Jeffrey D. Sanders was named President of Maine Medical Center in 2018. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for day-to-day operations of the hospital. He’s responsible for the effective collaboration and integration with physicians, developing strong relationships and initiatives aimed at strengthening market presence, and integrating services and practice sites. He will speak Friday, July 23 about Maine Med’s food insecurity project.
Before joining MMC, Sanders was the operating officer at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, where he oversaw cardiovascular services, imaging services, sleep services, hyperbaric medicine, surgical services, transplant services, and medical research. He moved to that role from the McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah, where he was in charge of surgery, critical care, rehabilitation, laboratory services, IT, and behavioral medicine. He played a key role in Intermountain Healthcare's partnership with GE Healthcare, leading numerous projects as part of the development of an integrated electronic medical record. He began his career as a legislative aide to Senator George Mitchell.
Sanders is a graduate of St. Anselm College, where he majored in political science, and earned his Master’s in Healthcare Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Bits and Pieces | by Ben Lowry
There was a lot of talk prior to our meeting about the COVID vaccination process, with John Marr and Juliana L'Heureux leading the discussion. We also have seen loads of tourists within pockets of Vacationland, which is great news but left some leery of the increased crowds.
Juliana, who was celebrating her birthday, provided the invocation from the perspective of a life-long nurse. She read a poem from a nurse named Althea Woodward entitled "Fulfillment", which focused upon tolerance, understanding, patience and bridging gulfs, which proved inspiration and a good way to begin our Rotary meeting.
David Small provided some very good news from the District, which has approved our grant request to help provide water filters, cartridges for the filters, school supplies and lanterns for those in the bateyes in the Dominican Republic. After not gaining district support on two prior efforts, we are thrilled to be able to provide 100 filters to help so many in need in this strife-ridden part of the world. With $3950 from the District, and our Club pledge of $1000, as well as added support from two Rotary clubs in Palm Beach, Florida, we should be extremely proud and excited about our ongoing efforts.
On the topic of District grants, President Bob Martin announced that the District leadership has funding for a second round of grants and the limit of one grant per club has been lifted, meaning that our new satellite club, led by member Meaghan Peabody and Sarah Riggott, may be eligible for a grant to aid their efforts to provide books and other literary materials for young people in Guatemala.
Our Flags for Heroes project is officially underway, Charlie Frair reported on Friday, with the culmination of this year's efforts during the week of September 11th at The Maine Mall, with the potential for a live meeting on Friday, September 10th at the mall. Charlie and his team will begin coordination for our annual event, one of the club's most visible and successful fundraisers, with meetings set up for 10-12 folks who might be able to pitch in. Please contact Charlie if you are interested.
Speaking of live meetings, the topic of our progress toward that end will be discussed at the Board meeting next Friday. All are invited to attend.
Jan Chapman, alongside hubby Bruce Moore, gave us an update on Governor Mills' Recovery Summit, held on July 15th. The summit, held virtually and attended by more than 1000 concerned citizens, offered some bleak news as well as some inspiration and reason for hope. The 2020 numbers in Maine and nationwide, as we've all heard, are not good. Overdose deaths were up 30% last year, with over 90,000 people succumbing to this terrible health crisis in the U.S. But both the federal and state governments have jumped in with new legislation and funding for those in need. Two programs that were mentioned by Jan provide help to pregnant women and inmates who have found themselves in dire need as they face life-altering circumstances. The District, led by Kennebunk Police Chief Bob MacKenzie, will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 29th at 4:00. Please contact Jan or Bruce if you'd like registration info.
A Word From Africa | by John Marr
Admit it, we all complain about information overload. We have access to never-ending news stations, daily newspapers, as well as exhausting email, texting, messaging, Zooming, podcasts galore and too much to go on. However, if you live in or come from some parts of the world, this complaint is baseless. Of course, too many Americans don’t care about what goes on outside their self-limiting realm. President Bob helped us understand that just how myopic we might be with the introduction of Georges Budagu Makoko, the moving force behind Amjambo Africa, a publication devoted to getting the word out about what is going on in too many censored and silenced parts of Africa.
Those of us in the U.S. can keep in touch with friends and family and can find out what is going on in our neighborhood, town, country and, indeed, the world to the extent we care. Unfortunately, if you come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and some other African countries, it’s not easy and may be impossible. Georges Budagu Makoko had to flee from such repression, but did not want to leave his people and their troubles behind. He tried to learn what was going on back home, but there wasn’t a resource. Therefore, he developed the newspaper Amjambo Africa, which means “a word from Africa” in Swahili, and published the first edition in April, 2018.
When he came to the U.S., Georges wasn’t fluent in English, so he had to learn. Now he has an excellent command of this language, along with 5 others. He also admits that his young children help him. For many other African families, Georges pointed out, the language divide is a problem in the family dynamic along with the cultural differences being absorbed. Mr. Makoko was fortunate enough to get a job with Avesta Maine helping the needy to find housing and often heard how much his clients missed hearing about things back home, thus the need for the paper became somewhat of an imperative.
Stories in the paper primarily concentrate on the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, but other countries are included. The paper is printed in three languages—French, Swahili, and English, and produced by the Portland Press Herald presses in South Portland, which assists with distribution of 16,000 copies, along with the Bangor Daily News. The paper covers national news from these countries, but also provides articles on how to find a job, an apartment rental, and health information. With an ever-growing number of asylum seekers in this world, the need and power of the paper is profound. Makoko pointed out the depressing factoid that there are about 2 million refugees on the move every year. Where they end up is varied, but they share the objective of finding peace, protection, and safety. As much as some complain about increases in immigration, the reality of vast refugee camps housing people in tents all over this earth is disturbing. The challenges of any refugee are greater than almost all of us can fully comprehend, but by looking around and living the “Four Way Test” can make a difference. As Mr. Makoko listened to our meeting reports on the variety of things our club and Rotary International are involved with, he was impressed and said it made him feel hopeful.
To learn more about Amjambo Africa or the African diaspora, see thelink here. Or, reach out to Georges and the publication at PO Box 10379, Portland, telephone 207-553-2525, or amjamboafrica@gmail.com. Georges emphasized that he wanted to hear from us and stressed that the word doesn’t get out if we don’t speak out and share. Let’s prove that the pen is still more powerful than the sword.
Moment of Reflection
The House Was Quiet and the World Was Calm
By Walace Stevens
The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The reader became the book; and summer night
Was like the conscious being of the book.
The house was quiet and the world was calm.
The words were spoken as if there was no book,
Except that the reader leaned above the page,
Wanted to lean, wanted much most to be
The scholar to whom his book is true, to whom
The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
The house was quiet because it had to be.
The quiet was part of the meaning, part of the mind:
The access of perfection to the page.
And the world was calm. The truth in a calm world.
In which there is no other meaning, itself
Is calm, itself is summer and night, itself
Is the reader leaning late and reading there.
Speaker Schedule
July 23 | Jeff Sanders, CEO, Maine Medical Center
July 30 | Virtual Tour of Arundel Vintage Car Museum
August 13 | Rita Heimes, Chief Privacy Officer, Int'l Association of Privacy Professionals
served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, responsible for day-to-day operations of the hospital. He’s responsible for the effective collaboration and integration with physicians, developing strong relationships and initiatives aimed at strengthening market presence, and integrating services and practice sites. He will speak Friday, July 23 about Maine Med’s food insecurity project.
