The Locker July 24th Monday Project 12:00-1:00 pm at Reiche 2-3 volunteers Elementary Steve Phillips School email below volunteer@mainelockerproject.org
Preble Street 4th Wednesday ea month Resource Ctr 4-6:30 pm Soup Kitchen Erik Greven egrev95@aol.com
Charlie Therrien is the president of Mercy Hospital and also serves as a Senior Vice President of Eastern Maine Healthcare System (EMHS).
Charlie has 37 years of health care experience, working in both physician practice and the hospital environment. Before being appointed President of Mercy Hospital in November of 2016, Charlie served as president and CEO of Maine Coast Memorial Hospital (MCMH).
Before coming to MCMH, Charlie served as president and CEO of Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. While with Sharon Hospital, Charlie acted as director of Business Development, Vice President of Operations, and Chief Operating Officer before accepting the position of CEO in September of 2005.
Prior to entering hospital administration, from 1993-1999, he gained extensive experience in physician practice management, including leading a 120-physician enterprise and PHO at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Connecticut.
Charlie earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Quantitative Methods from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
He is currently the Chair Elect for the Maine Hospital Association and a Cabinet Member for the United Way of Greater Portland. Charlie lives in Kennebunk with his wife Ellen.
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Dr. Jeanne Hey and President Laura Young.)
Dr. Jeanne Hey, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for the University of New England, reminded us again of the power and reach of Rotary. “I owe a big thank you to Rotary,” she said. “When I was 16, I was a Rotary Exchange student in Bogota, Colombia. I lived with a family, who remains my family to this day.” Her experiences as an exchange student propelled her into her interest and career in international relations, which is her teaching specialty.
“I learned to speak Colombian Spanish, which is the highest level of beauty—kind of like the ‘Queen’s English.’ When I speak it, people always ask if I learned my Spanish in Colombia.”
Dr. Hey pointed out the impact on her life of her year abroad as a Rotary Exchange student:
“I became life-long friends with my host family—I talked to them last week, we’ve shared vacations together, my kids spend time with them; I spent my college year abroad in Columbia, and my first job was teaching Spanish.” She shared that the experience triggered her interest in travel.
According to Dr. Hey, few students take advantage of opportunities to study abroad. In the U.S. today, less than ten percent of baccalaureate students spend any time abroad, with only 3.7 percent spending a semester or longer in another country. This low rate of participation stems from a perceived increased cost for study abroad, parental fears and discomfort about their child being in a foreign country, so there is a lack of family support for the concept. “You are more likely to die or be injured on your own campus than by studying abroad,” Dr. Hey reported. “These problems don’t happen because of the safeguards and oversight in place.”
Dr. Hey said that it’s easy to forget how privileged it is to be an American abroad. “It shows up instantly with an American passport.” In Morocco, where UNE maintains a campus, she said that the Moroccan police look out for students to ensure their safety. “In my orientation session for my year abroad, Rotary made it very clear about their pride in the U.S., but also embraced the value of other countries and cultures.”
Dr. Hey pointed to UNE’s strong study abroad program, which has resulted in about 30 percent of its students spending school time abroad, either in a semester-long program, or in a field study project. The school created a campus in Tangier, Morocco and Seville, Spain, both of which have American lab facilities so students can pursue courses there that mirror the same ones on the UNE campus. In Tangier, students live in a dormitory; in Seville, students stay with host families. “We built a financial model that allows students to study abroad at no additional cost,” she said, adding that for the first three years, a donor paid for round trip plane travel for participants. She shared pictures of UNE students engaged in various projects and excursions during their time abroad, as well as some of her with her host family and friends.
Pointing to the advances stimulated by the leadership of Danielle Ripich, the retiring President of UNE, Dr. Hey said that when Dr. Ripich first came to UNE, it was borrowing money to meet payroll. “That’s not happening any more. We’ve come a long way.”
Meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, with 49 Rotarians and 3 guests, President Laura Young asked Alan Nye to present the invocation. Making the observation that June 23rd over the centuries has been a relatively uneventful day, Alan asked us to bow our heads and consider the ‘Golden Rule’ to guides us on our journeys. Second Vice President John Curran led us in the Pledge to our country’s flag, then we sang “God Bless America.”
President Laura acknowledged the service of those who contributed to the meeting and several other Rotarians this past year who were in attendance: Roger Asch for chairing the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, Jim Willey for chairing the Good Cheer Committee, Loretta Rowe for her Windjammer leadership and meeting day coordination, Russ Burleigh for chairing the Invocation Committee and being our club photographer, and Travis Parker for being our Club’s Sergeant-at-Arms and his coordination of weekly Sergeant duties for this committee.
Laura updated us on how Jon Young was doing. Jon had a temporary health set back, but hopes to make a meeting sometime soon.
Leonard Scott entertained us with his ‘Rotary Moment.’ Leonard became a Mainer growing up in Calais as the son of a LION and funeral director. Leonard took over the business, but with dwindling clientele he recognized it as a moribund vocation, sold it, then landed a job as a realtor with Mark Stimson after moving to Portland. Leonard too, was a LION for 53 years and now hopes to devote equal time to Rotary and is hooked on the “Four-Way Test.”
Erik Greven introduced new member Doreen Rockstrom to the Club. Doreen has an impressive background in fundraising for ‘Habitat for Humanity’ in New Jersey and we are fortunate that she has found us. We look forward to her fellowship and contributions to our collective altruism. Welcome, Doreen!
Amy Chipman presented Russell Voss with his first Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations, Russell!
Katie Brown ran the weekly raffle, with our speaker drawing Steve Mortimer’s name for a chance at the $457 prize, but alas, Steve chose the Four of Diamonds, not the Queen of Hearts.
Patty Erickson, as a survivor, left some flyers on the table encouraging us to participate in the Cancer “Tri for a Cure” fund raiser held on June 25th. Patty was hoping many of her friends would join her at the Dirigo Public House, 301 US Rte. 1, Yarmouth for a $15 BBQ dinner....$5 of the proceeds going to the cause. If you did’t make it, please consider donating online at: www.triforacure.org and search for Patty Erikson's name to give her your acknowledgement and credit for her efforts.
In honor of our speaker’s topic of exchange students and semesters abroad, Bill Blount led the assembled in song with “Happy Wanderer,” accompanied by Kathy Grammer on the keyboard.
Invocation: Dave Small Program Reporter: Julie L'Heureux Bits & Pieces Reporter: Jake Bourdeau Registration/Greeter: Michel Kanyambo Sell Meal Tickets: Loretta Rowe Raffle: Patty Erickson Badge Box: Matt Wolcott Collect Meal Tickets: Leonard Scott * Song Leader: Gracie Johnston Pianist: Kathy Grammer Sgt-at-Arms (Setup): Scott Blakeslee Sgt-at-Arms (Take Down): Matt Tassey
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them.
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa.
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.
Charlie Therrien is the president of Mercy Hospital and also serves as a Senior Vice President of Eastern Maine Healthcare System (EMHS)..JPG)
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Leonard Scott entertained us with his ‘Rotary Moment.’ Leonard became a Mainer growing up in Calais as the son of a LION and funeral director. Leonard took over the business, but with dwindling clientele he recognized it as a moribund vocation, sold it, then landed a job as a realtor with Mark Stimson after moving to Portland. Leonard too, was a LION for 53 years and now hopes to devote equal time to Rotary and is hooked on the “Four-Way Test.”
Erik Greven introduced new member Doreen Rockstrom to the Club. Doreen has an impressive background in fundraising for ‘Habitat for Humanity’ in New Jersey and we are fortunate that she has found us. We look forward to her fellowship and contributions to our collective altruism. Welcome, Doreen!.JPG)
Patty Erickson, as a survivor, left some flyers on the table encouraging us to participate in the Cancer “Tri for a Cure” fund raiser held on June 25th. Patty was hoping many of her friends would join her at the Dirigo Public House, 301 US Rte. 1, Yarmouth for a $15 BBQ dinner....$5 of the proceeds going to the cause. If you did’t make it, please consider donating online at: .JPG)