’s longstanding commitment to community outreach and support, the purpose of this event is to recognize and honor veterans and their service. This opportunity allows for family, friends, and community members to support hundreds of local veterans and all are invited to attend.
To pre-register for the event, visit the Portland Maine Rotary Website at www.portlandrotary.org, or call (207) 899-6342.
WHEN: Friday, November 10th, Check in at 11:30, Lunch 12:00pm – 1:30pm
WHERE: The Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave, Portland, ME 04102
WHO: The Rotary Club of Portland
The Rotary Club of Portsmouth
OCTOBER DISTRICT REPORT
The Board of Directors voted on $1,000 to support Butch Ricci’s Pan Mass Challenge bike ride. Another $4,687 goes to the Jeremy Alex Fund to pay for 350 chess sets and 30 chess books. The chess program has helped area junior high students with their decision making and critical thinking skills. The program considers this ability invaluable as youngsters endeavor to fight the state’s current drug epidemic.
Seen above: Leo Gagnon (center) and family
Club Vice President Leo Gagnon is our newest Paul Harris Fellow. Gagnon has been extensively involved, among other groups, with the Rockingham County Planning Commission and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He directs the club’s Vocational Awards and Fellowship Committees. He’ll lead our Christmas Tree sales effort next month.
Lorraine Merrill, NH Commissioner of Dave Underhill, DG 7780
Agriculture, Markets and Food
A steady parade of great programs kept us entertained and engaged during the month. We heard from Stratham resident Lorraine Merrill, the New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture, Markets and Food. Our own David Underhill made his “official” District Governor’s visit. (You’ll find Dave pretty much at every one of our weekly meetings. No make-ups for this guy!)
Donald Bird, Plymouth State University President Attorney Daniel Schwartz
Other guest speakers included Plymouth State University President Donald Birx and Attorney Daniel Schwartz. Schwartz provided an entertaining and enlightening presentation about sexual harassment in the workplace.
The River Valley Rotary Club
GUEST SPEAKER
Lawrence K. Furbish, Polio Plus Chairperson for Rotary District 7780, was the guest speaker at the River Valley Rotary Club Fellowship luncheon on Monday, October 23, 2017.
He spoke on the fight to end Polio throughout the world through the combined efforts of The World Health Organization, UNICEF, CDC, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International.
Since 1998 to date the River Valley Rotary Club has raised $14,685 towards the fight to End Polio.
Seen in the photo (left to right) are Lawrence K. Furbish and Dave Duguay, Past President of the River Valley Rotary Club.
The Rotary Club of Saco Bay
OCTOBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Pictured from left to right: Jack Webb from Thornton Academy, Ashlin Ruel from Biddeford High School, Chase Walker from Old Orchard Beach High School, and Tony LeBlanc, Rotary Club of Saco Bay President.
CHARTER MEMBER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
On 10/10/2017, Al Carignan celebrated 50 years in Rotary and was honored at Saco Bay Rotary Club's meeting on 10/12/17. Al is a charter member of the club, was its first President, and is a Paul Harris Fellow and sustaining member. Congratulations Al!
Pictured from left to right: Tony LeBlanc, Al Carignan, and Jackie Carignan, Al's wife.
The Rotary Club of Sebago Lake
FLU SHOT IMMUNIZATIONS AND POLIO EDUCATION!
The Sebago Lake Rotary Club partnered with Walgreen's Pharmacy and State Farm Agency/Tricia Zwirner to host a flu shot clinic and Polio Plus awareness event recently.
Pictured here is Tricia Zwirner of Windham receiving her flu shot given by pharmacist, Sanchu Thomas of the Windham location. Posters of the timeline and number of Polio cases from 1988 through to today, its progress throughout the years, and the impact that Rotary has made toward the eradication of the disease, were also available for folks to look at. Handouts were also shared, which included the link to Rotary's website for donating to the Polio effort.
Avery Farthing, of Raymond, painted purple pinkies as an effort to further Polio Plus awareness.
The Rotary Club of South Berwick-Eliot
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
Kristina Goodwin, left, and Pastor Beth Hoffman accept a donation for Out of the Shadows from the Rotary Club of South Berwick and Eliot member Robin Wheeler and President Skip Cousens.
By Judi Currie
jcurrie@fosters.com
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — As they work to support those dealing with substance misuse, Out of the Shadows has received a very big gift to support its work.
At a meeting Thursday morning, the Rotary Club of South Berwick and Eliot presented a check for $12,209.94 to the group, raised by the Rotarians at a Cinco de Mayo-themed fundraiser in May.
Rotary had already given Out of the Shadows $1,000 to reimburse people who had out-of-pocket expenses to help the families.
Out of the Shadows is a nonprofit run by the First Congregational Church in Eliot. Pastor Beth Hoffman and Kristina Goodwin accepted the check and talked about how the money will be used.
“The drug misuse story in our communities is volumes and volumes; it is huge,” Hoffman said. “We want to reach out not only to those who are struggling with misuse but also to those people who are affected in the family, the community and the schools.”
Hoffman said there are many organizations that have started to help the individuals but there is still a need to help families and children.
“Conversation groups, spirituality groups, wellness groups and children’s support and education,” Hoffman said. “That is where we think Out of the Shadows is headed next, to not just be a stopgap for an individual person but to spread the blanket of comfort and compassion.”
Hoffman called the gift from the Rotary “out-of-this-world amazing” and said it is really uplifting to the group to know that Rotary is out there supporting their work and cheering them on.
She said they will use some of the money to make the space welcoming for families by providing a play space or quite space for children of those seeking help.
Goodwin said the affected others often get overlooked and how they need to break down barriers to people getting help, by providing service for children, too.
They will also use money to buy Narcan, an overdose reversal drug.
“It it just one piece that can keep a person alive so that they have another chance at recovery,” Goodwin said. “But it comes at a cost ... so the fact that we will be able to provide this is huge.”
Robin Wheeler, who chaired the fundraising event, said as small as the club is they do some amazing things.
“I have a very strong passion to do something about this opioid problem not only this country but in our community,” Wheeler said. “When I brought this up the club jumped on board and were very supportive.”
The South Berwick-Eliot Rotary Club has had several major fundraising events to support worthwhile projects. According to a statement, their recent community-based annual fundraisers have helped the hungry, provided AED’s to schools, libraries and other community sites.
The group also helps with an international project each year through Geography Quiz Night supporting a medical facility in the Dominican Republic, an orphanage/school in Haiti, a program in Honduras, child slaves in Nepal, and Safe Passage programs providing educational services in Guatemala.
They also fund scholarships to local high school graduates to attend post-secondary schools.
MARSHWOOD HIGH INTERACT CLUB
The first meeting of the Marshwood High Interact Club was very well attended by 57 students and the officers! The club has volunteered to work the MHS Blood Drive on Nov 7th. They have also discussed how to support the Lions Club Food Drive in November, as well as to hold the trick or treat for cans in the community at Halloween again.
Marshwood Interact Club
SERVICE TRIP FUNDRAISER - NOVEMBER 8
Make plans to dine out with your family at Johnson's in North Berwick next month!
The Marshwood Interact Marine Conservation Service Trip is having a restaurant night fundraiser on Wednesday, November 8, from 4-8 p.m.
We will get 10% of everything spent on food that night. You get a nice meal with your family and you support a wonderful group of students who want to make a difference.
Win-win!
Let them know you are supporting our service trip when you are being seated.
Coming from far away? Stay Friday night at The Exeter Inn for a special rate
of $99 plus tax. Call 603-772-5901 to make your reservation.
Have Something You'd Like to Share with Us?
Updates and short articles with images or videos, and the names of new members and those who have passed, may be submitted to our Newsletter Editor, Deb Marsolais, at deb.marsolais@comcast.net to be included in our Monthly Newsletter. The District Newsletter is a means of communicating to other clubs in our district; items of interest, upcoming events, fundraisers, opportunities of service, or member news.
Deadline for DECEMBER Newsletter Submissions: November 22nd
Due to the holiday, please submit your club's articles ASAP. Thanks!
~ Deb
PLEASE NOTE:
As a precaution, unless you have obtained a written consent from a parent/guardian, every child’s face which appears in a picture submitted for the newsletter or website, will be edited so that it is blurred out in the picture. Since there may be situations involving abuse, neglect, custody dispute, etc., and parents wouldn't want their child's picture to appear in public, this is being done for the child's privacy and protection.
If you have a submission for the newsletter or website, and would like to have us post a picture with a child (children) in it, please let us know if you have received a consent, otherwise we will edit it accordingly.
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