At the District Training, Phil Giordano, Scarborough Rotary member and recent past RYLA camp director, was presented with Rotary's highest honor, the Service Above Self Award. This award recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate Rotary's motto, Service Above Self, by volunteering their time and talents to help others. The award is internationally competitive, and is granted to no more than 150 Rotarians worldwide.
It’s times like the present war in Ukraine that remind us of the importance of building international relationships through Rotary.
In 2015 District 7780 sent a cultural exchange team to Bulgaria, after the initial outreach was done by then District Governor Lawrence Furbish. That two-week visit was followed up by a Bulgarian team touring our district the following year.
We kept working at finding the right project to further the cooperation. In 2018 the Petrich, Bulgaria, club sought an international partner for a project to provide medical equipment for the neonatal ward of their local hospital.
The Rotary Foundation has created a channel for humanitarian support in the Ukraine region in response to the deepening crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Three Rotary Clubs in the District joined forces to support Ukraine through club and individual donations to The Rotary Disaster Response Fund.
Brunswick, Brunswick Coastal and Topsham Expresso invited community members to join in contributing to the goal of $10,000 by April 30, 2022. The goal was met on Monday April 25!
