News of The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine
March 2, 2021
‘S up?
 
Our program this week is a chance for everyone to catch up with one another. While Zoom has been extraordinarily helpful in keeping our meetings alive, we’ve haven't had much of an opportunity to find out how folks are doing, share news about our work, our families, or ourselves.
 
We’ve missed the chance to really connect.
 
This week, Bowen Depke will moderate our program and give as many people as possible the chance to talk about …., well, you decide. Job changes, new additions to families, projects, plans for the end of the pandemic, concerns, etc. Speakers will be limited to two minutes. More than that, you're on mute. A terrific time to find out what's up with fellow Rotarians.
Rwandan Food Insecurity Project
by Dick Hall
 
Erik Greven introduced fellow Portland Rotarian Michel Kanyambo, who has many acquaintances in Rwanda, who are suffering from the lack of food.  His plan is to at least feed or provide food to people or more.  The basic food in Rwanda is rice, beans, Fufu, cooking oil, and some vegetables. “If we can buy some of these items, Michel could work with local leaders and church leaders to manage the distribution,” Erik said. Local leaders know everyone and have records of people who are very poor in their localities.  Michel can guarantee the money would be used in a very safe and coordinated manner and receipts and pictures, videos and testimonies would also be produced to assure the distribution has been done. 
 
Erik Greven said they are hoping to raise $500 and will send the details in an upcoming email.  Checks can be sent to Elise Hodgkin, made out to The Rotary Club of Portland, with a note  to put it in the Rwanda Food Fund.
Patty Byers Awarded Sixth PHF
by Dick Hall
 
Patty Byers received her sixth Paul Harris Fellow from Amy Chipman. Patty recently transferred from the Farmington Rotary Club. When asked why she contributes to the Rotary Foundation, Patty shared her husband’s experience as a child visiting his mother after many months in a Polio recovery facility.  He told his mother that he had forgotten what she looked like while they were apart.  Patty says she is glad she is able to contribute and knows the money is well spent.
Deering Senior Receives Youth Services Award
by Dick Hall
 
Umulair Mohamed, a senior at Deering High School, received a Youth Services Award from Laura YoungDr. Abdullahi Ahmed, Deering Principal, introduced Uma and highlighted her accomplishments as a student. Among them, Uma is the President of the school’s Black Student Union and has been instrumental in helping to reimagine the school’s curriculum.
 
Uma’s mother Ubah Abdi joined in the call. Uma will attend Bowdoin College this fall. She asked that the $100 charitable contribution that accompanies the $1,000 award be directed to the school’s Black Student Union.
All Hands Hold Books
 
Liz Fagan shares an email she received from Granit Haliti in Albania.  
 
Granit Haliti is now a Master’s degree student in Albania while working as a speech-language pathologist at the Psycho Social and Medical Research Center in Prishtine, Kosovo. The Center is the hub and lending library for the donated books and therapy materials.  There were 7 students training at our 2018 hearing clinic in Prishtine. All share these resources and are progressing in education and jobs to treat patients with hearing and communication disorders. Granit is my point person in Kosovo and delivers my lectures when I am not available to do so. 
 
We have a sustainable Rotary project in Kosovo. I thank John Curran for discovering this opportunity and our travel team for making it happen.  It was kind of a wild ride but a great trip! 
 
Yours in Rotary,
Liz
 
 p.s. In translation from Albanian, he refers to my grandchildren as nephews.   
 
 
 
From: Granit Haliti <granithaliti9@gmail.com>
Subject: Books!
Date: February 26, 2021 at 4:18:35 AM EST
To: Elizabeth Fagan <elizabethfaganslpd@gmail.com>
 
Hello Dr. Liz, 
 
Hope you and your family are in good health!
 
I want to notice you that today 3 packages with A LOT of books arrived at my address. 
You can’t imagine how happy, enthusiast and SO SO LUCKY I am for knowing you. 
All of the books are very important for my professional development. 
With the greatest pride, I’m telling my friends, family and colleagues for those books!
I know that I can’t never return all the good things you did for me, but I pray that God can reward you and your family (especially nephews and your daughter) with good health and all of your wishes!
I’m soo motivated now to read more (especially for 11 exams that I have this semester). 
Again, THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!
 
All the best for you,
 
Granit
 
Bits and Pieces | by Dick Hall
 
The Portland Rotary crew started to join at least 8 minutes before 12, and folks flooded in until noon.  We were lucky to have the speakers join early to get what Rusty Atwood called a “flavor” of our meeting as we were in “Hollywood Squares” mode.  During talk about old TV shows, Elise Hodgkin told us she used to run home at noon to see Jeopardy when she was in school.
 
President Elect Bob Martin ran the meeting because President Ellen Niewoehner was off skiing at Sugarloaf. Forty-five participants joined the gathering.
 
David Small provided the invocation with a reading of Douglas Barr’s poem COVID-19 vie er US.
 
Bob Martin gave us the good news that Mark Stimpson is heading home this Saturday.  He will celebrate his 95th birthday in April.  More will be coming on the Portland Rotary plans for this day.
 
There were no visiting Rotarians, and the only guests were affiliated with the speaker.
 
Bob Martin announced the Board of Directors has changed the dues for new Mainers.  “As many of you know, New Mainers find it difficult to participate in Rotary because their status prevents them from earning sufficient funds to cover the dues, but at the same time, Rotary membership helps them become more engaged with, and knowledgeable of, our community,”  he said. To encourage immigrant members, membership dues will be only the fees charged by Rotary International and District 7780. The goal is to create a path for more immigrants to join. This is one more tool to help us diversity and expand our membership.
 
 
Charlie Frair announced that while Patty Erickson is in Florida, he will take over fundraising.  The committee’s next meeting will be Friday, March 5 at 11:00 am.
Hope, Healing, and Resilience
By Tom Talbott
 
With introductions from Sam Silver, we welcomed Lisa Morin, Director of Philanthropy, and Shannon Moore, a member of the Development Committee, both from the Center for Grieving Children in Portland. Lisa began the presentation with a few historical points, noting that the Center was founded in 1987 by Bill Hemmens, after the death of his sister. As Bill cared for his niece, he saw a segment on 60 Minutes about an organization in Portland, Oregon that provided children with peer and adult support during times of grief. Visiting that program, he returned home determined to bring the same concept and services to Maine. This nonprofit organization has now served over 4,000 families since its inception, providing support and resources at no cost.
 
COVID forced the Center to halt in-person connections, but the creativity of the board, volunteers, and program facilitators have continued to offer hope, healing, and resilience. Peer support programs have moved to Zoom sessions, webinars, and intensified phone services. The average length of an initial phone call inquiry is now 30 minutes or more, and in 2020, there were 942 calls for support.  During the last year alone, 21,000 hours of volunteer time were recorded. 
 
Since the pandemic, needs have spiked due to increases in suicide, drug overdoses, and accidents. If there has been a silver lining, it is that Zoom has extended their reach as far as Bangor, Calais, and Downeast. Morin added that the Center is available for businesses as well, helping employers and associates work with someone who is returning to work after bereavement. 
 
Morin shared a short video created for the organization’s fundraising event, Love Gala, which shared sentiments from both volunteers and recipients of services. Again, Zoom was featured as the connector—comforting, sharing, and keeping a positive momentum going. From virtual hugs, box-to-box “hand holding”, heart signs, and smiles, the Center is able to remain true to the mission. As one young person said, “You’re not coming to these virtual meetings because you’ve lost someone, you’re coming because you’re gaining more people. We’re one big family.”
 
Our second speaker, Shannon Moore, shared with us the story of her son whom she was co-parenting with his father. The son was six at the time when his father died unexpectantly. Shannon had friends who had been divorced, friends who were completely single moms, but this wasn’t the same. She felt alone, and quickly turned to the Center in this moment of crisis. The Center counseled her on the correct verbiage to best to tell her son that his father had passed. Together they began to attend Center meetings. Her son would join others his age, and Shannon would participate with her peer adult group. Yes, there were many tears, but they both immediately felt the love and support. That one hour each week, she could let go, being with others who were grieving the loss of a spouse or partner, while also raising a grieving child.  
 
Shannon was effusive in her praise of the volunteer facilitators, who held space in their hearts for her family. She added that you can always go back because you are a family. Children process differently at different stages of their development, and when he turned 10, her son said, “Mom, I think I need to go back to the Center.” It was great for Shannon to see her son had the emotional capacity to realize those benefits, and it speaks volumes as to the effectiveness of the program. She could not imagine what it would be like grieving in isolation, and was so thankful for the Zoom programs, webinars, phone calls, and a resourceful CGC website. As she put it, grief will have you hopping around the many islands of emotions, and CGC offers an array of tools to help. Shannon knows she and her son will always be living with this loss, but through the Center they have learned how to honor their feelings, and have learned how to live with it. 
 
Questions and thoughts were then shared by Rotarians. Bill Blount spoke fondly of Anne Heros, who some years back had lost a daughter, and is now executive director of the Center. He echoed the sentiments of Shannon, noting that his friend found solace and many hugs at CGC, and he was glad to see her making a cameo appearance in the CGC video. Amy Chipman, who had been with the Junior League back in the 90’s, remembers that the League was instrumental in getting the CGC off the ground in its early years. Lisa was very thankful, noting that the Junior League continues to be very supportive to this day. David Small asked how many Center’s exist today in the U.S., and the response was 300. Anne Heros has been a leader of the group that had developed the national alliance of these Centers. Michel Kanyambo asked what the criteria was for immigrants to receive support, adding that many immigrants probably are not aware that the CGC exists. Lisa referenced the intercultural program has been working through schools for about 24 years. Currently, five schools, from 4th grade thru high school, coordinate with families through ELL (English Language Learner) programs. 
 
Lisa emphasized that anyone can contact the Center and receive peer support for bereavement. There is no barrier in terms of funding or insurance, as all services are free of charge. Everything provided is through the generous support of the community. Megan Peabody closed with a sweet note, letting Shannon Moore know that she is the Spanish teacher at her son’s school. Though Megan never had Shannon’s son as a student, she wanted Shannon to know that he was one of the happiest boys she has ever seen in the middle school. It was clear to her that Shannon’s strength as a mom, and the help of the Center have really helped to form him. Shannon was SO happy to hear that, adding that her son had learned great empathy skills, and isn’t defined by the loss of his dad, he is defined by his ability to deal with a problem. “I’ve got this problem, you’ve got that problem, so let’s be friends.” Wise words. The Center for Grieving Children website is here.
Moment of Reflection
 
Constantly Risking Abusurdity
 
By Lawrence Ferlinghetti
 
Constantly risking absurdity
                                             and death
            whenever he performs
                                        above the heads
                                                            of his audience
   the poet like an acrobat
                                 climbs on rime
                                          to a high wire of his own making
and balancing on eyebeams
                                     above a sea of faces
             paces his way
                               to the other side of day
    performing entrechats
                               and sleight-of-foot tricks
and other high theatrics
                               and all without mistaking
                     any thing
                               for what it may not be
 
       For he's the super realist
                                     who must perforce perceive
                   taut truth
                                 before the taking of each stance or step
in his supposed advance
                                  toward that still higher perch
where Beauty stands and waits
                                     with gravity
                                                to start her death-defying leap
 
      And he
             a little charleychaplin man
                                           who may or may not catch
               her fair eternal form
                                     spreadeagled in the empty air
                  of existence
 
 
The poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti died last week at the age of 101. A playwright, publisher, bookstore owner, and activist, Ferlinghetti consistently challenged the status quo, asserting that art should be accessible to all people.
 
Speaker Schedule

March 5 | Club Assembly | Catching Up
March 12 | Brian Corcoran, Shamrock Sports
March 19 | Stefanie Trice Gill, IntWork LLC
March 26 | Hannah Pingree, Maine Climate Plan
April 2 | Brit Vitalius, Southern Maine Landlord Association
April 9 | Mark Burnett, Cannabis Industry / Higher Grounds
April 16 | Bill Benson, Boots 2 Roots
The Windjammer
is published online every week by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
 
Contributing Editors
Jake Bourdeau
Dick Hall
Erik Jorgensen
Julie L’Heureux
Ben Lowry
John Marr
Tom Talbott
 
Managing Editor
Bob Martin
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