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September 2017 - ISSUE 3
 
Upcoming Events
Finance Committee
Sep 18, 2017
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
 
Assistant Governors' In-Person Meeting
Sep 27, 2017
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Foundation Grants Subcommittees
Cumberland Club
Oct 03, 2017
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
NEPETS Committee Framingham
Oct 07, 2017
 
District Visioning Workshop #10
South Portland Housing Authority
Oct 19, 2017
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Assistant Governors' GoToMeeting
Oct 25, 2017
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Bylaws Committee Portland
Oct 27, 2017
 
NEPETS Committee Framingham
Nov 04, 2017 9:00 AM
 
100/100 Wrap-up (by-invitation event)
Union Bluff Meeting House
Nov 10, 2017
 
District Nominating Committee 2017 (Backup Date)
Nov 12, 2017
4:30 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage
ClubRunner
 
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Rotary Helps Houston!
TEXAS EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS
 
As we go to press, the news from the Houston area is sobering. Rotary District 5930 (Corpus Christi and south), D-5890 (Greater Houston), D-5910 (Galveston to Beaumont), and D-5840 (San Antonio, Hill Country Area) have all  undergone record flooding, with more days of rain predicted.
 
Emergency relief funds have been set up in all four Districts. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A slight twist on a popular bumper sticker:
 
“If you can read this, thank a Rotarian!”
 
September is Rotary’s Basic Education and Literacy month.
 
Literacy is one of the key building blocks in our Rotary Pyramid of Peace.  Without knowledge, listening and learning, our communities often turn to conflict and violence.  With those powerful tools, we can almost always find a path to resolving conflict without force.
 
My mom was an English teacher.  Our school system was so small that my mom was my seventh-grade English teacher.  The stress of that fact, at the time, was high, but her inspiration of learning to read began for me before I was walking.  I can still recite most of Dr. Seuss’ “Yertle the Turtle” by heart (don’t try this as a bar bet).  Fortunately I’ve been able to expand those horizons over the decades, with thanks to great teachers, mentors, libraries, schools and technology.  The gift of reading and writing has steered my life’s work and play.  We often take it for granted: we never should.  Reading is our ticket to the world, and a pathway to peace.
 
Our Rotary Clubs in Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire have done an excellent job of promoting literacy, and this commitment continues today.  Many of you have built Little Free Libraries, others donate books in honor of weekly speakers, and you have passed out thousands of books to children around our region.  Past-Governor Marge’s leadership and commitment to literacy was exemplary, and these efforts are continuing at most of our Clubs in this new Rotary Year.  Thank you!
 
 
Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club recycles newspaper honor boxes as Little Free Libraries, this one placed at a children’s park and dedicated during our club visit on August 10

Our literacy co-chairs, Kerstin Kirchner and Terry Hodskins, are finalizing the details for our next high school Four-Way Test speech contest.  It will culminate at our District Assembly April 7, and it is being restructured to encourage more entries at a lower club cost.  Watch your email for details.  Since a literacy project is one of the six elements in your “Pyramid of Peace”, keep the great ideas coming, and keep the books flying out the door.
 
Literacy begins right here at home, but it also spans borders and is integral to Rotary’s work.  Many of our Clubs partner to promote literacy throughout the world, from Guatemala to Jordan.  These efforts have been supported by district and global grants from The Rotary Foundation.  A significant amount of the money you contribute to the Rotary SHARE fund comes back to our Clubs, and those funds are hard at work teaching refugee children from Syria who are being schooled in Jordan, and helping local students to read in Kittery.  That’s the magic of our Foundation: we are all Rotarians at work, choosing how to invest wisely for the future.
 
The joy of this job: could you be next?
 
It is so energizing and exciting to see the work being done by our Clubs.  As I write this, Linda and I have completed 31 of our 40 club visits, and every single one has taught us something.  
 
We’re also happy to be joining with you at Rotary projects, socials and fundraisers. We’ve had the fun of being taught the proper way to turn half-chickens and scoop ice cream in Wells, helped to present a Club award at Saco Bay Sunset, handed out water at a road race in Portsmouth, pinned a couple of deserving Paul Harris Fellows along the way, received a donation check in Oxford, handed out several district grant checks (I love giving away money!), enjoyed the fellowship of a lobster social with the Exeter Club and honored a major-donor couple at Sanford-Springvale. 
 
To the mythic fifth question of the Four-Way-Test: Is it Fun?  The answer is yes!
 
We have had the joy of reunions with Rotary friends and made many new ones. We have shared Interact, Rotaract, RYLA and international travel stories.  We are blessed with this opportunity.
 
This comment is particularly timely.  Between now and October 15, our Clubs are being asked to nominate future candidates for District Governor.  This process begins with you.  Is this your time to take that step in Rotary service?
 
It takes some time and it’s a significant volunteer “job”, but there’s a lot of joy in this work.  If you’d like to learn more about the experience, please drop me a note (dave.underhill.nh@gmail.com) or give me a call (603-706-3143). 
 
The credentials are simple: to be a District Governor, you must be an active Rotarian and a club Past-President, and you should have seven years’ Rotary experience by the time you enter office. Information can be found on our website, rotary7780.org, in the box marked “nominations” on the left hand side of the home page.
 
The nominating committee is also seeking a finance committee representative from “Area C”, clubs in Cumberland, Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties, Maine.
 
Dave
 
 
Additional Information:
 
President-elect training begins this month!  If your club doesn’t yet have a PE, perhaps we can help with succession planning tools and club visioning resources. That’s our district team’s role – to support your Rotary Club and keep it vibrant.  Talk with your Club’s Assistant Governor if you’d like to know more.
 
PolioPlus contest – designed to give some fun to the serious work we still have before Polio is declared extinct.  You can find info here – you could win a trip to Seattle for World Polio Day.
 
 
Committees at work: our district team has over fifteen active committees dedicated to sharing resources and supporting our clubs, in areas from public image to membership and visioning. You can find information on these committees and their current activities by logging in to the district website rotary7780.org and clicking the drop-down button “committees” at the top right corner of the home page. 
 
You can also get an electronic copy of the district directory from our district website: look for the “district communications” box on the left side of the home page (scroll down).  Please note, for many of these documents you need your ClubRunner log-in name and password, which you can get from your Club Secretary if you don’t know it.
 
Thank you for the great welcomes at our visits, and more importantly for the energy you are putting into Rotary service at your Club.  It’s an honor to be joined with you in Making a Difference with Rotary.
 
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2016-2017 PRESIDENTIAL CITATION WINNERS
 
The Rotary year for 2016-2017 have come to an end but the celebration continues.  You may remember, to qualify for the Rotary International Past President’s Presidential Citation, clubs needed to complete two mandatory activities and additional activities in several categories.  The activities were verified automatically through RI data.  Others will be verified by the information clubs entered into Rotary Club Central.
 
All information captured through the end of the Rotary year has been tabulated and the results are in.  RI had hoped to have this information out by August 1 but, as you all know, life has a way of getting in the way.  With the passing of RIPE Sam Owori, the staff at RI has been grieving and doing their best to implement a “Plan B”. 
 
The information was posted last evening, and I am proud to announce the Rotary Clubs are:  Saco Bay and Sanford-Springvale!
 
Please join me in congratulating these two clubs on this tremendous success.  Awards from Rotary International are on there way to me.  Once received, DG Dave and I will present to the membership and their past presidents-Jeffery Slaton and Barbara Sutcliffe. 
 
Congratulations District 7780. 
 
My best, Marge
 
 
Governor-Elect John LoBosco Announces His First Appointment!
LAWRENCE FURBISH APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE DISTRICT ROTARY FOUNDATION COMMITTEE
 
Our Governor-Elect, John LoBosco, has announced the appointment of Lawrence Furbish of the Rotary Club of Sanford-Springvale as chair of our District Rotary Foundation Committee for 2018-2021. John made the appointment in consultation with Governor-Nominee Andy Glazier, who whole-heartedly agreed.
 
In making the appointment John said, “We are thrilled to appoint Lawrence as chair of this important committee that does so much good throughout our district and the world.  We want to thank Marty Helman for her outstanding leadership over her three-year term and for the transition plan she has developed.  Marty and Lawrence already have begun working together to ensure a smooth transition.”
 
“The District Foundation Committee has had a busy three years,” Marty said. “The clubs are increasing their involvement in Global and District grants, and that has led to increased giving as well.  It’s a win-win: With increased giving, we’ve been able to double the amount of District DDF available to support our club’s Global Grants.  We’ve also instituted some operational improvements that are serving us well. We became the first District in the Rotary world to put our Grants Seminar on rotary.org’s Learning Center.  All-in-all, it’s been a great run, and I am delighted that Lawrence will be turning his considerable talents to leading this vital committee.”
 
Lawrence served as District Governor in 2014-2015 and is completing a three- year term as chair of our district’s finance committee.  In 2015-16, Lawrence was the overall chair of NEPETS.
 
Read more...
 
District Finance Committee
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
 
Annually, the Nominating Committee selects a qualified member to serve a three-year term on the District Finance Committee.
The member rotating annually from our three Rotary Divisions:
 
  • Division A: New Hampshire clubs.
  • Division B: Clubs in York and Oxford Counties in Maine.
  • Division C: Clubs in Cumberland, Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties in Maine.
 
This Rotary year, we will be selecting a candidate from Division C (Cumberland, Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties) to serve on the Finance Committee beginning July 1, 2018.  Clubs in these three counties are urged to place the name of a member with previous service as club president or treasurer, and/or accounting/finance as a component of their vocation or profession, in nomination to be considered by the Nominating Committee.
 
To nominate one of its members, the club must pass a Resolution adopted at a regular membership meeting, signed and dated by the club president and the secretary. (A sample Resolution is part of this packet.) Each club may submit one nomination for any given office. In addition, the candidate is welcome (but not required) to write a short (one page!) summary of his/her experience pertinent to this job, as well as his/her Rotary background and reasons why he/she is interested in and qualified for the position. The candidate is also urged to read the Policies and Procedures document that describes the Finance Committee role (available on the District website under the “Committees” drop-down tab) and to reach out to current Finance Committee chair PDG Lawrence Furbish (lkfurbish@mac.com) for a better understanding of the requirements and time commitments of the role.
 
The Resolution and all accompanying materials must be submitted to the District Governor by end of day October 15, 2017.   Please email to Governor Dave Underhill at dave.underhill.nh@gmail.com
 
The Nominating Committee will hold personal interviews on Sunday, November 12 and Monday, November 13 for each of the Candidates.  That meeting will take place in the Portland area.  If those dates are not viable for the candidate, the Nominating Committee will schedule an interview on Monday, November 27th.
 
 
Win a trip to World Polio Day in Seattle!
 
Give to PolioPlus between July 1st and September 30, and you’ll be entered into a drawing – you could be Sleepless in Seattle to commemorate World Polio Day!
 
Perhaps you watched Rotary’s World Polio Day Live Streaming Event on your computer during the last couple of years. It has been a terrific way to learn more about the status of our signature campaign to End Polio Now. Two years ago it originated from New York City and last year from the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. This year, World Polio Day will be held in Seattle in recognition of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
 
A generous District 7780 Rotarian has donated airfare and a hotel room for one of us to travel to Seattle for World Polio Day on October 24. This is a chance to be in the audience and see “up close and personal” what major players in this field have to say. We don’t promise that you will be able to meet Bill Gates, but just maybe!
 
All you have to do to enter:
 
Make a donation to Polio Plus of at least $25 between July 1st and September 30, 2017. Each individual donor, regardless of the amount given, will be eligible for the drawing and the lucky winner will be heading west in October.  Actually, the really lucky winners will be the children in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where we are on the brink of eliminating this disease forever!
 
If you make your donation on-line, which is very easy to do, it can be made any time right up to September 30. If you choose to do it by check, mail it by September 22 to be sure it will get to Evanston in time to be processed.
 
This is a unique and very fun way to encourage donations to help End Polio Now, and we hope many of you will jump in and participate. And please note, it is "at least $25" but there is no prohibition on larger donations.  Every donation is eligible for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2:1 match, so your contribution is tripled.
 
Let’s keep up the effort and soon we will be celebrating Rotary’s tremendous achievement - the eradication of this dread disease.
 
What’s Included:  round trip airfare from Portland or Boston to Seattle, hotel room for two nights in Seattle. You are responsible for meals and other incidentals.
 
Please donate online today:   https://www.endpolio.org/donate
 
 
Polio Plus Update for September
 

I’m sure you have seen the announcement from Governor Dave about the drawing for a trip to Seattle and the World Polio Live Stream event on October 24, World Polio Day. But there are other things your club can do to raise money, awareness, or both regarding Rotary’s signature project. Here is a list of possibilities. It would be excellent if your club could do something during the month of October, but if your schedule just doesn’t allow that, any time during the year is fine.

 

 

1.      One of the easiest is a Purple Pinky Project. Charge participants a modest fee ($1 or up to $5) and they get their little pinky fingernail painted purple. This is what is done to children after they get their polio vaccine to alert the health care workers that this child has already received the vaccine. National Immunization Days (NIDs) are notoriously chaotic in some third world countries. The is a particularly good project to do in conjunction with your Interact Club. Lots on information is available on line.

2.      If your town or city has a bridge you can do a bridge walk. The Seacoast Portsmouth Club has organized one for three years in the Portsmouth area (not this year), and last year, the Bridgton Lakes Region club did one in Naples. Ask participants to pledge or donate and have them show up in their "End Polio Now" tee shirts and carrying banners and signs as they walk over the bridge. Many members of the public will see that activity.

3.      The Oxford Hills Club has set up a toll booth asking drivers to voluntarily donate as they pass through. This is a simple one to organize.

4.      Some clubs sponsor a walk/run/bike event. Again pledges or donations are solicited and the activity itself shows Rotarians in action working to support this effort.

5.      Clubs in England have a project called "Purple4Polio" where they sell purple crocuses for planting and purple ice cream. Again, this acts as a fund raiser and an awareness outreach. Google "Purple4Polio" to learn more.

 

I’m sure some of you can come up with other creative ideas do your thing as part of this effort. The important thing is to do something - no matter how big or how small. Please let me know what your club is planning to do. Remember, when polio is eradicated and the celebration begins, you won’t want to be thinking to yourself, "But what did we do?"

 

 
District 7780
RECOVERY INITIATIVE COMMITTEE
 
 
I am happy to report our District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee held its first meeting on August 17th.  This first meeting was very informative and there was much enthusiasm as we scheduled our next meeting for August 31st.  For those that may not be familiar with this committee, it was recently formed in order to assist the clubs within our distract that may have an interest in joining the fight against the heroin epidemic and substance use disorders which has swept across our state and country.  Our committee will work together to assist interested clubs with ideas and action items around prevention, treatment, recovery or a combination thereof which can help the communities we serve.  If you might have an interest in joining this committee, I would ask you contact me via email, rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us.  We are looking to hold these meetings at different locations around our district in locations that could accommodate conference calls for those that need to call in.  We currently have 14 on the committee and would welcome those that have an interest or has an expertise in this topic.  This epidemic does touch all of us in one way or another.  We can help make a difference and even save lives by working together!       
 
Robert F. MacKenzie
Chief of Police
Kennebunk Police Department
Office: 207-604-1339
email: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us
 
 
District 7780's International Service Committee
SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM ALL MEMBERS OF 7780!!
 
The clubs and members of our district are doing some AMAZING things around the world in places such as Guatemala, Uganda, Dominican Republic, and Nigeria.
 
We want to make sure all our fellow Rotarians around the District know what is going on, where it is happening, and more importantly how they can get involved as a club and/or as an individual. 
 
We are in the process of compiling a central location for all things international within our District (to be posted on our District Website)  
 
We need to know what you and/or your club have been doing with regard to:
 
 Current Projects               Past Projects               Future Projects              Dream Projects
 
We would like a brief summary of the project and if you have photos and/or videos you would like to share that would be great!!   
 
Please send an email to ebodwell@icloud.com or call Emma Bodwell at 207-595-1138 with any information you have to share.   
 
Thank you very much for your assistance!
 
District 7780, International Service Committee
 
 
Guatemala Literacy Project
INTERNATIONAL PROJECT RECOGNIZED BY RI PRESIDENT
 
 
Left to Right:  PDG Carolyn Johnson, RI President Ian H.S. Riseley and PDG Juliet Riseley
 
RI President and Mrs. Riseley was recently in Guatemala to recognize the Guatemala Literacy Project as one of The Rotary Foundation's top international projects.  The map you see highlights the over 500 clubs and districts that have contributed to GLP via Foundation Global Grants over almost 20 years.
 
 
 
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)
CALLING ALL ROTARIANS!
 
Want to learn more about Rotary?
 
Attend RLI (Rotary Leadership Institute)
 
WHY?
 
RLI is open to any and all Rotarians.  It is not just for club officers.  It is to help all Rotarians have a better understanding of the big world of Rotary and what it does outside of our own clubs.  Meet members from other clubs, districts and learn the potential for service around the world. 
 
RLI is a recommended unofficial affiliate of Rotary International, but not an official program of R. I.  There are three parts offered Part I, Part II, Part III plus a Graduate course.  However, parts must be taken in order as each part builds on the previous one. 
 
When and where are the courses held?
 
Courses are held at various locations throughout the year in New England and further if you want to travel to accommodate the Rotary clubs in the member districts. Any Rotarian may take a course in any location. All courses start with registration at 7:30am. Classes are from 8:00am to 3:30pm. The registration fees can vary from site to site but they all cover the same thing – course workbook containing session program agendas, and course outlines and materials plus breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks.
 
What are the teaching methods?
 
The Institute believes in course sessions with as much discussion/participation as possible. Lectures are strictly limited. Course methods include discussion groups, role-playing, problem solving workshops and creating projects.  Everyone participates during the sessions.
 
The Graduate Course subjects this year are Diversity in Rotary (AM) and Rotary and Ethics (PM).  Your day will be split between these two topics.
 
If you want to stay local the first one coming up that is fairly close to our District is on . . .
 
Saturday, November 18, 2017 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM  
 
Lewiston-Auburn College
51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, ME
 
Offering Parts I, II, III, & Graduate
$90.00 registration fee which includes materials, breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks. 
 
To initiate course registration, please go to www.rlinea.org and click on the highlighted site name that you wish to attend on the left hand side of the page.  This will automatically take you to that site’s registration page.  It is strongly recommended that clubs pay the registration fee for its members to attend.  The course registration cut-off for any site is 5 days prior.  So the Saturday classes have a Registration cut-off of the Monday before at midnight.  The RLI Registrar will respond to you via email within 24 hours of registration.
 
Any questions, please contact:
 
Marie A. Williams
RLI District 7780 Chair
207-439-3761
 
DISTRICT HISTORY
 
    No Responses!
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?
 
WE HAD ZERO CLUBS ADDED THIS MONTH! 
 
We still have SIXTEEN Rotary Club pages with their club presidents all listed with their dates of service from the start of the club, plus yours truly added any DGs from those clubs and their charter dates.  Out of these sixteen clubs that were chartered in 1915, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1939, 2 in 1960, 1969, 1974, 2 in 1983, 1986, 1987, 1996, 1998, 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 sixteen clubs for providing their information!
 
This Month’s District History Request:
 
Is anyone out there?  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 16 clubs have provided me with the information.  Who out of the remaining 24 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 their past presidents listed before the end of this calendar year.  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 club presidents’ names and dates of service 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 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!
 
Marie
 
Marie A. Williams
District Historian
207-439-3761
 
New Rotarians - WELCOME!
 
The Portsmouth Rotary Club added two new members, Colleen Westcott, a Nashua transfer and Allison Graybill, who is rejoining the club.
 
The Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor
AUCTION WAS HUGE SUCCESS!
 
The 60th Annual Rotary Auction held on August 4th was a huge success, with income topping the steady growth of this annual fundraiser.  The auction enjoys overwhelming support of the community in addition to the all-hands-on-deck spirit of Rotarians who sort, pack, haul and re-haul the many donations.  This year's effort was ably led by co-chairs Margi Spratt and Henry Wyatt who thought of every detail, making the event efficient and fun!  Even the weather smiled on us as the predicted rain held off, and the cool air and breezes made for pleasant conditions on the Boothbay Common.  The many volunteers included non-Rotarians, most who volunteer year after year, and who love the event and all it means for the work of the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor.  This is our major fund-raiser and allows the club to help with the great work of Rotary International, as well as funding the many local projects for which the club has become known.  The Flea Market Tent, Book Tent, Boutique and Art Tent and the Live Auction were all met with enthusiastic crowds, and lots of folks went home with bargains from boats to furniture to equipment to special treasures.
 
With donations already coming in for next year, there's not much time to rest on our laurels!  Kudos all around as we look ahead to the 61st Annual Rotary Auction!
 
 
The Rotary Club of Damariscotta-Newcastle
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
 
 
Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotarians are making a difference in our communities by cleaning up parks, streets, sidewalks, etc. An hour right after our early morning meeting is fun and we are very visible in the business community.  Thanks to President Rick for the idea!!!!
 
 
Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary cont'd
ASSISTANT GOVERNOR VISIT
 
 
It's always a joy to have ADG Claudia Frost join us in the morning: her cheer and musical talents start the day just right.  And it was especially nice because she brought our District Grant check for PP Bob Topper and President Rick Hagen.
 
 
Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary cont'd
BUSINESS FORUM THANKS TO DISTRICT GRANT
 
 
Thanks to a District Grant and support from the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle, the Small Business Administration, the Chamber of Commerce, Twin Villages Business Alliance and many volunteers, we are sponsoring a business forum on September 22nd.  The Twin Villages are open for business, check us out!  Registration at TwinVillagesBiz.com
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Hampton
SUPPORT FOR A FIGHTER
 
 
 
 
 
 
Members of Hampton Rotary joined Chuck Rosa of “Chucky’s Fight” in an early morning ocean plunge last Thursday. “Chucky’s Fight” is a non-profit organization started by omne man with a mission. That mission is to reach out to our youth and teach them about the real world consequences of drug and alcohol addiction. He not only educates those in schools, but works with youth who have become involved with addiction and are reaching out to find their way back. You can learn more about Chucky’s Fight and view the videos of his daily plunges at his website www.chuckysfight.com or his Facebook page Chucky’s Fight. We are honored to support this fit to “stay clean & sober”.
 
 
 
 
Charles "Chucky" Rosa of "Chucky's Fight"   
 
 
                Hampton Rotarian Barbara Lizotte                                         Hampton Rotarian Ray Tweedie
 
 
The Rotary Club of Portland
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
 
Friday, September 8th come meet and hear Former Ambassador David Pearce.
 
A graduate of Cheverus and Bowdoin College, former Ambassador David Pearce, whose diplomatic and journalism career has placed him squarely in the middle of history, was nominated by both President George W. Bush and President Obama to serve in ambassadorships. He was Ambassador to Greece from 2013 to 2016 and Ambassador to Algeria in 2008. In addition, he was principal deputy advising the Secretary of State on Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2012 to 2013, Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul; Ambassador to Algeria during the Arab Spring. Prior to his political career, he was in journalism formerly with the AP, Washington Post and worked in the book service of National Geographic. He is the son of Portland Rotarian Duane Pearce.
 
Join the Portland Rotary Club at the Holiday Inn by the Bay on Friday, September 8, 2017 for lunch at 12:00pm, meetings start at 12:15pm.
 
Please RSVP to portlandrotary@maine.rr.com by September 5th if you plan on attending!
 
 
The Rotary Club of Portsmouth
AUGUST 2017 CLUB NEWS
 
 
New president Ben Wheeler and Vice President Cleo Villaflores are both off to great starts. Each has already had a chance to preside over regular weekly meetings.
 
 
The Club’s Cross-Country Road Race, now in its third year, raised about $7,000 dollars, according to Co-Chairs Justin Finn and Dennis Moulton.
 
 
Left to right:  Margie Wachtel, Communications Director at Families First Health & Support Center receives a check for $1500.00 from Ramona Dow and Donna Lewallen (representing the Portsmouth club.)
 
We gave away $1,000 to Craig Taylor for his Pan Mass Challenge ride. Another $1,500 went to Families First. And, for the first time, the club entered into an Annual Partnership with a selected nonprofit which will be Stratham’s Ritchie McFarland Center. The partnership will allow us to know and become more deeply involved with other charities in the future.
 
The Ritchie McFarland Center provides early childhood developmental assessments. It further makes available appropriate therapies according to an established plan of care. Early intervention has been shown to be essential in maximizing each child’s potential.
 
 
Our programs this month included a visit from the Friends Forever kids of Israel and Palestine. Portsmouth can proudly lay claim to having produced the founding father of this special endeavor, Robert Raiche.  Wrap-A-Smile’s Terry Hodgkins of the Wells Club also joined us. We further enjoyed an interesting presentation about legendary Newington film maker Louis de Rochemont (d. 1978.) It was de Rochemont who produced the original Cinerama and March of Time pictures among many, many others.
 
 
The River Valley Rotary Club
SPECIAL GUESTS VISIT CLUB
 
At the River Valley Rotary Club Fellowship meeting held Monday, July 31, 2017, the club welcomed their guest speaker Representative Lisa Keim, along  with visiting District Governor Dave Underhill and Assistant Governor Chris Summers of District 7780.
 
 
Pictured: Chris Summers- AG Rotary District 7780, Dave Underhill- DG Rotary District 7780, Lisa Keim Maine State Senator, District 18, Randy Therrien- President 2017-2108 River Valley Rotary Club
 
River Valley Rotary cont'd
ROTARIANS PROMOTE LITERACY
 
 
Dick Lovejoy and Dave Duguay, Fellow Rotarians of the River Valley Rotary Club, recently promoted literacy at the Culture of Compassion event which was held on Saturday,August 19th, at the Hosmer Field in Rumford, Maine.  During the event, over 400 books were handed out by Rotarians, along with Arlene Broderick (RES Librarian). 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Saco Bay
A NIGHT OF FELLOWSHIP
 
The Rotary Club of Saco Bay recently had a night of fellowship. We chartered a small boat and Rotarians and their significant others (23 in all) went on a two hour sunset cruise on Casco Bay in Portland. Past-President Jeff Slaton started this activity last year, and it will most likely be an annual event. 
 
 
There were many smiles when we arrived at the dock after the cruise.
 
Pictured above:  Tony LeBlanc and his wife Mary, President-Elect Dave LePauloue and his wife Rachel, Past-President Jeff Slaton and his girlfriend Melanie Martelle, Foundation Chair Curt Scamman and his wife Linda Valentino, Steve Boissonneault and his wife Lisa, Larry Littlefield and his wife Christine, Foundation Treasurer Phil Hatch, Mike Collard, Heather Levasseur, Sam Anagnostis and his wife Sharri, Shannon Kashinsky, Saco Bay Sunset President Dennis Robillard and his wife Mary Beth, John and Pam Gallo, and Marci Martelle.
 
 
Saco Bay Rotary Club cont'd
IRONMAN TRIATHALON
 
On Sunday, August 27th, the Rotary Club of Saco Bay volunteered to man one of the many aid stations for the Maine Ironman 70.3 triathlon that was held in Old Orchard Beach.  Twenty-seven Rotarians and family members volunteered at this event.
 
The Ironman organization will be donating $750 to the club, which we will use to help fund our numerous charitable contributions in the community.
 
 
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Sanford-Springvale
SERVICE PROJECT
 
 
Sanford-Springvale Rotary has recently completed the new landscape installation at the roundabout (the intersection of Routes 4 and 109) in Sanford. The roundabout, a major gateway to the city of Sanford was created several years ago by the Maine State Transportation Department to alleviate traffic. It was never landscaped and quickly became a weed-covered eyesore. Now, because of a two-year service project by Sanford Rotary, the roundabout will be a more welcoming sight for people entering the area. The club also worked with the William O. Emery Trust, a local foundation which provided nearly half of the funds required for the project. Rotarians truly are people of action.
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of So. Portland-Cape Elizabeth
RI PRESIDENT CHALLENGES CLUBS TO PLANT A TREE
 
The South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club is getting ready to plant 2000 trees in the Spring of 2018, as part of RI President Ian Riseley's initiative to plant 1.2 million trees worldwide.
 
In his address to the 2017-18 class of district governors, Ian Riseley, then president-elect challenged every Rotary club to make a difference by planting a tree for each of its members between the start of the Rotary year on 1 July and Earth Day on 22 April 2018. Trees remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, which slows global warming.
 
“It is my hope that the result of that effort will be far greater than the environmental benefit that those 1.2 million new trees will bring,” Riseley said. “I believe the greater result will be a Rotary that recognizes our responsibility not only to the people on our planet, but to the planet itself.”
 
 
Click on picture above to view a video of RI President Ian Riseley's "Plant a Tree" initiative.
 
South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary cont'd
PARTNERS FOR WORLD HEALTH 
 
Partners for World Health (PWH) founder Elizabeth McLellan spoke to us a few years ago when the organization had recently moved its location from her dining room to warehouse space. What a long way the organization has come since then! The organization now collects medical waste from hospitals all over New England. PWH has storage sites all over Maine, at the University of Vermont, and they are beginning a collaboration with BU and Tufts as well. Note that they have recently moved to 40 Walch Drive in Portland (opposite the golf course on Riverside Street), through the generous donation of the building they now occupy. PWH Makes a Difference (there’s that Rotary theme again!) by:
 
  • Reducing the environmental impact of medical “waste” that would otherwise go to landfills;
  • Lowering health care costs (by eliminating disposal fees);
  • Redistributing the supplies to the less fortunate;
  • Benefiting local communities through the diaper Give Back program; and
  • Providing medical mission trips to developing countries.
 
 
Medical mission team from Uganda arriving in Portland
 
PWH was recently involved in a Rotary Foundation global grant which provided supplies and equipment to a cancer hospital in Uganda, and also provided medical training to the hospital staff.
 
By coincidence Elizabeth was recently in Sierra Leone, in the city that was ravaged by mudslides this week. She had already begun discussions with the Freetown Rotary club about applying for a global grant, something that is needed now more than ever!
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Damariscotta-Newcastle
ANNUAL AUCTION
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Hampton
18TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
 
 
For more information contact David Longo at 603-929-0960 or visit  Hampton Rotary Golf Tournament
 
 
The Rotary Club of Rochester
ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
 
27th Annual Event will raise money for Rochester Opera House Performing Arts Center
 
The Rochester Rotary Club would like to invite you to participate in this year’s Fall Classic Golf Tournament. The scramble style tournament will be held September 26th, with a PGA professional joining each team. Registration begins at 8 AM and the golf begins with a shotgun start at 9 at the Rochester Country Club, a beautiful 18-hole par 72 course on the edges of the Cocheco River.  Registration is $140 per player – for details, please email Brian Hughes at bhughes@hrcu.org.
 
All funds from this tournament will go toward supporting the Rochester Opera House Performing Arts Center, a new not-for-profit arts organization that combines versatile studio and performance spaces, art gallery, and comprehensive arts and educational programming for students, children, teens, adults, and seniors located right in the heart of downtown Rochester.
 
 
 
 
Kittery After-Hours Rotary Club
SAVE THE DATE!
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of York
CAR WITH A CAUSE
 
 
For more information or to purchase tickets visit our website at:  www.yorkmerotary.org
 
 
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Hampton
 
Hampton Rotary lost fellow Rotarian Edward Robinson "Sandy" Buck, III, 71, who passed away peacefully at the Lahey Hospital in Burlington, Mass., on Monday, August 14, 2017.
 
Sandy was strongly dedicated to community service through his involvement with the Hampton Planning Board, Budget Committee, USS Hampton Committee, Hampton Academy Facilities Committee, served on the Capital Improvement Program Committee and was a regular volunteer for the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. He was a substitute teacher at Winnacunnet High School and also earned his real estate license. He was actively involved with the Hampton Rotary Planning and Budget Committees and served as Director of the Rotary Foundation and had just achieved 20 years of perfect attendance at Rotary meetings.
 
In Sandy's memory, donations may be made to the Rotary Foundation.
 
 
 
The Rotary Club of Brunswick
 
With sadness we report the death over the weekend of Orville T. "Tex" Ranger, a longtime member of the Brunswick Rotary Club who served as District Governor of our predecessor district 779 in 1983-1984.
 
Here is a link to the obituary:
 
 
 
 
 
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 OCTOBER Newsletter Submissions:  September 22nd
 
 
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.
 
Thank you for your cooperation.
 
 
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