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District Foundation Spending Seminar
September 19th, 8am - 2pm at USM
All District 7780 Rotarians are invited to a planning seminar to help determine how the Rotary Foundation dollars we raise are spent in coming years. The cost is $25 per person.
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Rotary District 7780
JOIN US FOR A COSTUME PARTY!
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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.
If you want to stay local the first one coming up that is fairly close to our District is on –
Saturday, October 24, 2015 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
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Kennebunk Portside Rotary inducted James and Kate Bauer Burke of Kennebunkport, into club membership in August. Kate is a retired attorney with a specialty in estate planning, Jim has a background in logistics management and is currently active in Civil War reenactments. Growing the club’s membership is a high priority for President Peggy Belanger and Membership Chair, Rand Gesing. A third new member will be inducted into the club in September.
Left to right: Rand Gesing, Membership chair; Ki Leffler, sponsor; Kate Bauer Burke; James Burke; Bill Leffler, sponsor; Peggy Belanger, Club President
The Rotary Club of Oxford Hills has recently inducted several new members: Deb Harris, partner of Club President Chris Summers, and Davin Currie, whose dad was one of the club's original charter members. The club has also inducted its first ‘corporate member’, The Anderson/Staples American Legion Post #112 of Oxford.
Shown in the picture are 5 of the Legion members along with Club President Chris Summers (far left) and member sponsor, PP Christine Twitchell (far right).
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Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club
REDEDICATES BENCH
.jpg) It’s not often that the opportunity arises for a rededication – but in this case, a deteriorating bench on the Par 3, 8th hole, that caught the eye of a golfer and a supportive group of Rotarians made this rededication possible for the Karl Berger bench.
Karl Berger was an athletic, playful and generous community leader, and was a long-time Rotarian and officer who passed away suddenly in June 2007. He was a role model for many youngsters where he enjoyed time golfing, downhill skiing, baseball, boating, swimming, tennis and hiking, and enthusiastically coached and taught children wherever he lived or travelled. He also had a passion for serving the community. Karl’s Kids, part of the Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club, was created to honor and continue Karl’s passion to support community youth and their development through athletics.
In 2007, Karl’s foursome that included Pete Ferrell, Bill Berriman, and Jan Pipper donated the bench in memory of their friend and had the bench with the plaque set on the 8th hole tee, because every time Karl came up to play that hole, he would always say, ”It’s an 8 iron.”
Rick Hagen, Vice President of the Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club was the golfer who first noticed the tired and deteriorating bench on the 8th hole and brought up the idea of replacing it to the Rotary team. "After all," said Rick, “Karl was, and still remains a driving force behind one of Rotary’s major community initiatives. This was a perfect fit for our team and for the community.”
The timing was perfect as Wawenock Golf Club, under the direction of Manager Paul Richmond and its Board of Directors, was going through a major facelift to improve the building and surrounding grounds. Thanks to the many volunteers who have volunteered their time and talents, significant improvements have been made to the much loved community golf course. This facelift was the catalyst to move forward and replace the Karl Berger bench.
Carol Ransom, Rotary Treasurer, began researching benches and within just weeks the entire funds were donated by many Rotarians and Karl’s friends to replace the bench and plaque that could withstand 20 more years of Maine’s weather.
On July 13, numerous Rotarians, Karl’s golf buddies, and wife Mary Berger, gathered for the rededication of the Karl Berger bench and stayed afterwards to swap stories, share memories and laughs of their long-time friend, Karl Berger.
Damariscotta–Newcastle Rotary members and friends surround the new bench including members of the original foursome who are seated with wife Mary Berger standing in back center
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Exeter Rotary Club
RECEIVES DISTRICT GRANT
The Exeter Rotary Club is proud to announce that it has received a District Grant in support of its international service project, “Sowing & Watering the Seeds of Rotary in Cuba.” A group of 20 travelers comprised of District 7780 Rotarians, family and friends will travel to Cuba for a week beginning on April 9th, 2016 to focus on the three major goals of the project; water purification, distribution of basic medical supplies and the reintroduction of Rotary to the Cuban people. 2015-2016 Exeter Rotary International Service Chair, Mark Pendleton who will be leading the trip, has experience in Cuba going back to 1986 when he lived there for a year as a missionary and and seminarian. Now an ordained Episcopal priest, Mark has been back to Cuba on nine separate occasions, including twice in the last two years leading a group from his parish in Exeter.
The water purification piece of the project will see two UV water filtration systems installed in two “Casa de Los Abuelos,” translation: Senior Centers, one in the village of Cardenas and one in the village of Bolondron. The UV type system was chosen for its ease of use and upkeep, ensuring sustainability of the system into the future.
While healthcare in Cuba is good to a point; most communities have a health center that serves the population, basic “quality of life” medications are extremely scarce throughout the country. Items like painkillers, antacids, vitamins and basic first aid supplies are often rationed or considered luxuries, so much so that Trip Advisor recommends travelers to the country bring over the counter meds to give as tips. For the next six months Exeter Rotary will be seeking partnerships with other District 7780 Clubs that wish to conduct med-drives in their home communities to later be transported and distributed in Cuba. Family bags will be made up and will be distributed through the health centers in each Cuban community as they will have the best gauge of need.
The last goal of “Sowing the Seeds…” is to reintroduce the concept of Rotary to the Cuban people. This goal will need to be accomplished very subtly as even though there have been recent political changes in the country, there is still a large sensitivity to the freedom to assemble and we need to ensure our actions are not misunderstood. We plan to “plant the seeds” of Rotary by connecting positive relationships and actions with the symbols of Rotary. Travelers will wear Rotary t-shirts, medical supplies will be distributed in reusable cloth bags that have the Rotary wheel and the 4-Way Test in Spanish printed on them. Coloring sheets with Rotary themes will be offered to children and lastly, letters from Exeter High School Spanish Language students will be given to Cuban students in the hopes of forming relationships of understanding among the youth. Stationary will be provided to Cuban youth for responses, and of course, the stationary will be Rotary specific.
This service project is going to be an adventure, not only in the execution but in the planning stages as well. With the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba suddenly being a fluid one, we will be learning as we go, even though we have the benefit of an expert within our leadership.
Is your Club interested in learning more? Exeter Rotarians are taking their project presentation on the road and are happy to present at District 7780 Club meetings. There are opportunities to partner by conducting med-drives in your community or engaging your youth. There are also a few spots available to District 7780 Rotarians that may be interested in serving on the trip as hands-on participants.
Please contact 2015-2016 Exeter Rotary President, Rachael MacDonnell via email at rmacdonnell@optimabank.com for more information on how you or your Club can get involved!
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Hampton Rotary Club
YES! ROTARY READS
Yes! Rotary Reads is a District initiative. Each club was asked to participate in the effort, which is to get books into the hands of children, for them to enjoy and to keep. When tasked with this objective, we considered the “where and how” to accomplish this job, and decided to utilize the concept of creating libraries to house the books, borrowing from the idea of the Little Free Library program. While our libraries are not a part of that program, the idea of how to get the books into our service communities worked perfectly…
Hampton Rotarians Craig Kelleher (center) and David O'Connor (right) recently installed a “Yes! Rotary Reads” library, which they built to resemble a covered bridge, at the Wakeda Campground in Hampton Falls on a damp misty morning that turned into a downpour. The library will be checked weekly and refilled as needed. Only in place a couple of weeks, it's already been restocked!
Above, is just one sample of the libraries being built by our members, as there is a bookshelf/library ready to be placed in the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, and another waiting to find a home, in which a member invited several friends over for a "painting party" to add their artistic touch to her library.
Hampton Rotarians have truly shown us their creativity! Each library built so far has been unique in concept and design, and will serve different areas of our community perfectly.
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Kennebunk Portside Rotary
23RD ANNUAL RIVERFEST DUCK RACE
RAISES A RECORD $10,000 FOR ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
For 23 summers, Kennebunk Portside Rotarians have been visible in high profile venues “selling” little yellow, pink and blue plastic ducks for a donation and a chance to win $1000 in a duck race in August. This year, former and incoming president, Bob Wester, chaired the event, urging his fellow members to work more shifts with even more enthusiasm to increase proceeds for the event. It worked!
On race day, August 15th, Rotarians filled Kennebunkport’s dock square, urging tourists to make the donation to enter a duck in the race. Ducks were thrown in the Kennebunk River basin and spectators watched from the Mathew J. Lanigan Bridge to catch a glimpse of the winning duck in three heats and a final race for the $1000 prize.
Rotarians kept busy scrambling in canoes and kayaks to capture wayward ducks.
Winners of cash prizes were:
Grand prize winner of $1,000: Mandy Olber of Winterport, ME
Winners of the three heats - $50 each: Mandy Olber, Tim Tully of Andover, MA and Kim Fyffe of Bethel, CT.
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Kittery Rotary Club
YES! ROTARY READS
As part of the Rotary District 7780 “Yes, Rotary Reads Project”, Pauli Rines and David Gooch from the Rotary Club of Kittery presented a bag of beginning reading books to each of the 16 Mitchell School students who have completed a seven-week “Jump Start Program” this summer. The Jump Start Program at the Mitchell School in Kittery gives the children a learning boost to prepare them for Kindergarten this fall. Throughout the District, Rotarians are presenting new and lightly used books to encourage reading with children to support future learning success.
“The Night Before Kindergarten” is read to the Jump Start students.
Ebeny LePage assists Rotarian, Pauli Rines in handing out book bags to Jump Start Students at the Mitchell School in Kittery.
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PRESENTED GRANT CHECK FOR WATER AND SANITATION PROJECT
Left to Right: Kittery President Rob Varney, PDG Carolyn Johnson, and AG Andy Glazier
Assistant Governor Andy Glazier presented Rotary Club of Kittery President Rob Varney a District Grant Check of $4383 for a water and sanitation project in Guatemala. The Kittery Rotary Club is working with four other District 7780 Clubs - Brunswick Coastal, Freeport, South Portland Cape Elizabeth, and Yarmouth - each of which have pledged $500 to the project. The project will benefit the children of the indigenous community of Santa Cruz, La Laguna, Guatemala. Called "WASH in School", for Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene – the project will provide hygiene training and learning support for fifty pre-school and fifty 1st grade children.
Additionally, fifty families, over 600 people, that currently do not have potable water in their homes, will receive water filters and training on how to use and maintain them. The Project will be led by District Rotarians, Patty MacKinnon and PDG Carolyn Johnson, and Interactor Marina MacKinnon.
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Oxford Hills Rotary Club
LOBSTER & STEAK FEST A SUCCESS!
Members of the Oxford Hills Club at their recent 29th Annual Lobster & Steak Fest at the serving line waiting for customers.
The event was a success, and the club owes a “HUGE” thank you to Oxford Casino for purchasing 100 tickets and donating them to the 4 local nursing homes for their residents to enjoy!
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Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SHELTER PROGRAM
Sanford-Springvale Rotarians volunteered at Mama Mia's on July 31, 2015. Mama Mia's "All You Can Eat" pasta fundraising dinners benefit the York Country Shelter Programs. The suppers take place in the dining commons across from the Bakery at Notre Dame on the campus of the Brothers of Christian Instructions off of Shaker Hill Rd in Alfred, ME. Staffed with volunteers to serve the food, a few hardy Rotarians braved the heat to help out.
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DONATES TO "STUFF THE BUS" FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES
 Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club recently donated a check for $101 to Wanda Parent, who single-handedly gathers school supplies for under privileged children. She has worked with teachers to develop a list of supplies needed for the school year, including a backpack. She is also holding a "Stuff the Bus" at Wal-mart in Sanford, where she gets most of her supplies and donations.
Wanda then sets up all the backpacks and supplies in the Sanford Memorial Gym, and parents arrive with the kids, who get to pick their own style and color of backpack. Then, a personal shopper will take them around to each table to collect the rest. She even has a "free for teacher-only" table, to help with the classroom supplies.
This year she has added all the children from the Maine Engineering Battalion that is currently deployed. They can come and shop for free, too.
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South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club
LIGHTING UP ROTARY - AND PORTLAND HARBOR!
The South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club has been the custodian of the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse – affectionately known as Bug Light – since 1995. The club maintains and repairs the lighthouse, and in exchange the city of South Portland which owns the lighthouse, made club member Jack Roberts the keeper of the keys. The club opens up the lighthouse to the general public several times a year, and Jack opens the lighthouse to small groups upon request. During the past year the club spent almost $2,000 on interpretive signs mounted in the lighthouse. This summer, club members guided tourists and locals alike up the staircase and ladder to the panoramic view at the top during the Kite Festival, the Tall Ships Festival and the Bug Light Festival. The lighthouse will also be opened for Open Lighthouse Day on September 12.
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Bath Sunrise Rotary Club
BULBFEST
Don't buy your bulbs this year until you check out Bath Sunrise Rotary's 2015 crop, ready for purchase from the end of September to the end of October while supplies last, from our tables at the Farmers Market in Bath and in front of Brackett's Market.
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Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco
FOAM AT THE FALLS
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Brunswick Coast Rotary Club
HOSTS FEAST TO FEED
This child represents the needy Africans and Guatemalans for whom Brunswick Coast Rotary is raising funds to fight hunger, provide clean water, and improve literacy. The 25-year-old club also donates time and money to the Youth Weekend Food Backpack Program that provides meals for local school children at risk of going hungry over weekends and vacation periods, in partnership with Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention.
To support those efforts, Brunswick Coastal Rotary is hosting its annual Feast to Feed at 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Winter Street Center, housed in an historic church building at 880 Washington St. in Bath. It will feature appetizers and desserts from local restaurants, cooks, and club members, a cash bar, free soft drinks, and entertainment from John Dennen the Singing Lobsterman. A live and silent auction will include hand-carved musical instruments, jewelry, gift certificates to local businesses, and specialty baskets. Admission is $15 per person and $25 per family, with children under 12 free.
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Exeter Rotary Club
ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER
The Exeter Rotary Club’s Annual Scholarship Fundraiser will be held on Friday, September 25th 2015 from 8:00AM to 5:00PM at the bandstand in the center of Exeter. Rain date will be Saturday, September 26th. The fundraiser is an apple sale that has been a staple of Exeter Rotary’s commitment to the community for decades. In the 20+ years the sale has taken place over $65,000 in scholarships have been awarded to students of Exeter High School, the Seacoast School of Technology and Exeter Adult Education. This year’s bill of fare will include fresh picked bagged apples, apple cider by the bottle or cup and cider donuts provided by Applecrest Orchards along with freshly baked apple crisp and apple strudel provided by St Anthony’s Bakery. All proceeds from the sales go directly to fund the scholarships. For more information about Exeter Rotary’s Annual Scholarship Fundraiser or to place an apple pre-order request, visit our website at www.exeterrotary.org.
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Hampton Rotary Club
ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
How would you like to spend a day with us at one of New Hampshire’s premier golf courses, the Portsmouth Country Club? Registration fee ($150.00 per golfer) includes 18 Holes of Golf with Cart, Pro Golf Shirt, Tees & Balls, Buffet Lunch & Full Dinner.
We look forward to seeing you on October 5th!
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Portland Rotary Club
100 YEAR CELEBRATION
Please join the Rotary Club of Portland, ME for its Centennial Gala, September 12, 2015. See the invitation card below and send it on to friends, business associates, clients and colleagues who share your enthusiasm for Rotary and the work that we do!
This will be an event celebrating 100 years of service of the Portland Rotary Club. We are very excited to have United States Senator Angus King as our Keynote Speaker. The Centennial Committee has been hard at work recruiting sponsors to support our efforts in Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE).
Please join us in celebrating 100 years of 'Service Above Self.' Proceeds from the Gala will benefit CHE. To register online please click here or go to: portlandrotary.org
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Rochester Rotary Club
HOLDS 5K FOLEY RUN
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Sebago Lake Rotary Club
FEET FOR FOOD
The Sebago Lake Club is gearing up for it’s Feet For Food Walk-a-Thon set for Sept. 20th at the Windham Middle School. You can help support their efforts by going to their website to sign up and print off a pledge sheet at Feetforfood.org. This event helps to feed the food insecure children and senior citizens of the Lakes Region.
Photo of Grace Bell, granddaughter of member Cyndy Bell along with Ashley and Drew Bell in the background.
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FEED THE NEED
Also join us on Oct. 17th at Camp Hines in Raymond for our Feed the Need Family Festival to celebrate the communities efforts to help the food insecure in the Lakes Region! The Sebago Club will be offering a Chili Chowder Challenge showcasing many of the regions many restaurant’s specialty chili and chowders. For more info contact Deb McPhail of the Sebago Club at mcphailda@gmail.com
Did You Know?
Maine ranks 1st in New England for food insecurity
Maine food insecurity rate is 14.9%
Maine children food insecurity rate is 24% (1 in 4 children)
Maine senior food insecurity rate is 5.46%
Food insecurity has increased by 50% in the past decade
1 in every 8 Maine people live below the poverty line
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Wells Rotary Club
16TH ANNUAL "CHUCK CUMMING MEMORIAL"
GOLF TOURNAMENT
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The Wells Rotary Club will be hosting their 16th Annual Chuck Cumming Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday, September 21, 2015 at Cape Neddick Country Club, 650 Shore Road in Cape Neddick.
The Shotgun start is at 1:00pm. Cost for a foursome is $500 (individual golfer $125) and include greens fees, cart, goody bag, box lunch, mulligans, reception and banquet dinner.
All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Wells Rotary Club community projects. Some of the club’s past projects include the Pavilion at the Wells Recreation Department, Pavilion and Children’s Playground at Wells Harbor Park, Concession Stand/Snack Shack at Wells High School Athletic Field, the Town Clock at the intersection of Route 1 and 109 and scholarships for deserving students.
This event has become so highly popular that the number of players must be limited to 30 teams, so come and enjoy the full pleasures of play and the post-tourney celebration and fellowship! Again this year, each player will have three opportunities to win fabulous prizes from our Hole-In-One Contests. In addition, raffles and other contest opportunities will be available. Sponsorship information of all levels is also available. .
This is all in honor of the late and memorable Rotarian Chuck Cumming who spent his long Rotary career in the service of projects which benefited our seniors and our youth.
For more information go to www.wellsrotary.org, www.facebook/com/WellsRotary or contact Tournament Chair Rick Coyne at 207-251-2119.
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Westbrook-Gorham Rotary Club
GOLF TOURNAMENT
Above, Jack Kivus reviews details of upcoming Golf Tournament with club members.
The Rotary Club of Westbrook-Gorham invites you to the 21st Annual Rotary Classic Golf Tournament. The event will be held at the Gorham Country Club on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
The 18 hole four ball scramble will begin with a Shotgun Start at 12:00 noon. Please arrive no later than 11:30A.M. for check in and assignments. Prizes will be awarded to the top foursomes, closest to the pin, longest drives, and many others.
Participation is open to everyone. Players may sign up individually or as a team. A number of sponsorship packages are also available for individuals and/or business who wish to contribute with a cash and/or prize donation.
The proceeds will benefit the Rotary’s local high school and vocational scholarship programs as well as the 3 Day Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Programs and other local community programs in the Town of Gorham and City of Westbrook.
The public is invited to join us for this fun-filled event. Registration forms are available from any Westbrook-Gorham Rotary member or contact Jack Kivus at 333-0892 or Wayne K. Lopez at 838-2711.
The Rotary Club of Westbrook-Gorham thanks you for your support.
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Yarmouth Rotary Club
MAINE'S FASTEST MILE
Who will be the fastest Rotarian? Burn off some of those Thanksgiving calories in Maine’s Fastest Mile. Run in Yarmouth on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.
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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 newsletter@rotary7780.org, 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 or opportunities of service.
Deadline for October Newsletter Submissions: September 25th
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.
www.rotary7780.org … or friend us on Facebook!
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