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District Governor's Newsletter
April 2018
Moms, Kenya, Polio and Leadership
50% of our population is more qualified than I to talk about motherhood. Fortunately for me, my mom was a great source of education, nurturing, love, and inspiration. Her generation largely had to choose between career and family, yet she juggled both with great success (with no small irony, hanging her masters’ degree in the bathroom where she washed diapers). We kids got all our shots (including those sugar cubes with the polio vaccine on them), we survived and thrived, and the car-seats (if any) were not yet Consumer-Reports approved.
I think about her right now because April is Rotary’s month to focus upon maternal and child health. Two ways clubs serve in this area of focus are reflected in our district’s Kenya trip (underway as this newsletter is published) and in our long-term commitment to PolioPlus.
Kenya: supported by a district grant for cultural exchange, seven from our district are traveling to the Kakamega Orphans Care Centre (KOCC) in Kenya. The relationship with KOCC began at our Freeport Rotary Club, and we hope to grow our engagement with the KOCC and the region, in partnership with Rotary Clubs in Kenya.
Back row left to right: Carol Madsen, Tom Wilbur, Claudia Frost & Joan Correll. Front Row left to right: Steve Wight & Sukie Rice (not pictured: Catherine Wilbur)
Programs at the KOCC include home-based family care support for mothers, grandmothers and other relatives to provide better care to children. There is a boarding residence for orphans and vulnerable young people. KOCC programs now include keeping young people in high school, small business startup and training, and a college program. We look forward to hearing from Steve Wight and his team when they return to join us at the District’s meeting May 5, part of our 2018 Rotary Summit at Mount Washington. I am optimistic we may have future opportunities to partner in global grant projects in the region.
PolioPlus: Just when I begin to think there’s nothing “new” to talk about on our marathon quest to eliminate polio from the world, I am reminded – brought up short - by a question or comment. I was at a club meeting, and a relatively new Rotarian said to me, “I thought polio was eliminated back in the seventies!” He was stunned when I told him there are active cases of polio today, just a plane ride away from where we were having breakfast.
Here’s a year-to-date report from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: as of March 20 this year, there were four new wild polio virus (WPV) cases reported world-wide, all of them in Afghanistan. No new cases have been found in Pakistan. The report also indicates three vaccine-derived cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When we say we are “this close” to ending the disease, it’s true – but the stubborn virus that disables and kills is not gone yet, and there is a lot of work yet to do to get these numbers to zero and to keep them at zero forever.
Rotarians in Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern Maine work at many levels to meet this challenge: we have district leaders as delegates to the international teams fighting polio, district members taking part in National Immunization Days (NID’s), and every one of us, as a Rotarian, has a way to Make a Difference in this battle.
Our job is to exceed our PolioPlus Fundraising Goal as we approach the end of the current Rotary Year, and to keep the public aware of our commitment to End Polio Now. Every dollar you give is matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Our district’s clubs pledged to raise a PolioPlus goal this year of $53,072. As of March 24, we are 90% there, at $47,989. Donations large and small, from hundreds of us, have added up, supplemented by coins in PolioPlus cans and a wide range of fundraising projects around our 40 clubs.
Thank you! Let’s get the last five thousand dollars raised: even better, let’s exceed our goal by topping last year’s impressive total of $70,462.
We can do this. We must. We will.
Leadership:
We are now in the peak season of training and mentoring our future Rotary leaders, one of the most satisfying things we do in this great organization. Next year’s Club Presidents take office in three months, and have just returned from their major training and inspiration program at Northeast PETS (that stands for President-Elect Training Seminar). In a few days, on April 7, all Rotarians are invited to our annual District Training Assembly in York. We have sessions for board members, club secretaries, treasurers, protection officers, fundraisers…all Rotarians! It costs just $20, many clubs will pay that for you, and it’s worth every dime. You can still register here: http://rotary7780.org/event/district-training-assembly-2018-(tentative-date)/
Rotary’s leadership training is an untold story when we recruit and work to retain new members in our clubs. They can learn transportable skills that will carry forward in their career and life, from public speaking to project management and board development. It’s unlike the specific company-based training many get in the workplace.
There are three key differences between challenges we face in leadership in the corporate world, compared to those we face in Rotary leadership. I call them the “three P’s”: Paycheck, Priorities and Procrastination.
Paycheck: at work, it’s part of the expectation and it’s often used in place of real motivation. In Rotary, we are motivated by our wish to serve, our need to make a difference, to feel good about it, and to be empowered. Volunteers are paid with thanks, recognition, but more than anything else by that knowledge their service is helping others.
Priorities: most employers reasonably expect your attention and dedication to task for 40+ hours a week. Outside the office, we juggle three (or more) priorities in this order: Family, Work, Rotary. We must respect that our volunteers can only do what they have the capacity for, in terms of time and attention. As Rotary leaders, we have to constantly offer support, backup, flexibility and manage the reality of limited “bandwidth” for our Rotary Service.
Procrastination: As a group we often do things last-minute, we’re not wired to be long range planners. We volunteer when we’re sure we will have the time to get it done. None of us wants to drop the ball, so we’re cautious about saying “yes” too soon. Another reality of Rotary life, this is one of the biggest wake-up calls I’ve had this year. There is tension between longer-range planning and last-minute execution. My lessons are still being learned: the point is, we need to remember that procrastination is a by-product of the great intentions we all have, tempered by the many other priorities we juggle.
There! I got this written before deadline. Just barely. Thanks for reading, see you at the district training assembly April 7th!
DG Dave Underhill, Rotary Club of Portsmouth
New District Strategic Plan
FOR REVIEW
The District Strategic Plan Draft, prepared after extensive consultation with clubs and members over the past year, is ready for your review. The leadership team plans to roll out this plan along with specific action steps at the April 7 District Training Assembly.
Please review the draft at the following link, and email your feedback to committee chair Aileen Dugan (aileen@aileendugan.com).
WHERE: York County Community College - Pratt & Whitney Building
112 College Drive, Wells, Maine
TIME: 8:00 am - 12:45 pm
COST: $20.00 per person
What better way to welcome new members to the family of Rotary. It’s time again to pull your team together and register for the District Training Assembly (DTA). Once a year we gather to share ideas, fellowship and more than a few laughs.
If you are a President, President Elect, Club Secretary, Treasurer, Foundation Chair or Protection Officer- this assembly is for you! Whether you are a new member or veteran member- there is something at DTA for everyone!
Interested in learning more about our year-long efforts at a District Strategic Plan- you won’t want to miss this opportunity to delve into the results and discuss implementation ideas.
DTA is a great way to get all of your club members, officers and committee chairs networking, engaged and aware of what’s happening with the clubs in our District. Your friends and neighboring Rotarians will be showcasing their great work, promoting opportunities and leading discussions on how their projects and ideas are taking flight. For example; you’ll have an opportunity to see what kinds of International projects need partners, to hear best practices in putting together collaborative projects, to learn about the progress our district is making in the Opioid Recovery process and you’ll be the first to hear the winning speech of the Four-Way test competition- It’s all happening during the DTA!
It is no secret that opioids are continuing to take many lives, not only throughout our district, but across the country. Our committee meets monthly to discuss actions steps we can take to assist our communities as so we can help put a stop to these devastating loses.
Our committee has met at such locations such as Safe Harbor Recovery in Portsmouth, NH, Crossroads in Kennebunk, ME and Milestone Recovery in Portland, ME. Our members have an opportunity to get educated as to what services are available in our district and we brainstorm as to where we as Rotarians may fit in to assist.
Rotarians from two clubs have been trained in Overdose Recognition & Response, to include the how to administer the life saving drug Naloxone. Chief Bob MacKenzie, Past President from the Kennebunk Rotary Club has spoken at 14 Rotary Clubs and many other venues throughout our District on the opioid issue and what we as Rotarians can do to make a positive impact.
In February, Katie Rodrigues, a young woman in long term recovery spoke at the Kennebunk Rotary Club and told her story depicting how she went from an upper middle class, high achieving college student and athlete to someone dependant upon heroin causing her to be homeless, committing crimes and ultimately ending up in prison. Katie found her way to recovery and is now a successful business owner. Katie is passionate about telling her story and helping others find their path to recovery and educating Rotarians on how there is hope in recovery. John Downing, a long time Kennebunk Rotarian stated, “One of the finest speakers with an unbelievable message I have ever heard at Rotary in the last 50 plus years. Great, honest program of struggle and winning a very tough race”.
Pictured to the right: Katie Rodrigues speaks to the Kennebunk Rotary Club
Our committee is working to bring several initiatives forward in the near future and we welcome anyone with an interest in working together to save lives to attend a meeting and be a part of a solution to this devastating epidemic.
One such initiative is a panel discussion being held through Regional School Unit 21, Adult-ED, where a two-day workshop will be held in April. The first night is a panel discussion/community forum where there will be a panel of experts facilitated by WMTW’s David Charns, where we will discuss the state of the opioid epidemic throughout the community, what we are doing about it and what more, we as a community can be doing about it, and how Rotary is working to be part of the solution. The second day will be the Overdose Training & Response training where Naloxone will be distributed to those that were trained. The Kennebunk Rotary Club is sponsoring the event and will have a presence to assist with handouts, have light fare available and most importantly, being present as to help reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder.
Any club that would want to bring the Overdose Recognition and Response training brought to their club, and/or community, or would like someone to speak at their club and/or community or ayyone interested in attending a committee meeting is urged to contact Chief MacKenzie, 207-604-1339 or rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us.
District Vision and Planning
The District Vision and Planning Committee is hosting the 11th in our series of “Vision to Plan” Workshops on Thursday, April 12, 2018.
We have a new agenda! We are asking clubs that had vision events, and are struggling with creating a plan of action, to join in working dialogues with other clubs. If your club is struggling with creating a plan, struggling with SMART goals or somehow “roadblocked” with planning or implementation, THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU!
The training will benefit new and experienced club leaders, committee members, and new Rotarians who are looking to make a difference. The skills developed will lead to stronger and more engaged clubs.
Event Details:
Workshop (6-8 pm): S. Portland Housing Authority, 100 Waterman Dr. South Portland, Maine. The Housing Authority is located just over the Casco Bay Bridge and right around the corner from the Snow Squall.
Optional Social Hour (4:45 – 5:45 pm): This is a well attended meet and greet of participants before getting to work. Snow Squall Restaurant, 18 Ocean St, S. Portland, ME 04107. 207-799-0811. Cash bar and appetizers are available. Located just around the corner from the event location.
Registration fee of $10.00 covers a light meal and supplies. The fee can be paid at the door or in advance. Make checks payable to District 7780 and mailed to: Bob Reed, 131 Oak St. Bath, Maine 04530
My husband would be the first to say that I save everything – well almost! I have been working on a living history for Bruce and I to give our children and grandchildren. The many blizzards we had a few weeks ago was a good time for me to finally start sorting through a couple storage tubs in our attic (after Bruce dragged them down)! In the process, I have found newsletters for my club since it was started in 1987. I am scanning them and posting them to our club’s website – there is a lot of history in all these old newsletters.
In the process, I found newsletters from clubs I had visited for make-ups from 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992. I have only gotten to 1990 in scanning my clubs old newsletter so far in my quest for history and cleaning out old papers, so I have a ways to go yet. I will eventually scan these other clubs old newsletters and post them to pages I have started on the District Website so I can preserve a little of your club’s history.
So for the next few months (hopefully only months), there will be a trivia question based on old club newsletters that I come across. So here we go down memory lane!
These are notes that I have taken from two different clubs newsletters!
August 14, 1987 Newsletter, this club “Chuck Andrews was in charge of the program and his guest speaker was Caspar Weinberger – on video tape – in a program called “Soviet Military Power”. 15-17% of the Soviet budget goes to the military whereas we spend 6%”
August 1988 Edition, what club’s newsletter was called “The Early Bird”. In this edition, Club President Ron Indorf welcomed 3 new members into this club. Chief of Police Pat Cote, Chiropractor Eric Bakke and Northern Utilities Representative Bill Myers. “As you know the $5.00 we pay for breakfast includes the breakfast, gratuity and the weekly drawing.”
What a deal! They listed 20 different locations for makeups in Maine, NH and even Boston. Unfortunately, this club is no longer.
Who can tell me the name of one or both of these two clubs? Once the winners are announced, I will provide the old newsletters to the club if they want them.
Send your answers to me at mawilliamspdg@comcast.net and your names and club names will be in next month’s newsletter.
Marie A. Williams, PDG
District 7780 Historian
WELCOME NEW ROTARIANS!
Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club welcomes newest member, Jason Warlick.
Pictured left to right: Newest Rotarian Chief Jason Warlick with sponsor PE Jane Gravel and President Rick Hagen
Town of Damariscotta Chief of Police Jason Warlick is now a Rotarian. Jason joined the force in 2011 as a reserve officer, became full-time in 2013, and was promoted to Sargent in 2014. After serving as Acting Chief for several months last year, he was promoted to Chief in July 2017.
The Rotary Club of Hampton is pleased to welcome Carol Parker as our newest member, inducted at our fellowship get together at the Victoria Inn on Thursday, March 22.
Pictured left to right: Membership Chair Geoff Merrill, New Member Carol Parker, and President-Elect Donna Abisi
WE ARE MOVING!
EFFECTIVE APRIL 3, 2018
Damariscotta-Newcastle is moving to a new meeting venue. Beginning with April 3rd 2018 meeting, we will meet at Schooner Cove, 35 Schooner Street, Damariscotta . Still starting at 6:45 am to 7:15 am for coffee and socialization, meeting begins at 07:15 with buffet breakfast ($15) and business. Speaker/program from 8 am to 8:30 am. Come visit when you're in the MidCoast area, every Tuesday, bright and early!
Directions: From Route 1 North, exit onto River Road Newcastle (as in the past), drive past church and road bears to right across Damariscotta River, through downtown Damariscotta and turn right at the traffic light onto 129/130. Go 0.4 miles and turn right towards hospital (overhead blinking yellow light). Take first left and Schooner Cove is on the right.
The Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor
WELCOME TO THE NEWEST BABY IN THE DISTRICT
Tory Paxson is a member of the BBH club; Aiden is the new arrival and Todd Hyson the proud Dad!
The Rotary Club of Brunswick ROTARIAN ATTENDS PEACEBUILDING CONFERENCE IN UK
Pictured left to right: Global Scholar Lonnie Hackett, AG Claudia Frost, Witney UK Rotarian Keith Crawford
March came in like a lion for this Brunswick Rotarian. I am a retired music teacher, led by my membership in Rotary to a whole new ‘career’ and set of interests. The last week of February found me pursuing Peacebuilding through Disease Prevention and Treatment in Coventry, United Kingdom. I joined 500 other Rotarians from all over the world to listen and learn about Rotary’s commitment to peace.
As you know, Rotary has six areas of focus, and as District 7780 DG Dave Underhill has championed for this past Rotary year, achieving peace depends on promoting five of these areas which are: water and sanitation, disease prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development. Rotary International President Ian Riseley established six Presidential Peacebuilding Conferences to explore the connection between Rotary’s five areas of focus and the sixth goal of promoting peace. In February, these Conferences were held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Beirut, Lebanon and Coventry, U.K. In March, Rotarians will travel to Sydney, Australia, and in April to Taranto, Italy and finally on June 2, in Chicago, Illinois. All of the 1.2 million Rotarians from any of the 35,700 clubs throughout the world are encouraged to attend these meaningful conferences.
Although I enjoyed travel as a tourist, I find traveling with a purpose more rewarding. When Lonnie Hackett, Bowdoin ’14, spoke at the Brunswick Rotary Club, I jumped at the chance to help him with his vision of providing health care for poor and vulnerable children in Zambia. The club joined me in supporting a Rotary Foundation Global Grant which allowed the training of classroom teachers to recognize and treat common childhood illnesses. A few months later, I was on my way to Lusaka to observe the growth of the program.
KARL'S KIDS HOLDS 11TH ANNUAL SKI AND AUCTION WEEKEND AT SUGARLOAF
Karl’s Kids, a program of the Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary, held its 11th annual Ski and Auction March 2nd and 3rd at Sugarloaf. Activities include bowling on Friday night with sponsor The SugarBowl of Carrabassett Valley, silent auction items all day Saturday, $5 balloons with prizes for all ages, family fun ski race Saturday afternoon, and a 50/50 raffle. The weather was perfect and we had lots of fun raising funds for this program.
Serving children in Maine since 2007, our mission is to help Lincoln County youth get involved in athletics when they otherwise may not be afforded the opportunity. In early child development, it is critical for children to learn the concepts of teamwork and to stay healthy and active through athletic activities. We want to make sure every child has the opportunity to be involved in athletics and pursue an active lifestyle.
Karl’s Kids honors the late Rotarian/Treasurer Karl Berger by helping “make dreams real” by purchasing sports equipment, uniforms, safety gear and many other items, or otherwise assisting with expenses that might prevent local youth from getting involved in sports.
ROTARIAN NAMED PAUL HARRIS FELLOW
President Rick Hagen congratulates David Swetland, newest member of the Paul Harris Society. Congratulations David!
The Rotary Club of Hampton
THANK YOU HAMPTON AND DOVER ROTARIANS!
On behalf of Joan Correll and the Hampton Rotary Club, we would like to send a big "THANK YOU" to Jim Munro, the Dover Rotary Club, and all Hampton Rotarians, for their support and generous donation of much needed items that will be given to an orphanage in Africa during Joan's upcoming trip.
FOOD DONATIONS COLLECTED FOR FOOD PANTRIES
On March 4th, the Hampton Rotary Club was busy at work collecting canned goods from runners before the start of the Hampton Half Marathon and 5K. All donated food was distributed among seven food pantries on the Seacoast. We would like to thank Loco Sports for allowing us to participate in this event.
FRIENDS FOREVER FELLOW VISITS CLUB
The Hampton Rotary Club was honored to have Friends Forever International's 2018 Eileen D. Foley Fellow, Noam Azriel, speak to our club on March 10th. Noam is quite eloquent and spoke from the heart while addressing our club regarding the conflict back home in Israel and the struggles she faces.
RECOGNIZING THE OPIATE /HEROIN CRISIS WORKSHOP - APRIL 10 & 12
The Rotary Club of Kittery
CLUBS HOST SENIOR DINNER
On March 4th, the Kittery Rotary Club, along with the support of the Kittery Rotary After-Hours Club and the R.W.Traip Academy S2S/Rotary Interact Club, hosted Kittery area senior citizens to a free Spaghetti Pie Dinner with musical entertainment. Each guest was sent home with a colorful bunch of bright daffodils to reassure them that spring will finally arrive. The Kittery Rotary Club is a breakfast club and in 2015 the Kittery Rotary After-Hours Club was officially chartered, meeting at 5pm in the evening. As a result, the number of Rotarians has more than doubled in Kittery. The Interact Club has been very active on their own as well, as turning out to support other Rotary service projects.
The Kittery Rotary After-Hours Club
HOSTS ST. PATRICK'S DAY DINNER
On March 17th, the Kittery Rotary After-Hours (KRAH) Club, in partnership with the Kittery Fire Association, hosted a community St.Patrick's Day dinner at the fire station in Kittery. Assisting were members from the Kittery Rotary (aka "breakfast") Club.
PDG Jeff presents PP Dave Sutton with his PHF and a life jacket, as DG Dave and PDG Andy look on.
During the dinner, KRAH Club member PDG Jeff Pelkey, with the assistance of DG Dave Underhill of the Portsmouth Club and Kittery Rotary Club member DGN Andy Glazier, presented Past KRAH Club President Dave Sutton a Paul Harris Fellow for his dedicated service to the club, along with a life jacket in recognition of his "lifesaving" support for the club.
KRAH President Alicia Cuttle was under the weather and not able to attend, President-Elect Dave Cuttle greeted DG Dave Underhill and his wife Linda. Pam Gray and DGN Andy (photo on right) enjoy their Irish boiled dinner before taking a shift serving and helping cleanup.
The Rotary Club of Oxford Hills
FOX NAMED 2017 ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR
The Rotary Club of Oxford Hills is pleased to announce their 2017 Rotarian of the Year, Tina Fox. Tina was presented a plaque, flowers and a Paul Harris Fellow award at the club’s banquet held on Monday, March 26 at Maurice Restaurant.
Tina has been a member of the club for 2 years, and has done a lot in a very short period of time. She is currently the advisor at OHCHS of the Interact Club (high school version of Rotary) and has been working with the students in various areas to promote community service within their school and the OH community. They won 1st place in the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce 2017 Christmas parade, in the non-profit category, and were so pleased with the win.
Tina has also been spearheading the Student of the Month program as the liaison between the school and the Club. Each month, students and family are invited to attend breakfast with the Rotarians and be recognized for their efforts in school.
Tina is also chairing the upcoming May Day Play Day, a fun, free day for the children in our community. She has lots of activities planned, to help make the event bigger and better than last year. She is recruiting not only Interact students to help, but also getting many of the students from the sports team involved as well.
Tina was nominated for the award by members of the Rotary Club, and was chosen by a committee of the Club’s last 3 year’s Rotarians of the Year. Tina was very surprised and pleased with the recognition and was a very deserving recipient. For more info go to www.oxfordhillsrotary.org or find them on Facebook.
The River Valley Rotary Club
GUEST SPEAKER AT FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON
The guest speakers at the River Valley Rotary Club Fellowship Luncheon held at the HOPE Association on February 26th, were Brandon Schauffer and Jessica Abbott - Recovery Coach of the Western Maine Addictive Recovery Initiative (WMARI) program.
They gave a spirited presentation on the needs of this type of educational program to help addicts through the recovery process.
Seen in the photo left to right: Randall Therrien - River Valley Rotary Club President, Chris Summers - Assistant District Governor, Jessica Abbott and Brandon Schauffer of the WMARI program
L.J BRIGGS, GUEST SPEAKER AT RVRC FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON
Linda J. Briggs, Fellow Rotarian and Rumford Town Manager, gave a presentation Monday - March 19, at the River Valley Rotary Club Luncheon on the upcoming downtown upgrades. The project includes total replacement of the sewer and water pipe systems. The current systems are over 100 years old. Together with the Grow Rumford Committee, the upgrades should entice new businesses to the downtown area, as well help keep the current ones there.
Seen in the photo left to right: Randy Therrien - River Valley Rotary Club President, and Linda J Briggs, Fellow Rotarian and Rumford Town Manager
The Rotary Club of Sebago Lake
CLUB HOSTS FISHING DERBY
A Kids Fishing Derby was hosted by the Sebago Lake Rotary Club and sponsored by Kittery Trading Post on March 3rd, at Range Pond State Park.
Over 250 children had a great day of ice fishing on Range Pond in Poland. The weather was co-operative, and ice over 16 inches thick made for perfect conditions.
Tom Tetreau of Topsham, shared a photo of a great sunset and a perfect day of ice fishing on Sebago Lake at the Sebago Lake and Cumberland County Ice Fishing Derby held Feb 24th and 25th. This was the 17th year that the Sebago Lake Rotary Club sponsored the event, and with ice conditions being the best in over a decade, it was the best derby participation in as many years with over 1,000 registering for the event. Just perfect!
Sebago Lake Rotary Club
SAVE THE DATE - APRIL 14
The Rotary Club of Kittery
PARTY FOR A PURPOSE - APRIL 27
The Rotary Clubs of Biddeford Saco and Saco Bay
PROM THROUGH THE DECADES - MAY 19
The Rotary Club of Portland
MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE - JUNE 4 - 6
Are you Up for the Maine Outdoor Challenge?
Join the Portland Rotary Club during June 4th - 6th and try your hand at some of Maine’s outdoor sporting events.
Put together a team of 5 to compete in archery, clay shooting, fly fishing and more.
To learn more visit Maine Outdoor Challenge and help us raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Maine.
All sporting events take place at the LLBean Outdoor Discovery School.
It’s the most fun you can have in three hours!
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 May Newsletter Submissions: April 24th
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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In February, Katie Rodrigues, a young woman in long term recovery spoke at the Kennebunk Rotary Club and told her story depicting how she went from an upper middle class, high achieving college student and athlete to someone dependant upon heroin causing her to be homeless, committing crimes and ultimately ending up in prison. Katie found her way to recovery and is now a successful business owner. Katie is passionate about telling her story and helping others find their path to recovery and educating Rotarians on how there is hope in recovery. John Downing, a long time Kennebunk Rotarian stated, “One of the finest speakers with an unbelievable message I have ever heard at Rotary in the last 50 plus years. Great, honest program of struggle and winning a very tough race”. .png)
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