President Dick Hall will lead us in a meeting that focuses on developing new community service projects, which is certainly at the core of what we love to do, one of the primary reasons we all initially join Rotary. We'll also address the engine that drives our many of those efforts, fundraising. "Service Above Self" takes on many forms, and giving back is more than just writing checks. That said, if we want to provide and invest in projects, we need the juice to turn the gears. Please lend us your ears, your voice, your thoughts.
Fundraising Request
Plans are underway to hold our 3rd Annual "Mud Sale Online Auction" in early April. For it to work, we need you to look around your house, garage, or attic, and donate items that for one reason or other, you no longer need to have.
First, respectfully, we need items that have at least a fair market value of $25. We can't get bogged down with knick-knacks.
Second, we'd ask that you email Tom Talbott with a photo, description, and your estimated value. (Remember the 4 Way Test!) Please do this by March 15th.
If we see that we have a solid commitment of items, we'll move forward.
In addition to hard goods, donations could include events, such as offering to take people out fishing, or a round of golf. Be creative.
To start things off, Laura Young has kindly donated the use of her family camp in New Limerick! 4 nights during a mutually agreed upon time in any season in 2024 or 2025. Value is $1100+, and it needs a minimum bid of $800. That's spectacular!
Peter Goffin has donated some silver candle holders, that sell at Dansk for $100. Patty Byers has a basket of " Naughty Named Wines." one of last year's best cellars. (Pun intended.)
It's really fun, it benefits the donor and buyer, and helps our fundraising. Details on when to bring in the items, and the online auction will be forthcoming. For now, let us know what you can donate, with an email to Tom by March 15th!
District Governor Marion Cheney Shares Insights and Inspiration | By David Patterson
Last Friday, our club welcomed District Governor Marion Cheney, whose Rotary journey began in 1990 with the Indialantic, FL Club. Marion's commitment to Rotary extends beyond her long-standing membership in the Dover, NH Club and includes significant leadership roles and contributions to key initiatives.
Marion's attempt to join Rotary began before her official start date. In 1987, after delivering presentations to a club in Roanoke, Virginia, she was invited to join, reflecting Rotary's efforts to include more women. Despite her application, she faced rejection due to her gender, highlighting the challenges of breaking into what was then a male-dominated organization.
Marion initiated her presentation by acknowledging the Portland Club's financial contributions to the Polio Now initiative in 2023. She awarded the club a certificate of appreciation from the Rotary Foundation, accepted by former President Bruce Jones, emphasizing the collective impact of Rotary clubs on global health initiatives.
A significant portion of her presentation focused on the critical need for accessible mental health services in the US and beyond. Drawing from her visits to all 37 clubs in our district, Marion shared personal stories from Rotarians and their families facing mental health challenges. She spoke passionately about an initiative that will send six Rotarians from District 7780 to Poland this coming April to visit orphanages and other refugee facilities and evaluate what supplies and services are needed to help support the displaced people living there. As an ambassador for the Mental Health Rotary Action Group, she urged our club to engage with the Group, reinforcing the importance of community support and action in addressing mental health issues.
Marion Cheney's visit offered a powerful reminder of the challenges and opportunities in Rotary service. Her journey from facing rejection to becoming a district governor illustrates admirable resilience and progress within our organization. Her advocacy for mental health, supported by personal insights and actions, calls on us to deepen our involvement in crucial health initiatives. Alongside her husband Harry, also a committed Rotarian, she embodies the Rotary spirit of giving, demonstrated by their significant contributions to various Rotary funds. Let's take inspiration from her leadership and dedication as we continue our work in the community and beyond.
Marion closed with a note on the upcoming District Training Assembly at Westbrook High School on April 20th. Our club is encouraged to send at least one member from our Club. Additionally, on June 29th the District Conference will be hosted on the Isle of Shoals (off the coast of New Hampshire) and at the same location in May there will be a hands-on clean up project to help the community there recover from recent storms. More information to come on those and other upcoming district events coming soon. (Photo: Past DG Marty Helman, Past DG Dick Hall, and current DG Marion Cheney)
Bits and Pieces |by Laura Young
President Dick Hall called the meeting to order and asked Laura Young to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Bruce Jones shared the “Thought for the Day”. While searching in his basement recently, he came across Robert Fulghum’s book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It contains 50 short essays that explain how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children. Dick said he just got back from visiting his two grandchildren, ages 6 and 4 years old, and agreed with the importance of those rules.
Happy Dollars: Dick led off by contributing $8 for the 8 days he was with his grandchildren. Others shared various celebrations of trips and upcoming activities.
Welcome: Mario Martinez welcomed the following guests and visiting Rotarians to the club: Current District Governor (and our speaker) Marion Cheney and her husband Harry; former District Governor Marty Helman; Joshua Addo; and prospective new member Dwayne Black. (Photo: Mario)
Beginner’s Luck: After just being welcomed to the meeting, Dwayne Black also won the chance to select the Queen of Hearts in the raffle, but alas he did not. The pot will continue to grow.
Visioning the Future: President-elect Patty Byers provided an update of last week’s Visioning Session. She reported that there were 26 participants and commended Tom Talbott on his excellent write-up in last week’s Windjammer. These ideas are now in the hands of the Visioning Team, headed by Visioning Champion Laura Young. In addition to Laura, the committee consists of John Thompson, Justin Lamontagne, Maggie McGauley, Nannette Ranger-Duncanson, David Patterson, Zach Newell, Dick Hall and Patty. At March 15th Club Assembly, the Visioning Team the draft Vision Statement.
Paul Harris #4: Putting on her Foundation Chair hat, Patty recognized Tom Nickerson as Portland Rotary’s latest Paul Harris Fellow. Tom joined the club in 2014 and received his first Paul Harris in 2015, and this is his fourth recognition. Thank you, Tom, for your generosity which is helping people around the world who now can read, who have clean water, who have access to good medical care, who have enough to eat, and who will never, ever contract polio.
Exchange: Jan Chapman shared exciting news that a student has been selected to be an exchange student; Mya Newell, daughter of our Zach Newell. She is likely to be going to Japan, TBD. Jan also shared that a family has applied to be a host for a student coming to Portland attending Deering HS. She's looking for two other hosts, Rotarians or not. Think who might enjoy hosting an exchange student next year. (Photo: Jan)
Give a Hand: Jim Vincenzi invited Rotarians and friends to the next Dominican Republic prosthetic hands trip, May 4-11 to the. More details coming via email.
Portugal Trade: Erik Greven and his wife Susan Greven represented the Portland Rotary while attending a Rotary meeting in Algarve, southern Portugal. We'll look forward to some stories from abroad! (Photo: Erik (L) reciprocating flag trade.)
Respects: We were saddened to hear that long time Rotarian and friend Philip Rhinelander passed away this week. He was an active member of the Portland Rotary for over 20 years, and as the owner of XPress Copy, was always generous in printing projects for our club. For many years he was a distinguished board member for several local arts and music groups. We invite you to read more about Phil here. He'll be missed.
Celebrating Each Other: Dick Hall announced the following Birthdays and Anniversaries:
January Birthdays: Abdullahi Ali- 1st, Andre Nzeyimana-4th, Niki Curtis-7th, Tony Manhart-12th, Steve Stromsky,-23rd, Matt Tassey-24th, Don Lowry-28th, Dan Fahey-28th, Amy Chipman-30th.
January Rotary Anniversaries (Yrs. in Rotary) Doug Packard- 1 year, Maggie McGauley-3, David Ertz-6, Julie Chase-7, Ben Millick-7, Bowen Depke-19, Bruce Moore-23, Rich Campbell-24, Patty Byers-25, John “MadDog” Marr-29, Mark Millar-37, Alan Nye-40.
February Birthdays: Charlie Frair-14th, Erik Greven-19th, Mike Taylor-19th, Doreen Rockstrom-21st, Greg Hansel-21st, Rich Campbell-23rd, Eric Lusk-24th, Olivier Ndayirukiye-28th.
February Rotary Anniversaries: (Yrs. in Rotary) Nannette Ranger-Duncanson-11, Ron Bennett-23, David Clough-31, Paul Tully-36, Paul Gore-38.
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATIONS:
First Notice: Dwayne Black is the Operations Manager of Jones, Rich, and Barnes Funeral Home in Portland. His application is sponsored by Laura Young. Dwayne is active in the community and has been a member of service organizations such as Lions and Kiwanis Clubs in the past. His name will be published a second time and then his application will be voted on by the Board of Directors.
If any Portland Rotarian would like to offer a comment on a proposal, please send it to our Club President, dickhall7780@gmail.com. It will be shared with the Board of Directors prior to a vote on the application.
Speaker Schedule
March 8 - Barrett Takesian, Portland Community Squash
March 15 - Club Visioning Presentation
March 22- Club Social - Site TBD
March 29 - TBD
April 5 - Ivan Most, Engineers' Role in Climate Change
April 12 - Rebecca Williams and Julia Preston, Best Buddies Maine
Club Executives President Dick Hall President Elect Patty Byers Vice President John Thompson TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Tom Nickerson Board of Directors Bruce Jones,
Ben Millick, Quinn Slayton, Zachary Newell,
David Ertz, Maggie McGauley Sergeant-At-ArmsJake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Jake Bourdeau, Larry Gross,
Erik Jorgensen, Julie L’Heureux,
Ben Lowry, Zach Newell, Bruce Moore,
Tom Nickerson, Dave Patterson,
Tom Talbott, Laura Young
Program Chair Doreen Rockstrom
3rd Quarter Chair Justin Lamontagne Managing Editor Tom Talbott
President Dick Hall will lead us in a meeting that focuses on developing new community service projects, which is certainly at the core of what we love to do, one of the primary reasons we all initially join Rotary. We'll also address the engine that drives our many of those efforts, fundraising. "Service Above Self" takes on many forms, and giving back is more than just writing checks. That said, if we want to provide and invest in projects, we need the juice to turn the gears. Please lend us your ears, your voice, your thoughts. 
Plans are underway to hold our 3rd Annual 
To start things off, Laura Young has kindly donated the use of her family camp in New Limerick! 4 nights during a mutually agreed upon time in any season in 2024 or 2025. Value is $1100+, and it needs a minimum bid of $800. That's spectacular!
Marion's attempt to join Rotary began before her official start date. In 1987, after delivering presentations to a club in Roanoke, Virginia, she was invited to join, reflecting Rotary's efforts to include more women. Despite her application, she faced rejection due to her gender, highlighting the challenges of breaking into what was then a male-dominated organization.
Welcome: Mario Martinez welcomed the following guests and visiting Rotarians to the club: Current District Governor (and our speaker) Marion Cheney and her husband Harry; former District Governor Marty Helman; Joshua Addo; and prospective new member Dwayne Black. (Photo: Mario)
Exchange: Jan Chapman shared exciting news that a student has been selected to be an exchange student; Mya Newell, daughter of our Zach Newell. She is likely to be going to Japan, TBD. Jan also shared that a family has applied to be a host for a student coming to Portland attending Deering HS. She's looking for two other hosts, Rotarians or not. Think who might enjoy hosting an exchange student next year. (Photo: Jan)
Celebrating Each Other: Dick Hall announced the following Birthdays and Anniversaries:
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