LET THE DAY BEGIN
As long has been our custom, President Don asked Past President Russ Burleigh to inspire us with an appropriate invocation. It was a week of noteworthy persons passing. Russ offered recognition of three who have gone to join the choirs of heaven, including Barbara Bush.
GUESTS ALWAYS WELCOME
We had two visiting Rotarians, including Assistant Governor Bill Anderson. To provide balance we had a like number of non-Rotarian guests. We remind you to invite guests and acquaint them to the fun and friendships spawned by Rotary as we give back to our community and the world. Rotary should always be seen as inviting and inclusive and it is essential that we share the experience by inviting a guest to meetings.
VETERANS SUPPORT
Our club continues to reach out to the veterans in our community. Charlie Frair and Paul Tully are hard at work putting together our Veteran’s Day luncheon, which offers recognition and provides a $1,000 donation to two Veteran-related organizations. This year our two recipients will be "The Betsy Ross House" and "The House of Hope."" Although our funds limited us to those above mentioned organizations, we have a number of generous members who were wanting and willing to contribute to the cause and we raised enough to give $500 to “Horses For Healing” and “Veterans Count.”
CARING FOR KIDS
Our concentration on programs related to eliminating Childhood Hunger and supporting child-related education and literacy, referred to as CHE, continues thrive and expand. Among our efforts is our involvement with the kids of the Cedar Unit at the Long Creek Youth Development Center. Every month a group of us meets at the Center and sit down with the kids to enjoy a night of snacks and games to assure the kids that they are not forgotten and there are people outside who are willing to help them, We meet the third Tuesday of the month and we need more member support and encourage you to join us. If you are interested contact our Friends of Long Creek members, Mike Fortunato, Jim Willey or Dave Putnam for further information. The kids and staff really appreciate the attention and the hope we bring.
A SPECIAL LUNCHEON AT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
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The Maine Outdoor Challenge has long been associated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. The Clubs are a fabulous resource for the children who need a safe place to go when they aren’t attending school. To help our Rotary Club better understand what the Clubs do, we are holding our next meeting (April 27th) at their clubhouse located on Cumberland Ave, in Portland, across the street from the Portland High School. The meeting will be all the more meaningful because the food will be catered by the Culinary Arts group of the Long Creek Youth Development Center. Please plan on attending, bring a guest, and see a couple of the organizations our efforts support. You will enjoy a delicious luncheon and gain insight all in one sitting.
SHARING ROTARY – THE YOUTH EXCHANGE
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Past President Dick Hall introduced the club to a “beta” program our local Rotary Clubs are sponsoring to bring High School students to the United States for a few weeks during the summer. While the concept of a Youth Exchange is nothing new to Rotary, this program brings a new twist to it. Typically the exchange is during the school year and involves a protracted time commitment, which can be a challenge. Consequently, we have come up with the summer program, similar to a summer camp experience, to make it easier and more inclusive. The kids will be here for 3 or 4 weeks and will visit local clubs while in local homes. Initially, the students will come from France, Italy and Equador.,
HELPING AT PREBLE STREET
he Gracie Johnston has been heading up the Community Service Committee for our club, this year. She is always bubbling with energy and great ideas. One of her efforts is to offer 10 scholarships to individuals who are trying to recover from drug addiction. The sessions are 5 weeks long and are offered as an important and helpful step in the recover process. Gracie and our club will also be helping the community in need by serving dinner at the Preble Street Center on Wednesday (April 25th), starting at 3:30 with an expected conclusion around 5:30, so we can go out for beer and fellowship with Ben's Brew Gang.
WEEKLY RAFFLE
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