Stories
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International Service Team - Dominican RepublicThank you to our International Service team for making the journey to La Romana, Dominican Republic, to help supply villages with hearing aids, water filters, solar lights, and help build a prosthetic clinic in the community! There is still work to be done, but there are signs of success in these smiling faces. |
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Lamey Wellehan - Amanda Rowe Elementary School 2023
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Fentanyl Crisis Awareness Concert
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News of The Rotary Club of Portland
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2022 Winter Boot Drive
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Bridge the Gap to End PolioJoin Portland Rotary for the first annual "Bridge the Gap to End Polio" walk across the Casco Bay Bridge on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 4pm. We will gather at 3:45pm in the Sea Dog Brewing Company parking lot (725 Broadway, South Portland) and walk the bridge at 4pm. We're celebrating World Polio Day, highlighting Rotary's efforts to eradicate this crippling disease by raising awareness, raising some funds, and having fun and fellowship while doing it. Everyone is encouraged to wear red. The walk will be followed by a Pints for Polio social event at the Sea Dog Brewing Company (725 Broadway, South Portland) starting at 5pm. Please join us! |
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Flags for Heroes
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Mud Sale Auction April 2022
Meeting Structure
Club Statement on COVID - Revised 4/5/22
Because of our deep commitment to service to others, The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine seeks to curb the spread of COVID-19 by supporting access to safe and effective vaccines, combating misinformation, and providing safe spaces to gather without the risk of infection. We support vaccinations but do not require them to attend meetings. We support anyone who chooses to wear a mask but do not require them at our gatherings. We believe this is a humanitarian effort, just like polio eradication, and not a political one.
Since 1915, members of Portland Rotary have been dedicated to improving the lives of others. We are ordinary people who have used our passion, energy, and talent to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace, to water and health, we are committed to improve the world. We know we are not alone in this effort, and we call upon all other service organizations to join us in helping to eradicate COVID, just as we have with the equally devastating disease of polio.
Board of Directors
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine
Flags for Heroes
This Week's Duty Assignments
Rotary Meeting Locations
Rotary Meeting Locations
If you would like to mark your calendars,
we are scheduled at the following locations
through June 2020:
Mar 06 - The Clarion
13 - The Clarion
19 - Special Social (Contact M. Fortunato)
20 - NO Meeting
27 - The Clarion
Apr 03 - The Clarion
10 - The Clarion
17 - The Clarion
24 - The Clarion
May 01 - The Clarion
08 - The Clarion
15 - Portland Jetport
22 - The Clarion
29 - The Clarion
Jun 05 - The Clarion
12 - The Clarion
19 - The Clarion
26 - The Clarion
Blue BOLD dates are scheduled Board meeting days.
Any questions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Prospective Rotarians
03/06/20 Matt Kearns, VP Devel, Long Road Energy
03/06/20 Bits & Pieces
*03/13/20 Steve Bromage, Ex Dir Maine Historical Society
The history of the region, now known as Maine, did not begin at statehood in 1820. What was Maine before it was a state? How did Maine separate from Massachusetts? How has the Maine we experience today been shaped by thousands of years of history?
The current exhibition at the Maine Historical Society, State of Mind: Becoming Maine, will analyze Maine as the homeland of the Wabanaki people, as a European province, as part of the District of Massachusetts, and the State of Maine. It will consider Maine's Bicentennial milestone in relation to: Maine's formation as a state 200 years ago; the significance of the Missouri Compromise; how the idea of "Maine" is perceived by people today; and how the changing landscape could alter Maine's future. The exhibition features manuscripts and items relating to statehood, historic maps, contemporary artwork, and opportunities to learn about the experiences of Wabanaki people alongside the early settlers, including: European American, African American, and Acadian communities.
Daily Savings Time Begins!
02/28/20 Bits & Pieces
02/28/20 Angus King III, Summit Utilities
*03/6/20 Matt Kearns, Long Road Energy, VP Development
*02/28/20 Angus King III, Summit Utilities
Angus graduated with distinction from the Harvard Business Schol in 2001, and cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1993.
He lives with his family in Portland.
02/21/20 Bits & Pieces
02/21/20 PDG Lawrence Furbish, District 7780 Foundation Chair
02/14/20 Bits & Pieces
02/14/20 Jennifer Brennan - Electric Vehicle Initiatives for Maine
*02/21/20 PDG Lawrence Furbish, District 7780 Foundation Chair
PDG Lawrence will explain why the Foundation is important to all of us….its history, basics, where the donated money goes, recognition, how to donate and will give us information about our own Club’s participation.
*02/14/20 Jennifer Brennan, Program Mgr, Efficiency Maine
Kodak Korner
01/31/20 Bits & Pieces
01/31/20 Dr Habib Dagher, Windpower and Advanced Structures & Composites
*02/07/20 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
Please invite a potential new member to join you, as this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our active club.
*01/31/20 Dr. Habib Dagher, Exec Director Advanced Structures & Composites Center
- The VolturnUS 1:8, which is the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the United States as well as the first in the world made out of concrete and composite materials
- The “Bridge-in-a-Backpack” technology, which are inflatable composite arch bridges that are now approved in the AASHTO Code
- The first Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) approved by the US Army to protect troops in tents from blast and ballistic threats,
- The development of coated wood technology for blast and hurricane resistant wood buildings
- The longest carbon-fiber composite vessel built for the US Navy.
- The 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change,
- The Carnegie Foundation Maine Professor of the Year,
- The Distinguished Maine Professor Award, which is the highest award given to a faculty member at UMaine
- The American Society of Civil Engineers Charles Pankow Innovation Award
Dr. Dagher earned his Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as two Masters Degrees in Structural engineering and engineering mechanics and joined the University of Maine faculty in 1985.
01/24/20 Bits & Pieces
01/24/20 Nicole Avery, Ex Dir Big Brothers/Big Sisters
NEW Community Service Project
01/17/20 Bits & Pieces
01/17/20 Jon Nass, CEO Maine Port Authority
*01/24/20 Nicole Avery, Ex Dir Big Bros Big Sisters
A native Mainer, Nicole grew up in Bridgton, ME and graduated from University of Southern Maine. She has 25 plus years in non-profit management and development…..20 years in the United Way system, working with United Ways in Portland, ME, Lexington, KY and Baltimore, MD, where she led their $40-million annual campaign.
After serving on the board of the Cancer Community Center in South Portland for 6 years, Nicole took over as their Executive Director in 2015. She led that organization through a merger with the Dempsey Center out of Lewiston in 2018. When the executive director position opened at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine, Nicole was a natural fit. She had been a Big Sister during her time in Lexington, KY and believes strongly in the power of mentors. She recently became a new Big Sister to a 7-year old girl from Gorham.
In her spare time, Nicole is active in several sports including running, golf, and snowshoeing. She has traveled extensively, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.
01/10/20 Bits & Pieces
*01/17/20 Jon Nass, CEO Maine Port Authority
Jon received his Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America, where he was a member of the Law Review. He majored in history and government at St. Lawrence University.
01/10/20 Lauren Webster, 75 State Street - What is Assisted Living?
01/03/2020 Bits & Pieces
01/03/2020 Katie Spotz, Rotary Ambassadorial Schoar
*01/10/2020 Lauren Webster, Mktg/Admin Dir. 75 State Street
01/03/20 Katie Spotz, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Katie describes herself as having been the “benchwarmer” throughout her life. However, there came a time when she made a discovery: you don’t have to be extraordinary to achieve incredible things, and she set about achieving them, one by one.
Katie will speak to us about some of her many accomplishments, including five ironman triathlons, running 100 miles nonstop, cycling across the USA twice, a 325-mile river swim, running across deserts and a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. This wasn’t just any row; however, when Katie arrived in Guyana, South America, after 70 days at sea, she set a world record for the youngest ever solo ocean rower, one of many records to her name.
Throughout her row, Katie wasn’t just seeking to make history. She was also raising money, for safe drinking water projects around the world. As interest grew in Katie’s amazing exploits, donations came flooding in and, at the moment, the total stands at over $275,000.
Katie’s story has been featured on CBS Morning Show, CBS Evening News, World News with Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper 360, New York Times, NPR, PBS News Hour, and the Discovery Channel. In 2010, Katie was honored by Glamour Magazine as one of their “Women of the Year”, alongside people like Julia Roberts, Cher, and Queen Rania of Jordan.
This September, Katie is embarking on her latest challenge, Run4Water, will run across the entire state of Ohio covering a marathon a day for 10 days until completing the 260-mile journey. Her goal is to raise $26,000 for a school-based water and sanitation project in Uganda in support of the nonprofit organization Drink Local. Drink Tap.
Katie recently moved to the area and will be stationed here with the Coast Guard for the next couple years.
12/20/19 Jim Ciampi, Musician, Holiday Program
12/20/19 Bits & Pieces
12/13/19 Rotary & The Magic of Christmas
*12/20/19 Jim Ciampi - Holiday Program
His true passion for performing and event management allowed him to pursue a dream of establishing a premier event facility, which became The Landing at Pine Point in Scarborough ME, producing hundreds of events, weddings and national concert artists.
Today, his focus is on being a performer as he continues to lead The Jim Ciampi Band, a versatile engaging 8-piece dance band, as well as performing as a soloist and in smaller combos throughout New England. The newest project "Keys to the City Dueling Piano Showcase” came into view in early 2017. He always wanted to create a vibrant offshoot of his dance and listening projects and this was the perfect mix of theater, comedy and fantastic music. He enjoys providing entertainment with the variety of styles that compliment an elegant, sophisticated & festive atmosphere.
Nominations for 2020-21 Club Officers
12/06/19 Bits & Pieces
12/06/19 Troy Moon, One Climate Future
Volunteer Opportunities
Thanksgiving At St Vincent de Paul's
*12/06/19 Troy Moon, One Climate Future
11/22/19 Liz Leddy, Golden Gloves Champion
11/22/19 Bits & Pieces
11/15/19 D-Day and WWII, Mike Fortunato
11/15/19 Bits & Pieces
Mobility Devices for Pakistan
*11/22/19 Liz Leddy, Golden Gloves Champion
9-Time New England Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion
2007/2010 Silver Medalist at National Golden Gloves
2008 USA Boxing New England Featherweight Champion
2009 and 2010 National PAL Silver Medalist
2009 Pan American Games Bronze Medalist
2010 National Golden Gloves Featherweight Champion
2011 and 2017 National Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion
Former Member of the Woman’s Elite USA Boxing Team
Nominating Committee
11/08/19 Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
Kodak Korner_11/08/19
*11/15/19 D-Day and WWII
Like most of the veterans of “The Greatest Generation,” his father never talked much about his wartime experiences. Unfortunately, he passed away when he was only 61 and Mike didn’t have a chance to really understand what he went through.
In the past few years, Mike has done a lot of research and been able to piece together a good part of his Dad’s military story. Most of that information was the basis of a documentary video Mike and his brother-in-law put together. The video is on YouTube and is titled, Sam Fortunato WW2 (click HERE to view). Visiting Omaha Beach and standing where his father came ashore 75 years earlier was a trip he will never forget!
2019 Nominating Committee
11/01/19 Bob Johnson, Scratch Bakery
11/01/19 Bits & Pieces
*11/08/19 5th Annual Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
at the Seasons Convention & Event Center,
The cost for all other attendees is $25.
Daylight Savings Time Ends 11/3/19 2am
10/25/19 Cultivating Communities and B&Ps
Harvest Moon Square Dance
*11/01/19 Bob Johnson - Scratch Bakery
10/18/19 Bits & Pieces
10/18/19 Aimee Petrin, Portland Ovations
*10/25/19 Community Service Project - Cultivating Community
10/11/19 Morgan Frame, Orangetheory Fitness
*10/18/19 Aimee Petrin, Portland Ovations
10/11/19 Bits & Pieces
*10/11/19 Morgan Frame, Mgr, Orangetheory Fitness
Morgan continued her basketball career at the University of New Hampshire where she made all conference teams her junior and senior year, while earning a dual major in sociology and justice studies.
After college, she was hired into the Enterprise Rent-A-Car management training program. After a few years, she transitioned into pharmaceutical sales with Allergan, selling to primary care physicians, neurologists, and gastroenterologists. In her first year she ranked top 5 in the country. While at Allergan, Morgan realized that the pharmaceutical industry didn’t perfectly line up with her values. She had taken her certified personal training exam during her time as a pharmaceutical rep and when Orangetheory Fitness opened in Portland, she began teaching a handful of classes. When the Head Trainer position opened up at Orangetheory, she jumped on the opportunity and left her career in big pharma.
While at Orangetheory, Morgan discovered the sport of indoor rowing and learned she was pretty good at it. This July, she was invited to compete on a show called ‘The Next Olympic Hopeful’ in a 3-day scouting camp at the United States Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs. The Next Olympic Hopeful is the USOC’s talent transfer program where they search for athletes from other athletic backgrounds and scout them for sports that might not draw as large of a talent pool…..rowing being one of those sports.
After the camp, Morgan was invited to continue on in pursuit of making the US women’s rowing team. She recently returned from a high performance rookie camp in Oklahoma City and has been invited to return for another camp in December. After December she plans to move to Oklahoma City to continue her development to make the US national team. With a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, she will set her sights on Paris 2024!
The Dash
Portland Rotary Swap Shop
10/04/19 Al Bean & Ed Flaherty, USM Athletics
10/04/19 Bits & Pieces
09/27/19 Bits & Pieces
09/27/19 Clayton Rose, President Bowdoin College
*10/04/19 Al Bean & Ed Flaherty, USM Athletics
Now in his fourth decade as the head coach of the University of Southern Maine baseball team, Ed Flaherty has firmly established USM among the nation’s elite NCAA Division III programs. He’s earned an outstanding reputation for his proven teaching ability, discipline and hard-nosed work ethic. His instructional baseball camps are highly regarded and among the best attended in the New England region.
09/20/19 Bits & Pieces
*09/27/19 Clayton Rose, President, Bowdoin College
09/20/19 Bob Dickey, Technical Analyst, RBC
09/13/19 Bits & Pieces
Flags For Heroes
09/13/19 Ann Lee Hussey, PDG, Rotary Foundation
*09/20/19 Bob Dickey, Technical Analyst, RBC
09/06/19 Judy Camuso, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
09/06/19 Bits & Pieces
*09/13/19 Ann Lee Hussey, PDG, Rotary Foundation
Notable Substance Use Programs
*09/06/19 Commissioner Judy Camuso, Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Celebration of Life Service for George Crockett
08/23/19 Craig Lapine - Cultivating Communities
08/23/19 Bits & Pieces
*08/30/19 NO ROTARY MEETING
Passing of Former Member
08/16/19 Bits & Pieces
08/16/19 Hans Brandes, Girls' Youth Home in Peru
*08/23/19 Craig Lapine, Exec Dir Cultivating Community
MEMBERSHIP DUES
*08/16/19 Hans Brandes - Girls' Youth Home in Peru
Hans has worked hard to learn the Spanish language, in order to connect with the youth at Luz de Vida. The reward for all those hours spent learning the language is when you can sit down and talk with the youth and learn more about them, especially to listen to their hopes and dreams.
08/09/19 Take Me Out to the Sea Dogs
08/09/19 Bits & Pieces
*08/09/19 Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field
Our annual visit to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, will take place this Friday. Since this ball team came to town 26 years ago, we have had a summer meeting almost every year at Hadlock. We are always warmly welcomed and have a wonderful outing in the picnic area of the ball park (past the first-base side of the park).
08/02/19 Bits & Pieces
Kodak Korner
08/01/19 Cornhole Tournament in Pictures
08/02/19 Catherine and Tom Wilbur
ClubRunner's Mobile App
07/26/19 Bits & Pieces
*08/02/19 Tom and Catherine Wilbur
07/26/19 Russell Voss, NU Brewery
*07/26/19 Russell Voss, NU Brewery
07/19/19 District 7780 Governor Andy Glazier
07/19/19 Bits & Pieces
*07/19/19 District Governor Andrew Glazier, Rotary District 7780
Professionally, Andy has served as an active and reserve officer in the Army Corps of Engineers and has a successful career managing building construction, as Glazier Builders, Ltd.
07/12/19 Bits & Pieces
07/12/19 President Amy Chipman - Inaugural Address
Passing of Former Portland Rotarian
*07/12/19 2019-20 Inauguration
06/28/19 Portland Club Assembly
06/28/19 Bits & Pieces
06/21/19 Club Service Day at Fort Williams
*06/28/19 Club Assembly / Year Wrap-up
Please join us this Friday for an action-packed and engaging Club Assembly at the Clarion Hotel. It will include updates on our many service activities, an overview of our club’s financial health, a report on Membership, and a look back at our collective accomplishments & highlights over the Rotary Year.
Please invite a potential new member to attend, as this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our active club.
06/22/19 RotaryFest 2019!
MOC Photos
06/14/19 Rocco Risbara/Dan Bacon - The Downs
06/14/19 Bits & Pieces
*06/21/19 Club Service Day at Fort Williams
We look forward to welcoming you to Ft. Williams Park, RAIN OR SHINE. We will still do the work, even if RotaryFest on Saturday is moved inside. Right now it looks like we might have a light shower or two. You might want to bring a rain jacket, just to be prepared.
Please arrive at NOON for lunch, or 12:45 PM, for instructions and assignments.
Meet at the PICNIC SHELTER on your right, across the road from the main flagpole on the hill.
Dress in long sleeve shirts, long pants and work shoes. Terrain will be hilly in some places. Bring a hat, sunscreen and bug spray of your choice. There is a some poison ivy that will be marked off and identified.
Please bring your own LABELED: Work gloves, hand snips, clippers, pruning shears, lawn or leaf rake, pole saw, string trimmer or weed wacker (gas only), pruning saw, and other items suitable for trimming, cutting and hauling debris into piles.
For those of you QUALIFIED, we could use a few more chain saws for tree work. We require that you bring all appropriate safety equipment for this work. SAFETY FIRST!
Please contact TONY WAGNER (below) directly, if you have any questions.
On behalf of the DG John Lobosco and the RotaryFest Committee, I thank you for participating.
Tony Wagner
Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth
06/07/19 Heather Davis, Learning Works
*06/14/19 Rocco Risbara and Dan Bacon - The Downs
06/07/19 Bits & Pieces
05/31/19 Bits & Pieces
05/31/19 Deb Nelson, Author - Finding Health After Cancer
Earle Leavitt's Celebration of Life
*06/07/19 Heather Davis, Learning Works
*05/31/19 Deb Nelson, Author
05/17/19 Bits & Pieces
05/17/19 Six of Rotary's Newest Members
05/10/19 Steve DiMillo, Portland Waterfront Committee
*05/17/19 Portland New Members Program
05/10/19 Bits & Pieces
*05/10/2019 Steve DiMillo, Portland Waterfront Committee
05/03/19 Brittney La Shier/Lizzy Handschy, Co-Chairs of Portland OPS
05/03/19 Bits & Pieces
*05/03/19 Brittney La Shier/Lizzy Handschy, Co-Exec Directors, Portland OPS
04/26/19 Luke Holden, Luke's Lobster
04/26/19 Bits & Pieces
Opioid Task Force Symposium
*04/26/19 Luke Holden, Luke's Lobster
Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third-generation lobsterman who started learning the trade at age 13. After attending Georgetown University and beginning an investment banking career on Wall Street, Luke was remiss to find that every lobster roll available in New York was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one.
Luke saw an opportunity to bring a casual seafood spot, like the homegrown lobster shacks of his childhood, to New York’s culinary landscape. In 2009, Luke decided to harness his passion for excellent seafood and his family’s 40-plus years in the Maine lobster industry to open the first Luke’s Lobster in the East Village with his dad Jeff, a lobster processor, and Ben Conniff. To keep up with demand, Luke and partners opened Luke’s Lobster’s own seafood processing facility in 2012. The complete vertical integration ensures every lobster served at Luke’s is handled with care and kept pristine.
Today, Luke spends the majority of the year in Maine, where he maintains relationships with lobstermen and oversees production at Luke’s Lobster’s processing facility. He also sits on the board of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, the Island Institute, and the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op, which he helped found. Luke’s donates a portion of its proceeds to The Ocean Foundation and the Island Institute, helping preserve Maine’s fishing communities and the sustainability of our oceans. Over the years, Luke has also been included on the Forbes’ 30 under 30, Inc's 30 under 30, Zagat’s 30 under 30, and Crain’s 40 under 40.
04/19/19 Bits & Pieces
04/19/19 Zoe Sahloul, President New England Arab American Organization
04/12/19 Gordon Smith, Maine Director of Opioid Response
04/12/19 Bits & Pieces
Rotarian Magazine - Opioid Use Disorder
*04/19/19 Zoe Sahloul, President New England Arab American Organization
Zoe Sahloul is a passionate advocate for inclusion and social integration of Arabs and other Muslims living in Maine. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Zoe immigrated to Canada in 1992 to escape the civil war and to find peace and safety. She is the founder and president of the New England Arab American Organization (NEAAO), a group whose mission is to help ease the integration of Arab immigrants into American society and bridge the gaps between cultures.
In addition to serving as a board member for several organizations, Zoe currently partners with a variety of groups including 'Through These Doors,' Westbrook Police Department, Westbrook Community Center, 'Portland Empowered,' and Westbrook School Department to support marginalized Arab communities. Zoe is also focused on creating avenues for new Arab immigrants to engage in their communities by establishing collaborative connections to create more opportunities in the workforce. She is a strong and passionate advocate for women’s rights and justice, children’s rights and protection, education, and a leading voice for immigrant social integration and racial equity in Maine. Zoe also served as the founding board chair of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition.
Zoe will be focusing her talk at Portland Rotary on the work of NEAOO and their efforts to support New Mainers.
Leavitt Obituary
04/05/19 Bits & Pieces
04/05/19 Vanessa Pike, Fore Points Marina
*04/12/19 Gordon Smith, Maine Director of Opioid Response
*04/05/19 Vanessa Pike, Director of Sales, Fore Points Marina
Fore Points Marina is a 150-slip marina presently under construction on the eastern waterfront of Portland. With slip demand greater than supply, the marina fills a void in Casco Bay for local and transient boats of all sizes. Slips range from 25 to 545 feet and the marina is being built with the latest and most advanced technology available. This is the first phase of Portland Foreside development - 10 acres of land that is being transformed to mixed-use buildings and public green space along the waterfront.
April Birthdays/Anniversaries
03/29/19 Bits & Pieces
03/29/19 Charles Roscoe, Schools For Refugees
Rotarians In the News
03/22/19 Bits & Pieces
03/22/19 Geoff Iacuessa, Portland Sea Dogs President
*03/29/19 Charles Roscoe, Schools for Syrian Refugees
Charlie Roscoe was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. He graduated from Bowdoin College and Northeastern University Graduate School of Public Accounting. As a Certified Public Accountant, he worked for Coopers and Lybrand in Boston and Portland, Maine and Berry Dunn and McNeil (BDMP) in Portland. At BDMP, he was the second managing partner, succeeding Burchard Dunn, one of the Firm’s founders. Charlie retired from public accounting in 2005.
Throughout his auditing career, and until the present time, he has served his community in many ways, including:
Schools for Refugees, Inc., Co-founder and President
Maine Community Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Maine Handicapped Skiing (Maine Adaptive Sports), Co-founder
Preble Street Resource Center, Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Board of Advisors
Maine Seniors Golf Association, Secretary
Portland Country Club, President of the Board of Directors
YMCA of Portland, Board of Directors
Maine International Trade Center, Board of Directors
Piper Shores Retirement Community, Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Yarmouth, Maine Planning Board
Maine Health, Corporator
Breakwater School, Board of Directors
Charlie and his wife, Susan, live in Portland, Maine and enjoy boating, golf and world travel. They frequently visit Uganda to oversee the St. Bakhita Nursery and Primary School located in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, which is administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Rotarians In The News
03/15/19 Bits & Pieces
03/15/19 Beth Stickney, Maine Business Immigration Coalition
*03/22/19 Geoff Iacuessa, President/GM Portland Sea Dogs
Geoff Iacuessa was promoted to President & General Manager of the Portland Sea Dogs on September 10, 2018, after serving eight years as the Executive Vice President & General Manager. The 2019 season will be Geoff’s 20th season with the organization. He began his career with the team as an intern in 2001 and was hired as Director of Group Sales prior to the 2002 season. In 2004 Geoff became the Director of Sales and Promotions and after the 2006 season, Geoff was promoted to Assistant General Manager for Sales and Promotions.
Geoff was honored as the 2015 Eastern League Executive of the Year. In 2011 he was named to the Portland Press Herald’s “40 under 40” list, recognizing 40 local business leaders under the age of 40. Geoff is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in sport management. In addition to his work with the Sea Dogs, Geoff serves on the PeoplesChoice Credit Union Board of Directors, the Maine Children’s Cancer Program Board of Directors, and the Portland Community Chamber’s Economic Development & City Affairs Committee.
Geoff lives in South Portland with his wife, Kristie and son, Hudson.
*03/15/19 Beth Stickney, Maine Business Immigration Coalition
How immigration policy affects Maine’s economy.
Beth Stickney directs the Maine Business Immigration Coalition (MeBIC), dedicated to providing information, education and advocacy on immigration and related issues from and for the business and economic perspective. Beth is an attorney who has specialized in immigration law and related policy for more than thirty years. Prior to MeBIC, she was the founding executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP), Maine’s only statewide nonprofit provider of immigration and related legal aid. Beth has also worked on human rights and refugee and asylum issues in Central America and Europe, and is co-author of the leading legal treatise on how immigration laws impact families, Immigration Law and the Family (Thomson Reuters).
03/08/19 Bits & Pieces
03/08/19 Scott Dunn, Dunn Family Maple
03/01/19 Bits & Pieces
03/01/19 Thrive2027 - Co-Chairs Tony Cipollone and Katie Fullam Harris
*03/08/19 Scott Dunn, Dunn Family Maple
Scott Dunn is a fourth-generation maple syrup maker, as well as the Vice President of the Maine Maple Producers Association. Growing up in Vermont his family collected sap from trees and boiled it over an open fire to make maple syrup. Today he owns and operates Dunn Family Maple in Buxton, Maine, with his family collecting sap from about 1500 trees. Maple syrup is produced using modern technology, including reverse osmosis and a high-efficiency evaporator. Hosting several maple events each spring, Scott is able to spread his love of maple to the public by offering tours that explain the entire process and samples of their different maple products.
Scott’s presentation will cover his family history of maple production, sap collection and how they process maple sap into syrup with modern technology. The challenges associated with todays maple market and where Maine ranks in maple syrup production compared to other producing states.
For more information, go to: dunnfamilymaple.com
02/22/19 Bits & Pieces
02/22/19 Elaine Mullin & Carol Colton, Portland Area Villages
*03/01/19 Co-Chairs Tony Cipollone & Katie Fullam Harris, Thrive2027 Council
Katie Fullam Harris serves as Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy for MaineHealth, Maine’s largest health care system. She works with policymakers and employers to shape and respond to public policy and market changes; she leads the System’s efforts to develop new system initiatives that support MaineHealth’s accountable care goals; and she is presently helping to lead a system-wide effort to respond to the opioid epidemic. Prior to joining MaineHealth, Katie was the Director of Government Relations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine. She has also served as a program director for the Maine Development Foundation and as Assistant to the Commissioner for the Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services.
Katie currently serves on the Boards of the Maine Community Foundation, the Alfond Scholarship Foundation, and the Edward Daveis Benevolent Trust. She also volunteers for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, the American Heart Association in Maine, and Rippleffect.
A native of Maine, Katie has an MS in Health Care Policy and Management from the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine and a BA from Columbia University. She is an active runner and outdoor sports enthusiast, and she and her husband live in Cumberland with their 2 dogs.
Time For a Laugh......
02/15/19 Bits & Pieces
02/15/19 Jean Yarbrough, Bowdoin College
*02/22/19 Carol Colton, Portland Area Villages VP of Ops
Carol Colton and her husband lived and worked in Massachusetts for 38 years. After raising their family, moved to Portland 12 years ago and love everything about Portland and Maine. Carol retired 6 years ago from a 35+ year career in insurance as a personal account manager, and loved the opportunity it gave her to interact with, and provide service to, her clients. Coming from a family that was always active in community service (including her Dad, a life long Rotarian), after retiring, she was looking for a way to give back to the community. Hearing about the growing movement for seniors to age in place, and knowing Maine has a large percentage of seniors, Carol was thrilled to be part of the steering committee to develop Portland Area Villages, an initiative to help neighbors age safely and securely in their homes. As a Vice president of Operations and Treasurer, she spreads her passion for this program wherever she can. Carol also serves on the Board of Directors of Back Cove Neighborhood Association and coordinates Shoveling for Seniors in Back Cove.
The mission of Portland Area Villages is to support, educate, and empower seniors in the greater Portland area who wish to remain living in their own homes as long as possible, allowing them to maintain active, social, safe, and independent lives. This will be accomplished with a multi-faceted approach which will include volunteers who will provide services to members, establishing a vetted network of professional providers from which members may draw, providing a comprehensive list of established community services available to members, and enabling social connections and activities for members and volunteers.
Sweetheart Auction
02/08/19 Bits & Pieces
02/08/19 Carolyn Nishon, PSO
*02/15/19 Jean Yarbrough, Bowdoin College
Jean Yarbrough is Professor of Government and Gary M. Pendy, Sr. Professor of Social Sciences, with teaching responsibilities in political philosophy and American political thought at Bowdoin College. She has twice received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, first in 1983-84, when she was named a Bicentennial Fellow and again in 2005-2006, under a “We the People” initiative. She is the author of American Virtues: Thomas Jefferson on the Character of a Free People (Kansas, 1998), has edited The Essential Jefferson (Hackett, 2006) and, her most recent book, Theodore Roosevelt and the American Political Tradition, (University Press of Kansas, 2012) won the Richard E. Neustadt Award for 2013 (awarded annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) for the best book on the Presidency).
Ms. Yarbrough is the author of numerous articles and essays in American political thought and public policy, as well as other topics in political philosophy. She serves on the editorial boards of The Review of Politics and Polity, and is a past-President of the New England Political Science Association.
A graduate of Cedar Crest College, she earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at The New School for Social Research in New York City.
02/01/19 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran called the meeting to order by welcoming 53 members and 4 guests. PP Cyrus Hagge (photo at right) gave the invocation which was a New England adaption of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Brady who art in Foxborough
Hallowed be thy arm
Thy bowl win will come
The game will be won
In New England as it will be in Atlanta.
Give us this Sunday
Our Super Bowl win
And bless us with raining touchdown passes
Gronk’s spikes and glorious high 5’s.
For thine is the MVP
The best in the NFL
And the glory of the Patriots.
We did the Pledge of Allegiance and PP Laura Young led us in singing the Star Spangled Banner.
President John recognized Earle Leavitt for all his contributions to Portland Rotary and welcomed him into the ranks of being an Honorary Member. When asked if he wanted to say a few words, Earle did exactly that by responding with “Thank you.”
Roger Fagan (photo at left) gave a brief recap of his latest 3-H trip (Hearing, Hands and H20) to the Dominican Republic. He noted that 16 people went from Maine, Florida and Alaska and 5 different clubs were represented. Over 100 hearing patients were seen and 148 hearing aids were distributed. 80 water filters and 80 solar lights were installed and 120 patients were seen for prosthetic devices. In over 22 trips to the DR, Roger said that 2275 hearing aids have been fitted. Roger will be a featured speaker in an upcoming meeting to flush out all the details of the most recent trip.
1st VP Amy Chipman (photo at right) discussed the dinner last Saturday at the Italian Heritage Center for the federal employees that were temporarily unemployed due to the government shutdown. Unfortunately only about 20–25 people attended (probably because the shutdown was lifted the day before), but Amy said the event committee raised lots of funds and the event was a success.
Patty Erickson (photo at left) spoke about the Rotary Sweetheart Auction coming up on February 8, 2019 at the Italian Heritage Center and telling us that volunteer sign-ups and auction donation forms were on the tables. If you have any items, please contact PP Loretta ASAP BEFORE THIS FRIDAY AT: lrowe@maine.rr.com.
Charlie Frair (photo at right) did a wrap-up of the funds raised at the Veteran’s lunch in November 2018 and noted that we needed to distribute $5,000. Five groups were nominated by different Rotarians for the funds:
Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope (nominated by Roxane Cole)
Honor Flight (nominated by Bob Trail)
K9’s on the Front Line (nominated by Mike Robinson)
Veterans Count (nominated by Joe Reagan)
Maine Veterans' Home (nominated by Charlie Frair)
Instead of choosing one group to receive the funds as in previous years, Charlie and the committee decided to give $1,000 to each of the sponsored groups. Great job Charlie and Paul Tully and all who worked on the committee and volunteered.
Chris Force took care of the weekly raffle and PP Paul T. Gore’s ticket was chosen. Paul magnanimously allowed Roger Fagan to try winning the $227 jackpot, but alas, it was not to be. He drew the Ace of Clubs.
PP Bill Blount (photo at left) told us of the Club's participation in helping the Deering High School Choral director, Dr. Peter Stickney obtain an electric keyboard for the chorus. Asking for a show of hands of those who could and would like to donate for this cause, Bill encouraged everyone who did raise their hands to contact Elise at 899-6342 or portlandrotary@maine.rr.com.
Foundation Chair/PP Dick Hall had the pleasure of announcing that Justin Lamontagne was a Paul Harris Fellow for the second time. Congratulation Justin!
(Photo at right L-R: PP Dick Hall and Justin Lamontagne)
*02/08/19 Carolyn Nishon, PSO
Our speaker/program this week will be Carolyn Nishon, Executive Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO). Carolyn joined the PSO staff in August 2008, after participating in the year-long Orchestra Management Fellowship Program through the League of American Orchestras, where she served as the Orchestra Manager of the Aspen Music Festival Concert Orchestra and worked with symphonies in North Carolina, Spokane, and Baltimore. Carolyn received her bachelor's degree in English and Psychology from the University of Michigan, where she served as the Executive Director of the Michigan Pops Orchestra.
02/01/19 Don Perkins, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
PP Bowen Depke did a fabulous job running through the extensive list of accomplishments of this week’s guest speaker, Don Perkins, President and C.E.O. of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). The Institute, under Mr. Perkins leadership, is a welcome fixture on a tumultuous waterfront. While GMRI is located on Casco Bay, its purview extends far beyond.
Mr. Perkins offered up a balanced report focusing on many of the known influences climate change is making on the coastal biology of Maine, New England, and beyond. Early on in his presentation, Don made it clear that he wasn’t going to be dragged into climate politics and would concentrate on clear changes impacting the lands and seas of the world’s coasts. If you have coastal property you are concerned that statistics indicate that flood potential is adversely impacting values. It is predicted that the sea level will rise 9 feet or more over the century. Think of what Commercial Street will look like! But, it’s much more than property values at risk, it impacts livelihoods even more profoundly. Think about the vanishing fish stock and the affect it has on crews, dock workers, boat builders, mariner mechanics and so on. Of course, we also must think about what the world would be without a plentiful Maine lobster!
Despite the adversities facing coastal communities and their populace, Don was not delivering a somber message, nor a cautionary tale. He focused on facts, facilities and opportunities to embrace dynamic changes and create a new iteration of the coastal water economy. To be sure, the sea level is rising, and the water temperatures are similarly changing. The Institute has been gathering ocean related data and developing a composite of the life therein. The current picture is worrisome and requires understanding and adaptation in order to improve. Fortunately, the fishers and fishing industry of Maine have been willing to make changes in order to continue and grow. The bottom line of the fishing industry is staggering....over 1.5 billion dollars a year. The lobstering industry is close to half of that number. The lobster catch has spiked over the past decade, but the future is quite likely to be much different, but not non-existent, according to Perkins.
Nature and mankind have been adapting and reemerging in a similar form for time immemorial. Don expects that to continue in a favorable manner, despite dramatic challenges. The problem is that the changes are coming fast, and we are on “the bleeding edge.” We must react with alacrity or accept the consequences. Perkins points to the emergence of aquaculture as an immense opportunity, if it’s managed properly. When most people think of aquaculture they think of salmon or maybe, oysters, but it can be much more. An example of potential is the growing of kelp. Kelp grows prolifically in the winter when the fishing industry is in a lull. Currently, kelp is not a high-dollar business but there are ways to develop a market. If that seems like a pipe dream, Don asked us to consider that salmon are being given a start for life in abandoned paper mills, to wit: Bucksport. While we can be creative and embrace change, Don maintains, we must save the ocean environment.
The statistics related to Don’s fish story can be found on the Gulf of Maine Research Institute website and are worthy of review. In response to the deluge of data and details, Don got some terrific questions during an abbreviated Q & A session.
For example,
What do we do with the problematic green crab? Not sure it’ll ever become a commercial success, despite Italian cooks, he suggests we compost it.
Will the venerable Maine tiny shrimp make a comeback or be farmed? Unfortunately, the water change is the death nell for that sumptuous delight, so look to Canada.
The take away from Don is simple, “we’ve got to stop looking backward and start looking forward.”
(Photo L-R: Don Perkins and member, Jerry Angier.)
Rotary Goes Mobile
Everyone’s Phone Number at Your Fingertips . . . and Much More! Have you done the easy ClubRunner download yet? How would you like to have not only your own Rotary Club members contact information, but also the entire District at your fingertips? You can and so much more by downloading the new and improved ClubRunner Mobile App. You can also access club and district leadership, stories and events all with just a few clicks. Connecting to them is as easy as clicking on the phone number or email address. You can download it on the AppStore or GooglePlay and be on your way in minutes. Now would also be a good time to make sure that your profile is current, and if you do not have a picture saved, considering updating your information now! Reach out and collaborate with other like-minded Rotarians from around our district and be one of the People of Action that your are! Watch the short video here if you want to check it out before downloading. - Click to: Download on iTunes App Store (free) - Click to: Download on Android App Store (free)
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01/25/19 Chief Bob MacKenzie, Opioid Program Update
Chief Bob MacKenzie started by giving kudos to Portland Rotary for all the work we are doing with our awareness training and the recovery coach training. He then gave us an update:
• The District 7780 committee meets monthly and all are invited to attend. The committee last met 1/24/19. Reducing stigma really makes a difference, and this is the #1 goal of the committee. The committee is always looking for ideas.
• New Hampshire Rotarians will be starting substance use disorder awareness and naloxone administration training soon.
• Through a Rotary Club, the District now has an account so it can accept donations to be used for the work.
• Last August, the Kennebunk “Above Board” group had a fundraiser to benefit substance use disorder. After the first 125 $25 tickets sold out, they expanded the event to 180 people. At the event a live ask netted $21,000, with a total of $55,000 from the event. The event will be August 23rd this year.
• Some proceeds will be used for more recovery coach training. A training was created to teach emergency responders to use the techniques from the coach training, primarily to treat everyone with respect. 25 first responders will be trained 1/28/19.
• From the results of this training a 2-hr training will be created and be added to this years mandatory training for all ME police officers.
• The Governor is very supportive of substance use disorder. Other groups such as Pine State Association and the National Education Association are developing training for all their members.
• AmeriCorps will be providing a person, to work with the Kennebunk Police and Rotary to support the opioid epidemic efforts shortly.
Q&A
What is happening with the pushers? ME Drug Enforcement is very active. There continue to be more drug dogs. Laws are being adjusted to focus on dealers not users.
What is the status of treatment beds? We are gaining ground with new beds being added in many parts of the state. Pine Tree Recovery Center and a Saco outpatient facility recently opened. We still need more but now are able to find a place for all who want treatment, even if they have to go out of state.
Where is the product coming from? Phentenol, the most addictive drug, is primarily coming from China.
What about the doctors who are pushing drugs? The chief said he heard there was a class action lawsuit to force drug makers to pay for the effect of their drugs, similar to the tobacco lawsuit.
How does legalization of marijuana affect things? The chief was not a supporter of legalization. He says that he has heard many times that marijuana was the first drug to be used. His daughter started with marijuana, and got hooked on opioids. She went through treatment and seemed to be doing better, but Thursday night she was arrested for dealing phentenol.
Which drug cause most overdoses? Phentenol by a wide margin. It is so strong and works so fast that it catches people by surprise. Often, when Narcan (naloxone) is not immediately available, it is fatal.
(Photo L-R: 1st VP Amy Chipman, Chief Bob MacKenzie and Matt Wolcott.)
(Photo L-R: the Club's Opioid Task Force - back row: Bruce Moore, Tom Ranello, Chief Bob MacKenzie, Jesse Harvey; front row - Jan Chapman, Gracie Johnston, Doreen Rockstrom and Megan Peabody.)
01/25/19 Bits & Pieces
As the New England Patriots prepare for the Super Bowl, our club showed that we are in sync. President John Curran was in the DR with our 3H team, affording the first occasion of our 1st VP President Amy Chipman to take charge of the weekly meeting. She got the house in order, despite the bell being MIA. In standard tradition she commenced with a moment of inspiration/invocation.
Leave it to Charlie Frair to find a way to co-join the spirit and guidance of the venerable Doctor Martin Luther King and the moral fabric of the Rotary Creed. Charlie brought together the history, poetry and majesty of the voice of M.L.K. and the words and deeds of Rotary International.
1st VP Amy asked Paul T. Gore to sing forth without any instrumental accompaniment. P.T.G. summoned his immense pride, energy, and sincerity and led us in a grand performance of “God Bless America,” then Matt Wolcott led us in our “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Our current 7780 District Governor, John LoBosco was recently diagnosed with a life threatening affliction which requires surgical intervention, to provide repair and recovery. The condition is of significant debilitation to require that John stay off his feet and utilize a wheel chair. Regardless of the limitations, the evening prior John tended to the duties of introducing the latest effort of the District to get out the message of opiate recovery to those seeking training in identification of the warning signs of an overdose and how to administer the life-saving medicine, Narcan (naloxone). A card was signed and being sent to John, from his Portland Rotary friends, to buoy his spirits as he prepares for the procedure. We ask that all keep John in their thoughts and prayers.
PP Bill Blount, (photo at left with 1st VP Amy) obviously, enjoys breaking out in song even when he has to drag us who were born off-key along. There was hope that the new piano would be available but, alas, that’s to come soon. If you don’t have a piano, but you have passion and talent, you improvise when you can. Bill figured that everyone knew the words to “Oh, Suzanna” and needed little help, but he still needed to secure his spectacles in order to assure perfection of his rendition of Steven Foster’s 1848 song of longing love. He made it all the easier for us by first belting out the tune on his harmonica, helping us to get into tune, in the key of whatever may be.
Once a Rotarian, always a Rotarian, is the way to be and Mark Rajotte proved the point. Recognizing the plight of workers going without a government paycheck for the work they were doing, Mark knew that something must be done to lessen the sting, so he reached out to “ever ready” Mike Fortunato and suggested that the Rotary Club of Portland sponsor a dinner to help our friends in need. In just a little more than one week, the Mark and Mike (photo at right) duo pulled together a ziti luncheon at the Italian Heritage Center (one of the sponsors). Mark and PP Roxane Cole reached out to Hannaford and asked if they could help and got a contribution of $2,500 in gift cards, along with a $1,000 donation from the Cape Eliz-SoPo Rotary Club, as well as many donations from club members.
The weekly raffle got off to a new deck this week, since Linda Varrell pulled the Queen of Hearts from the pack last week, only to donate the money back to the club. With Mike Fortunato conducting the raffle, this week Julie L’Heureux got a chance to find the queen in the new deck of 52, but decided to let the lady rest and the pot to grow by plucking the 5 of spades.
2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner (photo at right) and PP Loretta Rowe are coordinating the “Sweetheart Auction,” which will be held on February 8th at the Italian Heritage Center. Many items are needed and any assistance you can offer, running for gifts or setting up and delivering, will be appreciated. If you can be at the IHC at 10 AM that would be perfect. Bottom line, help is desperately needed, so just get there and give a hand. (See separate article this issue.)
Charlie Frair returned to the podium to remind us that we had a phenomenal Veteran’s Appreciation luncheon event and raised some significant funds to distribute to veteran related organizations. At this time there are two organizations in the running, but time is still available for others to solicit support from the club. If you know of a veterans organization that has a worthy outreach project, please, invite them to make application. Contact Charlie Frair or Paul Tully for additional details.
Ben Millick (photo at left) is teaming up with Green House to facilitate a program to help the newest, non-native, members of the Greater Portland community. Many of the immigrants, similar to our forebearers, come with talent, energy and ideas looking to be part of the greatness of America. They are often stymied by procedures, language barriers, and business basics as they try to bring dreams to reality. Ben and the group will offer 6 months of training and assistance through mentorships and instructions to our new neighbors. Contact Ben at: bmillick@clarkinsurance.com if you are willing to mentor or sponsor a core business presentation.
PP Roxane Cole is now a PHF x 6, while Mike Reed is a PHF x 7, as well as member of the the founders club donating $1000 a year to the Foundation. It was the honor of our District Governor Nominee to District 7780, PP Dick Hall, to introduce these newest awards to these most-worthy recipients. (Photo at right L-R: PP/DGN Dick Hall, Mike Reed and PP Roxane Cole.)
Gracie Johnston is doing a terrific job as our Community Service Chair and that is especially obvious when we help the needful who come to the Preble Street Food Kitchen for dinner. Gracie, along with Jesse Harvey, (photo at left) spoke of the latest dinner when we were able to offer fresh fruit as part of the meal. This is just another example of little things making a big difference in the lives of those unfortunate who experience food insecurity.
*02/01/19 Don Perkins, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Don Perkins has served as the President/CEO for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) since 1995. Don works with GMRI's staff, board, and external partners to drive GMRI's evolution as a strategic science, education, and community institution that serves the Gulf of Maine bioregion and to scale GMRI's impact beyond. Since 2013, Don has served as the Executive Director of the Harte Charitable Foundation developing their investments in the stewardship and sustainable development of the Gulf of Mexico. Don is dedicated to building creative, strategic organizations, traditional or virtual, that contribute to solving intractable problems and creating new opportunities in marine conservation, STEM literacy, and common property governance and management.
Don is active in the marine policy arena on multiple levels. He currently serves on the board of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and recently co-chaired the Governors Ocean Energy Task Force. He was co-founder of Friends of Casco Bay and the Maine Marine Research Coalition. He previously served on the boards of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, and Maine Legislature’s Task Force on the Development of Aquaculture. Reflecting his broader interest in governance, Don currently serves on the board of MMG Insurance.
Don brings an unusual mix of corporate and non-profit experience to GMRI. Prior to joining GMRI, Don instructed at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, directed the Marine Conservation Corps in California, served as a financial advisor to Native American tribes, advised The Health Foundation on its Latin American initiatives, and managed the operations of Binax, Inc., which provided diagnostic tests and tools for infectious diseases.
Don was born in Waterville, Maine and has lived in a variety of Maine's coastal and inland communities, as well as overseas in Israel and Brazil. Don holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Don’s greatest sources of pleasure are his family, sailing along the coast of Maine, and an early morning run or swim.
*01/25/19 Chief Robert MacKenzie, Update on Programs for Opioid Users
Bob MacKenzie is a 30-year veteran of law enforcement, currently serving as Chief of Police with the Kennebunk Police Department. Chief MacKenzie began his law enforcement career in 1988 with them and rose through the ranks, being promoted to Chief of Police in 2008.
Chief MacKenzie is a graduate of the 243rd FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice through Husson University. He is the producer of the “Point of No Return,” a 30-minute movie which depicts the consequences of underage drinking and has been shown in 34 states. Chief MacKenzie is a Past-President of the Kennebunk Rotary Club, in which he has served for the past eleven years and is the Chair of the Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative.
The Chief will be making a return visit to the Portland Club to report on a broader effort with clubs across Southern Maine to tackle opioid addiction and offer ideas on how Rotary can be part of the solution.
01/18/19 Dr Sue Miesfeldt, MMC Oncology & Int'l Care in Africa
Dr. Susan Miesfeldt first went to Africa with her daughter to volunteer in an orphanage. While there, through American Cancer Society connections, she established links with a number of cancer care providers throughout Tanzania. Her connections there have grown since that first trip.
She presented an overview about her dedication to helping the efforts of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) and the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania and included information about the barriers to cancer care provided by KCMC, the development efforts to solicit support for the program and the Rotary partnership to construct the KCMC Family Village.
In Tanzania, at least 35,000 new patients are diagnosed with cancer each year and, sadly, about 80 percent will die due to limited access to care. Cancer incidence is predicted to increase by 70% in the next 2 decades. Deterrents to receiving treatments are caused by the distance patients must travel to reach the cancer care centers and the high cost of transportation and housing.
To improve the situation for patients who need access to care, the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania has a vision to partner with regional and international partners for the purpose of building a comprehensive and sustainable cancer care system in the Northern Zone of Tanzania focused on (a) lowering cancer incidence (b) reducing cancer mortality and (c) improving the quality of life.
Background information about the KCMC, located at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, is that it was founded in 1971 by the Good Samaritan Foundation. The major referral hospital for a population covering over 15 million people in the Northern Zone of Tanzania. Although it is a large and growing complex, the hospital currently has 630 beds and 40 baby incubators. For education, the KCMC supports 1852 students, 1300 staff and 1000 visitors daily. It’s a world-class center for patient care, teaching and research.
Dr. Miesfeldt described the three phases of the cancer care facility: (a) an infusion center (b) an in-patient cancer center and (c) a Family Village.
A Family Village assessment demonstrated the need by evaluating the cost, distance and lack of transportation/housing as being documented barriers to cancer care in Tanzania. Studies show that at least 40% of children abandon their cancer treatment. There is a need to address these treatment barriers.
(Photo L-R: President John Curran, PDG Carolyn Johnson and Dr. Sue Miesfeldt.)
01/25/19 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran opened the meeting by welcoming 49 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 4 guests. He invited PP Russ Burleigh to provide us with the Invocation. With the Super Bowl on the horizon, Russ gave us a history of the event. The first two years, 1967-68, the game was called the AFL-NFL Championship. In 1969 it took on the name Super Bowl, and it was a landmark game. The underdog NY Jets came out on top of the Baltimore Colts, backed by the words of Jets QB Joe Namath, who had guaranteed victory. The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by Gracie Johnston leading the way on the singing of ‘God Bless America.’
PP Laura Young (photo at right) reported on the “New Members Meeting” held on Jan 11. This was a chance to hear from new members on how they were acclimating to the club. Good news is that all noted that they felt very welcomed, and that so far, Rotary was proving to be more than they had expected – in a good way. Lot of appreciation for our strong speakers program. There is still some nervousness just before the weekly meeting when they first arrive...... in a roomful of new people, wondering where to sit, etc. So a reminder for all of us to reach out to invite a new member to sit with you for lunch, and get a chance to know them better.
President John welcomed Tim Cronin (photo at left), Coordinator, and Nanette Dyer Blake (photo at right), Community Outreach and Development Specialist from the Portland Public Schools “Make It Happen!” (MIH!) program to speak with us. MIH Is an academic and college readiness program, designed to help multilingual students in grades 9-12 create stronger academic profiles, that improves their ability to be accepted into college and getting financial aid. The program challenges the students to take more challenging classes, be involved in the community, to find jobs and other roles that improve their personal and professional development. Coordinators work with students to improve standardized test scores, and writing competitive college applications. MIH! Is always looking for adult volunteers who can be an academic coach, working to help the students in a wide variety of ways. Volunteers would commit to 1-2 hours per week per semester. Interested? Reach out to Nanette at 842-4657, blaken@portlandschools.org.
Paul Tully reported that we have $5,000 from the Veterans' Lunch to provide to Veterans support groups, but no specific requests have been made to date. If you have a suggestion, please contact Charie Frair: cfrair47@yahoo.com.
Mike Fortunato teamed up with past Portland Rotarian Mark Rajotte, who put together an idea to have a pasta dinner to support federal employees who have been affected by the government shutdown. Members of the Coast Guard, TSA, DEA (and others) would be served at the Italian Heritage Center (IHC) in Portland, Saturday Jan 26th, 3-5pm. No speeches, nothing political, just a way of saying we appreciate you and you are not forgotten during this crisis. This is coming together quickly. We will need your help hosting these families at the dinner.
Donations to help fund food gift cards are needed. The IHC is also involved and will have their members participating. We had a show of many hands for donating $50, so please, if you volunteered to do this, please send it in! You can send a check made out to the Rotary Club of Portland and give the check to Elise or mail to: P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104.
Mike Fortunato and PP Kris Rosado (photo at left) jointly announced a planning meeting for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) – Tuesday Jan 29, noon, at the Portland Boys and Girls Club. Lunch will be served. Fact – the MOC is our major fundraiser, netting the club north of $25k annually. Kris and Mike have been at the forefront on making this event happen for a long time, and have more than earned the right to ask others to step into their leadership-sized shoes. Seize the day! Also, Kris noted that now is the time to be reaching out to businesses for sponsorships for the 2019 MOC. No need to wait for Kris to ask you – just go make it happen! Yes – info sheets will be coming so you have the materials. Same goes for teams – we need more. Capacity is 45 – last year we had 40. It’s all profit at that point, so let’s not leave money on the table. LL Bean charges us for 45!
Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston (photo at right) had two reminders: First, volunteers are needed at Preble Street on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 3:30pm. Be sure you sign in when you arrive; second, on Thursday, Jan 24th at 6:00 pm, our Rotary Club will host “How To Recognize and Respond to an Opiod/Heroin Overdose” at the Dana Center, part of Maine Med at 22 Bramhall Street. Seating is limited, so register at portlandrotary.com ASAP or contact Jan Chapman: janchapman1966@gmail.com or call 408-582. (Parking is available on Bramhall Street or in the Maine Medical parking lot on Chadwick Street.)
1st VP Ellen Niewoehner touted the upcoming Sweetheart Auction to be held at our Feb 8th meeting at the Italian Heritage Center. We need items! Did you get something recently that doesn’t do it for you, but might be treasure to someone else? Donate it! It’s fun! Forms are available, so get them in soon.
WE NEED SOME BIG-TICKET ITEMS, also for a live auction! Email Loretta at lrowe@maine.rr.com with your donation items ASAP and she will complete the donor form for you. (Again....see separate article this issue about the auction.) Please let us know ahead of time if and what you plan to donate, so we can prepare the necessary paperwork. Please don't walk into the meeting on Feb. 8th bringing a donation. It creates unneeded chaos.
Need some luck? Talk to Linda Varrell! (Photo at left: Linda and Jerry Angier) Normally we get down to 10 or fewer cards in our weekly raffle before someone wins, but Linda deftly pulled the Queen of Hearts from almost the full deck to take down the prize of $326. Linda kindly donated that back to the club. Thank you, Linda.
01/11/19 Bits & Pieces
Kicking off the meeting, President John Curran welcomed 52 members, 1 guest and 1 visiting Rotarian. Gracie Johnston gave an impromptu invocation that was spot on. Mike Fortunato led the Pledge of Allegiance, and 1st VP Amy Chipman led us in the patriotic song, “America.”
President John presented the Rotarian Birthdays and Anniversaries: one highlight called out was a Rotarian who has been a member for 52 years, Mark Stimson. Congratulations!!
Visiting PDG Carolyn Johnson (photo at left) presented information on Learning Works, which is a non-profit group that helps new Mainers with learning the English language and other helpful life skills. President John and Gracie Johnston recently visited Learning Works, and learned how Rotarians can volunteer to help as tutors, offering 1.5 hours per week. Learning Works holds formal English language classes several time per week, and volunteers can provide short presentations on topics such as finding jobs, signing up for health insurance, figuring out how to enroll a child in school, etc. PDG Carolyn said that people with expertise on specific subjects could really help the people learn about various life skills while learning how to better communicate in English. If you are interested in these volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Gracie Johnston at: gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com.
PP Loretta Rowe (photo at right) presented information on the upcoming “Sweetheart Auction,” which will be held on February 8th at the Italian Heritage Center. Loretta asks that you donate gift-worthy items, or useful services, and that you submit the DONATION FORMS in advance of the Auction/meeting, as this will help make the Auction run more smoothly. Please bring items and/or a completed donation form to a Rotary meeting before the event, and/or email Loretta with the information. (See separate article in this issue for ideas.) Please do not hesitate to contact Loretta with the donations at 883-5432 or lrowe@maine.rr.com.
Charlie Frair (photo at left) noted that one of the fun parts of being part of the Veterans' Committee is the Veterans’ luncheon. This year the luncheon’s fund raising efforts doubled the previous annual fundraising effort. Charlie is looking to streamline the donation recipient process, and is requesting members submit a brief write-up of what an eligible veteran-based group does to support veteran services to be considered as a recipient for some of the proceeds from the luncheon. Club members will read the write-ups and vote on them at an upcoming meeting. Ballots will be available in mid-February with the selection occurring in March. If you are interested in providing information on a particular group for the ballot, please contact Charlie Frair: cfrair47@yahoo.com.
Gracie Johnston (photo at right) noted that help is needed for preparing and serving dinner at the Preble Street Resource Center on January 23rd. Six members have already signed up, but we could use a few more. Please contact her if you can make it.: gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com.
Joe Reagan noted that volunteers may be needed for a Point in Time survey, which is completed to survey homeless people identified in our community. Gracie let us know that more information on this topic will be provided on the Rotary website.
Gracie also reminded us of an important training event “Recognizing and Responding to an Opiate/Heroin Overdose” for All District 7780 Rotarians and guests about recognizing and responding to an Opiate/Heroin Overdose. It will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2019 (snow date on February 21, 2019) from 6-7:30 pm in the Maine Medical Center Dana Auditorium, 22 Bramhall Street, in Portland. (Parking is available on Bramhall Street or in the Maine Medical parking lot on Chadwick Street.) Space is limited to the first 100 people who register....Please RSVP by email to portlandrotary@maine.rr.com FMI contact Kennebunk Police Chief Bob MacKenzie: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us or call 207-604-1339.
2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner shared information that on Thursday, January 24th, the Rotary ski group is planning to meet at the Gray Park and Ride at 9:00 am, and carpool to the South Ridge at Sunday River. Anyone interested, please contact Ellen at: eniewoehner@banksis.com.
Ellen then requested our speaker to pick a raffle ticket from the can for the weekly drawing. Bruce Nelson's name was selected, who picked the 4 of clubs out of the deck. The pot continues to grow, as the Queen of Hearts continues to hide in the remaining cards.
(Photo above at left: Bruce Nelson and 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner.)
1st VP Amy Chipman, PP Bill Blount and Gracie Johnston from the Music Committee led us in song. It was a bright and cheerful Rotary moment.
(Photo at right above – L-R: 1st VP Amy Chipman, PP Bill Blount and Gracie Johnston.)
01/11/19 Kay Aikin, Introspective Systems
Kay Aikin, Chief Executive Officer of Introspective Systems, joined us to talk about the state of entrepreneurship in Maine. Aikin pointed to a number of statistics to demonstrate her point that “tech-based startups support U.S. economic growth.”
Using her own company as an example, Aikin said that tech companies pay twice the national average in salaries and have a jobs multiplier of five. “Policy makers should focus on spurring high-growth technology-based startups,” she said.
But as she noted, the challenge for Maine is that the state ranks 37th in the country for tech-based jobs. New Hampshire sits at the number one position, with Massachusetts at number two. While the state has strong assets in the Maine Technology Institute, mentors, and Maine Angels, access to capital, a strong educational base, and venture capital backed accelerators are additional components for success that are lacking in Maine, but prevalent elsewhere. Pointing to the success of Vets First Choice, a startup backed by David Shaw that recently went public, Aikin said that there was no reason that Maine could not become more of a “startup state” to take advantage of its quality of life.
Aikin reviewed the high technology aspects of Introspective’s software platform and the sophisticated array of products it offers. “We solve the hardest enterprise problems by combining complexity and artificial intelligence,” she said. Introspective Systems was awarded a several million dollar grant to help the Department of Energy with its “Internet of Things” (IoT) software which is being used to develop a microgrid to manage energy. Isle au Haut has become a laboratory for Introspective where the company is using its fractal control software to create a microgrid that will help the island produce and store its own electrical energy using supercapacitor batteries. The project is designed to replace an aging cable system that is very expensive to operate and replace. The Introspective project will make the island’s electricity 45 percent less expensive. Had Isle au Haut not elected to work with Introspective, they faced a $1.5 million cost to replace their electrical cable which would have increased their electricity cost to 80 cents per kilowatt. With the new system, which includes renewable energy, the island can eventually reduce its costs to ten cents per kilowatt.
(Photo L-R: Justin Lamontagne, Kay Aikin and President John Curran.)
*01/18/19 Dr. Sue Miesfeldt, MMC - Cancer Care & Int'l Service in Africa
Dr. Susan Miesfeldt is a medical oncologist and Medical Director for the Cancer Risk and Prevention Program at MMC. She received her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Virginia and University of Michigan Schools of Medicine.
Her research focuses on cancer prevention and early detection, as well as access to care. She has received research support from the NCI, Maine Health and Human Services, MaineCancer Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and served as Principal Investigator for the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP). She has participated in several state task forces and work groups related to cancer screening and prevention, and is presently serving on the State of Maine Commission to Study Incidence of and Mortality Related to Cancer.
Dr. Miesfeldt is a member of the American Cancer Society’s Board of Directors, New England Division, as well as the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s International Affairs Committee.
01/04/19 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
Our January 4 meeting was a Club Assembly, dedicated to bringing everyone up-to-date with the extraordinary accomplishments of the Club, and introducing two new members.
Three guests joined the 51 club members for lunch: Richard L’Heureux, spouse of Juliana L’Heureux; Eduardo Oliveira (photo at left L-R: President John Curran and Eduardo Oliveira), a member of the Novo Hamburgo Rotaract Club in Brazil who is currently an intern at CIEE International headquarters in Portland; and, Dean Rock, a resident of Cumberland who is the provider of the 3H team’s prosthetic hands.
With Peter Moore conducting the weekly raffle, Jerry Angier had the opportunity to take home the raffle pot, but drew the wrong card.
President John thanked the members of the committees that serve to put on the meetings—Meeting Day, Program, Windjammer, and Public Relations. He also gave a special salute to the team who sponsored and managed the Veterans Appreciation Luncheon back on November 9, 2018.
President John shared the Treasurer’s Report, copies of which were distributed to the members, and highlighted the balanced budget for 2019 was possible due to an increase in dues. He also mentioned the difficulties the club had faced with not being able to meet the catering minimums imposed by the Holiday Inn and the Clarion earlier in the year. Our shift from the Holiday Inn and the negotiation of lower luncheon minimums helped keep our loss in this category from being higher. Projections show that the Club should break even at the end of the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
PP Dick Hall, chair of the Rotary Foundation Committee, reported that the Club was on track to meet the goals of contributions of $17,000 to RI Foundation, and $15,000 to Polio Plus. He stated that 62 members of the Club had not made a pledge or contributed to the Foundation this year and he has sent an email encouraging them to participate.
The Club’s International Service Committee work was reported by four of its members:
• Roger Fagan shared the progress of the Hearing division of the 3H (Hearing, Hands and H2O) Project and plans for its next trip to the Dominican Republic (DR), noting that several other clubs, including one from Alaska, will be joining in this project. He received a request for help from our partners in the Dominican Republic to help with one young girl who had a special hearing issue. Roger was able to diagnose her need, provide a hearing aid, and coach the caregivers in the DR on how to install the device so that she would not have to wait until the team arrived in their country to help her.
• Liz Fagan reported on the continuing progress of the hearing team’s work in Kosovo and announced that the Wakefield, Rhode Island Rotary Club would be managing this geography of the project this year. Liz has also recruited 12 audiologists and speech pathologists to visit Kosovo to work with the students and also gathered books and therapy materials. She was invited to make a presentation in Kosovo, but opted instead to gather the research data and shared it with the students she worked with last year so they could make the presentation instead. She called that a great learning experience for them.
• David Small provided a presentation of pictures showing what life was like in the Dominican Republic bateyes, which are largely populated by Haitian immigrants, to demonstrate the impact of the water portion of the 3H project. Bateyes are the employer-owned villages of dwellings provided to the workers in the sugar cane fields, which are typically constructed of wood or cinderblock and have no electricity or water. While rain water is collected in barrels, there is no potable water provided in the homes. Workers cut a ton of sugar cane by hand per day with machetes, for which they receive $5.00. The bateyes have a church, school, and a commissary and there are water monitors who help teach people how to treat the water to make it safe since there are issues with intestinal diseases. Consequently, the water filters provided by the 3H team have become extremely sought-after since they considerably improve the resident’s quality of life. The 3H team will be providing a new design of filter this year, a six-piece plastic system that will be easier to install and maintain. David said that the 3H team decided to adopt a batey for concentrated work over time rather than spread a few installations over more areas. They will return to Batey 50 for the third year with lights, filters, school supplies, and will also work to install a large-scale system. “Thousands of people have been affected by our work,” David reported as he encouraged more Rotarians to participate. People are especially grateful to receive solar lights.
• President John reported on the Hands portion, recognizing the work of Dean Rock who was present. John said that this year the team would be working with Centro de Protesis and Terapia Fisica instead of the hospital. This NGO has a dedicated staff, some of whom use artificial limbs. Dean Rock passed around an electronic version of his 3D device, which will be installed for the first time on the next trip. The team will travel out of Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata on the northern coast.
President John reported on the progress of the New Mainer Task Force, led by Max Chikuta, which has been working to find areas of potential collaboration with a number of organizations that have evolved to address issues affecting these people. The group reports that the biggest challenges are in the areas of mentoring and vocational guidance and will be working with “Make It Happen,” Learning Works, and the Immigrant Welcome Center, which is focusing particularly on entrepreneurial support. The group is also working to add a New Mainer Award that will provide a scholarship from Rotary at the University of Southern Maine. In addition, the task force is working in collaboration with the Music Committee to find funds to help the Deering High School Choral Group secure a new keyboard.
Gracie Johnston (photo at right) shared news from the Community Service Committee, noting that “community service is the life blood of our club.” She highlighted the club’s work with Preble Street (last Wednesday of every month); Thanksgiving dinner at St. Vincent de Paul where 110 meals were served this year; bell ringing to support the Salvation Army Christmas campaign; Thanksgiving dinner this year at the Portland Recovery Community Center; Maine Inside Out, the organization helping folks move from incarceration back into the community; and Journey House Sober Living, which is part of the Opioid Recovery Task Force effort that includes Recovery Coach support and training in the use of Naloxone. Gracie reported that thanks to the effort led by Doreen Rockstrom, the club was able to secure 100 units of Naloxone at no cost. This amount would have cost $40,000, if obtained through purchase.
The work of the Youth Service Committee was reported by Jan Chapman (photo at left) who related the efforts with the Lyseth School Reading project, in partnership with Maine Law, where students in kindergarten through third grade are read to by volunteers and leave their session with a new book. The Committee also supports the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, which sends high school students to Camp Hines for leadership training. The goal is to send ten students this year. Other projects include a mentoring program at Portland High School and Deering High School, and the Rotary Youth Exchange that gives students in Portland schools, age 15 to 18, a chance to travel abroad.
Jan also presented information for the flyers distributed on each table describing “A Call to Action” for All District 7780 Rotarians and guests about recognizing and responding to Opiate/Heroin Overdose. The educational program will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2019 (snow date on February 21, 2019) from 6-7:30 pm in the Maine Medical Center Dana Auditorium, 22 Bramhall Street, in Portland. (Parking is available on Bramhall Street or in the Maine Medical parking lot on Chadwick Street.) RSVP to Kennebunk Police Chief Bob MacKenzie: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us or call 207-604-1339.
PP Laura Young highlighted the work of the Membership Committee by inviting two sponsors, 1st VP Ellen Niewoehner and Tom Ranello, to introduce new members. Ellen introduced Mike Anderson, a ten-year veteran broker with Malone Commercial Brokers who lives in Gorham; and, Tom introduced Michelle DiSotto of Scarborough, who works with Goodwill Industries. Please be sure to welcome both new members to our club.
(Photo L-R: PP Laura Young, 1st VP Ellen Niewoehner, Mike Anderson, Michelle DiSotto, Tom Ranello and President John Curran.)
*01/11/19 Kay Aikin, Introspective Systems
Kay Aikin graduated from Pennsylvania State University with one of the first sustainability engineering degrees in the country. She has spent her career as an energy engineer, architectural designer, and business development executive. Kay’s expertise involves reconciling diverse needs requirements, engineering feasibility, and budgetary limitations to ensure that every project is both cost-effective and sustainable. She has spent the last 4 years with her Introspective Systems co-founder Dr. Caryl Johnson studying the application of complex system design in relation to the integration of Distributed Energy Resources into the electrical grid. Kay’s engineering focus has been on electrical grid and Iot applications for xGraph as an expansion of her experience in sustainable technologies. She helped design the xGraph computing platform as the first Autonomic Computing System used to distribute intelligence to the edge of the Internet of Things.
Before Introspective Systems she had 25 years as an owner and executive in the construction industry, running design/build construction companies, managing multi-million dollar sales forces, and consulting on business and market development issues. She has also given back to the industry by working as a Regional Vice President of the Pennsylvania Home Builders Association, helping to shape responses to industry and community concerns. As a sales manager for Shulte Homes, a large nation-wide modular homebuilder, she helped spearhead the move from small starter homes to larger custom homes.
*01/04/19 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
Please join us this Friday for an action-packed and engaging Club Assembly at the Clarion Hotel. It will include updates on our many service activities, an overview of our club’s financial health, a report on Membership, and a look back at our collective accomplishments & highlights during the first half of this Rotary Year.
Please invite a potential new member to join you, as this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our active club.
12/21/18 Bits & Pieces
All Rotarians are well aware of the 4-Way Test, but few really know where it came from. Thanks to an invocation/inspiration provided by PP Tom Talbott, (photo at right) who researched the origin of our guiding principal. We now know the rest of the story. Truth be told, the genesis of the 4-Way Test preceded the Rotary, but was developed in Chicago. In 1893, Herbert Taylor, a native of Norway who made his way to Chicago and found fortune by being the quintessentially honest business person, emblematic of Rotary, developed the essence of the 4-Way Test in order to guide his business dealings. Taylor began his career in the tea business, but moved on to fame and fortune with Club Aluminum, hawking cookware of superb quality. However, in the course of marketing the product, he insisted that every word be without exaggeration and distilled a 7-operative guidance down to the 24 words we know as the 4-Way Test. The test was not immediately embraced by Rotary; it took years and in 1942 it was adopted by Rotary and became our core principal. Taylor went on to become President of Rotary International in 1954 and his 24 iconic words live on in the heart of every Rotarian around the world.
We had two visiting guests at this meeting, which was immediately preceding the Christmas holiday. Michelle DiSotto (Goodwill NNE) has submitted her application to join our Club and will soon be formally brought in. Not too soon thereafter, we will be introduced to Bonnie Guerrette (more to follow).
President John had a full agenda to follow, but one of his objectives was to inform us of the hard work the Nominating Committee has been doing to bring us the new slate of officers and Board of Directors for the coming Rotary year.
Chairing the Nominating Committee, Immediate Past President Don Zillman, gathered a strong committee who helped nominate the slate of officers for 2019-20, as follows:
President: Amy Chipman
1st Vice President: Ellen Niewoehner
Second Vive President: Bob Martin
Two Board Directors: Gracie Johnston and Mike Fortunato
Secretary: Bruce Moore
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Sergeant-at-Arm: Dave Putnam
The slate, including past members completing terms and those nominated, was unanimously approved by the members.
(Photo L-R: Dave Putnam, Mike Fortunato, Bruce Moore, Bob Martin, Ellen Niewoehner and Amy Chipman. Missing: Gracie Johnston and Scott Blakeslee.)
President John thought it appropriate to highlight the Vocational Service Committee work and asked a committee member to bring forth their message:
Bob Fowler (photo at right), is the Executive Director of Milestone of Greater Portland serving the homeless and substance dependent community within our borders. Milestone has been serving the Portland community since 1957 at the India Street home, making it the longest standing facility in the City serving this needy citizenry. The India St. facility has 41 beds to assist with 3-7 day detox and prep programs for those trying to recover. They have a satellite facility in Old Orchard Beach. Bob got his Master’s Degree in Social Welfare, but realized that his job at Milestone required more business management than he realized, so he went back to school and got another Masters in Business and Public Policy. He has honed his skills and is focusing them on making Milestone the premier recovery facility in the state. Bob envisions Rotary and Milestone as a perfect intersection of interest.
Prospective member Bonnie Guerette (photo at left) came before the Club to give us a glimpse into her past life as a substance abuser; it was a hard hitting eye-opener. It’s difficult for most of us to imagine how hard life can be when you spend about 4 decades trying to break away. Suffice it to say that Bonnie’s childhood was somewhere on the spectrum of hard to horrible. She grew up in Connecticut and that’s where the horrors began. She went on to get a degree in nursing and was thought to be a solid citizen, but she had a secret life that she lived as a user of cocaine and heroin, in an attempt to suppress the horrors of her childhood. Over time, Bonnie found her way to Maine as an attempt to escape, but fell in with the wrong crowd. She got involved in a gang which resulted in Federal charges and prison time, but brought the thread of recovery she is now holding onto. She is giving back to the community by taking her experiences to help the drug-addicted street people we have in the City. Bonnie has taken the Naloxone course and is helping to educate more of us to help save lives. Bonnie wants to go on and create a “Safe House” for women in Portland and we are ready to lend our support to help this obvious area of need.
2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner and PP Loretta Rowe have taken on the task of fundraising and decided to resurrect the “Sweetheart Auction,” aka, not too long ago, as the Re-gifting Auction, where you can find a good home for that Christmas gift that just wasn’t as perfect for you as someone had thought! If you have a new or gently-used item you want to donate for auction, please get in touch with Ellen or Loretta and make our auction a financial success. The funds raised will go toward covering the ever-growing operating cost of the Club. Please bring as many guests as you can and tell them to bring their generous spending habits with them to help stimulate our economy. The auction will take place at the Italian Heritage Center on February 8th, offering plenty of space and good food to get you in a giving and buying mood. For further answers to any questions, contact Ellen at: eniewoehner@banksis.com or Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com.
PP Larry Gross was ready to give away close to $300 to the finder of the elusive Queen of Hearts. It was determined that Paul Tully should try his luck and pluck the correct red Queen. Alas, Nobleman Paul T. pulled out the King of Hearts and had to retreat a tad penny poor, but still smiling.
Portland High School counselor, Johanna Burdin introduced us to Hind Al Shammari, a Portland High School student, as she was our Youth Service Award recipient this month. Her proud mom, Gada Al Freh, was also introduced.
(Photo L-R: Johanna Burdin, Jan Chapman, Hind Al Shammari, President John Curran and Gada Al Freh.)
12/21/18 Amy Schram, Better Business Bureau
This week we welcomed Amy Schram, a Senior Community Relations Specialist with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as our guest speaker. At the outset, she noted that at any time we had questions to feel free to jump in. It didn’t take long for our inquisitive group to commandeer her presentation with both questions and personal experiences.
Amy provided an overview of the BBB. Over 106 years, the non-profit organization has built a database that currently holds information on 5.5 million businesses, much of it free and accessible to the public. The BBB acts as a moderator and facilitates dialogue between customers and businesses, as well as B2B.
Amy then turned her focus to the issue of scams, fraud, identity theft and cybersecurity. You might want to check out the free BBB service, Scam Tracker: go.bbb.org/ne-scamtracker. Here you can find what current scams may be hitting your area, what is being reported, and how to report ones you see. This year alone, 48,000 scams have been recorded by the system. All of this information is shared by the BBB to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, local and state government, police, as well as community or regional organizations such as AARP or SMAAA.
Scammers are almost impossible to catch because the vast majority operate outside the U.S. Hot spots include Jamaica, Dubai, Toronto, China, and Russia. Scammers have sophisticated systems, and use throwaway phones. They move quickly, and take advantage of every nugget of information they can obtain.
Let’s face it.....on the Web, there is so much information about you already posted. Your address, your phone, your relatives – all so easy to obtain. Now add in more personal info from Facebook, LinkedIn, your business website, or other social media sources. The clever caller may say your name. They make a statement just to hear your response. For example, they will say they are calling about your Verizon account, and you say sorry, you use Sprint. Next week you get a call from someone saying they are from Sprint and your bill is overdue. These predators will make 1000 calls a day, just looking to add snippets of info, that can used, or be sold to another scam company. Bottom line is that with your info out there, it is just a matter of time before it will be used against you.
Imposter scams are the most predominant. Calls ‘from’ banks, cable and phone companies, utilities, credit cards, online shopping stores, even the police, will sound real, but it is a trap.
The “police” call to say you have overdue parking tickets, they’ll describe your car, and give you a few hours to pay or risk arrest. They’ll even have a 207-exchange number. It’s very misleading, and easy to fall for.
If you do not recognize the phone number, resist answering. If it is a legit call, they will leave a message and you can call back. One suggestion: Go to NoMoRoBo.com (NMRB) and see how you can block recorded/automated phone calls. NMRB will detect it before you answer and disconnect the line. Free for land line, small charge for smart phones.
An interesting meeting, with lessons we should heed.
(Photo: President John Curran and Amy Schram.)
12/14/18 John Wolcott - History of St. Nick and Santa
John Wolcott, aka Santa and Matt Wolcott’s father, has a 38-year career in clausmanship. He is a sitting recycled (2 times) Rotary Club President of his East Greenwich, RI club. Mr. Wolcott presented both facts and/or folklore about his research on St. Nick, which is the precursor to Santa Claus, and other regional beliefs.
Mr. Wolcott discussed Nordic gods, to Christian saints, to Coca Cola through the various sagas, folklore, and documented history. While he presented his research about Christmas and the associated holidays, he said that it is up to us to determine what was history and what was folklore.
Many of the European countries have slightly different stories, but all generally have a similar theme. Additionally, not all countries talk of jolly old men at Christmas, for instance:
- Oden, the Nordic God of War, rides with his chariot and two horses called Thunder and Lightning (aka Donner and Blitzen, in German);
- the Romans celebrated Saturnalia for the God of Saturn;
- In France, Pere Noel is popular;
- Befana in Italy, who is an elderly woman giving gifts on the eve of Epiphany;
- Jultomten in Scandinavia watches kids from under their stairs and gives presents to those that behave; and,
- St. Nicklaus, who was born in Asia Minor (Turkey at the time) to a wealthy family and became a bishop and was known to be very generous and kind.
Most of the stories of St. Nicklaus (St. Nick) seem to mimic some current understanding of Santa Claus. St. Nick was born to wealthy merchants who died by plague around 280 AD. His uncle took him under his wing, and St. Nick was then educated across Western Europe. St. Nick became a priest and then a bishop. He was known for his generosity to sailors and children, where St. Nick would offer shelter and food. In one story about St. Nick, he was helping three sisters who had lost their father, but still wanted to marry. To grow their dowry, he was said to secretly drop gold coins down their chimney or into their drying stockings or shoes. It was said, that the Italians sailors loved St. Nick so much, that in approximately 1100 AD they moved his casket from Turkey to Italy when Christianity was in jeopardy there, and they heard that the casket could possibly be destroyed.
What we largely think about Santa Claus comes from a poem written by poet Clement Clark Moore: “Twas the night before Christmas.” In more recent times, it seems that the red suit, jovial attitude, and big white beard may have come from the 1930s era Coca Cola ad, which the company was trying to promote cola sales through the slow winter months. Something caught on there.
No matter whether folklore, history, or the truth was being told, one could tell that John Wolcott had the Christmas and Rotary spirit.
(Photo L-R: John & Donna Wolcott (Matt's parents), Matt Wolcott and President John Curran.)
12/14/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran greeted 47 members, along with 2 visiting Rotarians and 2 guests. PP Cyrus Hagge (in photo at right) gave an invocation that included reading a charming seasonal poem about a snowball, written by Sheldon “Shel” Silverstein, an American writer known for his cartoons, songs, and children’s books.
Ben Jackson addressed the Club about how he encourages the students at North Yarmouth Academy to learn about the Community and International Service programs supported by the Rotarians. He described how he was introduced to the International Service and good works of Rotary when he was inspired by the Evergreen Colorado Club. When he joined the Rotary Club of Portland, he took the experience of “Service Above Self” to the students at North Yarmouth Academy. One program he built upon was to encourage the student “Dress Down Day” to become a fund raising opportunity, whereby students can help the Rotary with raising money to fund charitable programs.
(Photo at left L-R: Dick Giles and Ben Jackson)
Ben presented Portland Rotarian Dick Giles, who serves on the International Service Committee, with a $600 check from the students’ fund raising. The purpose of the donation was to help purchase school supplies for children in the Dominican Republic who are also helped by the “3H Project” (Hearing, Hands and H2O). Dick Giles accepted the donation and thanked Roger and Liz Fagan for their leadership of the Dominican International Service program. Appreciation is extended to the generosity of the North Yarmouth Academy students and to Ben for advising them about Rotary.
President John acknowledged Rotarians who have birthdays in December and the many Rotarians having anniversary dates for joining the club. Congratulations to all!
Megan Peabody (in photo at left) presented a report about the benefits of the Rotary Short-Term Exchange (STEP) program. She became interested in joining Rotary because of her experience as a youth exchange student who benefited from the STEP program. Check the website www.exchangestudent.org to learn more about the short-term exchange. Megan would like to see the Portland Rotarians promote the program and help students to apply. Applications will be distributed to all area high schools.
1st Vice President Amy Chipman (photo at right), acting on behalf of the Nominating Committee Chair, PP Don Zillman, reported that the committee of PP Roxane Cole, PP Peter Goffin, PP Larry Gross, 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner, Patty Erickson, Justin Lamontagne, Linda Varrell and himself have met to establish a slate of officers for the Rotary year 2019-2020 for our approval.
Nominations:
President: Amy Chipman
First Vice-President: Ellen Niewoehner
Second Vice-President: Bob Martin
Secretary: Bruce Moore
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Directors: Gracie Johnston and Mike Fortunato
Hearing no nominations from the floor, the slate of officers will be voted on at the Friday, December 21st meeting.
Mike Reed (photo at left), Chair of the Fund Raising Committee announced that in order to offset a deficit in our operating budget, a "Sweetheart Auction" (formerly known as our re-gifting auction) is being organized to take place at a meeting in February, possibly February 8th, but sometime in that month. A wine tasting is also planned for late March or April.
PP Dick Hall is the chair of the Club’s Foundation Committee. He introduced five Rotarians who received Paul Harris Fellows and each is a participant in a “Circle of Five,” those who donate $200 a year for five years, to meet the goal of receiving their pin. George Crockett received a red stone “ruby” pin for his 6th Paul Harris; PP Russ Burleigh received 2 blue “sapphire” stones in his pin; 1st VP Amy Chipman received five blue “sapphires” in her pin, and John Houghton and Mike Fortunato each received four blue “sapphires” in their pins. A standing ovation congratulated the generous group.
(Photo at upper right: PP Dick Hall, John Houghton, Mike Fortunato, George Crockett, PP Russ Burleigh and 1st VP Amy Chipman.)
PP Loretta Rowe (photo at left) led the weekly raffle drawing and President John's name was selected by our speaker to try his hand at winning the $221 pot. With so many cards in the deck, John was able to find the 7 of Spades. Seems that Queen of Hearts is going to stay hidden for a while.
PP Bill Blount led the singing of three Christmas Carols, including “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” joined by members of the Music Committee, as a segue to the introduction of the distinguished guest speaker....John Wolcott aka Santa Claus, himself. (See separate photo in this issue.)
*12/21/18 Amy Schram, Better Business Bureau
Prospective Rotarians
As we receive applications for prospective members to join our Portland Rotary Club, the names of the applicants will be included in our Windjammer. Any information and/or comments you would like to share will be handled confidentially. Please contact Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com. Your input will be appreciated.
PROSPECT BUSINESS
(Sponsor)
Mike Anderson Malone Commercial Brokers
(Ellen Niewoehner)
Michelle DiSotto Goodwill Northern N.E.
(Tom Ranello)
Thank you.
*12/14/18 John Wolcott, History of St Nicklaus to Santa
John Wolcott (Matt's father) is a retired Systems Engineer and president of Systemetrics, Inc., a software development firm. Since his retirement, he has been a school bus driver in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, however, he dons the red suit and morphs into the jolly old elf from the North Pole, with whom you may be familiar.
A 38-year veteran of Clausmanship, he will introduce us all to the original Saint Nicklaus and follow the legend that has led to our modern-day Santa.
John is also president of his Rotary Club in Greenwich, Rhode Island, its first “re-cycled” president.
PRCC Says "Thank You Portland Rotary"
At PRCC, we are thankful....
...For the Rotary Club of Portland's gift of Thanksgiving Dinner and
...FOR THE MANY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO MAKE RECOVERY POSSIBLE FOR OTHERS.
BY PASSING IT ON....WE GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER.
PRCC offers over 35 different recovery groups and activities each week. Our members hold meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART recovery, Refuge Recovery, Wellbriety, and many more. We also have groups for family members...Addict in the Family, and Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families. All groups are open and welcome new members and visitors.
That's not all...recovery is also about wellness, creativity, and celebration. Join us for yoga, the Artist's Way, Music Therapy, or Spoken Word night. Interested in Attitudinal Healing or a session of Reiki? For a full schedule, check out Facebook or our website at portlandrecovery.org.
*12/07/18 Deering High School Chorus - Holiday Program
The Deering High School Choral musical family will be presenting a holiday program for us this Friday. At Deering, the young people are committed to a high-quality choral program.
The vocal ensemble performs repertoire that is both stylistically varied and of high musical quality. Students are aware that being a member of the Deering Chorus is different from being in any other class. During rehearsals, students are asked to concentrate on greater refinement of previously acquired choral skills. These skills include diction, articulation, dynamics, octavo reading and producing a beautiful tone. Emphasis on part singing and sight reading are also part of this group. A great deal of time is spent on vocal and musical techniques, as well as performance standards.
Many of the students who become involved in the choral program remain for their entire high school careers, primarily because being in a choral group is like being part of an extended family, as there is a special bond that is created among people who make music together.
A select group of students from DHS's chorus, under the direction of Dr. Peter Stickney, will be performing selections that celebrate the diversity of the holiday season. In between songs, we’ll provide some narrative that relates to the context of each selection. Please be sure to join us!
11/30/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran welcomed 49 members and 4 visiting guests to our meeting and asked David Small to give the invocation on Friday. In honor of the holidays, David presented his modified version of “A Thanksgiving Prayer for a Winter Day.” Shortly thereafter, Queenie led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and we followed that by singing ‘America the Beautiful.’
Please congratulate PP Dick Hall as the next District 7780 Governor for 2021-22. With his extensive Rotary resume, we can understand why he was elected.
Peggy “Queenie” Wescott has been voted in as the next honorary member of the Portland Rotary Club. PP Peter Goffin (at left with "Queenie") presented this achievement after discussing the many ways that Queenie has helped our club and Rotary’s endeavors through her many years of service and club membership.
Recently Portland Rotary’s Jesse Harvey presented on a discussion panel following the public showing of “Recovery Boys” at the Portland Museum of Art. Keep up the great work, Jesse!
Dave Putnam (at right) presented on Long Creek’s game night. Rotarians baked pies and spent their monthly Tuesday evening game night with the boys in the Cedar Unit. Several Rotarians helped, including: PP Don Lowry, PP John Marr, PP Jim and Barbara Willey, Mike Fortunato, Dave Putnam, and Erik Greven. Dave Putnam observed that the kids were having a good time, and that it’s worthy time being shared with them. The group meets once a month on a Tuesday evening. If you would like to join them, contact Jim Willey (jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com) or Mike fortunator (michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.
Rusty Atwood, in charge of the weekly raffle, had the speaker select a ticket from the can, for a shot at a pot of over $1200. To no one’s surprise, a ticket with three initials was selected. Some of you may be thinking HHH, but it was the PTG ticket that was selected. PP Paul Gore (at left), thought for a while, channeled his luck, and ultimately picked the Queen of Hearts out of a ten card stack. Coincidentally, he noted the Queen of Hearts was picked in honor of Queenie.
Ben Millick reported on the Club’s New Mainer Task Force, where several Rotarians are reaching out to service organizations who are helping new Mainers in their communities. The club will be hosting speakers on this topic in the coming months, and the committee is speaking to several organizations with this focus. The club is evaluating potential club partners moving forward, so if you are interested in this topic, please reach out to President John Curran, Ben Millick, or Max Chikuta.
On December 5 at noon, there will be New Mainer Task Force event where you can tour Learning Works, and see how they are helping some new Mainers locally.
Member Dave Smith has had some health issues recently, and he is asking for those Rotarians that have some cheer, to stop by and say hello. Have a speedy recovery, Dave.
Gracie Johnston (at left) reported on the Thanksgiving activities at Saint Vincent DePaul, where over 50 volunteers helped serve at least 106 Thanksgiving meals. Gracie also called for volunteers for the Salvation Army’s lunch-time bell ringing to be held in Monument Square in the coming weeks. Good news, based upon her email this week, it looks like all the volunteer slots have been filled.
For more than 40 years, a number of Portland Rotary's members have been involved with helping with Meals on Wheels on Christmas day. For more information, you can contact PP Larry Gross at Southern Maine Agency on Aging at lgross@smaaa.org.
The Crutches4Africa, December 8th event is being rescheduled. Stay tuned for the new date.
11/30/18 Alain Nahimana, Ex Dir Immigrant Welcome Center
Alain Nahimana shared his personal history and the reasons he co-founded and is currently Executive Director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC). Alain, who has been in the United States for 8 years is originally from Burundi. In his home country, he was a business owner, and currently speaks 6 languages. Like all asylum seekers, he was not permitted to work for 150 days while his application was being reviewed; he needed to survive on General Assistance of $50 biweekly for food, $25 biweekly for other expenses, and rent subsidy.
Alain's first job was as a janitor including cleaning of toilets. He then was lucky to get a front desk job at a refugee program, then on the phones for Time Warner. He left Time Warner due to the verbal abuse from clients. He moved on to a courier service, and then to Coordinator for the ME Immigrant Coalition. Alain told us this story to show how difficult it is for an immigrant, even one with a professional background and mastery of the language.
Alain co-founded IWC to address the barriers for immigrants to overcome: language, entrepreneurship opportunities, and personal aspirations. Because immigrants must work 2 or 3 jobs to support their families, there is no time left to attend classes and learn English. IWC has created a computer-based learning lab, to allow people to learn at their own pace during the time they have available. To address entrepreneurship, IWC is working with finance, accounting, and banking professionals to offer mentoring help; already 50-100 people have expressed an interest. To assist immigrants in defining their aspirations, IWC provides an Immigrant Business Hub, with a professional atmosphere and a suite of shared services. When an immigrant comes to that space, they can explore their dreams and not be mentally stuck in their present situation.
For more information, you can go to: www.welcomeimmigrant.org/
(Photo L-R: President John Curran, Alain Nahimana and PP Laura Young.)
Movie: Recovery Boys
*11/30/18 Alain Nahimana, Ex Dir Immigrant Welcome Ctr
Originally from Burundi, Alain Nahimana is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. Previously, he served as the Coordinator for the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC).
Alain brings his experience with community organizing and coalition building to foster collaboration, build partnernships, and advance the agenda for immigrant integration.
Photo Ops
11/16/18 Bits & Pieces
Our meeting of November 16th fell on the day of the first snowstorm of the season, so attendance was fairly sparse at The Clarion, with 30 members attending. The Clarion put out a beautiful spread for us, much to the delight of members such as Past President Don Zillman, who seems ready to load up for his next big road race. (see photo at right).
PP Russ Burleigh presented a very thoughtful invocation, telling a story that began when he was just 9 years old. His grandmother relayed the memory of hearing the news that “the president has been shot,” referring to the assassination of President Lincoln in April of 1865. Ninety-eight years later, Russ was working in Dallas and he and some of his co-workers excitedly watched as Air Force One came in on final approach over the parking lot of The Dallas Symphony office, close enough so that they could see the rivets on the wings. Twenty minutes later, the same group of office mates joyously watched as the motorcade whizzed by, with President and Jackie Kennedy waving to the excited crowds that had lined the route heading into the city. Within a half hour, Russ and his office mates were stunned by the announcement on the radio: “The president has been shot.” His mind raced back to his grandmother uttering those same words. This Thursday, as we enjoy cherished time with loved ones around a Thanksgiving feast, take a moment to remember where you were on November 22, 1963, when the face and hope of our nation was lost and Camelot came crumbling down.
PP Roxane Cole led our group in the pledge and PP Laura Young guided us through our National Anthem.
President John announced that our own Bob Clark received a prestigious award at the Day One dinner last week and that the award was presented by Rotarian Ralph Hendrix.
Terri St. Angelo gave an early update on the very successful Veteran’s Luncheon on November 9th at The Holiday Inn. While the two event leaders, Paul Tully and Charlie Frair, took some much-deserved time off, Terri headed to the podium to give us a few statistics: we served 217 veterans, 31 of their family members, 71 non-Rotarians, with 14 sponsors and 336 total attendees. With 77 volunteers, this event has now become one of the most recognized and powerful veteran events in all of New England. The final tallies on fund-raising, etc. will trickle in over the next few weeks, but suffice it to say that The Portland Rotary Club should be very, very proud of this accomplishment.
President John recognized Charlie and Paul for their fantastic leadership of the event. Also recognized were the Rotarians who started the Vets lunch 4 years ago - PP Peter Goffin and Mike Fortunato.
The District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee on the opioid crisis is now picking up steam. With a very well attended educational meeting in Wells last week, Jan Chapman was pleased to provide a brief background on the goals of this group, which has now attracted attention from Rotary International. Simply put, the goals are twofold: to save lives and to reduce the stigma of SUD (substance use disorder). With roughly 50 Rotarians and concerned citizens attending the meeting at York County Community College to receive training on the use of Naloxone (or Narcan), the drug that can aid in reversing the effects of an overdose, we can feel good about the beginning steps of this most imperative initiative. And, with another 16 students (this writer included) set to graduate from our second Rotary-sponsored “Recovery Coach Academy,” we are now set to really make a difference in this ongoing crisis that has affected so many families in Maine and beyond. Please speak with Jan, Bruce Moore, Gracie Johnston, Jesse Harvey or myself if you’d like to join in this most important work. And mark your calendars for November 29th, when the movie “Recovery Boys” will be shown at 4:45 at the Portland Museum of Art. (See separate article this issue)
PP Dick Hall was proud to offer a Paul Harris Fellowship Award to PP Bowen Depke, who proudly accepted his PHF+1 pin (with a sapphire!) on behalf of his ‘Circle of Five.’ These circles, along with sustaining members who pledge $100 per year, are the lifeblood of our club’s giving to this most important arm of Rotary. Please consider a gift or pledge as the year winds down.
Matt Tassey offered up $1267 to any Rotarian who could just get through two simple steps: have your name pulled from the can and then merely select the Queen of Hearts from a dwindling deck of cards. Well, Justin Lamontagne was able to get through the first of these steps but, when facing just eleven cards, we could see that his hand began to tremble and sweat quickly formed on his brow. He closed his eyes and, for a split second, he saw the unbridled joy on his children’s faces as they opened a thousand dollars in extra Christmas gifts. The image of squeals and warm hugs warmed Justin as he reached out.....but then, like the slap of the winter wind, reality hit and he held up the Three of Hearts. Justin, with a small tear running down his left cheek, went back and took his seat, satisfied with his chance at glory.
11/16/18 Kathie Summers-Grice, SMURFING: Substance Abuse
The irony of a cautionary message being delivered by our guest speaker Kathleen Summers-Grice, being accentuated, interrupted and eventually concluded by the Clarion alarm, couldn’t have been orchestrated any better. Lest the message was insufficiently promoted, given the interruption and storm depleted attendance. The bottom-line, simply stated, is the migration of the toxic stimulant methamphetamine is making its way south from Washington County and taking over Cumberland and York Counties. Of late, much of our attention is concentrated on containing the proliferation of heroin/opiate drugs and reducing the associated death statistics. As if the opiate tragedy is not enough of a fright, we now must be just as vigilant of the methamphetamine re-emergence. Meth addiction has shrunken from the public consciousness shadowed by the painful death count associated with tainted, high- powered heroin. It is not a stretch to say that we are fighting a two-pronged world war that demands a high intensity, well balanced attack if we have any chance of gaining some degree of control over our worldwide, powerful and well financed enemy.
Ms Grice is the principal of Eaton River Strategies, a consultant and public affairs firm, and has been contracted by the Consumer Healthcare Product Association. As the Association title suggests, they are interested in the retail distribution of common health care products, such as pseudoephedrine based cold medicines. The masses assume that the ingredients of over the counter medications are perfectly safe, if taken as instructed. However, there are certain components which can be repurposed to create distinctly different new products. The hallmark of the described re-formulation is methamphetamine, aka speed, crystal or just meth, derived from your common Sudafed cold medicine. Despite the infamy methamphetamine, it continues to be a scourge that captures too many. Given the popularity of the TV series, “Breaking Bad,” one might think that just about everyone is familiar with the power and implications of this high-powered stimulant. Nobody starts out thinking “today I want to get hooked on meth.” However, the allure of the drug as an energy enhancer is captivating. It seems that meth has a particularly powerful, if not unique, brain influence that hastens the likelihood of addiction and makes recovery a long and painful exercise.
The rate of addiction, long ago, caught the attention of the authorities and they began to crack down by trying to dry up the primary source of home cooked meth, i.e. the pseudoephedrine-based cold medicines. The drug manufacturers did not want the dispensing of such cold medicine to require a doctor’s prescription, so they worked with the Federal authorities to find a reasonable compromise. The compromise was to require that these cold meds be kept behind the pharmacist counter and to be signed for and tracked, to prevent the practice of purchasing multiple packages of the drug to distill into meth. The purchase of multiple packages for drug making purposes is called “smurfing” and those who make the buys are called smurfs and pick up cash for making the buys. The stipends for “smurfing” are relatively small in comparison to the big bucks the providers make, but are enough to get unknowing accomplices into the procurement process. When a young person of legal age is asked if they would like to “make a few bucks” by making a simple buy of a legal medication, they think nothing of it. The kids are not the only ones duped. Our speaker told of us of a middle aged, well educated friend who was asked by her son, who was studying overseas, to bring him some of his preferred cold medicine she thought nothing of it. When she went to the local pharmacy and asked for 10 packages of the cold medicine, she was alerted by the pharmacist that she ran the risk of going on the list sent to the Feds and could be incarcerated and fined.
While much of the methamphetamine illegally distributed in the U.S. comes from organized crime outside our borders, it still is cooked locally and requires “smurfing” in order to be successful. The manufacturing techniques, sad to say, are readily available on-line. The meth labs are danger zones and prone to fire and the toxic chemicals are easily transferred and can contaminate an entire home requiring thousands of dollars in remediation to make the building habitable. The residue of a meth cook is significantly troublesome to the public safety agencies in the area. It is so bad in some areas of the state that workers are told to avoid picking up Mountain Dew bottles since it is a tool of choice of makeshift labs. The simple lesson Ms. Grice is delivering is that smurfs may be cute, but Smurfing is a criminal activity and you will be prosecuted, so don’t buy more than your immediate personal needs.
(Photo L-R: Mike Fortunato, Kathie Summers-Grice, President John Curran and Matt Wolcott.)
Breaking News from the District Governor
District Governor John LoBosco is pleased to share with us that the Nominating Committee nominated Past President Dick Hall of The Rotary Club of Portland to be our District Governor in 2021-22. Dick first joined Rotary in 1984, when he followed his grandfather and father by joining The Rotary Club of Worcester, MA. Dick's father (age 96) and his uncle (age 86) are still members of that club. Dick's father served as Governor of District 7910 in 1987-88. Dick's sister and his daughter are Rotarians in our District's Westbrook-Gorham and Portland Sunrise clubs. Keep an eye out for the District Newsletter in December, when Dick's nomination will be formally announced (as our Bylaws require) and some of Dick's extensive Rotary resume will be shared at that time. Please join us in congratulating Dick on his nomination and thank him for his willingness to serve. |
MORE Photos Corner
11/09/18 Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
She arrived in a bus with a group of others from the Veterans Home in Scarborough, hunched over in her wheelchair, the clear oxygen lead clipped under her nose almost obliterated by her smile and bright eyes. Clear, bright blue eyes that drew you down to talk to her. Her handshake gripped you firmly in her soft hand. “Thank you for having us,” she said after I parked her at a table and helped her get situated. Her name was Norma Merrill, a veteran of World War II, who continued to smile as she told her story. She coded and decoded messages for the Navy in a job so secret that not only was she escorted to and from work, no one, not even her family, knew what her wartime task was until the Department of Defense finally declassified the war five years ago. “I knew the war was over when I sent out the messages about the Battle of the Bulge,” she said. Stationed in Europe, she had a special story to tell if she was captured, along with a song to sing to make the enemy think she was crazy. “They told me to sing dum diddy dum diddy dum dum,” she laughed. When I told Norma I had been drafted into the Army during Vietnam, she said, “You poor boys, sent over there to fight. Oh, I prayed for all of you.”
The Holiday Inn By-the-Bay was filled with stories last Friday from veterans who served in every conflict since World War I, the war said to end all wars, the cessation of which, Armistice Day, formed the foundation of our current Veterans Day observance. Charlie Frair and Paul Tully led a team of Portland Rotarians who organized the largest Veterans Day luncheon ever sponsored by the club, with over 75 Rotarians who volunteered to implement the well-planned event. The Holiday Inn staff set enough tables to serve 328 guests, and extra chairs were set up for more.
President John Curran welcomed television personality Erin Ovalle (pictured at right) to manage the ceremonies;
Denny Breau (pictured at left) provided music for the packed room;
the colors were presented by the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines (pictured at right);
World War II Marine veteran Past President Bob Traill (pictured at left) led the Pledge of Allegiance; Kathy Grammer, assisted by trumpeter Betty Rines, directed the National Anthem; and Colonel Andrew Gibson, Senior Army Chaplain of the Maine National Guard, offered the invocation.
Gulf War vet Past President Kris Rosado saluted fallen comrades with a moving toast, while describing the special "Fallen Soldier" table (pictured at right) set up to honor those who gave their lives in battle.
Mayor Ethan Strimling (pictured at left) extended appreciation to veterans on behalf of the City of Portland and recognized several elected members of the Legislature and City Council, including our own Erik Jorgensen. Representatives of a variety of organizations who provide services and assistance to veterans were also invited to stand and be recognized, several of whom the Club has acknowledged with financial contributions.
Past President Russ Burleigh conducted the audience in the traditional rendition of the Armed Forces Medley, with veterans from each service standing as their military branch’s song was sung.
Major General John W. Libby (Ret.), Maine National Guard, thanked the Club for its “marvelous expression” of gratitude, and also recognized family members who were left at home when veterans deployed. “There are family sacrifices,” he said, “when the duties of four hands are taken up by two hands.” He added, “if you really want to thank a veteran, engage with the organizations that serve veterans.” Gen. Libby also pointed out that while Veterans Day celebrates the 6.6 percent of the U.S. population who have served in the military, over twelve percent of Mainers have been in the armed forces.
Captain Jonathan D. Bratten (pictured at right), Command Historian of the Maine National Guard helped put into perspective the service of Maine men and women in the armed forces, especially the 34,000 Mainers who served in World War I, with an interesting presentation focused on that war. He said that the WWI generation needed to be seen as an inspiration for all of us. “They knew we needed to be ready to serve,” he said. “But may we not be needed.”
“Thank you so much,” Norma said when lunch was over and I wheeled her to her bus to go back to Scarborough. “You don’t know how much this means to us.” Yeah, Norma, I think I do. Dum diddy, dum diddy, dum dum.
Special Letter from Senator Angus King
*11/16/18 Kathie Summers-Grice, Smurfing: Substance Abuse
Kathleen Summers-Grice is the founder of Eaton River Strategies, a full-service public affairs and consulting company offering clients strategic guidance on corporate and political initiatives since 2006. Ms. Summers has over 30 years of experiences in politics and public affairs in New England.
As founder of Eaton River Strategies, Ms. Summers-Grice has developed and implemented strategic grassroots campaigns, earned media initiatives and grasstops engagement in every New England state, for clients such as Verizon, Pfizer, AARP, Delta Airlines, Ford Motor Company, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Nationally, she has also helped clients such as AARP develop cutting edge engagement programs. Her work in designing and implementing AARP’s 2016 voter engagement campaign, “Take a Stand”, made her a finalist for Campaigns and Elections Reed Award for the best public affairs campaign that year.
Before founding Eaton River Strategies, Ms. Summers served as the New England Representative for the United States Department of Labor. Sworn into this position in 2003, she acted as Secretary Chao’s Regional Representative, serving as the primary liaison between the Department of Labor and elected officials, stakeholder groups, and state labor officials. She has also been at the center of Republican politics as the Deputy Political Director for Fred Thompson’s 2008 Presidential campaign, and a consultant on numerous gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial campaigns.
In 2005 she was tapped by the International Republican Institute to provide political training to elected officials in Morocco as part of their Democracy in Training Program. In 2012 she was recognized by Campaigns and Elections as one of their top 500 including being one of the top political operatives in New England.
Kathleen graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree in American History in 1987 and with a master’s degree in American History in 1989. She is from Upton, Massachusetts and now lives in Cumberland, Maine with her husband Roy.
*11/09/18 4th Annual Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
The cost for all other attendees is $25.
11/02/18 Bits & Pieces
With a busy agenda slated for the meeting, President John Curran began the proceedings by welcoming 46 members, along with 5 guests, then inviting PP Cyrus Hagge (Photo at right) to provide the Invocation. With our Veterans' Appreciation Lunch planned for next Friday, Cyrus read a solemn poem by Arlo Guthrie, “When A Soldier Makes It Home.” It was followed with a moment of silence and reflection, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Meredith Small led us in “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee.”
Three bites into lunch and President John was back at the podium! He welcomed 5 guests, recognized 5 birthdays, and 12 Portland Rotarians who “joined in November” anniversaries. Hats off to PP Bob Traill who has notched the longest run, serving Portland Rotary for the past 38 years.
Rusty Atwood introduced Victoria Caron, Dir. Of Guidance at Cheverus HS, to tell us about our Youth Service Award recipient, Nina Lee. Described as “driven, gregarious, strong, a leader,” Nina was twice Class president, a varsity athlete in soccer and swimming, a Key Club member, and a very active community volunteer, including 264 hours alone at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Nina’s goal is to someday be a cardio-vascular surgeon.
Terri St. Angelo (Photo at right L-R: Amy Chipman and Terri St. Angelo) conducted the weekly raffle with $1222 on the line. 1st VP Amy Chipman had the honors of having her name drawn, but the 7 of Clubs offers no pay day, so the pursuit of the Queen of Hearts continues.
Charlie Frair is in countdown mode for next Friday's Veterans lunch. Plenty of good news to rally around – over $15k raised so far, 72 volunteers ready to serve – both new records. We could use some more early set-up volunteers. If you are helping – be on time! With the event at the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay, parking will be an issue due to another large event at the venue at the same time, so try to carpool if possible. Bring $25 cash or check, limit the need to make change. Ceremonies start at 12noon. 283 registered so far, and we’ll stop at 330.
Gracie Johnston reminded us of the several important upcoming events. On Nov 15th 5:00-6:30 pm, there will be an “Overdose Recognition and Response” class at York Community College. On Nov 21st we will supply, cook, and serve a Thanksgiving lunch at St. Vincent dePaul Church, Portland. Always a meaningful event, we had over 50 Rotarians involved last year. Sign up sheets are out on the tables. Set up starts 8:00 am, lunch at 10:30am.
Gracie then introduced Leslie Smart, Exec. Dir. at Portland Recovery Community Center, and presented her with a $500 check to help keep the center open on Thanksgiving Day. (Photo at right L-R: Leslie Smart and Gracie Johnston.) The center opened in 2012, an independent non-profit. It does not provide treatment; its purpose is to provide peer support. 24-100 people per day visit and participate in a wide range of activities. There are meetings with recovery coaches, all volunteers. Many volunteers have personally been in recovery, imparting what they’ve learned in their journey. Leslie shared that she has been in recovery since 1989, and that nationally 23 million are on that same path, with another 22 million estimated who need help. Everything is free, and though there is a state contract, there is a strong reliance on donations. She thanked Rotary for their increasing support and recruitment of new coaches. (See separate article regarding this subject.)
Final items came from President John, including news from Gus Karlson that Portland Rotary has again won the Club Service Trophy at the MS Regatta!
Ralph Hendrix donated courtside seats to our raffle to help World Polio Day. $510 raised from raffle, triple matched by the Gates Foundation for a total of $1530.
We finished by all sending “Best Wishes!” to our David Smith, who is rehabbing at home after surgery. Speedy recovery David!
11/02/18 L. Sandy Maisel, Political Predictions
Rusty Atwood (L-R in photo at left: Rusty Atwood and L. Sandy Maisel) gave an extensive introduction of our speaker so we were all very aware of his background and expertise in the field of political analysis. When he took the podium, Portland Rotary was again treated to the insights of Colby professor and noted author, L. Sandy Maisel. Sandy started by telling us he was surprised to be invited back after so many of his predictions in 2016 did not come true. He did remind us several times, that even if there is a significant chance of winning, there is still insignificant chances of losing.
Sandy discussed the present Republican majority in the House and the expected changes in the upcoming election. Based on a review of history, he told us not to expect a large change after the midterms, as the predictions are that 27-44 seats will change, leaving the house with a Democratic majority of four seats. He explained that there are two basic theories in this election, the first being it is a referendum on Donald Trump and the second being a typical reversion to the mean, from the extremes. Key issues in the election are Trump, health care & drug prices, immigration, taxes and jobs. Depending on the location in the country, the priority shifts dramatically.
Trump’s strategy of supporting senators in areas he was strong, is a perfectly rational strategy and has a strong chance of resulting in a Republican Senate, thereby giving him the ability to claim he was the reason for the win. Trump probably realizes that Republicans cannot hold the House, and he does not want to be associated with a loss.
Sandy told us that the Democrats have an 87% chance of winning the House and the Republicans have an 86% chance of winning the Senate. He again cautioned that this means there is a 1 in 7 chance that either of those predictions will be wrong. Democrats are in trouble in the Senate because small states have equal power to big states, and small rural states poll as having immigration and the Kavanaugh nomination being top issues for them. Trump campaigning on those issues will probably be a winning strategy.
Most of the current political prognosticators are giving House predictions of 204 wins for Democrats, 197 wins for Republicans and 34 races still considered toss-ups. The expectation is that Democrats will win a few more toss-ups, resulting in taking control of the House. Sandy’s prediction is the Democrats will win the House by 10 and the Republicans will end with 53 in the Senate.
Sandy moved on to the governors races, which he predicted will move toward the Democrats, with potential major changes in Alabama and Florida. He told us that the reason that governors races are important is that the states control the creation of districts. Gerrymandering, manipulating the electoral boundaries to favor one party, has become a very significant factor in elections. It creates winning districts, and also tends to increase polarization of the electorate. With a 2020 census, districts will be redrawn by the governors elected this time.
(Photo L-R: Rusty Atwood, L. Sandy Maisel and President John Curran.)
Substance Recovery Initiative
HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO AN OPIATE/HEROIN OVERDOSE
A call to action for all Rotarians: The Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee in partnership with the City of Portland Public Health Division’s Overdose Prevention Project, is pleased to announce an opportunity for Rotarians in District 7780 to be trained in Recognizing and Responding to an Opiate/Heroin Overdose on Thursday, November 15, 2018, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Pratt & Whitney Building, Hannaford Hall on the Wells YCCC Campus.
Rotarians will learn about the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder and will be trained in how to recognize the signs of an overdose, how to perform first-aid, as well as how to administer Naloxone (the drug which reverses the affects of opioids). Naloxone will be on hand to give out to those who attend. The goal of this training is not only for life-saving purposes, it will hopefully help reduce the stigma attached to those with substance use disorder. Please click on this link to RSVP, or email me at the email address* below. https://doodle.com/poll/8uq5tf95utm5bimy
Anyone with questions or requests for additional information is urged to contact Chief Bob MacKenzie at the Kennebunk Police Department, 207-604-1339 or email*: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us
NOTE: We are planning a similar program in Portland on 1/24/19 at 6pm. Details to follow.
10/26/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran brought the meeting to order, welcoming 49 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest. Gracie Johnston gave the invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic song were initiated by those present at President John’s request .
PP Dick Hall and 1st VP Amy Chipman were up at the podium to pick this year’s “Circles of Five” winners, and those selected will receive the Paul Harris Fellow during a future meeting. Of note, Amy was asked to pick a ticket for her “Circle of Five” and she declined to pick out of conflict of interest. It was fitting that Amy’s name was selected anyways.
Matt Wolcott introduced Mark Foster as the newest member to the Portland Rotary Club. Mark works for the People’s United Bank. He was asked by Matt to speak about his links to Rotary. After a brief introduction about himself, Mark said that he looks forward to working with the Club members on our various projects. Please introduce yourselves to Mark Foster in the coming months.
Charlie Frair discussed the need for volunteers for the upcoming Veterans’ luncheon where over 300 people are expected. Of note, the veterans that have signed up have expressed great interest in hearing the speakers. If you plan to volunteer and have not done so, please provide your name to Charlie Frair. He asks that volunteers arrive at 10 am before the lunch for training. Please check the Club’s website for more information.
PP Larry Gross ran the weekly raffle for a shot at over $1,000. With less than 13 cards remaining, Larry verified the Queen of Hearts was still in the deck. 3H’s ticket was drawn, however, the Queen of Hearts was elusive and she remains in the deck.
Mike Reed discussed the Club’s general fund shortfall, and described how a fundraiser to get more funds into the Club is needed. Mike and others believe that donations from other fundraising events previously earmarked for outside uses, should not be allocated to run the Club’s day-to-day expenses, and that the shortfall should appropriately be made up from the members. Please send Mike your thoughts for a fundraiser at: mreed0729@hotmail.com.
*11/02/18 L. Sandy Maisel, Colby College
L. Sandy Maisel is the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government, past chair of the Department of Government (for 20 years), and founding director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College, where he has taught since 1971. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books (several in multiple editions), including most recently Trumping Ethical Norms: Teachers, Preachers, Pollsters and the Media Respond to Donald Trump and American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction and Evaluating Campaign Quality: Can the Electoral Process Be Improved?
From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary chronicled Maisel’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress from Maine. His published articles have appeared in many political science journals and anthologies, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the Legislative Studies Quarterly.
Maisel has served as president of the New England Political Science Association, twice a member of the Council of the American Political Science Association, and chair of the APSA’s research sections that focus on Political Organizations and Parties and on Legislative Studies. He has twice been awarded Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer grants, has been a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia, at Harvard University, and at Stanford University.
Maisel and his wife, Patrice Franko, who is the Grossman Professor of Economics, Professor of Global Studies and current director of the Goldfarb Center at Colby, live in Rome, ME.
10/26/18 Brit Vitalius, Affordable Housing in Portland
Brit Vitalius, owner of Vitalius Real Estate Group and one of the state’s leading experts on the multi-family housing market, shared his observations and research on this real estate segment. He noted that housing challenges in Portland have brought out tensions in the community, particularly with those threatened by growth. Vitalius said that the combination of forces affecting real estate are challenging the region’s leadership to have a regional conversation about housing. According to Vitalius, these forces are the new tax code; interest rates, condo conversions, local regulations, affordable housing, and NIMBY opposition to development, particularly to proposed affordable housing units.
Using a presentation he recently made to the Maine Real Estate and Development Association (MEREDA), Vitalius detailed the rapid growth in the multi-family market, and observed that he believed that the market may be reaching the high point of the growth curve because he sees some cooling off of pricing. The bulk of the market is comprised of 2, 3, or 4-unit buildings. The median price for this market product in the East End (Munjoy Hill) is $650,000; in the West End, it’s $520,000. “Off the peninsula, it’s $395,000,” he said. Vitalius said that cap rates have remained steady as rents have increased. (The cap rate is a metric used in commercial real estate which reflects the ratio of net operating income to a property’s asset value—divide the operating income by the building’s sale price—and demonstrates the projected annual return on a real estate investment.)
Vitalius also said that the buyers of these properties tend to be varied, but the numbers of out-of-state buyers are less than is commonly thought. He said that the number of projected developments in Portland is much less than those planned outside of Portland. He said that investors outside of the city are much more patient. As the market levels off, he expects rents to remain close to what they are now, but still be affected by housing shortages. Current average rents in Portland apartments range from $900 per month for a studio space, to $1100 for a 1-bedroom, to $1,350 for a 2-bedroom, topped by 3-bedroom space at $1,500. As rents level off, Vitalius said that Section 8 subsidies have caught up with rent increases.
Vitalius said that critical keys to growth in the Portland area include a serious conversation about affordability, solutions to the region’s public transportation problems, and new approaches to the issue of housing density—and building height—in Portland.
10/19/18 Rotary District Governor John LoBosco
District Governor John LoBosco joined us on Friday, October 19 at the italian Heritage Center to bring us up to date on happenings in our sprawling District 7780, which extends from greater Portland through the New Hampshire Seacoast region, and into northeastern Massachusetts. Three months into his year of service, DG John has been focusing on refining the district’s strategic plan and promoting the many good works being conducted by clubs.
The plan, which was developed following input at “visioning sessions” held across the district, focuses on four areas: public image, membership, collaboration, and leadership.
John noted that in the past year, our district membership has increased, which is good news. Currently the membership stands at about 1600. He is hoping to see that number ramp up to and pass 2000 and is urging clubs to shoot for 10% growth per year. This is a figure which has to be higher in fact, to offset the fact that Rotarians age and move. And while he did admit that the average Rotarian age is on the older side, he hastened to note that Rotarians tend to live longer. No joke.
The challenges facing Rotary membership development are not unique in a world that is apparently moving faster than in the past. Lions Clubs and Kiwanis for example, are experiencing similar challenges. He spoke of some inter-club cooperative projects that have been successful and urged members to think broadly about how best to serve, even if it requires consorting with Lions.
The District is promoting “Little Free Libraries,” those small “leave-one-take-one” book kiosks that have sprouted up in recent years. He believes that every club should consider installing and maintaining one of them. He is considering an interclub construction project, whereby clubs could join forces on a weekend and build a bunch of them together.
He had good things to say about many of the club projects being undertaken in Portland and elsewhere, noting “Crutches4Africa,” “Hearts and Hands” and the new work that started in our club around finding ways to address the opioid use disorder crisis, among others. He also spoke about the rise of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). Watch for a new interactive map of international projects from the district on the Rotary7780.org website, with the goal of sharing expertise, best practices, and collaboration.
Finally, he announced a special district conference to occur next spring, a family picnic in June at Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth. There will be kite flying, kids’ events, and a glimpse of the new Children’s Garden at the park, which the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary club has been involved in developing. Stay tuned for more information on that event.
(Photo L-R: District Governor John LoBosco, President John Curran and Assistant Governor Bill Anderson.)
10/19/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran brought the meeting to order by welcoming 50 members and 4 visiting Rotarians to the Italian Heritage Center. David Small (photo at right) gave a baseball Invocation as his and the club's prayer to help the Red Sox in their quest to win the World Series. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ben Millick, followed by "My Country Tis of Thee" started from the audience.
Visiting Rotarians included District Governor John LoBosco, Tom Roberts and Assistant Governor Bill Anderson. Guests included Sheriff William King and first lady of the District, Sue LoBosco.
Sheriff William King (photo at left - on left with President John Curran) gave a presentation on his recent training at the Recovery Academy. He started by telling us he began using the term Substance Abuse Disorder, but through the training realized the term 'Substance Use Disorder' was more appropriate and the correct term to use. He told us of the wide range of attendees, many of whom had struggled with past drug use themselves. He said attendees included social workers, spiritual people, public employees, and people who wanted to help a loved one and the community. William told us what occurred on each of the seven days of training, including some of the surprises for him along the way. He was totally in support of the training, and put his to work shortly after when trying to help a nephew who was struggling. William provided support, then connected to another support person, who was better able to connect with his nephew.
PP Dick Hall, with the help of DG LoBosco, awarded three Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). The first two were to PP Kris Rosado, PHF #5 (PHF +4) as he was the winner picked from the #4 Circle of Five. He was awarded PHF +5 for a personal contribution, awarding a PHF to a Rotarian in Germany who hosted Kris’s family. PP Bill Blount was awarded PHF +8, which is a striking pin with three rubies. Bill has made regular contributions himself, and also has had matching support from his previous employer.
(Photo above L-R: PP Kris Rosado, PP Dick Hall, PP Bill Blount and DG John LoBosco.)
David Ertz conducted the weekly raffle and DG LoBosco pulled Bruce Moore’s ticket. Alas, Bruce pulled a black jack, so no win.
(Photo above L-R: Bruce Moore, President John Curran and David Erzt.)
Paul Tully (photo at right) told us that 170 have already preregistered for the Veteran’s lunch for Nov. 9th at the HIBTB. He encouraged all Rotarians to preregister and we are expecting 400 and need a count. He told us we will have an excellent program, and Rotarians can feel free to donate to support the effort.
Joe Reagen (photo at left) asked us all to think about what it feels to give to others. Then he told us that the Long Creek Youth Center teens got that feeling when they prepared a dinner for the Rotarian volunteers. The teens decorated their space and prepared dinner. The teens got the good feeling of giving and the Rotarians felt appreciated.
President John announced a teaser. The New Mainer Task Force committee met today, before the meeting. They are looking at several opportunities to serve and plan to come forward to the club soon.
PP Bill Blount was surprised to be asked to lead us in song. In keeping with David Small, he led us in a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
*10/26/18 Brit Vitalius, Affordable Housing in Portland
As the founder of Vitalius Real Estate Group and Designated Broker, Brit Vitalius has been representing buyers and sellers of multi-unit investments since 2004. He established the firm in 2011 to provide a full complement of residential, multi-family and commercial brokerage services to clients.
An active member of the community, Brit is a yearly presenter at the Maine Real Estate and Development Association’s Annual Forecast Conference for the multi-unit sector, and he is a leader and advocate in the landlord community. Brit is in his fourth term as President of the Southern Maine Landlord Association, a group which seeks to keep landlords up-to-date on important issues, trends and regulations. In the wake of the 2015 Noyes Street Fire, Brit became an active participant in multi-unit fire safety issues, and he was asked to serve on Portland’s Fire Safety Task Force. He is also a member of the Board of Maine Listings and personally owns and manages multi-unit investments in Portland and Yarmouth.
10/12/18 Tara Jenkins, IDEXX
At last Friday’s meeting, we were all asked to find one of the “post-it” notes on our tables and write down what we knew about the company “IDEXX.” I wrote “pet pharmaceuticals”….my father, sitting next to me wrote, “I have no idea.” Tara Jenkins then spent the next 30 minutes providing some much-needed clarity to me, my father and the rest of the Portland Rotary Club.
Founded in 1983, this now 2 billion-dollar business employs over 8000 people in several countries, with over 3200 of them in Westbrook, Maine. Despite my own son being hired as an intern this past summer, I was surprised to learn that they do not make pet medications, but rather focus on the development of tests and testing equipment that are used by veterinarians and other providers throughout our pet-loving world. With 98% of homes treating pets like family, the race to keep these “fur babies” living longer lives is on. 221 patents show the extent of the efforts by the amazing folks at IDEXX to keep on the leading edge of this ever-burgeoning industry. And, of course, to attract the talented research and development scientists, the IDEXX “lifestyle” is made to be very attractive, with a gorgeous new facility, which is set to expand with 800 new employees in Westbrook by 2020, offering dining, a gym and various clubs, as well as providing employees paid time off for community service opportunities.
IDEXX, despite 87% of their work going toward pets, also works on testing for clean water, as well as diagnostic equipment to keep our livestock healthy. With 39% of product sales to foreign nations, their ever-expanding efforts are truly becoming global.
As STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students continue to matriculate world-wide, there seems to be some amazing possibilities right here in our own back yard for not only well-paying employment but to join IDEXX in their efforts to become “a place of purpose, innovation and opportunity.”
(Photo L-R: Pete DeWitt, Tara Jenkins and President John Curran.)
10/12/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran welcomed 48 members and 1 guest to last Friday's meeting. PP Russ Burleigh offered a thought-provoking poem as the invocation. The poem, entitled “Autumn,” was written in 1866 by an American poet, whose identity remained a mystery until Russ gave us enough clues to realize that the composer was Portland’s own Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Tom Ranello led us in the Pledge to the American Flag and Meredith Small led us in an a cappella rendition of “My Country Tis of Thee.”
It was reported to us that member David Smith suffered a minor stroke on October 6th and is recovering in New England Rehab. Most members of the club signed a card and we were encouraged to pay an afternoon visit to room 119A. Get well David!
PP Jim Willey introduced our newest member, Major Rhonda Ferreira (in photo at left), who is a member of the Salvation Army. Rhonda and her husband, who is soon to retire from the Army, live in Old Orchard and have a 15 year-old son. She is a past member of the Red Bank, NY Rotary Club, so she’s a veteran of “Service Above Self.”
Paul Tully (photo at right), Charlie Frair, Bruce Jones and so many others are working diligently on the organization of our annual Veteran’s Day luncheon, set for November 9th at noon at The Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. With over 100 folks already registered, we’re off to a great start but, with over 400 people expected, it is imperative that you pre-register on our Rotary website. The cost to veteran’s, as always, is free of charge, while the cost for others is $25. Last year, we had over 60% of the club volunteer the day of the event and the club needs your help again, so please do sign up to help. With two powerful speakers expected, this will once again be an excellent event so please plan on attending. Also, Bruce Jones is working to obtain sponsors, so if you know of an individual or business that may want to participate, please contact Bruce: bjones@cop-inc.com or 650-3773.
PP Kris Rosado (at left) has been working with the United States Service Academies, most specifically West Point, in getting qualified young people accepted for these prestigious positions. If you know of a young high school student who may have some interest, please connect him/her with Kris so that he can explain the requirements for consideration. Contact: krisrosado67@gmail.com or 443-257-7523
Gracie Johnston (at right), donning her very appropriate Red Sox jacket, took to the podium to offer up several opportunities to volunteer within the local community. On October 24th, there is a need for helpers at Preble Street, followed by a Recovery Coach Academy on the 27th, with classes at USM on Saturdays thereafter until certification is complete (see separate article this issue). And it’s not too early to be thinking about our annual St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen opportunity the day before Thanksgiving, on November 21st. And lastly, start getting your warm clothing ready so you can participate in our annual bell-ringing for The Salvation Army in December.
Rusty Atwood, with Jan Chapman (at left), had a chance to have a very nice (and wealthy) weekend, but could not draw the elusive Queen of Hearts for our weekly raffle. The pot thickens!
Liz Fagan offered more than just the banner of the Wakefield, Rhode Island Rotary Club from the podium, instead announcing that this club of a childhood friend would be joining our efforts in the 3H project. With this addition, we now have clubs from Maine, Rhode Island, Alaska, Florida and Oregon involved in our efforts to help those less fortunate in the Dominican Republic and beyond.
*10/19/18 District Governor John LoBosco
Our Rotary District Governor John LoBosco joined the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in 2005 and served as its President in 2010-11. He served on the club’s board for six years and as an Assistant Governor in the Portland area from 2013-2016.
He enjoys working with clubs on long-term planning. His favorite Rotary event every year is the Rotary Christmas tree and wreath sale at Mill Creek Park in South Portland.
John is an attorney at Unum Life Insurance Company of America in Portland. He is a graduate of Cornell University and Georgetown University Law Center.
John resides in Cape Elizabeth with his wife, Sue (an adoption social worker).
Second Recovery Coach Academy
Sessions started October 27 and are held at USM. We are hoping to get a few Rotarians to do this training and become recovery coaches.
This training is free and open to anyone who wants to participate and help those dealing with substance use disorder. We encourage Rotarians to please share this opportunity with others you know who might be good candidates.
To register, go to: https://goo.gl/bcKuROeutmspR7zw1For more information, contact: Jesse Harvey at (207) 874-2141 x5031 or email at: jesse@journeyhousemaine.com
Details are below:
10/05/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran opened the meeting and called on Bruce Jones for the invocation, which focused on mastering civility – an especially important topic in our current political climate. After the Pledge of Allegiance, PP Russ Burleigh led us with the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner." President John introduced visiting guests and Rotarians and also made note of the June Rotarian birthdays and anniversaries in the club. (Russ pointed out that it was his 80th birthday – and Bob Traill was heard to call him just a young whipper-snapper.)
President John (photo at right) introduced our newest member: Marissa Fortier. Marissa comes from Saco and is the Deputy Director for the Michael Phelps Foundation. Welcome to the club!
The Raffle was conducted by Patty Erickson and Mike Reed (photo at left) won the chance at the prize by drawing the lucky queen of hearts. Unfortunately for him, Mike drew the 5 of clubs. Good try.
Charlie Frair (Photo at right) then spoke about the Veterans Appreciation Lunch coming up on November 9th at the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay. Replete with slides and handouts, Charlie made clear that the rationale behind the Veterans’ Appreciation Luncheon is as follows:
The purpose of the Annual Veterans’ Appreciation Luncheon is to honor, appreciate, acknowledge and thank Veterans for the military service to our country.
The excellent handout listed the intentions of the luncheon, the actions needed to fulfill the overall purpose, and the goals of this year’s luncheon as well as the 5-year goals of the luncheon. It’s abundantly clear that Charlie, his committee and all the volunteers have a clear focus and keen understanding of why this project is important to Veterans, our Rotary club, and the community at large. Hats off to all the hard-working Rotarians and volunteers who have made this project so successful!
Bob Clark (photo at left) spoke about the 10th Annual Kids & Claws Dinner to be held Tuesday, October 30th at the Portland Expo. This is a time for everyone to meet the Maine Red Claws and even shoot some hoops. Proceeds benefit the Boy & Girls Club, so contact Bob or go online for more information.
First VP Amy Chipman (photo at right) spoke about the recent invitation by District Governor John LoBosco to attend a Special District Assembly to discuss Foundation, Membership, and International Service Opportunities. It is scheduled for November 3rd at Husson University in Westbrook and the cost is free. All Rotarians are welcome. (see separate article this issue.)
Imogen Fullager (photo at left) was in town on a tour of Maine partially sponsored by her Rotary Club in Tasmania. A Social Economist by training, she has been working lately on issues relating to aquaculture, especially sea urchins. She contends that since Tasmania and Maine have opposite summers and similar marine resources, it might be possible to develop a fishery that could provide a steady year-round supply of a product by taking advantage of the alternate growing seasons in the hemispheres. Her visit to Maine has taken her from Portland to Augusta to Lubec, and included time hosted by both PP Bowen Depke and Erik Jorgensen.
And last but not least, President John pointed out to the club that Portland Rotary has had 7 members of our club go on to become District Governor. This was just a preamble to his announcement that PP Dick Hall (photo at right) has thrown his hat in the ring to become a District Governor. In order to become a District Governor, the member must be recommended by his or her own club and so after politely asking Dick to step outside, the club voted unanimously to approve Dick’s application. Good luck Dick in becoming the 8th member of Portland Rotary to hold this esteemed position!
10/05/18 Patricia Quinn and Jennifer Crosby, AMTRAK
On Friday, we had an update on passenger rail in Maine from Patricia Quinn, the executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. She was joined by her colleague Jennifer Crosby, and together they told the story of the rail-based success story that is the Downeaster.
The Downeaster has steadily become more central as an element of the region’s transportation infrastructure. Ticket revenues have been outpacing cost increases, and this last summer marked the first time that income has exceeded a million dollars for a single month. 75,000 visitors to Maine have arrived here by train in the past year, enjoying the recently refurbished cars.
Trains always require subsidy in order to be feasible, and the Downeaster is currently recovering 52% of its $23 million annual costs in fares. This puts the train among the most economically competitive passenger lines in the Amtrak system, where it also garners some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any route. Most of the operational funds come from the Federal government.
The Downeaster has been shown to have a positive economic effect on both ends of the line, from Thompson’s Point concerts to the Boston Garden, where the last northbound departure of the day is often pushed back to accommodate a late game, making the train a viable option for Maine-based sports fans. In addition, the line is making efforts to promote travel within the state. A new “Discover Maine Ticket” is available that provides 10 trips between any Maine stations for just nineteen dollars. There are also more people taking advantage of the train in commuting to Portland from southern Maine.
Our speakers remarked on several innovations that have come online recently, including a new layover facility in Brunswick and siding improvements near Yarmouth. Both of these have opened the door for a better schedule and more runs to service the towns north of Portland. The train is aiming to reach Rockland at some point, but that remains in the future.
Another possibility in the future is a mini-link to Westbrook, featuring light rail cars that could run from “Becky’s Diner to the Kohl’s plaza in Westbrook in 10 minutes”. Such a spur could feed the Amtrak station at Thompson’s point, while also easing congestion on one of the most crowded corridors in the state.
At the end of a lively series of questions from the audience, our own Jerry Angier made a pitch for the volunteers who serve as “train hosts,” helping with onboard customer service between Portland and Boston.
(Photo L-R: Linda Varrell, Patricia Quinn, Jennifer Crosby and President John Curran.)
*10/12/18 Tara Jenkins, IDEXX
Tara Jenkins is responsible for the team that defines and implements the key experiences and practices that will attract employees to IDEXX and keep them highly engaged and retained. Her team drives the employee engagement strategy, the strategic talent planning process, the employee value proposition, corporate social responsibility, talent planning & assessment, the IDEXX performance experience, the IDEXX competency framework, innovative talent product development and deployment using business product management methodologies, talent analytics, and employee marketing and communications.
Prior to joining IDEXX, Tara worked in all areas of the HR discipline with increasing levels of leadership responsibility. After graduating from Cornell University with an Industrial and Labor Relations degree, Tara began her career in a large investment management company, The Capital Group Companies, based in California. Over the past 20 years she has worked in a variety of industries, including head of HR at one of the largest regional law firms in the Northeast US and at a national environmental engineering firm. While at IDEXX over the past five years she has been a Senior HR Business Partner, the leader of Total Rewards and Communications, and the HR leader for the international business, working in the Netherlands. She received her master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership while working at IDEXX.
Special District Assembly
Invitation from District Governor John LoBosco to join a Special District Assembly to discuss Foundation, Membership, and International Service Opportunities and Strategies!
WHO: All Rotarians are welcome! We are hoping, in particular, for a good turnout from Club Foundation, Membership, and International Service chairs.
WHEN: Saturday morning, November 3, 2018 from 8 a.m. until 12 noon.
WHERE: Husson University, 340 County Road, Westbrook, Maine.
COST: FREE
REGISTRATION: We need you to register so we know how many to expect. The venue can seat up to 135 people, so we will have a waiting list after we reach that number. Please register ASAP by either going to the District 7780 home page (under Events and Registration) or by going directing to https://rotary7780.org/event/joint-foundation---membership-seminar.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Julia Phelps, former Rotary International Director and current Foundation Trustee will share insights into current happenings in Evanston regarding the Foundation. Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, Greg Roche, also will join us to connect with you and explain how he can be a valuable resource for us.
AGENDA:
8:00 - 8:30 Social (coffee and muffins)
8:30 - 9:00 Julia Phelps, "A Week in the Life of a Foundation Trustee"
9:00 - 10:30 Joint Session
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 12:00 Breakouts
The first half of the morning will be a joint session with presentations on the Foundation and Membership. After a break, we will have three concurrent breakouts: Foundation, Membership, and International Service. The International Service breakout will focus on opportunities for Rotarians to travel abroad to engage in hands-on service. On the Foundation side, we will be talking about District Grants, Global Grants, Polio Plus, the Peace Scholars Program, the Annual Fund, and Major Gifts. As for Membership, we’ll be discussing strategies to achieve our Governor’s challenge to increase membership throughout the district by at least 5% this year. We will have plenty of time for questions and dialogue among the participants.
This is a great opportunity to roll-up your sleeves and connect with your colleagues from around our district to learn and share. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information, contact the event chair, Lawrence Furbish at 207-490-6840, lkfurbish@mac.com.
09/28/18 Catherine Menyhart, Making Space, LLC
PP Roxane Cole welcomed our guest speaker for the day, Catherine Menyhart, Founder of Making Space, LLC. The daughter of a Rotarian father, Catherine was introduced early on to “Service Above Self,” remembering all too well selling Christmas trees on chilly nights. It was also thru Rotary that she was treated to intercultural experiences as a very young girl. At the age of 2, her family hosted their first international exchange student, the first of 25 that Catherine would come to know in her home. Learning, and understanding, different cultures, would become a devotion that she now shares, teaches and coaches on a professional level.
What do you think of when you think of “culture.” The audience volunteered words such as people, language, customs, music, traditions, values, education, clothing, food. Catherine agreed, and then noted that all of these items are still just the tip of the iceberg, that there is so much you don’t see below the surface that makes understanding different cultures so fascinating and challenging.
Catherine set forth a series of propositions.
First: “A shared set of values, norms, behaviors and practices held and expressed by a particular group of people.”
With an American father and British mother, Catherine noted that most people would say, “What’s the difference?” In fact, it was considerable. Her father was an advocate of the American Dream – go out and make your way, go for it, be successful. Her mother – you stay where you were born.
Second: “The ability to communicate and behave effectively and appropriately where there are cultural differences.”
Some people, or businesses, may have the best of intentions, but the way they go about it can create conflicts. “Let’s get it done” is great, but getting it done appropriately can be tricky.
One can certainly think of Rotary’s work on Polio Plus, where in some tribal cultures there was great suspicion and resistance to the inoculations.
Third: “Core Intellectual Competencies.”
A. Self-Awareness. Explore your own identity. How were you conditioned? How was conflict dealt with in your life, in your family, school, work?
B. Awareness of Others. For example, the respect the Japanese have for elders.
C. Emotional intelligence and mindful awareness. When someone walks right up to you and crowds you, crossing that invisible line into your personal space, how do you handle it?
D. Intercultural Bridging. Learning and building understanding and empathy for others.
With a series of diagrams on the slide show, Catherine showed a set of different cultural differences that are very common:
Direct Communication. Say what you mean, mean what you say. What you say is more important than how you say it.
Indirect Communication.
Story telling. How it is said is more important that what is said. Yes, may mean no or maybe.
Dealing with problems. Some see obstacles and plow through. Others deal with problems by going around it.
Concepts of time. We are accustomed to meetings at specific times and being on time. If we say 1pm, the meeting is 1pm. In other parts of the world, 1pm is a rather flexible window of time.
Catherine suggested that we explore our own individual cultural identities, urging that we learn to observe in a neutral manner, suspending judgement, pausing and reflecting. Develop empathy and mindfulness of others.
It was here that she asked who was familiar with the “Platinum Rule.” We know the Golden Rule - “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Platinum version takes a similar, but slightly altered, perspective. “Do unto others as they would like to do unto themselves.” To do this, you need to understand the framework of their culture and their communication styles. What is accepted here, may offend somewhere else. As we know, it can be complicated. Catherine gave us a lot to think about!
(Photo L-R: PP Roxane Cole, Catherine Menyhart and President John Curran.)
09/28/18 Bits & Pieces
Gathered at the Gateway Community Center, President John Curran welcomed 36 members and 2 guests to our Friday Rotary meeting; PP Tom Talbott (photo at left) led our invocation, invoking memories of his high school yearbook quotation from a long-forgotten rock band. (Sic tempus transit.) We sang 'America The Beautiful" and enjoyed our lunch, catered by the Long Creek Youth Center culminary team.
Jan Chapman (photo at right) encouraged volunteers to join our reading program at Lyseth Elementary School in partnership with Maine Law.
Charlie Frair reminded us of the Veterans Appreciation Lunch on November 9 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. Pre-registration is required (call 899-6342, or sign-up on the website, portlandrotary.org) with no charge for Veterans, $25 for non-veterans.
David Small (In photo at left with Patty Erickson) won the opportunity to search for the elusive Queen of Hearts to secure the week’s pot of $1,085, but was only able to find the 9 of Hearts. The pot dost increase in size.
Roger and Liz Fagan, along with President John Curran, presented a report on their fascinating trip to Kosovo earlier this year. This Rotary-sponsored effort focused on the areas of hearing loss, speech pathology, and prosthetic devices for limb loss in a country still suffering from the traumas of war. Roger reported that seven students from Heimerer College, which has the only speech pathology program in Kosovo, shadowed and participated in the hearing clinic at the public hospital. Roger said that he asked for no more than 30 patients, but they brought him 65. “Luckily, I brought 100 hearing aids,” he said. Roger related that many people with hearing loss also suffer with PTSD, brought on by the extended conflict in the country. He also said that they discovered one difference in medical practice there: “We learned that Doctors are not paid much,” he said. “As a consequence, they take money under the table.” Roger said that they were sensitive to the fact that the hearing aids they brought with them had apparently violated some customs restrictions. When Roger and Liz met with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, Roger apologized for violating any rules. The Prime Minister asked to see the devices, and upon looking at them, he pounded his fist into his hand and said: “This has my blessing!”
President John reported that the staff at the Kosovo hospital was well trained and capable in prosthetics and orthotics, but they had no budget, which limits their impact. John reported that Rotaract students acted as translators for the team, and they also had the opportunity to meet with five different Rotary clubs, enlisting their participation in the project for future programs. He said that the Yarmouth, ME club will be responsible for going forward with the project in Kosovo. He shared pictures of patients who suffered limb loss both from congenital disorders and the effect of land mines. “The kids are great to work with,” he said. “They are very inquisitive.” He reported that the project was able to provide new hand models for patients to experiment with, as well as to measure patients for later fitting with a device. “We saw a lot more loss of limbs above the elbow,” he said. “Something our 3D printing device is not able to handle.” As a result of meeting with Kosovo Rotary Clubs, they were able to identify other sources of 3D printers in the country which will help in addressing this need.
Liz Fagan shared the travails of traveling in countries where one doesn’t know the language, relying on Google Translator to book flights. Google wasn’t much help, she reported, since her effort to buy a plane ticket ended up with the purchase of a tractor. Liz commented on her surprise at the number of NATO forces still in the country, their numbers as large as the local police presence. She said that when the team arrives in the Dominican Republic, they have a plan, and can immediately execute it. In Kosovo, however, their plans for clinics were interrupted to accommodate the passion of Dr. Gani Abazi, a Kosovan doctor now studying at Harvard. Dr. Gani arranged for Liz and Roger to meet with the Prime Minister, and they appeared on Kosovo national television. The resulting publicity not only highlighted the work of Rotary, but also moved Roger and Liz to Kosovan Rock Star status where they were recognized on the street, offered meals, ice cream, and other refreshment, but also thanked for their efforts.
Even though Liz and Roger are now home, Liz is engaged in extensive follow-up to help the students at Heimerer College in Pristina, Kosovo. “They offered me a job teaching at the college,” Liz said. “But I told them it was a long commute.” Liz related that most people in Kosovo speak English, but it’s difficult to fund tuition for Kosovans to come to the U.S. for school. Consequently, she is helping to provide them with ways to improve their education in speech pathology. Liz put out a call to her speech pathology colleagues, and twelve responded that they would do guest lectures in Pristina. She is also receiving boxes of text books, earlier versions of diagnostic tests, and other materials to help build a resource library at Heimerer. “Our house is a mess,” Roger reported, but it was pretty clear listening to them tell their story that they don’t mind a bit.
(Photo L-R: President John Curran, Drs. Liz and Roger Fagan.)
*10/05/18 Jennifer Crosby, Amtrak
09/21/18 Tess Chakkalakal, Bowdoin College
Ms. Tess Chakkalakal, Ph.D is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and English at Bowdoin College. At the Rotary meeting on Friday, she presented about several of the most influential African American authors in American history discussing many of their theories and influences. Ms. Chakkalakal introduced authors such as Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), William E.B. DuBois (1868-1963), and a lesser known author Charles W. Chestnutt (1858 – 1932). According to Ms. Chakkalakal, these three writers were some of the most influential people helping to try and solve the race problem in America over the years, and she touched on how each of them had a somewhat different approach or solution.
Later in Ms. Chakkalakal’s presentation, she focused on Mr. Chestnutt’s history and writings, and how he may have been ahead of his time. She noted how Chesnutt put forth yet a different way to think about race and equality that may be more relevant today than ever. According to Ms. Chakkalakal, Charles Chestnut advocated a revolutionary and unpopular idea at the time: amalgamation and intermarriage were the answers to race problems in America and elsewhere. Once a society became similar in color and family history over the years, there may be no base for racial disagreement and conflict. In his transcript to a highly diverse “Future America,” Chesnutt wrote about a world in which race is not a problem, and if no one can see a difference, differences are no longer important or relevant.
Ms. Chakkalakal noted that Chestnutt’s novels and stories were often written in a style of literary irony in that they are primarily marriage plots where bi-racial partners fall in love, are prohibited to be together by family and/or social customs, and their lives end in tragedy.
According to Ms. Chakkalakal, she believes Chestnutt may not have been embraced by the movement that celebrated race differences and achievements in the African American movements of the early 1900s when William DuBois was embraced, and for this reason, Chestnutt is not widely studied today. According to Ms. Chakkalakal, Chestnutt would have thought that celebrating the differences in races could actually worsen a racial situation. Basically, checking boxes about one’s race could make a problem worse, because if everyone lays claim to race, then differences appear to matter more (and not less) in a society.
(Photo L-R: Tess Chakkalakal, 1st VP Amy Chipman, and Bob Martin.)
09/21/18 Bits & Pieces
First Vice-President Amy Chipman called the “jam-packed” meeting to order at the Clarion Hotel, bringing PP Cyrus Hagge to the podium for the Invocation (photo at right). Cyrus first had an announcement of great import – a $5000 check from the White Pine Foundation – a nonprofit/nonpartisan organization dedicated to “advancing good civics and free enterprise.” Cyrus asked PP Laura Young to come up and receive the check, which will go to the purchase of books for our school reading programs, a program that Laura was instrumental in developing this past year. With that, Cyrus lamented the carnage of squirrels on our roads the past few weeks. He went looking for a few words to say about this phenomenon, and (his words) ran across this one. “May we get what we want, may we get what we need, but may we never get what we deserve.” Nuts.
John Houghton led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Matt Wolcott directed our chorus of “God Bless America.” 7 visiting Rotarians and 2 guests joined the 46 members in attendance.
After lunch, Amy set the tone for a big pay day by going immediately to the raffle. Enlisting 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner (on left in photo at left) as the custodian of the cards, Ellen had our guest speaker drawing the “halfway to victory” ticket. Guest Mark Foster (at right in photo at left), who will be joining our club soon, overcame the PTG odds factor and earned the right to pull a card. With $1042 on the line, the 8 of Hearts got the better of him, and the prize remained in the bank.
Rusty Atwood (photo at right) updated us on the Veterans Appreciation Lunch. Friday, Nov 9th 12noon, Holiday Inn By The Bay. All Vets are complimentary guests, $25 Non-Vets. We have two top-notch speakers. First, military historian Captain John Bratton. Our keynote speaker is Maj. Gen. John Libby, Retired. Flyers are on the tables – please take and distribute. Rusty added a personal note by thanking all those who participated in the ALS Walk a few weeks back.
Elise Hodgkin made everyone aware that our PP Loretta Rowe’s surgery was successful, and she is resting and recovering. Everyone sends their best wishes!
Gracie Johnston (photo at left) talked about serving dinner at Preble Street this upcoming Wed (Sept 26)....we could use some more help! 5 people signed up so far, so please let us know.
John Knupp from South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club joined us for lunch, as well as to remind us about the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” will take place on Oct. 14th at Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth. Registration at 9am, Walk at 1030am. FMI: PortlandMEStrides@cancer.org
Roger Fagan (photo at right) asked for assistance on Oct 6th, loading crutches into containers for the “Crutches4Africa” program. Tony Wagner, a member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary is the contact person if you can assist. Contact Tony at tony.bellner@gmail.com
Jan Chapman (photo at left) thanked Cyrus for the $5000 Grant for reading books, perfectly timed for her announcement regarding sign-ups for the Lyseth School Reading program. Sheets are on the tables for the Oct, Nov, and Dec sessions. We could also use someone who speaks Spanish.
Dave Putnam (photo at right) spoke about the monthly program at Long Creek Youth Development Center. On the 3rd Tuesday each month, if you can spend 2 hours from 6p-8p visiting the young men of the Cedar unit, it means a lot to them. Typically, a night of games, pizza, soda. Dave acknowledged the dedication of PP Jim Willey and Mike Fortunato who have given so much time and effort into LCY development programs. Join in if you can!
PP Laura Young (photo at left) briefed everyone on the Membership Committee’s strategy for bringing in members, as well as helping new members develop in the club. Check out the recent Rotary Magazine – great article on this topic. If you have someone interested, let Laura know. Our club will host New Member Orientation meetings, including people who have not applied. First one will be Oct 12, next Nov 16, usually at 11am before our club meeting. We are going to renew our mentor program. In January, all new members will meet to give us some feedback. Next May 17th, the new members will bring back an old tradition and take over the club with their own special program. We are also looking at teaming up with Propel with joint events, great chance to meet new people.
Laura has added a side note – “Makeshift Coffee House”, with 6 meetings coming up, outside of Rotary. Political yes, political no. Democrats, Republicans, Independents coming together to share and talk thru issues. More details coming!
Our Club Protection Officer, Nan Heald (at left in photo at right), together with Bob Knupp (at right in photo at right), from So Po/Cape Eliz Rotary talked to us in tandem about our club’s “Protection Policy.” As Rotarians, we interact with many people, including young adults and children. While many organizations have their own system of background checks before there is interaction, i.e. Long Creek, other programs do not. The reading program is a good example. Nan sought the consultation of the Maine Can Do Group, experienced in the area of sexual harassment. The object is to create awareness of the problem and guidance for employers. The Portland Rotary was the first club and so far, the only club in the state to sign the pledge drafted by the District. In summary, we strive to act in accordance with the 4-Way Test. Be respectful of each other, guests, those who serve us our meals…wherever we are. We want to be “Rotary Correct.”
*09/28/18 Catherine Menyhart, Founder Making Space, LLC
09/14/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran opened the Rotary meeting at the Clarion by welcoming 45 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests. Charlie Frair presented the invocation, recalling the wise words from his recently-deceased father, given when he was in need of inspiration. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” led Charlie to become a high school varsity athlete. “Our world is round, so what seems like the end, is really just a beginning,” are words that consoled Charlie at a time when he had experienced a personal loss. Our patriotic song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was led by PP Bill Blount.
President John introduced Rotary guests and described how our club is reaching out to collaborate with community organizations. He welcomed Alain J. Nahimana, the Executive Director of the Immigrant Welcome Center in Portland and Merissa Fortier, who is the associate director of the Michael Phelps Foundation, with a mission to improve education about children and water safety, located in Portland. Also, he reminded the club about the contact for Crutches4Africa being Roger Fagan. Long Creek Development Center's game night is on Tuesday, Sep. 18th.
PP Bill Blount and assisted chorus, led a singing of the “Grand State of Maine” song. (Photo at right: PP Bill, Gracie Johnston, Erik Jorgensen, Dave Putnam and Nan Heald.)
Visiting Rotarian from Tampa, Florida- Larry Vickman exchanged Rotary banners with President John.
(Photo at left L-R: Larry Vickman and President John Curran.)
Thanks to Gracie Johnston (On left side of photo at right), the Community Service chair, for organizing the Preble Street Rotary volunteers. Ali Brauner (On right side of photo at right), volunteer manager at Preble Street was with us to tell how the program was going. She thanked the Rotarians for their volunteer services and described the essential volunteer work needed to help with the meal services for the hundreds of people who are served at the Preble Street Resource Center Soup Kitchen on Oxford Street. “The need for volunteers continues to grow.” she said, "The Resource Center is extending the services for all three meals served each day. Portland Rotary volunteers at the kitchen from 3:30-6:30, on the last Wednesday of the month. Every day, Preble Street serves 1,000 meals, seating 350 people at each meal. Over the past six years, Portland Rotary has provided 1, 500 hours of volunteer help. Volunteers should sign up in advance of the 4th Wednesday or any day when they can work, so the Preble Street staff can organize their schedules accordingly. Email: volunteer@preblestreet.org or check the logon at portlandrotary.preblestreet.volunteerhub.com
Paul Tully reported updates to the Second Annual Veterans' Appreciation Lunch to be held on November 9, 2018, at the Holiday Inn on Spring Street, at 12 noon. A committee made contact with several military leaders and they have confirmed the speakers for this year’s program who are Major General John W. Libby, retired adjutant General of the Maine Army National Guard and Captain Jonathan D. Bratten, Command Historian, of the Maine Army National Guard. Captain Bratten will speak about World War I history. Publicity has been offered by Maine Today. The goal is to exceed 300 veteran guest participants.
1st Vice President Amy Chipman introduced Francine Laporte (On right side in photo at right) as the newest Portland Rotarian. In fact, Amy and Francine first met at a Rotary social program hosted by Charlie Frair. Francine grew up in Brooklyn and has traveled across the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, Central and South America, before finding her second home in Oaxaca, Mexico. She volunteers as an English language tutor, and is a fund raiser for economically disadvantaged students and an immigrant advocate. We cordially welcome Francine to the Rotary Club of Portland!
With Bruce Jones conducting the weekly raffle, that has reached $1,010, Meredith Small got an opportunity to try and find the Queen of Hearts, but the elusive queen just did not want to be found and the pot continues to grow.
09/14/18 Mark Roberts, K9 Arson Investigations
Mark Roberts, a police officer for 18 years and now a Senior Fire Investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) along with his Accelerant Detection K9 partner Deacon, gave a fascinating talk about their work.
Deacon is a 4-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, who works with Mark as part of the investigation in the State of ME Fire Marshall’s Office. Maine has 500 fires annually, and with 12 investigators, reviews 150-200 possible arsons. Maine typically has 11-21 fire-related fatalities per year. Investigations often focus on accelerants, and K9s are trained and certified for 50-60 different accelerants. After the dog detects, confirmations of the chemical are done by the Maine lab. The dogs provide evidence in the investigation and can quickly work a large area in 2-3 minutes.
We were surprised to learn that Deacon is trained using his basic hunting instinct. He finds accelerants and earns his food doing so. His only food is given when he works. This means he trains every day, when not actually working a fire scene. He is a very happy dog, as dogs love to work.
Science has demonstrated that dogs have 220 million olfactory sensors while humans have only 5 million. 1/8 of a dog’s brain is dedicated to scent determination and scent discrimination. Dogs smell things independently and can keep the layers separate. Deacon does not smell pizza, he independently smells crust, sauce, cheese, meat etc. Dogs are entirely unbiased, so he makes objective decisions all the time. People are more trusting of the investigations by dogs than by people.
State Farm Insurance pays for the Arson Dog Program which was established with the Maine State Police under the guidelines of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. The Maine program is the longest running and one of only two arson training programs in the country. All dogs are second chance, second career. Deacon failed as a disability dog as he was too high energy, but that made him well suited as an arson dog.
Labrador retrievers are used as there is no worry about dog bites, people are comfortable with Labs, and Labs can scent the crowd to detect bystanders who may have accelerants. There is still no technology yet to replace dogs.
For more information, go to: https://www.maine.gov/dps/fmo/investigations/index.html
(Photo L-R: PP Bob Traill, President John Curran, Officer Mark Roberts and his K-9 partner, Deacon.)
*09/21/18 Tess, Chakkalakal, Bowdoin College
Tess Chakkalakal [pronounced “Chah-KAHL-ickle”] is the Peter M. Small Associate Professor of Africana Studies and English at Bowdoin College. She has published widely on nineteenth-century African American and American literature. She is the author of Novel Bondage: Slavery, Marriage, and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century America (Illinois, 2011) which earned the Robert K. Martin Prize for best book on American literature and “a must read” title by Choice.
Her book, Novel Bondage, takes apart the interconnections between marriage, slavery, and freedom, as conveyed in nineteenth-century novels and short stories by black and white authors. She examines how these early novels established literary conventions for describing the domestic lives of American slaves and their search to fulfill their aspirations for personal and civic freedom. Her work also focuses on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book that was written in the shadow of Bowdoin College. Prof. Chakkalakal’s writings challenge readers to reconsider the “marital work” of nineteenth-century fiction and its historical role in shaping our understanding of the literary and political meaning of marriage.
She is co-editor of Jim Crow, Literature, and the Legacy of Sutton E. Griggs (Georgia, 2013). Professor Chakkalakal has earned fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, Duke University, Emory University, and the Mellon Foundation. Before coming to Bowdoin in 2008, Professor Chakkalakal taught at Williams College and Bowling Green State University.
*09/14/18 Mark Roberts, Office of the State Fire Marshal
Mark Roberts is a Senior Fire Investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) and an Accelerant Detection K9 handler.
The mission of the Office of State Fire Marshal is to prevent loss of life and property for those that live, work and visit in the State of Maine. Their goal is to protect against the devastation of fire, explosions and life safety hazards with integrity and fairness through fire prevention, public education, planning, research, investigation and enforcement of enacted laws and rules.
As an agency, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for determining the cause of fires statewide and the investigation of arsons, explosions and fatalities. Mark has been with the office since 2008 and worked as a patrol officer in both Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth prior to that.He and his canine partner, four-year old Deacon, are one of only two K9 teams in the state and have worked together for two years. Deacon is a second career dog, having been acquired from a service dog agency in Michigan.
Mark will be addressing Maine’s Arson K-9 Program.
09/07/18 Bits & Pieces
President Joh Curran welcomed 53 members on a beautiful summer day, when we officially met for our meeting at our new home for this year, The Clarion Hotel.
Invocation was presented by PP Russ Burleigh; the pledge to the flag was led by PP Roxane Cole and back in the spotlight to lead our a capella patriotic song was PP Russ Burleigh.
We celebrated the September Rotarian Birthdays by singing “Happy Birthday” and acknowledged the Rotarian Anniversaries with loud applause.
President John gave special note to Rotarians doing “good work.” Jesse Harvey manned 3 tables at Deering Oaks in honor of the Overdose Awareness Day.
The Maine Cornhole Tournament Event update was given by Terri St. Angelo (photo at right). The event brought in $2334. For the first year AND for this kind of event, that’s awesome! We now have the building blocks and game boards to really expand for next year. Our partner, NYA, will be working with us to allocate the funds soon. We had 26 teams participate. 11 Guests to support the teams. 16 volunteers from Rotary, NYA and the Boys and Girls Club. A special thanks goes out to the “Board Guys!” Russell Voss, Ben Delcourt and friends. Without the boards, we wouldn’t be able to play. Photos were placed on tables for all to see all the smiles at the event.
Gracie Johnston (photo at left) spoke about the highlighted committee of the week – Community Service. She says this committee and what it stands for is the lifeblood of Rotary. All Rotarians recognize giving back to the community is so important. Some of the things the committee is working on this year:
Opiod Crisis Initiative – Bring other clubs together to understand and educate on this crisis.
Preble Street Resource Center Soup Kitchen – Always the last Wednesday of the Month. They are working on making it easier for volunteers to get there. Please consider joining to help on this night.
Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Vincent’s – Cook, prepare and serve dinner to homeless in the area.
Salvation Army holiday bell ringers – Fun time sharing volunteer time with fellow Rotarians
Opiod Task Force – The group received a $5000 grant from the District and $1000 from Portland Rotary to start the Recovery Coach Academy. Jesse Harvey was sent to a training for Recovery coaches. The next step is offering classes for people to become a recovery coach in the area. Attendance at 4 classes is needed to become certified. The Committee is hoping to spread this coaching to impact to as many people as possible and work with as many groups as possible to educate on the crisis and stigma.
Gracie ended her update by saying how proud she is of the Community Service members.
Jesse Harvey (photo at right) gave an update on the first ‘Train the Trainers Recovery Coach Academy’ class. Most attendees were from Portland, Sanford and Lewiston. He hopes to pair these students with Rotary Clubs to help spread the education to others.
President John announced that there will be an Exchange Student coming from Germany and is in need of a temporary host. Contact John Curran for more information: curraj1@mmc.org
On Friday, Sep. 14th, there will be a new member orientation at 11 am at the Clarion Hotel. If you have any potential members or people that may be interested and want more information about the club, please attend.
Our weekly raffle was up to $980. Bob Fowler (at right in photo at left) gave Matt Tassey (at left in photo at left) the chance to pick the queen of hearts, but he was only able to find the 6 of hearts.
Joe Reagan (photo at right) announced that he would be hosting the “Inside Maine” talk show on Saturday, 9/08, 10-1pm. If you would like to listen to any of the podcasts, follow this link. http://wgan.com/podcasts/categories/podcasts-inside-maine/ Joe also announced the Veteran’s Luncheon will be on Nov. 9th. Details of the program will be announced soon.
PP Bill Blount teased us with a John Denver song, but did not have the words for us, so we will have a song next week.
It Was a Fish Tale!
A shout out to the Maine Outdoor Challenge crew that is still paying dividends. Michael Reed obtained a Fishing Charter for the live auction. His long-term friend/client Kurt Christensen (Christensen Custom Homes) kindly donated a day-trip of fishing on his lobster boat in Casco Bay. That auction winner was, PP Bowen Depke, who set out with his two sons and a friend at 8 AM to go 13 miles off shore for the adventure. By the calculation of his youngest son William, they caught around 125 fish, 2 sharks and 11 species. What a great trip to put in their family memory album. A thank you to all for the adventure!
(Mike Reed and a young fisherman.)
(One of Bowen's sons displaying his shark "catch.")
(Another of Bowen's sons displaying his unusual catch.)
(This team had quite a few catches of the day.)
09/07/18 Catherine Lewis, Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine
With an introduction by PP Roxane Cole, Catherine Lewis – Board Director and Director of Education of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine – spoke to our Rotary club about Maine’s Medical Marijuana program. Of interest to Rotarians is the fact that Catherine is a past President of the Hallowell Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM) is a trade association dedicated to the support and promotion of safe access to medical marijuana. Catherine spent most of her talk attempting to educate and advocate for the proper use of marijuana to alleviate chronic pain, cancer, seizures, severe nausea, PTSD and other conditions. Catherine explained that after a severe automobile injury left her and her husband with long-lasting injuries and pain, they became medical cannabis patients. The success of this treatment prompted them to become medical marijuana caregivers to help others.
Catherine helped to dispel some of the myths about cannabis and stated that many of us have been lied to for years about marijuana’s potential harmful effects and seldom told about the many benefits that proper use can provide. She stated that most of her patients are elderly and many suffer from cancer, are in wheelchairs, have late stage MS, have Alzheimer’s or spend their days in chronic pain.
Catherine’s business, Homegrown Healthcare, specializes in cannabis and alternative therapies. Her goal is to educate people about the many symptoms that cannabis can alleviate and how it can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to traditional medicine and medications.
Catherine brought some samples of products to show that cannabis use can be without the stereotypical “joint” that must be smoked resulting in a high. Instead, the medicinal properties of cannabis can be made into other products with no resulting smell or euphoria – so that no one needs know that you’re even using the product. She showed us lozenges in different flavors, tinctures to be placed under the tongue, salves and lotions for external use, bath additives, patches and other products.
For additional information, go to: www.homegrownhealthcare.net
(Photo: PP Roxane Cole, Catherine Lewis and President John Curran.)
*09/0718 Catherine Lewis, Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine
After suffering severe injuries in a motor vehicle accident in 1990, both Catherine and her husband Glenn fell victims to modern medicines’ pharmaceutical trap. She and her husband began their journey with medical cannabis in 2002 to help Glenn eliminate about 9 different drugs he had been prescribed over the years for his injuries. Glenn became an official patient in 2009 under the care of Dr. Sulak. Catherine became his caregiver. Seeing the amazing results that cannabis provided him and their ability to produce such a great medicine, together in 2010 they started HomeGrown HealthCare, Apothecary and Learning Center now located in Winthrop, Maine. As caregivers, they are dedicated to sharing their knowledge with folks suffering from a variety of ailments, including Chronic Pain, Cancer, PTSD and Addiction Recovery. They have been featured in the documentary The Science vs The Stigma in 2011 and on the Kimball & Keyser Report (A Caregivers Path) 7/31/13, Weediquette / S2 EP6 (Reefer Rehab) 9/23/16, TODAY’s “Undercovered” series (Can marijuana help wean addicts off heroin and other opiates?) 5/18/17, and most recently in Season 2 of The Sacred Plant (Healing Secrets Examined) 7/18.
In 2011 Catherine joined the board of Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM) Trade Association as the Director of Education and in 2015, she became the President of the Board, helping to shape legislation and communication with the overseeing State Departments and Municipalities. She volunteers many hours in the community and at the State House testifying for the medical cannabis program. With the help of many others, they created the largest East Coast Medical Industry Trade Show that has run for the last 7 years. She also sits on the Board of Advisers for New England Cannabis Network (NECANN). Catherine has been educating others with classes and workshops through a variety of industry shows, town hall meetings, fairs and the University of Maine at Augusta (Klahr Center) with MMCM and now at their Learning Center in Winthrop Maine. Enabling people to learn the laws, patient/caregiver rights, business rules, cultivation and preparation of cannabis for better health and natural wellness. Catherine most recently was instrumental in the crafting and recent passing of LD 1539 and LD 238. These two bills will help improve Maine’s Medical Cannabis program, creating a new legitimacy for the businesses within the program.
Rotarians In the News....
Founded in 2010 by Roxane Cole, the one-woman firm represents clients who are looking to buy, sell or lease commercial property.
Roxane has been a commercial real estate broker for over 30 years. Before starting her own firm, she was co-owner of a leading Portland commercial brokerage where she was a broker for 23 years.
Founded in 2006, Broadreach has grown from a one-woman operation to a firm with 12 full-time positions that recently expanded into an adjacent office space. Varrell said the firm’s revenue has increased by 20 percent over the past year.
Before starting her own company, Varrell worked in the banking industry for 25 years, where she mastered both corporate communications and project management. She ultimately decided to put those skills to work for herself and a growing list of clients that include large-scale service organizations, state associations and others.
To read the full articles, please go to: pressherald.com/2018/08/24/meet-3-maine-women-who-mean-business/
Maine Corn Hole Tournament
Recovery Coach Academy
For more information, contact: Jesse Harvey at (207) 874-2141 x5031 or email at: jesse@journeyhousemaine.com
08/24/18 Tim Cowan, Maine Health
A big picture statistical overview about The Opioid Crises in Maine was presented by Tim Cowan, MSPH, Director of Data Reporting and Evaluation with the Center for Health Improvement at MaineHealth. The statistical overview was intended to help Rotarians to develop a 360 degree look at substance abuse. The aggregated data tracked statistics about mortality in Maine thru 2016, compared to other populations and in the 16 Maine counties. Information was presented about improving population health by tracking the progress being made to prevent drug and substance abuse overdoses. It’s possible that the data reports forthcoming with more information about 2016-2018 statistics, could report an improvement on population health as a result of the responses to the epidemic. Tim acknowledged how important it is for Rotarians to be aware about how to help stop this epidemic.
A bullet summary from the data reports the following:
1. Drug overdose deaths: Maine had the 7th largest increase in the U.S. from 2010-12, compared to 2014-16. In all the aggregated data reported thru 2016, Maine reported an increase in overall deaths related to drug overdoses.
2. Drug overdose death rates in Maine counties, comparing the same time periods, showed Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Washington and York with greater deaths than average for the state.
3. Unfortunately, Maine is also among the states to report a high number of law enforcement encounters that test positive for Fentanyl.
4. Prevention intervention data reports show that opioid prescribing rates per 100,000 population are declining in Maine and in the U.S.
5. All overdoses and nearly all deaths caused by overdoses, involved some form of opioid- almost all involving some form of illicit opioid (heroin or synthetic form).
6. Data about babies affected by opioid addiction was also included in the statistics.
Treating substance use disorders and preventing the spread of the crisis are challenging because there is no data readily available to demonstrate clear correlations with progress. Access to health care is an obstacle to receiving treatment. Support for the Maine Medicaid expansion would give thousands of eligible beneficiaries the opportunity to receive treatment. Also, the number of residential treatment beds available to those who are in recovery has not increased, but remained flat in recent years, while the crisis has grown. Tim is willing to share his data slides with interested parties. Contact him at: cowant@mainehealth.org.
(Tim Cowan and President John Curran.)
08/24/18 Bits & Pieces
This week we journeyed to the new Jewish Community Center on outer Congress St. President John Curran opened the meeting, calling on Gracie Johnston (photo at right) for the invocation. Gracie chose a poem titled “To Be Of Use” by contemporary poet Marge Piercy. Gracie noted how much this poem described Rotarians.The first line: “The people I love the best, jump into work head first.” (Link to full text: https://bit.ly/2uXrHjV)
Mark Millar led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and PP Russ Burleigh, sans keyboard, led us a capella to sing ‘America The Beautiful’ as our patriotic song.
(Photo at left L-R: Mike McGovern, PP Larry Gross and PP Tom Talbott)
John welcomed everyone, including Past District Governor Lawrence Furbish and visiting Rotarian Mike McGovern, though that hardly describes him. Mike was President of the Cape Elizabeth Club, our Past District Governor, a Rotary International Director, Rotary Foundation Trustee, Chair of the Rotary International Polio Plus program, and nominating committee for Rotary International President.
John introduced Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) Executive Director Molly Curren Rowles (photo at right) to the podium to provide an overview of the new facility. The complex opened in September 2017, with its primary function being to enhance and promote Jewish life and continuity both locally and internationally. For more information, go to: https://www.mainejewish.org/
Extra Extra! Maine ranked first in the U.S. for both revenue and job growth among woman-owned businesses (American Express commissioned report) That’s great news! Who did the Press Herald interview for the story? Our own PP Roxane Cole and Linda Varrell! Congratulations to you both! See separate article this issue.
While we’re on the topic of women leading the way, a tip of the hat to Terri St. Angelo and Patty Erickson, along with PP Kris Rosado and a strong cast of supporters, who pulled off a great new fundraiser – the Maine Corn Hole Championship. A beautiful afternoon at North Yarmouth Academy was the setting for 14 corn hole courts and players from near and far. Word got around, and the overwhelming majority of players were non-Rotarians who came to compete for a prize package with some $500 in gift cards, umbrellas, and coolers. Details on the proceeds, photos, and wrap-up next meeting! (See separate photos!)
Mike Fortunato (photo at left) thanked everyone who joined him at Long Creek Youth Development Center for the ice-cream social and corn hole games. (Viva corn hole!) Mike is always looking for anyone interested in joining a group that visits center once a month on the third Tuesday.
PDG Lawrence Furbish had some great news, which started with a $5000 grant check to our new Opiod Task Force headed up by Gracie Johnston and Jesse Harvey, and Jesse’s newly opened Journey House Sober Living home he founded in Lewiston.
(right photo L-R: Jesse Harvey, PDG Lawrence Furbish, and Gracie Johnston)
This Grant came from money returned to our District from money originally sent in by Rotarians to the Rotary International Foundation. In all, $52,000 came back into the district, and was parceled out to 8 different clubs. Special note of thanks to Doreen Rockstrom who wrote the grant application. Great job! Jesse reminded us that there will be an Overdose Vigil held on August 31st, 6p-9p, at Deering Oaks. The Kennebunk Rotary Club will join us. Reach out to Jesse for more info: jesse@journeyhousemaine.com
Charlie Frair (photo left) updated us on the Veterans Lunch. Date is set: Friday, November 9th. Big things happening! We will move the venue to the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay, to accommodate what we expect will be upwards of 350+ people in attendance. A new partnership with AARP will help spread the word. In fact, word is that military leadership is all abuzz about the event, given that we’ve been steadily growing the program over the past 2 years. A lot more to come. This is an intensive event that requires many helping hands – so mark your calendars now!
With a pot of $955, the weekly raffle was led by Dick Giles. He asked for the hand of our Past District Governor Lawrence Furbish to select a candidate’s name from the growing pool of players. Mike Fortunato had the winning ticket, but as we all know, that’s only half the battle. Staring down the deck, Mike pulled the 2 of Spades, which is a long way from the payoff card, the Queen of Hearts, and his hopes of winning were quickly extinguished.
(right photo L-R: Mike Fortunato and Dick Giles)
08/17/18 Take Me Out to the Ball Park
It was an away game for Portland Rotary....our annual trek to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs. PP Bill Blount, noting how we started our relationship with the team back in their inaugural year of 1993, was called upon to introduce our trio of speakers: Mike Antonellis, Director of Broadcasting/Media Relations, and voice of the Sea Dogs for the past 14 years, accompanied by current pitchers, Josh Taylor and Matthew Kent. We applauded Mike who recently completed his 3000th career game behind the microphone.
The format was essentially a fast-paced interview style session, with Mike peppering the two players for their take on the game, life as a Sea Dog, and their career goals.
Josh Taylor (#40), 6’5, 225 lb, 25 years old. Lefty pitcher from Phoenix. Played at Georgia College. Drafted by the Phillies in 2014. Signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as a free agent in 2017. In 2018 he was assigned to Altoona, but three days later was traded to the Sea Dogs.
Matthew Kent (#21), 6’, 180 lb, 26 years old. Lefty pitcher from Waco, TX, and earned a spot with Texas A&M as a skinny 135 pounder! Drafted in the 13th round 2015 by Red Sox, assigned to Lowell. Has primarily been a reliever, but this season has elevated to a starter, making the Eastern League All-Star team. As of this date, he leads the league with 9 wins.
Explaining his strategy, Matt said he has 7 different pitches: 5 over the top pitches, and 2 sidearm pitches. Included in that group is a looping 50 mph rainbow, that turns “batters into ballerinas spinning around.” Matt shared his process of moving the ball around, setting up pitches, and giving a batter different looks throughout the game. Drives ‘em crazy.
Matt recalled how he was low on the depth charts, when he busted out in his red-shirt 4th year at Texas with a solid four-week span of solid pitching. Practically overnight it propelled him to being drafted by the Red Sox. Josh spoke about how it can work the opposite way. As a reliever he described how one bad outing can bring down your entire season. Life of a ballplayer!
Both players live with host families. Neither have taken a liking to lobster! And, even with our recent dog days of August humidity, Portland is a lot more comfortable than Waco or Phoenix!
In the clubhouse, there are five nationalities on the team – US, Australian, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. As in any clubhouse, the dynamics are unique, with players coming and going, dreams on the line, brand new players, experienced players with major league experience, and others who are on their last chance. Some have become new fathers, some have lost family members. It is a close-knit group, with everyone trying to live out their dream.
An interesting comment from Matt, who noted that when things are not going well on the mound, it sometimes is a minor adjustment that can take you a step forward. A big adjustment might take you a larger step back. Think about how that might affect you in your life. Play Ball!
AND THESE TWO PLAYERS DID.....
In the Maine Sunday Telegram, these ballplayers - both of them pitchers - played in the game against Altoona on Saturday, and each played a part in the score. Matt Kent pitched six innings, giving up only two hits, no runs. After another player pitched for an inning, Josh Taylor took over in the ninth, gave up two hits and no runs and was given credit for a save. Does anyone remember a Rotary meeting where a couple of Sea Dogs talked with us on Friday, and played prominently and effectively in a game the very next day?
(Photo L-R: President John Curran, Matt Kent, Josh Taylor, Mike Antonellis and PP Bill Blount.)
*08/24/18 Tim Cowan, Maine Health
08/17/18 Bits & Pieces
Last Friday, the Portland Rotary Club enjoyed our annual outing at Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs. President John Curran welcomed 34 members and 7+ guests. PP Bill Blount (photo at right) once again spearheaded the event, which is always a fun and relaxing meeting, with hot dogs, burgers and the famous Sea Dog biscuits. The membership brought many guests, including a few school-aged children and grandchildren.
Dave Small (photo at left) provided a wonderful invocation, which mixed many, many baseball teams and terms with words of thanks.
PP Bill Blount led us in the National Anthem (followed by the usual calls to “play ball!”), as well as an energetic Sea Dogs version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
Dave Ertz called up PP Paul Gore (PTG) to draw a card in hopes of pulling the Queen of Hearts, which would have won Paul $924 but, alas, Paul did not succeed, allowing our pot to approach the thousand-dollar barrier.
Gracie Johnston asked again for volunteers for the Wednesday afternoon/evening efforts to aid in serving those less fortunate at the Preble Street Resource Center. This monthly opportunity, which runs from 3:30 to 6:30 pm, is a great way to pitch in. Please contact Gracie if you can offer some assistance at: gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.rom
Our monthly volunteer opportunity at Long Creek Youth Development Center is always on the third Tuesday of the month. Please contact Mike Fortunato (michael.j.fortunato@gmail.com), if you’d like to offer a hand in spending some time with at-risk youths.
Patty Erickson (photo at right) reminded us that our “Corn Hole Tournament” is fast approaching and the Portland Rotary Club needs our help! The event, which will be on Thursday, the August 23rd at North Yarmouth Academy (rain or shine), will be a fun social, as well as fund-raising effort. The club needs teams of two to participate, volunteers on the day of the event, as well as any large coolers that may be hiding out in your garage or basement. Please contact Patty Erickson (perickson@bathsavings.com) or Terri St. Angelo (tstangelo@andersonwatkinsinsurance.com) to offer up your support.
Jesse Harvey (photo at left) gave us an update on his and our club’s amazing efforts to offer support to the recovery community. Jesse, along with Gracie Johnston, spearhead our Opioid Task Force. Please mark your calendars for August 31 at Deering Oaks, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, as well as upcoming events on September 9th, the 18th and October 26th. Jesse will be keeping us posted. Portland, Maine, as you may know, is one of the country’s foremost “recovery communities,” with hundreds of men and women working very hard to gain control of their lives back after missteps. These opportunities will be eye-opening and heart-warming for club members, so please do try to attend one or all of these events.
Cornhole Championship Fund Raiser
The following event will be on Thursday, August 23rd.
To register, click on the following link: www.NYA.org/cornhole
08/10/18 Bits & Pieces
PP Laura Young introduced a new member, Amy Bouchard, who has lived in Bangor, Presque Isle, and now Kennebunk. Amy was a nutritionist and more recently became a financial planner with Merril Lynch. She’s excited about her community service roles, and has taken the “train the trainer” Opioid Recovery class with Jesse Harvey. Amy enjoys hiking, running, and is ushering at Portland Stage Company. Please introduce yourself and welcome her into our club.
(Photo L-R: President John Curran, Amy Bouchard and PP Laura Young.)
Chris Force (on right side in photo at right) ran the weekly raffle as the speaker selected a ticket from the holding vessel to try and find the elusive Queen of Hearts. PP Dick Hall’s name was selected, and he picked a two of diamonds, leaving over $890 for next week’s raffle.
The Clarion has been trying out new menus over the last two weeks for our club and President John asked for a show of hands whether the Holiday Inn or the Clarion had the better food? The majority of those in attendance raised their hand for the Clarion. President John noted that there are a couple other options being considered for the club's weekly meeting venues.
PP Kris Rosado recently returning from his vacation to Erlangen, Germany, shared his experience of reaching out to their Rotary Club. Kris was stationed there during his service in the Army. Kris said that the Rotary Club treated him like family…..taking him on a private tour of city hall, and attending dinner at a restaurant which had been run by the same family for over 360 years. He was given their club banner to bring home and he will send them one of our club banners in exchange. (See "Around the World" separate article for photos.)
Gracie Johnston (Photo left) provided an update on the Preble Street Soup Kitchen. She noted that there was a tremendous response for the Rotary volunteer night, and said that Preble Street can always use the help. The next Portland Rotary volunteer night at Preble Street is August 22. (See separate email coming about the details.) Contact Gracie to volunteer or further questions: gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com. Gracie also let us know that she and some others donated their time at a dinner for a local organization, Maine Inside Out, that helps young people who are incarcerated, or formerly incarcerated, integrate back into society. Gracie told us about some of the kids who attended the event, discussed their lifes' paths, and how the organization had helped them get on their feet.
Along those lines, consider attending the Portland Rotary volunteer night at Long Creek Youth Center on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. For further details or questions, contact Mike Fortunato: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.
Jan Chapman, coordinator of the Summer Reading Program, noted that this summer’s program had just ended successfully and thanked everyone who was involved. Jan talked a little bit about Erin Sullivan who wrote a children’s book called - Peace is a Choice You Make. The book is about a little girl who discovers ways to work through bullying and negative comments, and how it makes a difference in herself. In the book, the character makes peace with her inner circle and in the world with others. Jan and Bruce Chapman met Erin at a strawberry festival in Cape Elizabeth, and their conversations led to the Rotary reading program. Erin ended up donating 200 books to the program through the United Way, where the decision to use the book was approved. United Way was pleased with success of the program, which was held twice a week for 8-10 weeks. Approximately 152 books were used. Thanks again to the volunteers who participated.
Jan noted plans for the Youth Services Committee this year to include reading at Lyseth School. Other priorities include strengthening a relationship with the Portland High School Interact Club. Meghan Peabody is the liaison from our club to the Interact Club. Interact and Portland Rotary worked together this year on the Crutches4Africa effort.
Another major effort of the Youth Services Committee is providing liaisons to Portland Schools for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). The leadership awards offer a 4-day program for students completing their sophomore year….the experience can be life changing. Thank you goes to Bill Ross, the RYLA coordinator, and to the school liaisons, who are the key to the success of the programs, including: Rusty Atwood, PP Laura Young, Julie Chase, 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner, Katie Brown, and Dave Putnam.
PP Dick Hall and Meghan Peabody are helping with the District’s Rotary Youth Exchange effort to host and exchange students for next summer. Please contact them if you are interested in hosting.
Terri St. Angelo, event coordinator, discussed the upcoming Cornhole Championship Tournament, being held at North Yarmouth Academy on Aug. 23rd. They are currently looking for teams and for volunteers to help at the event with: setup, food sever, beverage sales, grill master, officials, take down and cleanup. If you can help or have questions, contact Terri at: tstangelo@andersonwatkinsinsurance.com.
Gus Karlsen spoke about hosting a couple boats in the MS Regatta, taking place on Saturday, Aug. 18th. Gus said our club has won the coveted trophy (the Dirigo Bowl) 8 times in 15 years, and the proceeds go towards the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society in Southern Maine. Gus thanked the club for the donations over the years. The goal is to have two boats in the Regatta. Thanks for your donations. Contact Gus at: 239-1568 or karlsen@prodigy.net.
Around the Rotary World
08/10/18 Dr. Judith Jones, Maine Assn of Charter Schools
Matt Wolcott introduced our speaker, Dr. Judith Jones, Chair of the Maine Association for Charter Schools (MACS), who started by saying she has always believed that education and health are the keys to overcoming poverty. After a career in public education in a variety of positions ranging from education planning to policy positions, she moved to Maine in 1998 with her husband to “settle down.”
Judith has been at the forefront of the development of charter schools in Maine, and presented her thoughts on the movement that began 30 years ago in the U.S. Today there are 7000 charter schools across 44 States and D.C, with 3.2 million students. Maine has 9 charter schools, currently serving 2240 students from over 100 towns and growing.
A charter school is free and open to all students, non-selective. One of the words that Judith kept referring back to was accountability. All charter schools are bound by contracts with their respective states, agreements that state how the school will operate and be accountable for student achievement. The result is that every charter school can be different, each one carving out its own policies, budget, and curriculum. The contract must be accepted and approved by the State, and each school is given a periodic performance review. Maine’s review is every five years. This enabling legislation carefully spelled out the goals and operating practices of the charter schools. It was a model for other states, and for some time was “ranked” as the best in the country. It's still considered one of the 10 best.
Driving the rationale is that when students are limited to a school choice based solely on their geographical location, they only know the socio-climate they live in. Many parents seek other opportunities, with innovative curriculums for their children, and do not want to be bound by one choice of their local public school. There are two sides to the issue, and those who are against charter schools cite systems that have low budget facilities, inexperienced teachers, and lower performance scores. Judith pointed to the fact that Maine developed legislation with a high bar for performance, and resistance has for the most part faded in Maine. She also noted that the charter school program has received strong bi-partisan support in the state.
(Photo L-R: Matt Wolcott, Dr. Judith Jones and President John Curran.)
Budgets are frugal, and one of the challenges is that charter schools are not funded with federal or state funds. The school can receive public funding based on the number of students, age, and types of programs offered. It can also receive public and private grants and donations.
Charter schools are seen by supporters as offering distinct choices, while those who aren’t convinced, worry that they will be siphoning off funding from public schools. Dr. Jones pointed out that the funding goes with the student, thus limiting the impact charter schools impose on any system while offering options for those in need. The enabling legislation, which Dr. Jones helped to develop, sets the parameters and protections that guide and govern the schools. The legislation is expansive and allows for advances in education, such as virtual schools which take advantage of technology and respond to individual needs.
The Maine Association of Charter Schools has achieved the success to date by following a rather simple formula. To begin with they work closely with the local community and enjoy a great deal of volunteer assistance. They steadfastly follow enabling legislation that clearly delineates the means and expectations of performance. Finally, they are focused and able to concentrate on specific needs. Proof of the success of charter schools is the fact that each has a waiting list and graduates have a very high rate of matriculation to college.
To learn more about charter schools, check out the website at mainecharterschools.org.
*08/10/18 Dr Judith Jones, Maine Assn of Charter Schools
Dr. Judith Jones has a B.A. from Middlebury College, a M.A. from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center. She began her career in International Relations and worked for the US Agency for International Development and the State Department. Following her passion for education, Judith switched careers and became program analyst for the NJ Department of Education when community colleges were initiated and teachers colleges were transformed into liberal arts programs. While living in Washington DC, she became involved with the emerging “Six School Complex” and documented this innovative public school choice program in her 1987 book, Six School Complex: A Successful Innovation in Washington, D.C.’s Public Schools. This led to a dozen years of working with the DC Public School system in a variety of facility planning, education planning, and policy positions.
She became involved with the early efforts to create “public autonomous schools” in DC, leading to the passage of enabling legislation for public charter schools by the DC Council in 1994 and by Congress in 1995. As co-founder of FOCUS, she worked with founders, authorizers, and others to develop a high-quality charter school movement in DC, now serving 44% of all public school children.
In 1998, Judith’s personal focus shifted to the state of Maine, where she and her husband Bill retired. At the time, Maine was one of the 10 states without an enabling charter school law. Judith quickly joined MACS, which was working to bring charter schools to Maine. Judith led the group in formalizing their efforts as a non-profit corporation in June of 2000 and in persisting to convince Maine legislators to enact enabling charter school legislation in June 2011. In Judith’s words…
“Access to good education is an avenue out of poverty, but the existing American system denies this access to many children. It gives school districts almost complete control over taxpayer dollars and resources. Personal experience has persuaded me that better education outcomes will come only with basic structural changes, including allowing parents to choose schools that meet the needs of their children, with the money following the child, not the political winds of the day.”
08/03/18 Bits & Pieces
(The meeting started on a light note when this reporter heard PP Paul Gore tell Alan Levenson that he was “looking particularly lovely today.”)
President John Curran welcomed 47 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 3 guests to a warm summer meeting. Bruce Jones presented us with the invocation, taking quotes from an acceptance speech from a Junior Achievement awardee. Its contents spoke about the importance of compassion in business and personal life and gave us examples of where we can introduce compassion to everything we do.
Mike Fortunato lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and PP Bill Blount led us in "My Country Tis of Thee."
1st VP Amy Chipman introduced her guest and potential member Francine Laporte, and PP Peter Goffin introduced Mary Finnegan, a Portland Rotary member from 15 years ago. Mary had already received hugs and special welcomes from several members.
President John welcomed Immediate Past President Don Zillman back to Maine from the Southwest and mentioned that PP Kris Rosado was currently in Germany. He also told us that Jesse Harvey was back from CT where he was trained to be a Recovery Coach Trainer for our Opioid Task Force.
President John read a nice thank you note, addressed to IPP Don Zillman, from the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic at the Maine Law School. The program teaches law students how to be effective advocates and supports them in their work at our southern border.
PP Larry Gross, speaking on behalf of himself and his Vocational Service Co-chair PP Jack Carr, was planting the seeds for future vocational service opportunities. He told us that vocational service is one of the pillars of Rotary Service and is included in the Declaration of Rotarians (Page 7 in the Roster). Vocational service uses professions as a way to serve. He cited the example where Jack Carr uses his engineering profession to mentor students at Portland High School, toward getting their own engineering degree.
There was a long list of August birthdays, and several anniversaries. Matt Tassey was the longest anniversary member on the list, 32 years of Rotary.
Jesse Harvey told us that he just completed the training to become a trainer of recovery coaches. He will be leading the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy (RCA) training sponsored by Portland Rotary, with a grant from District 7780. The dates are Sep 4, 11, 18, and 25 and the class is 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, with 30 minute break for lunch on ones own. To register, go to: https://goo.gl/forms/bcKuR0eutmspR7zw1. RCA Class applications are due by 6:00 pm 8/16/18. In order to be certified, one must attend all classes. The grant is supplying the scholarships for attendees, and attendees must agree to four hours of community service per month. We had registration for a previous course which was cancelled, so we have (12) carried over applications. This leaves (13) more spots. (See separate article for further details.)
Terri St Angelo, event coordinator, talked about the Maine Cornhole Tournament, which will be held Aug 23, 2018 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at NYA’s athletic fields, 148 Main Street, Yarmouth, rain or shine! It features bracket elimination, end-of-summer BBQ, Team champion & consolation prizes. Proceeds will benefit the Rotary Club of Portland’s local service projects and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine scholarship for full-tuition to attend NYA. For further details and to register, go to: https://orange.nya.org/cornhole/. Then Terri invited PP Roxane Cole (below left) and PP Jack Carr (below right) to demonstrate how the “sport” was played.
Gus Karlsen (at left) told us this is the last year he will be Collector-in-Charge for the MS Regatta. Gus brought the trophy we won last year for the service club division, and proudly displayed it up front. It is the 8th time Portland Rotary has won this trophy. Gus gladly collected $50 or $100 from anyone this week, and he will be back next week, so he asked that we “bring our checkbooks.” Usually Portland Rotary has been able to sponsor two boats, at $500 per boat. Gus would like to do that again.
With Jan Chapman conducting this week's raffle, which was over $800, Mike Reed's name was drawn. Mike pulled the Jack of Diamonds from the deck and it was not enough to win the pot that continues to grow.
08/03/18 Ryan Vachon, Explorer, Fim Producer, Motivational Speaker
Inspiring yourself to achieve “blue sky space” was the theme of Ryan Vachon’s motivational presentation to our club on Friday. He was born in Boston, where he graduated from Tufts University with a degree in geology. He lives in Colorado, where he is the Executive Officer and Founder of One Premise Innovative Communications with the University of Colorado at Boulder. His career has been inspired by the challenges he has faced, especially while he was learning how to overcome his dyslexia and developmental obstacles. He found ways to inspire himself to be an assertive person and a creative thinker. This growth journey began about 6 years ago, when he found himself confronted by panic attacks. He made a decision to overcome the despair caused by these obstructive emotions. “I finally responded by standing up for myself,” he said.
Believing in the inspirational power of self-motivation has given him the confidence to confront challenges. Among the most arduous of his self-motivating challenges occurred during rock climbing experiences. During his climbs, he was faced with the opportunities and risks he confronted with each step he took, while attempting to conquer treacherous and steep terrains. Quick decision making increased his chances of success, like when he was once faced with a 2,000 foot “predicament”; but emotional decision making could also contribute to tragedy. His advice was “never act on emotion” but work through the “emotional clouds,” and look towards “blue sky space.”
Confronting fear has been a big part of his life. He has learned to be motivated while striving to overcome fear. Taking small steps towards overcoming fear can lead to “big steps” in directing us to becoming “bigger people.”
In being decisive, he recommended the acronym “GOALD”:
G - A goal. “I want to do ‘this’”; and then ask yourself, “What holds me back?”
O - Ownership of the goal.
A - Advise yourself, “What do I do?”
L - Lead yourself through the paths toward the goal; know the challenges (sometimes, this also means facing the realization that there may be too many obstacles in the way of achieving the primary goal.)
D - Dedication for achieving the goal.
In summary, inspiring ourselves to achieve higher goals will give us the added benefit of allowing us to reach out to help others.
(Photo L-R: Matt Wolcott, Ryan Vachon, and President John Curran.)
*08/03/18 Ryan Vachon, Motivational Speaker
Opioid Coach Training
At the recent Opioid Recovery Coach Training, Co-Chair of the Opioid Task Force for our Club, Jesse Harvey met Laurie Quinn from the Philmont, NY Rotary Club in District 7210 (Hudson Valley NY). Laurie is their past district secretary & 2-term club president! Her Club has a Rotary International grant with a Club in Korea- recovery focused!
(Photo L-R: Laurie Quinn and Jesse Harvey.)
07/27/18 Ray Ruby, Maine Cancer Foundation
Justin LaMontagne has had to deal with the fear and paralysis that a diagnosis of cancer brings to a family. Since he had a degree of familiarity with the Maine Cancer Foundation, he reached out to them to help his family deal with this hideous disease. The Foundation proved to be the best resource for his family and helped them successfully travel through to a positive ending. The experience made a distinct impression on Justin and he suggested that they make a presentation to the Club. Justin introduced today’s guest speaker, Ray Ruby, who is the Community Outreach Manager for this Maine non-profit focused on prevention and early intervention as the means to reduce the cancer related mortality rate in Maine.
Ray has an interesting background. He grew up in Connecticut but moved to Maine and joined the Portland Police Department. While on the force he continued his studies and went on to obtain a degree in non-profit management and went on to recently join the Maine Cancer Foundation. In preparation for the presentation, Ray did some research since he expected to find that Rotary was involved and assisted with the work of the Foundation. He found quite a legacy of assistance from the Rotary Clubs in the state, particularly Portland.
The Maine Cancer Foundation concentrates on assisting the patients and practitioners. Every dollar that the MCF raises, over 7 million since 2015, remains in Maine. The Foundation leaves the research work projects to the American Cancer Society and supplements the work of the medical and research professionals by concentrating on the practical application of their findings. The MCF realizes that education is a huge component of any care plan to eradicate the disease in an individual. We learned that the people of Maine suffer a higher than normal rate of cancers. It is thought that many of the causes are attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors, consequently by getting the word out, early and emphatically, to the people in the state, they can favorably impact the mortality rate. The most prominent example of the education outreach is the smoking cessation programs that are reducing the number of younger smokers in Maine. The concentration on early intervention and detection is a critical element in any effort to contain the rate and provide a favorable end result. Simply stated, if we avoid environmental and lifestyle factors and recognize symptoms early in the process, we can significantly improve survival rates. The number of products with potentially hazardous ingredients was made known and it was suggested that we examine products prior to applying or ingesting them.
The geography of our state is part of the reason for our cancer rate being higher than the norm. The remote areas of the state suffer limited medical resources and travel can become a factor. When you add to the mix the demographics, it adds to the problem and the need for the services of the MCF. The Foundation works to help people recognize the telltale signs of the disease and seek immediate care. It is widely accepted that early detection and intervention is the most important factor in any effort to reduce the mortality statistic. However, if you think you have cancer, but can't get to a doctor, it is not only frustrating but deadly. Therefore, the Maine Cancer Foundation has programs to help people in need get rides and access to medical care. Every year, there are over 8,000 Maine residents who are diagnosed with the disease and in need of care.
The Maine Cancer Foundation conducts a number of fundraisers to support their outreach and assistance programs. They initiated the “Tri For a Cure,” “Mary’s Walk,” and the “Twilight 5K” run, to help raise needed funds to help the citizens of Maine to concentrate on 1) prevention (no smoking and limiting sun and chemical exposure ), 2) detection (breast self exam, colorectal studies, and noting changes in one’s body), and 3) access to expert health care. These are the things that each of us can do to prolong our life and avoid the disruption and devastation that cancer brings.
The Maine Cancer Foundation is spawning the collaboration and education that is giving us a way to gain some degree of control over the disease. The battle is far from over. In fact, the statistics are not as favorable as we would like, given the effort. There are still too many people who smoke, spend too much time in the sun without protection, are overweight and unaware of the known carcinogens that are omnipresent in our environment. We are all getting older and suffering exposure, but this is not a death sentence nor an excuse. If we pay attention to the signs, we can get the care we need and take advantage of the miraculous care that is being developed to turn the tide on this scourge.
(Photo L-R: Justin Lamontagne, Ray Ruby, Heather Drake and President John Curran.)
Summer Reading Program
07/20/18 Bits & Pieces
A new Rotary year has begun, out of the basement cavern we have come, the year ahead will be service and fun, and our new President John Curren will assure it’s well run. President John got us started by welcoming 46 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest, then recognized the program theme, the fallen of WWI, and a speaker familiar to us....not a guest, but a son.
Charlie Frair was asked to offer a moment of inspiration and noted the occasion. While the focus was to be World War I, the war to end all wars, he invoked the inspiration of a war time leader of a later date, Winston Churchill. Charlie offered three quotes from the Prime Minister and hit the mark.
Continuing our patriotic theme, we willingly Pledged our Allegiance to the Flag and followed that, sans instrument or specific song leader, with a heartfelt singing of our national anthem. Our group proved that the right song and the perfect admeasure of pride and passion is beauty in and of its own. Great job!
It has been determined that the majority of the club prefer a lighter lunch (our third week) in order to keep down the calories and cost. We have honored majority rule and have gone to a meal offering which will keep the price at $17. However, President John advised that we are not selling enough meal tickets to cover our overhead. Consequently, every member is asked to show support, either by buying lunch or making a donation; how about giving a few dollars while signing in?
Past President Laura Young remembers asking all of us to bring guests and introduce them to Rotary, in general, and the magnificence of our club and acts of service in particular. Laura, always a woman of her word, brought two guests to the meeting and we believe they will both be sponsored by Laura to become members.
We also had a guest from far away.. ..Ed Mast, a member of the Lakewood Foothills Club, located outside West Denver, Colorado traded banners with President John (photo at left).
Every Rotarian is proud of what we do and every club has hallmark service projects, of which to boast. We all bemoan that these acts of service and largess are not well known within the community. When we list the service projects and gifts of our club, we pop buttons with pride but scratch our head later wondering why so few know. Juliana L’Heureux, has taken on the charge of Public Relations and outlined the plans the committee has developed to get the word out and give us better community exposure and enhance our membership efforts. Through collaboration, such as Chamber events, we can get the word in front of prospects and others who need to know. If you have an idea to share or know of an upcoming event, pass it along to Julie.
Our summertime, Savannah-based, member Kirk Duffy told the group of his initiation to our Club’s efforts to help the kids in the Cedar Unit at the Long Creek Youth Development Center. Kirk was instrumental in our serving up an abundant barbecue to the boys, along with a little frisbee can bash on the side. It was the first time that the boys said that they had too much food! Mike Fortunato and PP Jim Willey have been spearheading the Cedar meetings for over 5 years and they keep finding ways to make it better. Despite the addition of Kirk and Joe Reagan, they need more help. If you’re free on the third Tuesday of the month, please consider joining the group. Kirk will tell you that he passed the background check and came away a free and happy man.
The many projects of Rotary only happen because of the help of our members. There is room for everyone to help on any project and we ask that you look around and find the project that best fits your intentions and calendar. Roger Fagan, International Service Chair, asked for members to show up on Thursday, July 26th at the warehouse located at 20 Gooch Street in Biddeford to help with the Crutches4Africa project. It’s a light-lifting night with a start of 5 PM and you should be going home by 7 PM. If you can help please contact Roger at: drrogerfagan@gmail.com. If you’re busy on Thursday, how about Wednesday, the 25th? Our Community Services Chair, Gracie Johnston (gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com), is heading up our monthly effort to help feed the needy at the Preble Street Resource Center. The kitchen duties are many and there’s something that will fit the abilities of anyone wanting to help. We meet at the center at 3:30 PM and on our way home around 6. The needs are many and we don’t confine ourselves to our club alone. Meredith Small brought to our attention the need of the Saco Bay Rotary Club to find a new sponsor for their signature fundraiser, The Duck Pluck. If your business is willing to help, please get in touch with Meredith at: mertsmall@hotmail.com.
On the subject of plucking, Jerry Angier orchestrated our weekly raffle and offered up a pot of $805 if you plucked the Queen of Hearts. Our speaker of the day, trusty Rusty Atwood, pulled the name of Alan Levenson (photo above L-R: Jerry Angier and Alan Levenson). Alan had good plucking luck the last time his name was drawn and gave his winnings back to the Club. He didn’t have any luck on this day and didn’t have to decide whether to spend or share, so the kitty will be greater next week. Come to the meeting, buy many tickets and enjoy the treasure of Rotary fellowship....a stand alone prize.
07/20/18 Rusty Atwood, A Centennial Saga
Roxane Cole introduced our very own, Rusty Atwood, as our speaker. Rusty asked to be on the program for the July 20 meeting because of the date, July 18, 1918, being a critical turning point in World War I. He wanted to tell us “the rest of the story,” and, by extension, pay homage to many others whose service and sacrifice during “the war to end all wars” has faded into history. He spoke to us about a Centennial Saga involving 1st Lt. Earle Adams Billings. Rusty’s wife, Sue, is the great niece of Earle Billings.
The Saga began with “the Immortals” of Portland High School, the boys that never came home from the war. Earle Adams Billings was one of those boys. A Gorham native, he graduated from Portland H.S. in 1912, then entered West Point in 1914. According to the Register of the U.S. Military Academy: “His career at the Academy was one anyone might well be proud in that he graduated with his class in August, 1917, nine months prior to the date set for the graduation of the Class of 1918. His kindness and thoughtfulness toward everyone with whom he came in contact was distinctively prominent in his every act and those characteristics, coupled closely with his loyalty, integrity and his everlasting determination to succeed through squareness to others, gained for him from his classmates a profound respect and admiration.”
Lt. Billings, upon graduating, was assigned to the 9th Infantry, which at that time was overseas. He was one of the few officers of his class who was fortunate enough to receive an assignment to a unit which had already embarked for foreign service.
Before sailing, he married Ruth Dingley Jenkins, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Wesley Jenkins of Portland, Maine, on October 10th, 1917. He was with her only until November 2, 1917, at which time he sailed for England. He remained in London a few days and then joined his regiment, the 9th Infantry, in France and was with it until sometime in January, 1918, when he was detailed to an officers’ school as an instructor. In the latter part of March, 1918, he was appointed as range officer, which duty he performed until the thirtieth of May when he was sent to the front to rejoin his organization and was with the 9th Infantry up to the time of his death on July 18, 1918.
Many events were taking place in the world in 1918. The US declared war on Germany. Moscow became the capital of the Soviet Union. The Red Sox won the World Series. The Romanov family was executed in Russia. Nelson Mandela was born. The Battle of Soissons began on July 18 between the Allied (French, British, American) and German troops. This battle ended after four days with 107,000 Alied casualties and 168,000 Germans.
After falling on the battlefield at Soissons, the West Point class ring of Lt. Billings was stripped from his body by a German soldier. It was recovered when the German was captured a short while later, and returned to Earl’s widow, Ruth. When Ruth remarried and had a daughter, Katharine, the ring eventually was passed down to her. Katherine married another West Point graduate, Edgar Nichols and many years later, Billings’ ring was donated back to West Point. It was carried into space by yet another West Point graduate, Col. William McArthur, in October, 2000.
Upon the completion of the space shuttle mission, the Billings ring was back at West Point to be melted down as part of the Academy’s nascent Memorial Ring Program. Gold from the Billings ring, along with several others, was incorporated into the class rings of the West Point Class of 2002. Each year since, more donated rings are melted and the new class receives rings containing gold from past graduates.
After the war, Portland recognized their fallen sons by planting Linden Trees on Baxter Boulevard, one for each soldier lost. Each soldier from the Great War had a story to tell, perhaps not involving a ring that traveled into space, but important to a family nonetheless.
Rusty recommended several books: one by Richard Rubin, The Last of the Doughboys and Back Over There as good accounts of life as a soldier in the Great War, and a two-volume book by Don Zillman and Elizabeth Elsbach, Living The World War: A Weekly Exploration of the American Experience in World War I.
(Photo L-R: Rusty Atwood and President John Curran.)
Collaborative District Effort
WHAT: A 2-hour work detail to assemble crutches and other mobility aids for shipment in August. It is an opportunity to meet, work alongside, and share ideas with other Rotarians. GUARANTEED TO BE FUN. Light refreshments will be available. DATE AND WHEN: Thursday July 26th, 5 - 7 (??) PM WHERE: Warehouse at 20 Gooch St., Biddeford, just off Route 1 downtown (Near the waste plant site) Dennis Robillard and the Saco Bay Sunset Club are planning to ship another container of mobility aids to Africa in August. They need help packaging and bundling equipment for easy and proper loading. They are a small Club that does a lot. We need another 10-15 people from local Rotary Clubs to help. This is a quick hands-on project that many of you have asked for. PLEASE LET TONY WAGNER KNOW YOUR AVAILABILITY AS SOON AS YOU CAN. You can contact Tony at his cell 799-7997 or Dennis at 468-0443. This project helps meet the District goal of expanding inter-club collaboration. I look forward to hearing from you. |
07/13/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran opened the meeting by welcoming 43 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and one guest, then introduced Past President Russ Burleigh for the invocation. Russ said the word “Triskaidekaphobia” very slowly. Then told us the meaning – from the Greek 'triskaideka,' meaning “thirteen,” and 'phobos,' meaning “fear.” It is the fear or avoidance of the number 13. Which the day is Friday the 13th of July. He continued to tell us what July means to him.
The visiting non-Rotarian, Jo Courney, was from Cabot Cheese, giving us cheese samples and told us about a Reward Volunteers program. Record the time you spend volunteering in your local community. When you log your time, you can win prizes like New England Vacations, cash for the nonprofit you volunteer with, and so many more. A fun cheese box auction brought in $50 and the winner was….Paul Gore!
Past President Loretta Rowe was making a first appearance from her medical leave. She handed out the new roster books, asked us to review our personal information for accuracy, and to contact her if anything needed correcting. She smiled (tearfully) as everyone stood and applauded her return to the club. We are so happy to see her smiling face again.
President John Curran gave recognition to the rest of the new board members, then to 'Rotarians in the News': Jesse Harvey for his work on recovery homes that was published in the Bangor News and for his interview on a local radio station and Bob Fowler for his work for Milestone Recovery.
Jesse Harvey, Co-chair of the newly-formed Opioid Task Force for Recovery, was about to announce the progress of the committee, when Gracie Johnston, his Co-chair, suddenly appeared on queue to support his announcement. Together they described how the whole Opioid Task Force committee worked on a grant to District and received the $5000 award for their "Train the Trainer" program for Portland Recovery. This program will provide training, 30 hrs. of recovery coach courses and development of a curriculum for recovery coaches and Rotarians for training more trainers in the area. The goal is to offer classes and workshops for schools and organizations to help recognize the needs and support the recovery efforts.
Jan Chapman gave an update on the Summer Reading program. The first week was a very hot day with a handful of participants, but the second week doubled with excitement building for the summer. For more information, contact Jan: janchapman1966@gmail.com.
Mike Fortunato told us that the Long Creek BBQ is Tuesday July 17th. He will give us an update after the event.
Brian McDonough handled the weekly raffle and the speaker pulled Linda Varrell's name from the holding vessel of tickets, giving her a chance to find the Queen of Hearts, but it did not appear.
Past President Kris Rosado announced that the "Maine Outdoor Challenge" raised $27,805 for Portland Rotary. The next fundraiser, the "Cornhole Championship," has had some changes as the Maine Girls' Academy is closing and will not be our partner. We will now partner with the Boys and Girls Club/NYA Scholarship. Cornhole boards will be made and a date will be announced on when help for those is needed. (see separate article)
07/13/18 Allan Brown, MEMIC
Allan Brown from MEMIC is a physical trainer by schooling, and he was the speaker at Friday’s meeting. Mr. Brown shared some of his 33-years of ergonomic experience gained from his schooling and from training workers and employers at one of Maine’s largest companies.
His message about ergonomics really touches close to home, since Maine has one of the oldest work forces (with the average worker age being close to 48 years old) and with over 85% of current jobs being considered sedentary when compared to approximately 50% of jobs in the 1950’s. For instance, Allan and others were noticing that workers in the office were having more aches, pains, or injuries than those in the warehouse. This lead to companies starting to use standup desks to help with posture and change positioning at work.
Mr. Brown also discussed comorbidity which is the coupling of multiple diseases or disorders, and which often occurs as one grows older (e.g., oh, my aching back, and my eyes are going). He also demonstrated how correct posture comes from sitting or standing properly at work, and how changing positions throughout the day will help all of us to reduce strain. He noted that those of us that stand up and walk around the office, and maybe standing occasionally throughout the day, have been shown to be healthier in the long run.
Allan compared our posture to a seven-button club, whereby the number of buttons one sees on your shirt in the mirror gets smaller (6 buttons), and smaller (5 buttons), as we crouch, slouch, or bend over. If you can align your spine vertically, all seven buttons on your shirt have a shot at showing, and this is the best posture for reducing comorbidities and strain.
He drove his points home by having Patty Erickson (photo at left) and Elise Hodgkin (photo below) demonstrate how our typical 13-pound head can really affect the musculature, and how holding one’s head in a proper position can allow certain muscles to relax. He went as far as to connect Elise’s upper back muscles to a machine that recorded the muscles' electrical pulses, and converted the readings to sound: the tighter the muscles were when she reached forward, the louder the sound became. With a little practice, Elise was able to relax those muscles using proper posture.
The long and short of Mr. Brown’s presentation is that over the years, gravity can bring you down, but there are some things you can do to counter act it. For additional information, he can be contacted at: abrown@memic.com.
(Photo L-R: 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner, President John Curran, Allan Brown and Justin Lamontagne.)
Cornhole Championship Help Needed
The First Annual Maine Cornhole Championship will be held at NYA on Thursday, August 23rd, from 4-7 PM. We anticipate 64 teams which means we need 32 sets of cornhole boxes.
Russ Voss has offered his new brewery on Route 100 in New Gloucester to be used as our manufacturing facility, and he feels confident we can knock out 30-40 sets in one day. Ben Delcourt is also helping coordinate the construction of the boxes. Their plan is for them and a few friends to precut and prepare all of the pieces on a Saturday, and then have a work party on Sunday to assemble and finish the boxes. A date has not been set, so right now we are trying to get an idea of who might be able and willing to help.
Please reply to Kris at krisrosado67@gmail.com if you might be able to help, and we will let you know once we have a date. Hint, the Event is August 23rd, so there are not many weekends left!!
We need your help!!
*07/20/18 Rusty Atwood, July 1918, A Centennial Saga
A century ago, The Great War was approaching its climax, with the Western Front battered by German forces seeking to take Paris. Dug in along miles of trenches, the American Expeditionary Force, led by American General John J. Pershing and French Marshall Ferdinand Foch, was determined to repel this advance. The fate of France, and its Allies, hung in the balance.
The month of July, 1918, would prove to be a critical turning point in World War I, albeit costly in terms of lives lost. July 18 marked the beginning of that turning point as A.E.F. Forces went “over the top” early that morning at Soissons and by the time the month was over, the German advance had been successfully blunted. Paris was safe and in three months time, an armistice would be signed and the doughboys could begin coming back from “over there.”
Many, however, did not come back. We, in Rotary, know of one local lad in particular - Harold T. Andrews - whose memory lives on via the memorial square, and flagpole, that bears our imprint. Others fell as well, 67 from Portland whose names are listed on a plaque in front of City Hall. One of the fallen was an Army officer born in Gorham, a 1912 graduate of Portland High and of West Point, Class of 1917, who led his men “over the top” on July 18, and remained behind - never to return to his home, or to his wife of nine months. A small piece of him did return, however, and in a most unusual way - and eventually made an equally unusual journey than the one that brought it home to Portland.
Portland Rotarian Rusty Atwood will identify the officer, offer “the rest of the story,” and, by extension, pay homage to many others whose service and sacrifice during “the war to end all wars” has faded into history. For those among us who travel Baxter Boulevard with any regularity, they are with us still.
(Special thanks to Past Presidents Bowen Depke and Jim Willey, along with other Rotarians whose efforts during our Centennial Celebration prompted Rusty’s interest in bringing this story to a wider audience.)
New Roster Changes
EDITORIAL CORRECTION
07/06/18 Bits & Pieces
President John Curran opened the meeting and introduced David Small (photo at left), who read an invocation written 14 years ago by Beth McLendon titled “The Evening of July 6,” that included: “Last night I stumbled into a lightening bug convention held on my street. Since it was the day after July 4th, I wondered if they were inspired to compete with the fireworks of the day before. The floating sparks weren’t as spectacular as the colorful streamers of independence but their simplicity gained my attention just as easily. Again and again, I watched as the gentle globes gathered together and then dispersed. Everywhere I looked, lights were blinking. They were always on the move. Action oriented and yet reserved. They were too shy to come near me, yet I still felt welcome. No motivational speakers, no Power Point presentations, yet, they captured my interest as no meeting has done before. Their messages were clear. Relax, enjoy the journey of life....float together sometimes....float alone sometimes....be gentle....let your light shine.”
PP Kris Rosado (photo at right) updated us on the Cornhole Championship Fundraiser and our partnership with the Maine Girls' Academy. In planning the event, a suitable site must be reserved with access to a grassy location and parking. The Cornhole Championship will be held on August 23, from 4-7 PM, location to be determined.
Rotarians with July birthdays were recognized by everyone singing “Happy Birthday."
Janelle LoSciuto (photo at left) led a patriotic medley singing of the first verse to “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” by George M. Cohen, then “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” a marching tune with roots in the American Revolution and “This Land is Your Land,” by Willie Guthrie.
Justin Lamontagne presented the raffle at $751 and 1st VP Amy Chipman won the chance to find the Queen of Hearts; but it remained hidden in the deck.
President John (photo at left) emphasized the areas of partnership between Portland Rotary and the community as (1) to expand on the work with the Opioid Task Force and (2) to help new Mainers in their transition into the community. Additionally, he emphasized how the “lifeblood” of Portland Rotary was exhibited in the good works done by those who volunteer at Preble Street; in the international 3H project in the Dominican Republic and in Kosovo; with the CHE efforts to end childhood hunger, and improving education through reading in the Greater Portland area; and the mentoring with youths at the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
Committee chairs for 2018-19 were introduced by President John:
Constitution/By Laws - Past President Tom Saturley; Fund Raising - Mike Reed; Good Cheer - Ben Millick; Invocation - David Small; Meeting Day - Jennifer Frederick; Music - Janelle LoSciuto; Program Chair - Matt Wolcott; Roster - Past President Loretta Rowe; Sergeant-at-Arms - Dave Putnam; Vision - vacant; Nominating - Past President Don Zillman.
Membership - Past President Laura Young; Foundation - Past President Dick Hall.
Community Service - Gracie Johnston; International Service - Roger Fagan; Vocational Service - Past Presidents Jack Carr and Larry Gross; Youth Service - Jan Chapman; Opioid Recovery Task Force - Jesse Harvey and Gracie Johnston; New Mainers Task Force - Max Chikuta.
Windjammer (Internal Communications) - Past President Loretta Rowe; Public Relations (External) - Julie L’Heureux; Webmaster - Erik Jorgensen and Club Protection Officer - Nan Heald.
(Committee Chairs present: Dave Small, PP Tom Saturley, Jennifer Frederick, Janelle LoSciuto, Gracie Johnston, Jesse Harvey, Roger Fagan, PP Jack Carr, Jan Chapman, PP Dick Hall and Julie L'Heureux.)
07/06/13 Jesse Harvey, Opioid Abuse and Treatment
Portland Rotarian, Jesse Harvey was our speaker this week. As many already know, he is a person in long term recovery from Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Jesse’s focus was to help us understand the problem better and explain how we and others can help.
Jesse said that Portland is a recovery ready community and more communities need to become one also. 418 Mainers died of OD last year while there were only 171 traffic deaths. More died in the US in 2016 than in the whole Vietnam war. There is a 20% decline in males in labor force due to SUD. Jesse thanked the district and our club for being recovery allies, who enable recovery to happen.
Jesse told us that in five weeks, he will have achieved 36 months in recovery. His mom worked for the UN, so Jesse grew up living in many countries. They moved to Buffalo at age 12, then MA, and his parents divorced while he was in High school. Jesse started drugs as it was easier to get than alcohol, heavily misusing pills acquired from doctors. He added alcohol in college staying 8 months before being asked to leave school. He moved to PA, enrolled in school, and was working for an attorney. After graduation he needed alcohol every 3-4 hours, and his legal problems started. He was in and out psych hospitals multiple times, involuntarily committed 4 times, and discharged to streets. The 5th time, he was discharged to a recovery house. After 3 months, he began working, and 3 months later had a full time job, and now has become more and more involved in advocacy.
Multiple programs are needed to be recovery ready because different people have different needs. Anonymous programs will not allow pushing for the macro changes. SUD is a diagnosed medical condition where the brain gets rewired by the substances. Recovery is a process to health, home, community and purpose.
Adverse childhood experiences lead to disrupted development, and if untreated, will lead to drugs, alcohol and other issues. Recovery oriented systems of care (ROSC) need to have the range to cover the needs of many different people. Lack of a continuum of care is a bridge to nowhere. Many systems treat the acute, with nowhere to go for continuing care. Recovery requires a continuum of care, which includes intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery supports.
Words have an immense power to wound and hurt, as well as inhibiting the needed changes to society. Health outcomes are different based on words used to describe condition.
No one is immune to implicit biases. Example: Drug addict should be referred to as a person who uses drugs. Words and concepts can elevate and celebrate – Example: People seeking long term recover. Recovery ready communities have sustainability and end the stigma and discrimination of the disease or its recovery. Opportunities for Rotarians include recovery coaches, Narcan training, support legislation, educate peers, and value programs. Direct support can be driving people to recovery programs and actively using destigmatized language and person-first language. Contact Jesse if you want to help at: jesse@journeyhousemaine.com.
(L-R: Jesse Harvey and President John Curran.)
*07/13/18 Allan Brown, MEMIC
Birthdays and Rotary Anniversaries
NOTABLE DATES FOR MEMBERS IN JULY
Member Birthday
3rd - Mark Millar
5th - Ben Millick
11th - Alan Levenson
Charlie Whittier
12th - Tom Nickerson
Megan Peabody
14th - Jack Carr
Jennifer Frederick
16th - Julia L'Heureux
19th - John Marr
23rd - Peter Noyes
29th - Mike Reed
30th - Terri St. Angelo
31st - John Curran
Date-Joined-Rotary Anniversaries
Alan Levenson - 39 years
Bill Reynolds - 44 years
Rob Chatfield - 11 years
Mike Fortunato - 8 years
Steve Stromsky - 7 years
Jerry Angier - 4 years
Tom Nickerson - 4 years
Alex St. Hilaire - 4 years
Elise Hodgkin - 3 years
Tom Saturley - 2 years
Peter Moore - 1 year
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
The meeting minutes for Portland Rotary Club's Board of Directors are posted on our website the month following their approval. From the "Home Page," click on the "Board Meeting Minutes" in the listing at the left and then the date of the minutes you would like to review.
*07/06/18 Jesse Harvey, Journey House
Jesse Harvey will be our speaker at Portland Rotary this week. He is a person in long term recovery from Substance Use Disorder. He works as Peer Support Coordinator for Greater Portland Health, volunteers as Chapter Lead of Young People in Recovery-Portland, and serves on Portland’s Overdose Prevention Task Force, as well as on the Boards of Directors of Health Equity Alliance and NAMI-Portland.
Jesse is an advocate for low-cost, low-barrier, and evidence-based public health interventions, and he has helped to educate healthcare providers, the media, law enforcement, and others in Maine on the value of recovery-ready communities. Jesse is most passionate about recovery houses and overdose prevention sites, and is the Founder of Journey House Sober Living and Portland OPS.
Jesse is a Master’s student at Muskie. In his spare time he likes to walk around Portland and eat Ethiopian food.
06/29/18 Michael Dubyak, Chair WEX
Michael Dubyak, Chairman of South Portland-based WEX, shared with us the story behind writing his book, The Road to WEXcellence, and read from a couple of chapters. “Why did I write a book? Maine doesn’t tell good stories about its successes. This is a good story,” he said. “I also wanted to share the learnings from my experience.” Dubyak said the book was written to capture all the phases of the story of WEX. “I believe that my behind-the-scene perspective offers lessons.”
Dubyak read from the book’s preface, which began with the story of the culmination of WEX’s effort to launch their IP in 2005. “We were on our road show with 74 meetings in ten days,” he said. “Meetings all around the country with investment banks and potential investors. It was draining. Our owners at the time, Cendant, were in control of the process, and there were two companies trying to buy the firm before the IPO—so we had two due diligence efforts underway while we were raising interest in the offering. If one of the companies was successful, we would have to shut down the IPO.”
Dubyak said that when he opened the drapes of his hotel room on the morning of February 16, 2005 and saw the view of the Statue of Liberty, “I just lost it. I was so overcome with emotion. Here I was, a guy from Maine getting ready to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, my emotions flowing, and I just sat down on the couch and cried.” He said that he finally got himself together and met up with Melissa Smith, WEX president, and the rest of his executive team, and they launched their IPO.
“We didn’t do it for the money for ourselves,” he said. “All the money went to Cendant. We saw this as our chance for independence.”
Dubyak then read from the book’s third chapter, which is about entrepreneurial risk. “Entrepreneurs take on risks to survive,” he said, noting that by year 12, most startups have either gone out of business, or disappeared. “Very few survive,” he said. “Staying in business requires ratcheted growth and capital.” Dubyak explained that each round of raising capital is lettered, starting with “A”. “We were on the “I” round,” he said. “We cycled through six presidents before I became CEO. But the management team stayed together. “We called ourselves ‘WEX’ers,” he said. “What made us special; what makes a Maine company special are the people of Maine. We are persistent and loyal and compassionate. Our culture is that of a family, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
In response to questions, Dubyak reported that the firm’s new headquarters should be complete by the fourth quarter of this year and will house 450 employees. He acknowledged that this will present another challenge to Portland’s traffic and parking situation. Asked how the firm’s culture of community involvement plays into its competitive advantage, Dubyak said that high employee satisfaction translates to high customer satisfaction. “We’re now signing customers like Exxon and Shell to ten-year contracts,” he said. “That locks the competition out.”
Since WEX’s IPO opening at $19 per share, its stock has risen to $190.80 per share with a market capitalization rate of $8.3 billion. The book is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.
(Photo L-R: Michael Dubyak and new club President John Curran.)
06/29/18 Bits & Pieces
Incoming President John Curran welcomed 35 members and four guests. Jen Fullmer, a retired B-1 bomber pilot, was one of the guests who joined us for our lunch. She is currently working to establish a new nonprofit, Boots2Roots. The organization helps veterans transition from military to civilian life in Maine, assisting them with everything from job placement to navigating the real estate market.
1st VP Amy Chipman enthralled the club with tales of Toronto – telling us of a spectacular Rotary International Convention, which she attended with a battalion of Portland Rotarians, including PP Peter Goffin, 2nd VP Ellen Niewohner, PP Bill Blount, Tom Nickerson, Ron Bennett, Bruce Moore, Jan Chapman and Mr. and Mrs. John Marr. 25,000 Rotarians were in attendance at the Toronto coliseum. They heard not only from Rotary International’s president, but from prime ministers, the head of UNICEF, first lady Laura Bush and others, including Process Anne. Even Canada’s celebrity prime minister, Justin Trudeau, was in attendance. She said it was “three world leaders, one first lady, and 25,000 friends."
Jan Chapman reported that the Club’s North Deering Gardens reading program is up and running, with a full complement of readers. She also told her own Toronto story, in which she described the end of a meal when the manager of the restaurant they were at came up and waxed poetic about Rotary and its work for refugees. He then offered them all free drinks, proving the value of going out in public while wearing one’s Rotary pin.
Gracie Johnston made an appeal to members, asking them to step up to help with the Club’s monthly meal at Preble Street. The program has been going well, but the supply of Rotary volunteers has grown a little thin. Brandishing a “Help Wanted” sign, she explained that the program serves dinner on the fourth Wednesday of every month, and that all are welcome.
Finally, PP Peter Goffin was the latest victim of the cruel Queen of Hearts in our weekly raffle. He was close, pulling an ace of that suit, but not close enough to take the jackpot, which continues to grow.
06/22/18 Dr Chuck Radis, Healthcare From the Physician's Perspective
Erik Jorgensen introduced Dr. Chuck Radis, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of New England and a rheumatologist with an interest in Public Health issues. After 22 years in private practice at Rheumatology Associates in Portland, he now provides rheumatologic services through the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth.
Dr. Radis believes that universal health coverage is a basic right. He described the problems with our current health care system as “the bridge is burning.” Dr. Radis indicated that in 2007 15% of our country’s total gross product went to health care and that number is now 17%. He told us that the most common reason for bankruptcy in the U.S. is large medical bills.
Without getting into a full discussion of the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Radis stated that it provided benefits by allowing younger adults to be insured longer under their parent’s policies and by coverage of pre-existing medical conditions. The ACA didn’t, however, control costs.
Dr. Radis argued that a new health care system is necessary and that to be effective, it needs to be:
1. Simple (the current U.S. system is much too complex);
2. Fair (universal); and
3. Sustainable (with cost controls).
Dr. Radis then gave examples of what he personally was charged on his medical bill for same day surgery in 2015 and compared those figures with the medical costs of the individual items. The differences were in some instances staggering. He also gave other examples, like the average cost to Americans for an MRI is $1,119 – in Australia it’s $215. He noted that the only two countries that allow prescription advertising on television are the U.S. and New Zealand and that this advertising adds about 20% to the cost of prescriptions.
Dr. Radis then discussed Medicare and noted that it has substantially less administrative costs as compared with private insurance. Medicare also pays less to hospitals and physicians than private insurance. Dr. Radis said that what Medicare can’t do by law is negotiate the price of prescription medicines and he believes this should change.
In summary, Dr. Radis believes that the solution to our health care cost crisis is to design a system that looks a lot more like Medicare. His proposal – both during his talk and afterwards when taking questions, provoked skepticism and outright disagreement by some Rotarians who argued that his examples were oversimplified and in some examples erroneous. It was a lively discussion about a critically important topic.
District Sea Dogs Game
The Portland Sea Dogs are happy to host Rotary District 7780 as they take on the Altoona Curve, AA Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, August 19th at 1:00 PM. Gates open at 11:30 AM. Tickets are $26 pp. Tickets purchased through this link are for the Coca-Cola Picnic Area in Right Field, and include a buffet that runs from 11:30am until 2:00 PM and consists of hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq pulled chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, Coca-Cola products and Sea Dog Biscuits. There is also a cash bar in the area for beer and wine.
What a great way to share an afternoon with fellow Rotarians and prospective members in the District. Invite your friends and family, too!
If any questions you can contact bob.wester@icloud.com, District AG from the Kennebunk Portside Rotary Club or click on the following link to order tickets https://groupmatics.events/event/Rotarydistrict7780
06/22/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman called the meeting to order welcoming 39 members and 1 guest to the Clarion Hotel.
David Small provided a delightful invocation, lamenting and celebrating the changes in our lives, with an incoming club president and with the ever-changing seasons, which all too quickly run from summer to autumn here in Maine. But, with a reading about the joys of summer, we were all able, if just for a day, to feel the excitement that these first few balmy days bring us all as Mainers.
Kathy Grammer’s voice steadied our acapella group through our rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
John Houghton brought the lovely and talented Jay Houghton, his beloved wife, to Rotary as his guest.
Gracie Johnston needs your help! The Preble Street Resource Center provides so much (gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com) support for the homeless community, which explodes in the summer, and our club has committed to providing volunteers for our Wednesday commitment from 3:30 to 6:30. This could be some of the most rewarding work you can do…so please contact Gracie if you’d like to make an impact on the lives of some of those who are less fortunate than yourself.
Erik Jorgensen was feted for winning his re-election to The Maine House of Representatives. Despite running unopposed, Erik ran a crisp and well-managed campaign. Congrats to our Woodford area leader. We look forward to hearing Erik’s thoughts on the happenings in Augusta. And we promise to not have his talk take place in a bowling alley this year!
President Don gave a brief and carefully worded thumbs-up for the ranked choice voting process which culminated this past week with Janet Mills’ primary victory. As she gathers herself to take on Shawn Moody in November’s general election, we, as Mainers, can conclude that as a national model for this new system, our voters seemed to handle it with great aplomb and stability.
Our search for a “home” continues. After some very successful and warmly received discussions with The Holiday Inn By-the-Bay resulted in an offer to keep us on as Friday guests, our club is finalizing its position as we search for the elusive perfect venue for our Friday meetings (reporter’s note: we began this VERY elusive search back when I was club president about 15 years ago!). While just about all of us want to stay on the peninsula, and just about 100% want to stay on as a “Friday lunch club,” there are so many factors, such as parking, meal cost, and black- out dates, that really cause the Board of Directors to pause and reflect on these rather major decisions. While the decisions are being worked out, and with new consideration being given to the gorgeous Jewish Community Center near Westgate, President Don (with President John in the wings) asks for your patience and understanding as we once again grapple with finding a cozy and welcoming home base.
Patty Erickson had our speaker, Chuck Radis, draw a name for the weekly raffle and Tom Saturley strode to the podium in search of the elusive queen of hearts which would have netted Tom $690….but the eight of clubs forced Tom back to his seat, in search of a pot of gold at another time.
*06/29/18 Michael Dubyak, Chair WEX
Michael Dubyak is Chairman of WEX Inc., a leading provider of corporate payment solutions. From 1986 to 2013, Dubyak held executive management positions, including the last 15 years as President and CEO. His career at WEX spanned the Company’s nine years of venture capital ownership, five subsequent ownership changes and ultimately its Initial Public Offering in 2005. Dubyak has chronicled the story of the founding of WEX, initially known as Wright Express, in his book, The Road to Wexcellence, published by Amazon Digital.
Dubyak’s leadership and vision was instrumental in forming the strategy, infrastructure, and operating philosophy under which the Company continues to excel today. He guided a technological transformation of WEX, developed new market strategies and instituted aggressive growth and market leadership goals. Under Dubyak’s direction, WEX became a publicly traded organization in 2005 with an approximate market cap of $700 million. WEX’s current market cap is $8.13 billion.
Dubyak currently co-chairs FocusMaine, an economic initiative with a mission to create significant job growth across Maine. He has also chaired Educate Maine, a K-16-focused education attainment organization, was Chairman of the University of Southern Maine Board of Visitors, served on the board of the United Way of Greater Portland, the Executive Board of the Maine Chamber of Governor’s Council on Competitiveness and the Economy, the New England Advisory Council of the Boston Federal Reserve, the Center for Grieving Children Board of Directors and co-chaired its Capital Campaign.
Mike has a B.A. from Baldwin Wallace University. An avid world traveler, hiker, biker and kayaker, Mike and his wife, Denise, have navigated the Colorado River in a wooden dory, hiked 7 days to Machu Pichu, navigated the Antarctica and the Arctic on an ice cutter, and hiked over 75 miles in New Zealand, Patagonia, Ireland, and Bhutan.
*06/22/18 Dr. Chuck Radis, Healthcare from the Physician's Perspective
Dr. Chuck Radis is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of New England and a rheumatologist (a doctor who specializes in immune system disorders) with an interest in Public Health issues since his years as a public health doctor for the Casco Bay Islands in the 1980’s. He is a board member of Consumers for Affordable Health Care and a member of several state committees developing bills to protect consumers from undisclosed insurance practices. After 25 years in private practice locally at Rheumatology Associates, he now provides rheumatologic services Down East through the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth.
After completing an internal medicine residency at Brighton Medical Center, Dr. Radis provided primary care to the six year-round islands of Casco Bay. He saw first-hand how critical access to health care is to the health of island families. During his time practicing in Casco Bay, Dr. Radis averaged more than 150 house calls each year and provided free or reduced fee service to islanders without health insurance. As a private practitioner, he provided health insurance to his employees and believes that universal health coverage is a basic right. “Mainers need to take back control of their health care system. We need to develop a system which can negotiate and control the cost of prescriptions and reduce administrative costs. A single-payer system can provide quality health care for all. No one should be left behind.”
He is the founder of the Maine-African Partnership for Social Justice which provides health education programs in South Sudan as well as scholarships to African immigrants at Portland High School.
Dr. Radis was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2016 Democratic primary for the District 27 (Portland) Senate seat.
06/15/18 MaineCanDo
Three of the founders of MaineCanDo, Betsy Peters, Melanie Sachs, and Stephanie Brock, shared with us Friday the story of the creation of Maine’s unique response to the #MeToo movement and acts of sexual harassment by members of Maine’s business community. MaineCanDo (www.mainecando.org) is a website designed to help individuals, organizations, investors, and boards confront issues of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly those who have suffered, or witnessed, sexual violence or harassment.
“This website is the first of its kind to provide a set of tools for individuals and businesses,” said Melanie Sachs, Executive Director of Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. “Two in five Americans have experienced sexual violence in the workplace,” she said. “And three in ten have observed it.” “Society has raised the bar,” Betsy Peters stated. “The real impact is to humans and society. For enterprises, the strategic imperative is clear, one letter on the internet can bring a company down.” The intent of the website, according to Peters, is to provide an “authentic Maine response” for individuals and businesses. “Maine is a land of small businesses,” she said. “Small businesses don’t have HR departments.” Sachs related that Maine law requires companies with more than 15 employees to conduct sexual harassment training. “Maine is not on the leading edge of this issue,” she said. “California is nine times stricter. But the real question is, are you going to do compliance, or are you going to do better?”
“There’s an ‘ick’ factor to all of this,” Peters stated. “Stuff we just don’t like to talk about.” The effort stemmed from an inciting incident involving Stephanie Brock who said she “drew a line” after offensive behavior toward her from Jess Knox, with whom she had been working on Maine Startup and Create Week. “We can’t grow in a community when leadership looks like this,” she said. She wrote letters to all the boards of organizations with which Knox was affiliated. Knox did not dispute the charges, and agreed his behavior was inappropriate. “I got a swift and fair response from all of them,” Brock related. “But it was a scary thing for me to do. This website will help others who find themselves in the same situation.”
The presentation of the three women struck a chord among members who engaged in a supportive discussion during the Q&A period. Laura Young rose to share her MeToo moment by relating her discomfort and distress at a Portland Rotary luncheon where two male members engaged in jokes about male genitalia. “Other male members around the table looked uncomfortable. What was I supposed to do, laugh? These are never funny,“ she said.
Upon a motion, the club agreed to sign the MaineCanDo pledge as an organization, the first Rotary Club to do so. “I wholeheartedly support Portland Rotary signing this pledge,” Club Protection Officer Nan Heald said.
MaineCanDo Pledge:
We, the undersigned, know that Maine can do better and will do better. Join us in our pledge for Maine to be home to respectful and harassment free workplaces.
We agree to:
• Review workplace sexual harassment policies in light of #MeToo and audit how they work in practice.
• Create and assure that appropriate and safe mechanisms are in place to report, measure and track complaints of inappropriate behaviors whether intentional or unintentional.
• Be proactive in developing respectful workplace cultures.
• Designate and ensure employees know of go-to members in organizational leadership who will ensure grievances are taken seriously, investigated fairly, and resolved quickly.
• Commit to an ongoing review of sexual harassment and discrimination policies, practices, and workplace climate at the highest levels of leadership to ensure they are making a practical impact.
• Use our influence as investors and board members by committing to increased attention on and an intentional review of policies related to human capital and to supporting workplaces that are free from harassment and discrimination.
(Photo L-R: Melanie Sachs, Bob Martin, Betsy Peters, Stephanie Brock and President Don Zillman.)
06/15/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 44 members and 4 guests to our club meeting on Friday.
Charlie Frair provided an interesting innovation with a reading from Ron Sousa, a Canadian philosopher. Entitled “The Obstacles of Life,” this short, inspirational piece concluded that the pursuit of happiness, with its ongoing ups and downs, is the essence of life. So, let us enjoy the journey rather than focus on the concept of achieving “happiness.”
PP Russ Burleigh tickled the ivories as accompaniment to a rousing version of “God Bless America”.
President Don thanked membership for all of their input and announced that discussions are ongoing with the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay and a decision on our luncheon venue should be forthcoming within the next week or two.
(Photo L-R: Katie Brown, Scott Shibles, Julia Hansen, Moritz Hansen (Julia's father), and President Don Zillman.)
After being introduced by Katie Brown, Scott Shibles, the director of student life at Casco Bay High School, gave a very moving description of our Youth Service Award winner, Julia Hansen. After seeing two of her best friends commit suicide during her junior year, Julia became determined to help those who suffer in silence with mental illness. Julia boldly started up “The Yellow Tulip Project,” which has gained great momentum in allowing those who have felt stigmatized by emotional issues to speak up and have a voice within the community. A well-deserved award for a fine young woman.
PP Laura Young provided a brief announcement about the Summer Reading Program at North Deering Gardens, which runs from July 5th thru August 9th. If you are interested in this very rewarding program, please contact Laura at lyoung@mainecf.org.
Paul Tully and Charlie Frair are already working tirelessly to have an even bigger and better Veteran’s Day luncheon next fall. It was announced that the event will most likely be moved to the Holiday Inn so we may accommodate even more veterans and guests.
PP Peter Goffin was selected to pull a card from the deck of cards for our weekly raffle, run by Jennifer Frederick, but, alas, Peter was not able to find the elusive Queen of Hearts.
(Photo L-R: PP Peter Goffin and Jennifer Frederick.)
*06/15/18 MaineCanDo
Our program this Friday will focus on Maine’s response to the #MeToo movement, the founding of #Maine Can Do, an online resource for employers, managers, investors, board members and workers who have suffered or witnessed workplace sexual harassment. Our speakers will be the founders of this groundbreaking program.
Betsy Peters (above photo) is a business consultant who also launched the first website in the ski industry, conducted a live webcast from the top of K2, developed a program that got 400,000 women in menopause off of pharmaceuticals, and was recognized at the Obama White House for her web-based educational program. Her experience includes serving as an entrepreneur in residence at Maine Technology Institute. She holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and lives in Freeport where she has been a member of the school board.
Melanie Sachs (photo left) is the Executive Director at SARSSM: Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. She is a licensed clinical social worker and her experience includes working as the former Executive Director of Freeport Community Services. A cum laude graduate of Bates, she holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She lives in Freeport where she is Vice-Chair of the Freeport Town Council and a member of Freeport Rotary Club. In her spare time, she serves as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader, and an Odyssey of the Mind coach.
Stephanie Brock (photo left), is the General Manager of Red Thread Portland, a company that provides furniture, technology, and architectural systems for innovative workplaces. She also teaches Heated Vinyasa Yoga. She’s from the other Portland where she graduated from high school and studied at Portland State University. Stephanie loves running, craft beers, yoga and spending time with her daughter. She lives in South Portland.
06/08/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 55 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest to our club meeting on Friday.
Tom Nickerson gave our invocation reflecting on the death of Robert Kennedy 50 years ago by reading from Ted Kennedy’s eulogy to his brother. Linda Varrell led us in the Pledge, and we sang “God Bless America.” Visiting Rotarians included PDG George Rice, president-elect of the Oxford Hills club, and Kirk Duffey of Savannah, GA who will be with us until October.
Mike Fortunato and PP Kris Rosado (photo at right) thanked the army of volunteers who contributed to the success of the Maine Outdoor Challenge. Kris reports that preliminary results show that the event earned $27,000 for Rotary, and an equal amount for the Boys and Girls Club.
Kudos were also shared for the MOC banquet at which participants shared lobster, steak, or chicken, depending upon what they told Mike Fortunato. Tom Ranello and Patty Erickson were applauded for their contributions. Tom displayed excellent auctioneering skills demonstrating his ability to raise $3,400 for one item — PP Cy Hagge’s contribution of a week at his Sugar Loaf estate. The winner got it for $1,700, and Cy agreed to contribute a second week to the runner up if the top price was matched. It was.
Kris introduced a new fundraiser which will take place on August 23 in partnership with the Maine Girls Academy, Maine Cornhole Championship. For those unfamiliar with the sport, cornhole, or bean bag toss is a game in which players toss bags of corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. Kris demonstrated the techniques required to achieve mastery of the sport. Watch for more details on this event.
Jen Frederick offered Bruce Nelson the chance to find the Queen of Hearts and take home $625. But Bruce could only find the King, and the jackpot increases.
06/08/18 Don Zillman, Portland Rotary Wrap-Up
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin and President Don Zillman.)
Chair Bob “Belichick” Martin had to scramble when our scheduled speaker was unable to attend due to a family illness. In the wings was ace reliever and soon-to-be outgoing Club President Don Zillman. “Next Man Up” performed with his usual dexterity, providing a year in review, his observations and commentary, and opportunity for club participation.
Don began with a reflection on a week of notable anniversaries....100-50-25. It has been 100 years since the end of WWI. Don, in his role as a Maine Law professor, recently co-authored a comprehensive book on the war and that time period; 50 years equated to Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 funeral, as well as Don’s own 50th wedding anniversary to his wife, Linda. (Congrats!); 25 years represented Don’s tenure in the Portland Rotary.
Don’s pre-member perception of Rotary was one of silly songs and funny hats. He was wary of any club that would have him as a member, invoking that famed Marxist expression. (Groucho not Karl) He found out quickly that he was way off, noting that joining Rotary was one of the best things he’s ever done.
Riffing, he spoke of how Rotary has changed since he joined. In 1989, women were first admitted to Rotary. How attendance requirements were relaxed to accommodate today’s culture. He referenced how we’ve always been driven by service initiatives and activities, but how incredibly broad and diverse the programs have become. However, some important things stay the same, notably the “Service Above Self” motto and the “4 Way Test.”
Above all, it’s been the lifelong friendships. To define that, Don said if “20 years separated us, and then someone was to call to get together, the answer would be ‘heck yes!’.
Today, the club is as vibrant as ever. Our club was recognized by the District for over 6000 hours of volunteer service this year, local to international. From the Dominican Republic to Kosovo…where next? Yes, we have fundraising in order to make financial contributions to help others, but it’s the “hands on” memorable moments where the impact is truly felt.
Don began to reference some of the highlight programs. CHE – Childhood Hunger and Education, now in its 5th year. Summer reading to young children at North Deering Gardens. Preble Street meals. Locker Project for food-insecure children. The club began to chime in….
…St Vincent DePaul Thanksgiving Dinner, The Veterans Lunch on Veterans Day, Maine Outdoor Challenge with the Boys and Girls Club, the new “Cornhole Championship” for Maine Girls Academy, mentoring at Portland HS and Deering HS, mentoring at Long Creek Youth, Student Scholarships.
Don interjected that one of the goals of the club was to continue to grow and develop club membership, including the increase of our club’s diversity. He sought ways to help “Friends Who Rarely Attend,” aka Club Members who have difficult schedules, perhaps by giving them a forum to address the club about their work. He also paused to reflect how Rotary is a place to come to share different opinions and have different views, but we embrace it and welcome it.
With that, Don opened the floor for reactions. PP Bowen Depke started by thanking Don for his year of service as Club President, which was met with a round of applause. Bowen added that CHE was set up as a 3-5 year plan with arrangements to review, so in the name of truth, we should ask If that vision is still in focus. Dave Small brought forth that we need help on Thursdays in July for summer reading. PP Russ Burleigh told us that his wife Joan needs some more yarn for her 10th annual knitting project in order to reach her mark of making 150 pairs of kids mittens. Justin Lamontagne gave us good news that his wife had beaten breast cancer, and that he was excited about helping out on the “Making Strides” event in October at Fort Williams Park. PP Peggy “Queenie” Wescott told us how she too had defeated breast cancer earlier this year, and now proudly had a new license plate KYNRSUP. Anagram! “Keep Your Knockers Up”. Good news shared by Elise Hodgkin, who had lunch with PP Loretta Rowe. LoRo, who has been fighting cancer, is hopeful to return to the club in a few months. Let’s hope so! Katie Brown said the summer Locker Project was in full swing and help was needed with product distribution. Rusty Atwood referenced that we need to reach out to some of our members who have drifted away due to busy schedules, and welcome them back. PP Don Lowry encouraged makeups at other clubs. Dick Giles reminded us of the 800 water filtration systems we helped to implement in the Dominican. PP Peter Goffin reminisced about how Don Z had a previous chance to be club President, back in the Winterfest days, but took a Rotary time-out to be the Dean at Maine Law School. Joe Reagan expressed his appreciation for being invited into Rotary, and has also enjoyed attending other club meetings. PP Dick Hall touted the reactivation of Youth Exchange. Bob Clark spoke of the spirit of volunteerism that is shared between the Rotary and the Boys and Girls Club, with special thanks to PP Kris Rosado who inspired and developed the Maine Outdoor Challenge.
In closing, Don championed the phrase “How much can get done when no one needs to take the credit?” Well Don, we salute the great job you did this year, but hey, you still have two more weeks to go!
06/01/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 52 members, 1 visiting Rotarians and 6 guests. He called on Julie L’Heureux for the invocation which focused on mentoring. After the Pledge of Allegiance, Past President Russ Burleigh led us on the keyboard with the singing of 'God Bless America.' President Don introduced visiting guests and Rotarians (including assistant Rotary District Governor Bill Anderson) and also made note of the June Rotarian birthdays and anniversaries in the club.
Mike Fortunato (lobster, steak or chicken) brought us up-to-date on our major fundraiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge, scheduled for the beginning of next week in Freeport. His focus was the meal choice at the dinner on Wednesday and whether those attending had made their choices. Basically, if you haven’t passed on your wishes directly or by way of your team leader, you’re getting lobster.
Casey Hartford from Big Brothers Big Sisters spoke about the mentoring program and made a special request for male mentors, since they have 19 boys ready to be matched up with mentors. It takes only an hour a week to become a Big Brother or Big Sister and the need is great. Call 207-773-5437 or visit www.somebigs.org to volunteer.
Past President Laura Young talked about the reading program at Lyseth School in Portland and the need for volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 5th through August 9th. Contact Laura directly (lyoung@mainecf.org) for more information about this opportunity to “get more than you give.”
Past President Dick Hall, as a follow up to his recent email sent to members, spoke about the Rotary Foundation and the importance of giving an annual contribution. He requested that every member of the club make a donation to the Foundation. Dick was also the subject of a friendly tease by Assistant District Governor Bill Anderson for having misplaced the “Pyramid of Peace Award” at the District Conference. This award was for the club’s efforts in meeting all six Rotary Areas of Focus. So that it wouldn’t be lost again, Bill – with a good natured grin – presented the award directly to President Don.
Erik Jorgensen was made a Paul Harris Fellow +2. Club members stood and applauded this outstanding achievement. Congratulations, Erik!
(Photo L-R: Erik Jorgensen and Past President Dick Hall.)
(Photo L-R: Dave Putnam, Zoleka Mngqibisa, and Director Kevin Stilphen)
Dave Putnam introduced Director Kevin Stilphen, who introduced our Youth Service Award recipient from Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), Zoleka Mngqibisa. After listening to her many accomplishments, it was clear that this recognition was well deserved.
The weekly Rotary raffle was conducted by Tom Nickerson and Past President Bob Traill graciously picked the Ace of hearts – leaving the sum to be even larger next week. Sorry Bob!
(Photo L-R: Past President Bob Traill and Tom Nickerson.)
06/01/18 Laura Freid, President Maine College of Art
Bob Martin introduced Friday’s speaker by talking about the power of image, and how in this increasingly visual world, understanding visual communications has taken on new urgency. With that urgency has come increased focus and prominence for schools like the Maine College of Art, which train people not only to add to the Worl’d visual resources, but to help others understand and make use of them.
On Friday we heard from Laura Freid, who has served as the President of MECA for the past year or so, following a career with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project.
With 500 full-time undergrads plus students in the MFA and MAT programs as well as a base faculty of 30, the College is a major presence in downtown Portland. 25% of those who graduate stay on and live in Portland.
Ms. Freid spoke about how “everything we are doing today succeeds more because of its visual elements and its designs.” Many countries are looking to the US for creative ideas, and students at MECA are being trained to work in the forefront of creative work in the US. The College has grown more competitive in terms of admissions, and its graduates work in a wide range of professions. Some 60% of the students are interested in design (as opposed to fine art), from fashion, to computer graphics, to graphic arts.
MECA students arrive in Portland having already worked as artists, developing portfolios and distinguishing themselves in high school. What does MECA teach its artists? What they learn there, in addition to honing their art skills, includes brainstorming, analysis, and both giving and receiving criticism. They understand the difference between form and content. All these are critical abilities for any professional. She also added that MECA students take a range of other college courses in addition to their core art training.
Ms. Freid also spoke about the value of art for art’s sake. Artists generate meaning, empathy, and humanity. And while it is sometimes hard to measure or quantify the value of art, it’s clear that arts and culture deepen community and improve the quality of life. There is also a pecuniary interest, as arts & culture support more than 2000 jobs in Portland.
She noted that MECA is an “innovation lab” and all the faculty live here in Portland, which is unusual, adding considerably to the richness of our city. We remember Beethoven, Bach and Picasso much more than the rulers of their day or the political arguments that were raging in the background as they worked.
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Laura Freid and President Don Zillman.)
*06/08/18 Greg Williams, Agri-Cycle Energy
Greg Williams is the Director of Waste Solutions at Agri-Cycle. He joined Agri-Cycle in 2014 with diverse experience in the organics industry, including sales, consultation, business development, and operations. While completing a Master’s in Community Planning & Development at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service, he researched the feasibility of implementing a curbside organics program in Greater Portland. He received an award for the idea from ecomaine in 2008, and presented the idea to the Portland City Council in 2009. Williams also successfully started and managed a commercial composting business in conjunction with the City of Portland before joining Agri-Cycle.
Agri-Cycle collects organic waste and converts it to clean energy and fertilizer, providing clean, renewable energy to the grid in Maine and throughout the region. This process keeps organic waste out of landfills, reduces harmful greenhouse gases, and powers homes and farms.
05/25/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 58 members, 1 visiting Rotarian, and 1 guest to our meeting on Friday. President Don asked Joe Reagan to give the invocation on Friday. In honor of Memorial Day and our veterans, Joe told us a heartfelt story about an exemplary soldier and father who put service and his life above self. Glenn Nerbak led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Past President Russ Burleigh led us in 'God Bless America.'
President Don thanked those that helped run the weekly meeting.
Gracie Johnston (left) discussed our club's volunteer day at Preble Street in which some Rotarians helped prepare and serve food at the soup kitchen for those in need. The volunteers during the recent event included over nine (9) Portland Rotarians. A fairly new member (John Thompson at right) brought his 17-year old daughter. John asked her about the experience, and she said that she was interested in the variety of people that attended and how hard the volunteers worked. Gracie also discussed the opioid task grant application that she and some other Rotarians are working on.
Jake Bourdeau, with the help of Matt Wolcott, held the raffle this week, and the speaker Bill Caron picked PTG’s ticket out of the can. Paul T. Gore selected a red 7 which lets the Queen of Hearts rest for another week. The pot is getting bigger, so join us next week for a chance at over $550.
Glenn Nerbak introduced two students from Portland High School who presented their Capstone projects to the club. They presented about a “Welcome Wall” initiative, which tries to bring fellow students closer together in their school community. The Welcome Wall topics include immigrants and other newcomers to the school. The Welcome Wall process was described largely as a student-on-student interview process including multiple languages and translations of the interviews. You could tell from the students’ enthusiasm and their smiles that the goal of the Welcome Wall was being achieved.
Glenn also let us know that he is leaving Maine and its cold winters, and moving to southern Arizona to start a position teaching English. Best wishes, Glenn, in your new endeavors, and we appreciate your service.
Past President Jim Willey let us know that there are opportunities to volunteer at the Salvation Army’s Playroom which is reading and playing with the toddlers of adult education participants while the adults are taking classes. Jim noted that one positive plus to the program is that the diapers are still changed by their parents.
Past President Kris Rosado spoke about the status of the upcoming Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC), and he let us know that there is still enough room to add a few more teams. Kris also was even able to hook up an interested Rotarian with a team during the meeting.
Patty Erickson (right) talked about some of the MOC logistics and about the donated items that are being auctioned off at the dinner Patty asked for some help describing the gifts to support an email blast, and Linda Varrell raised her hand offering to help.
In honor of our military and veterans, Past President Russ Burleigh of the Music Committee led us in an Armed Forces medley, and as each song was played, members who had served in the branch of the service that the song represented were asked to stand up and be recognized.
President-elect John Curran presented some highlights from his trip to Kosovo, and also talked about his visits to five Rotary Clubs while there. John indicated that other clubs there are on board with the Hands and Hearing initiatives that are being proposed. John also exchanged club banners with one of the clubs.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/ROTARIANS IN THE NEWS
Bob Trail attended his 75th reunion at Brown University.
Joe Reagan was in the news recently alongside Senator Angus King regarding a Goodwill story.
05/25/18 Bill Caron, CEO Maine Health
Last Friday at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, President-elect John Curran introduced Bill Caron, the president of the largest private employer in the state of Maine, Maine Health, with 19,000 employees and $2.5 in annual revenues. Bill’s talk, entitled “The Current State and the Challenges Ahead,” was an eye-opening look at health care in Maine and the issues involved as changes occur at a rapid rate.
Bill opened his remarks with a reminiscence of a time, just a decade ago, when a patient would be admitted to the hospital for a hip replacement, spending 10-14 days in-patient post-op, then another 3-5 days at an in-patient therapy center, followed by visits from a home health aide in the weeks after these stays. Now, a patient is up and walking hours after this same procedure and discharged to go home in less than 24 hours in the hospital. With these remarkable changes in technology and care come many issues, both beneficial and detrimental to the patient who must be seen as a consumer in this ever-changing business model.
In looking at what “works well” within the healthcare system in Maine, Bill reiterated that the quality of care is rated at the very top of the United States and the physicians and other providers are “as good as it gets” but, that being said, the issues revolving around childhood obesity and smoking are still a major concern, especially with the expected costs for all of us to incur should these problems become longstanding with so many associated maladies.
The major challenge, as one would expect, remains the cost for the consumer of healthcare. With “cost shifting” transferring so many of the ever-increasing expenses to you and me, through health insurance rate increases, and the population ever aging, with the expectant costs related to care, there are no easy fixes. Mainers pay the fifth highest rates in the country for insurance, which is forcing many providers and insurers to re-design the delivery systems for healthcare, wherein services are only offered at regional facilities, not with the “home town provider.” Maine is losing more and more qualified health professionals to Boston and further south, a trend that has been longstanding.
Bill Caron, in addressing these issues, and others, offered some real insight into our ever-evolving healthcare system, with no easy answers to some of these longstanding problems. But he asked for our patience and cooperation as those in power, representing both public and private sectors, work tirelessly to seek solutions in the months ahead.
(Photo L-R: President-elect John Curran, Bill Caron, and President Don Zillman.)
*06/01/18 Laura Freid, President Maine College of Art
Laura Freid has pursued a career in higher education and the arts, and made this the focus of her work in journalism and film as well.
As CEO and Executive Director of Silkroad for the past decade, Freid initiated the organization’s ongoing multi-year affiliation with Harvard University, established a five-year partnership with the Rhode Island School of Design, and created the first joint venture with the Harvard Business School.
During her tenure, Silkroad spearheaded a yearlong, citywide celebration of the arts in Chicago; focused on the arts and passion-driven learning in work with middle schools, educators and teaching artists across America; and brought together artists and business leaders to influence the emerging field of cultural entrepreneurship. She also served as executive producer of the internationally-acclaimed feature documentary The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Prior to joining Silkroad, Freid was executive vice president for public affairs and university relations at Brown University. A magazine journalist and editor, she served as publisher of Harvard magazine and publisher and editor of Bostonia magazine. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and holds an M.B.A. from Boston University, as well as an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
*05/25/18 Bill Caron, CEO Maine Health
Mr. Caron is the President of MaineHealth, Maine’s largest health system serving southern, western and central Maine, as well as Carroll County, New Hampshire. Prior to assuming his current position in 2000, Mr. Caron was Executive Vice President and Treasurer at MaineHealth and Vice President and Treasurer at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. He previously was a Partner with Ernst & Young and headed their East Region healthcare consulting practice based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received his Masters degree in Accounting from Northeastern University and his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Bill is active in the Greater Portland community. For many years he served as a member of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Chamber boards of directors while holding several officer positions with the Portland Community Chamber, including the position of Board President.
Bill has also been active with the United Way of Greater Portland – serving as the Annual Campaign Chair in both 2005 and 2015. He has served on the People’s United Bank Advisory Board, the Hospice of Southern Maine Board of Trustees, and the board of the Maine Hospital Association. Bill has been recognized as a Hall of Fame Laureate by Junior Achievement and was recognized by the United Way of Greater Portland as its 2009 Legacy Award winner. Bill resides in Cape Elizabeth with his wife Susan and they have two children.
05/18/18 Anna Welch, Dir. Human Rgts Clinic Maine Law
President Don Zillman had the pleasure of introducing some of his associates from the University of Southern Maine School of Law and did so with the detail and dignity that is emblematic of his character. Don also introduced our guest speaker, Professor Anna Welch, who spearheads the University’s outreach to refugee and asylum seekers coming to the United States to start a new life of freedom.
Professor Welch clarified the difference between a refugee and an individual seeking asylum from their native country. Welch became interested while in high school of the trials and travail of those who are forced by circumstances far beyond their control to leave their homeland and try to start a new life. Those seeking asylum are distinguished from the refugee because they are forced to flee their country in order to save their lives. Asylum seekers are not motivated by economics, they are forced by politics to save their lives. The asylum seekers have been prominently in the news the past few years and the numbers have been overwhelming for the United States and many other countries. Maine has long been willing to assist this population, with Catholic Charities taking an active role to help this population get situated and actively involved in the community. They are not coming here looking for a hand out. They are wanting to get a job, contribute to the state and establish a new home for their family. Before Catholic Charities can help, the refugee and asylum seeker must get through the daunting labyrinth of the immigration laws of the U.S. This is where Professor Welch and her legal clinic team get involved. Anna started the clinic in 2012 with two primary goals....the first was to give the students practical, hard nosed, real life experience as they commit to the practice of this distinct avenue of law;....the second, and the nucleus, is to assist those who are being persecuted by their governments, cultural norms (domestic violence), and criminal elements to the point where they have to forsake home and all that they have in order to escape to a place where they can try to survive and create a new life.
Most of the refugees and people seeking asylum are intent on following the laws of the country and are convinced that they can prove that they are fleeing circumstances that are profoundly outrageous to any civilization. It’s not enough to just have a compelling story, they must navigate the legal system in place to protect our country from those who do not share our values. Without proper legal counsel only 12% of the asylum seekers can gain legal entry to the United States.
While the cases are litigated, many of the families are separated and at risk of losing touch. The cases take many months, often years, to make it through the legal maze to a conclusion. While the wheels are cranking, the children are often placed into foster care and some are put up for adoption. Making a life altering decision which is involved in these cases is an enormous burden. When you are facing a family that has given up everything, traveled hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles over perilous terrain, it’s more than just difficult to make the decision to take a case or abandon a family to proceed pro se, when you know the chances are slim.
The clinic has made a huge difference in many lives. To be sure, the refugee and asylum group is being mightily affected, since it can be life or death. Parenthetically, the law students involved are gaining an insight and often making a life altering decision concerning their chosen profession. The graduates who commit to human rights law are not likely to make it to the ranks of the “white shoe law firms” and make huge sums of money. They are in it for the people, not the profit!
(Photo L-R: third-year Law Student (Graduate as of Saturday) Hanni Pastinen, third-year Law Student (Saturday graduate) Joann Bautista, President Don Zillman and Anna Welch, Sam Cohen Refugee and Human Rights Clinical Professor, UMaine Law School.)
05/18/18 Bits & Pieces
Meeting at the Clarion Hotel began with a welcome from President Don Zillman. Gracie Johnson led the invocation by reading a series of quotes from a famous person. She asked the Rotarians to guess, who said all of the following?:
• Peace begins with a smile.
• Spread love wherever you go.
• Let no one ever come to you without leaving happy.
• If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.
• Kind words can be short and easy, but their echoes are truly endless.
• We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
Answer to the question is: Mother Teresa.
(Photo L-R: Mike Fortunato, Patty Erickson and 2nd VP Amy Chipman.)
Preparations for the upcoming 6th Annual Outdoor Challenge scheduled for June 4, 5 and 6, included a letter from Past President Kris Rosado, to present to donors and prospective team members. The Challenge is taking place at the L.L.Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School with five competing outdoor sports: Fly casting, GPS geocaching, Archery, Firearm familiarity and Clay Target shooting. Mike Fortunato signed up volunteers to assist with the event for each day, mornings and afternoons. Patty Erickson and Jennifer Frederick spoke about seeking items for the live and silent auctions and expressed gratitude for the donations thus far, that have been collected. 2nd VP Amy Chipman reported on the raffle ticket sales - cost 3/$20. This year’s winning raffle will be a $500 gift certificate to L.L. Bean. Tickets are on sale for the June 6, awards program and lobster bake to be held at the AmVets in Yarmouth, that starts at 5:00 p.m. with a social hour, the meal to be served around 6:00 p.m. and the "LIVE" auction will follow after the meal. Lobster is $32, Steak is $28 and Chicken is $26 per person. Katie Brown volunteered to manage the slide presentation for viewing at the awards and lobster bake. Proceeds from the Maine Outdoor Challenge are donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine.
Mark Millar received a standing ovation when Past President Dick Hall presented him with his Paul Harris Fellow pin “plus three,” adorned with 3 blue sapphires, a tribute for being a contributor four times. In the Portland Rotary, Dick reported that about half the members contribute $100 a year to the Paul Harris Foundation, many also contribute at the $200 a year level and three members donate $1,000 a year. A request was made to those who can, to please contribute $25 as an annual donation to the Paul Harris Foundation. Thank you to our club members for this generosity! Check with Dick Hall for more information: dickhall@maine.rr.com.
Joseph Reagan reported about the volunteer mentoring provided by Rotarians at the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
The weekly raffle conducted by Matt Tassey had the eligible participant of Liz Fagan, who attempted to draw the winning card on behalf of the Hearing, Hands and H2O project, but the $537 prize will grow again next week as the Queen of Hearts remained in the deck.
Rusty Atwood announced the dates of the September walks to support the work to find a cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Walk dates are August 25 in Bangor and September 8 in Portland. Link to register for the Portland walk at: www.alsa.org. Thanks Rusty for bringing this important worthy cause to our Rotarians attention!
05/11/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 48 members and 2 guests to our meeting on Friday at the Clarion Hotel.
Ellen Niewoehner did her first invocation ever in 20 years, by sharing the Irish Blessing.
Bruce Moore led us in the pledge and Kathy Grammer led “My Country Tis of Thee.”
Gracie Johnston reminded all that she needs help at the Preble St Soup Kitchen, Wednesday, May 25th, 3:30-6:30 p.m. Contact her for details or to volunteer: gracie.johnston@wcsh.com. Gracie also told us that the recovery coach training has been delayed.
Dick Giles, at his first Rotary meeting back from sunny Florida, was awarded his Paul Harris Foundation +6 pin, signifying $7,000 total giving to the Rotary Foundation. Dick was proudly wearing his PHF +5 pin at the time, and asked “Is this going to cost me more money?”
Past President Dick Hall then gave a summary of the District Conference, that was held last weekend. Six districts attended, with over 600 people. Speakers included
• Rotary International President Ian Riseley
• Shirley-Pat Chamberlain – Multiple Library Projects in British Columbia
• Razia Jan - Razia’s Ray of Hope education project in Afghanistan
• Travis Roy inspirational address
• Karen Wentz, RI Past Director
Breakout Sessions were held on Rotary Foundation, Literacy, Human Trafficking, Rotaract, Vibrant Clubs, Polio – Gates Foundation view, Opioid Crisis, Youth Exchange, Hands to Honduras, End 68 hours of Hunger, and Interact, Earlyact, RYLA.
Dick awarded the "Pyramid of Peace Award," given to President Don Zillman, for the club’s efforts in meeting all six Rotary Areas of Focus. Although 25 clubs won the award, it was reported that Portland Rotary had the highest number of volunteer hours for the year.
The District 7780 Total Impact was very Impressive!
Cash Funding of Service Projects - $940,972
In-Kind Funding - $957,176
Number of volunteers - 4,743
Volunteer Hours - 34,531
Mike Reed was looking for 4 more volunteers for the Deering High School Mentorship workshop, and quickly had four volunteers, so he has a full team of 13.
As incoming chair for the Maine Outdoor Challenge, Mike announced we have 32 teams so far and only 13 openings. The auction has 60% of the items needed. We need 30 more items. Mike was able to get a client to donate a tuna or shark trip valued at $1200 to the live auction.
Jan Chapman announced that we have wrapped up the reading program for this year. She thanked the Rotary Club and the Maine School of Law. She has received bags of thank you's, some in Spanish. John Thompson was given he bag of thank you's in Spanish. Don chimed in with a funny story showing how dedicated the teachers are at the schools.
Jerry Angier handled the raffle and Erik Greven was the winner of the first drawing but his two of hearts did not win the $512 jackpot. Better luck next time, Erik.
Liz Fagan presented a check for 3-H hearing aids, donated in by a local audiologist in memory of James Roger Fagan, Roger’s dad.
Amy Chipman reminded everyone to sell their raffle tickets for the Maine Outdoor Challenge. Winner gets a $500 gift card for LL Bean.
Amy also announced a pre-trip meeting at the Cumberland Club for all going to the International Convention in Toronto. Donated apps, cash bar, and money.....past conference attendees to share the “ropes.” She also mentioned the two-district party in Toronto, at second city.
Don announced a Board meeting immediately following, to discuss the location for our meetings next year. He mentioned budget issues, meal prices going up and the fact that we have paid $2400 so far this year for meals not eaten, because we did not make our 50-person meal guarantee. He promised a report later.
05/11/18 Paul Brown - Arthritis Health Care Practitioner
Paul Brown, a physical therapist on the staff of Back in Motion, told Portland Rotary that “arthritis is a normal thing to happen” as people age. “It’s natural and likely to occur in the neck, lower back, the area above the thumb, and at the site of previous injuries.” The secret to treating arthritis, Brown said, is exercise.
Brown said that the Center for Disease Control maintains statistics on medical needs and reports that diagnoses of arthritis have high rates of comorbidities with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression. “Physical exercise improves all of these conditions,” Brown said. “But there’s not enough awareness of the value of physical exercise. He pointed to the state of Maine which has much higher rates of comorbidities than the national average. “With the exception of Portland, where rates are lower, the state of Maine is not a good example of how to live a healthy life.” Brown reported that 33 percent of Mainers suffer from heart disease and arthritis.
Brown said the Arthritis Foundation (arthritis.org) recommends 150 minutes of exercise a week. “Any exercise is valuable,” he said. “Even if you can’t do 150 minutes, just keep the joints moving.” He also said that body weight impacts the severity of heart disease and arthritis. “So get your weight down and do 150 minutes of exercise a week.” He recommended following a plant-=based diet and taking the time to determine which foods exacerbate inflammation. “Everyone is different, so diet will be different for everyone. Tom Brady avoids nightshade vegetables because he’s sensitive to them for inflammation.”
Brown recommended the services of a physical therapist who is trained to look at body mechanics to develop a theory as to why pain is happening in order to develop exercise solutions. He also demonstrated a number of exercises that help in the treatment and prevention of arthritis. (Videos demonstrating these are on the Arthritis Foundation website arthritis.org.)
Paul pointed to Bob Traill as one of the most inspiring people he knew. “He’s exercising regularly, almost every day. Look at him: he doesn’t look a day over 75!”
(L - R: Bob Traill, Paul Brown, and President Don Zillman.)
*05/18/18 Anna Welch, Dir. Human Rgts Clinic at Maine Law
As the Sam L. Cohen Refugee and Human Rights Clinical Professor, Anna Welch oversees Maine Law’s Refugee and Human Rights Clinic and teaches the Immigration Law seminar. She serves as a clinical professor and supervising attorney, as a classroom teacher, and as an advisor to students who are interested in immigration law and human rights.
Professor Welch previously served as a Fellow at Stanford Law School, where she taught and supervised students within Stanford’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.
A Maine native, Professor Welch graduated with honors and highest distinction from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied journalism and Spanish. She then went to the Washington College of Law at American University. She graduated summa cum laude, order of the coif, and then went to Peru for a year, beginning in August of 2005, as a Fulbright Scholar. In Lima, Professor Welch worked with a non-profit organization to establish a public water management system in Chosica, one of the shantytowns known in the city as “pueblos jovenes.”
Professor Welch practiced at the law firm Verrill Dana in Portland, Maine, from 2006 to 2010. She was head of the firm’s Immigration & Global Migration Group. She also served as a volunteer lawyer for the non-profit Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) in Portland. Professor Welch was instrumental in helping to expand ILAP’s roster of pro bono lawyers for asylum cases. In 2008 she earned ILAP’s “Attorney of the Year” honor. During her time at Verrill Dana, Professor Welch taught immigration law at Maine Law, as an adjunct professor. She also helped supervise student attorneys at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic. In 2010, Professor Welch spent time in Nairobi, Kenya, where she served as a refugee protection officer at RefugePoint (formerly Mapendo International).
Helping Sister Rotary Club
Each year Portland Sunrise Rotary holds its Party With a Purpose fundraiser auction for Maine Children's Cancer Program. In this their 20th year, they've set the goal of raising a record $50,000, and would like to invite you to be part of it. This magnificent annual event takes place at the gorgeous DiMillo's Restaurant in downtown Portland, with sweeping views of the Portland Harbor. This year they've moved the event to May 16th, 5:30-8:30 pm, so that we can better enjoy the beautiful views. Items in this year's live auction include a photo safari in Africa, a diamond necklace and Tag Heuer men's watch from Springer's Jewelers, catered lunch in the tower at Victoria Mansion, a week's stay in Tuscany, and more! There's also a silent auction packed with amazing jewelry, artwork, and one-of-a-kind experiences. All this with complimentary food, beer, and wine, for just $30 per person. Best of all, proceeds benefit the unequaled work of Maine Children's Cancer Program, through Portland Sunrise Rotary. Please consider purchasing a ticket today at https://fundraising.mmc.org/mccp/rotarysocial. We hope to see you next Wednesday. Sincerely, President Sam Heck, Portland Sunrise Rotary |
*05/11/18 Paul Brown - Arthritis Health Care Practitioner
Our Speaker for this Friday is Paul Brown, Lead Physical Therapist for Back In Motion Physical Therapy, South Portland. He will discuss the subject – Importance of Physical Therapy for the Management of Arthritis.
In 1986 Paul obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University. Since that year he has held positions as a Physical Therapist in a hospital, in medical services companies and as the Lead Physical Therapist for Back In Motion in South Portland.
During the years from 1986 until the present Paul has taken continuing education courses in therapeutic approach to the major parts of the body such as the spine, shoulder, lower extremity pain and the nervous system. He is an expert in rehabilitation exercise.
Since the year 2000 Paul has provided valuable volunteer service first to the Beach-to-Beacon Race as an Organizing Committee member. Beginning in 2013, he has also been a Hydration Station Captain at Miles 14, 16 and 22 for the annual BAA Boston Marathon. In that position he has been responsible for overseeing from 52 to 84 volunteers in the setup and delivery of hydration fluids.
05/04/18 Erin Orvalle, Maine Life Media
David Clough introduced our Rotary speaker, Erin Ovalle, the host of Maine Life, a television program that can be seen Sunday mornings on Channel 6 in Portland and Channel 2 in Bangor. The program is about Maine people and what makes Maine a special place to live. Erin describes the show as being on air, online and on the road highlighting all the beautiful places and people in Maine. Past episodes are available online at mainelifemedia.com.
Erin began her presentation with a promo for her 3rd season of the program and then discussed how she came to Maine in 2008 from Florida. She was able to secure jobs as a morning news anchor at WGME and later at WMTW. She described how she had a “lightbulb moment” when, as a morning anchor, she realized she was only telling negative or sensationalized stories and missing what she knew were the off-the-beaten-path discoveries and stories from hard working Maine people.
In 2016, she left her morning news anchor position and started Maine Life. Ms. Ovalle loves doing what might derisively be referred to in the news industry as “fluff pieces,” but to her are more important and entertaining than the typical morning news stories. Where else, she asks, could she have the privilege of interviewing Julia Clukey, the Olympic Luger from Maine, and then have coffee with Maine Senator Susan Collins.
She describes her show as the best job she’s ever had in that she no longer has to follow the national news story motto of “if it bleeds, it leads.” Although she works about 5 jobs to make a living, she has fallen in love with Maine and is actively involved in the community and enjoying all that Maine has to offer.
(Photo: President Don Zillman, Erin Ovalle and David Clough.)
05/04/18 Bits & Pieces
With President Don Zillman calling us to order Tom Nickerson offered a poem, source unknown, titled “Seldom Put Into Words.” Its meaning- we may not put our friendships into words, but should value them every day. Our Guest Speaker, Erin Ovalle led us in the Pledge, and Past President Russ Burleigh tapped out “God Bless America” on the ivories.
President Don welcomed 4 visiting guests, 53 members, saluted 14 May Birthdays, and congratulated 4 anniversaries for joining Rotary. Don also thanked all the members who were working behind the scenes to make today’s meeting run smoothly.
Past President Kris Rosado announced that 150 trees had been distributed to club members, all part of RI’s commitment to have a tree planted for all 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. He moved right into an update on the Maine Outdoor Challenge, now up to 34 teams....striving for 45. Dave Seddon is looking for 4 teammates – give him a call! 2nd VP Amy Chipman added to Kris’s comments by promoting the MOC Raffle, featuring a $500 LL Bean Gift Certificate. 1 Ticket for $10, 3 for $20. Packs of 15 are available after the meeting for members to pick up and sell. Go get ‘em!
Jan Chapman welcomed Linda Freeman, Dir. Of College Counseling and Student Services for Maine Girls Academy. Linda was here to introduce our Student of the Month, Naissa Asaro. Naissa was “an easy choice” according to Linda, because of her dedication to service and the community. Accepting the award, Naissa spoke passionately about her love of service, and proudly donating her $100 to Youth Corp, in support or accountability for youth who have broken the law.
Around the world we go! 1st VP John Curran is back from Kosovo, traveling there with a Rotary contingent led by Roger and Liz Fagan. John reported that they had provided 32 patients with prosthetic hands, and 75 with hearing aids. The trip explored longer term relationships in the area that was once under communist rule. Located in Southeast Europe, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The area has a very active Rotary presence. Something to build on.
(Photo at left: Dr. Roger and Liz Fagan doing TV interview.)
(Photo at right: Dr. Roger Fagan and Prime Minister of Kosovo.)
If you have any electronics that can be recycled, take them on May 12 to the Falmouth Center parking lot, 9a-1p. This is a fundraiser for the Falmouth club. Donations for each item dropped off is appreciated, but not necessary.
Jesse Harvey was quoted in a Maine Voices article with regards to substance use disorder. https://www.pressherald.com/2018/05/02/maine-voices-demand-that-legislators-fund-bills-to-care-for-those-with-substance-use-disorder/
We need volunteers to assist the Food Locker program on May 21 at Blue Cross Blue Shield from 12:30-6pm. Groceries have been organized and bagged. Our job would be to greet and assist people who are in to utilize the program. The goal is help de-stigmatize the process of a free food distribution program, as there truly are people who need this assistance. For more information, please talk to Elise Hodgkin right away!
President Don noted that Dave Seddon had informed him of a very successful outing at Allagash Brewing, raising $1500. $400 has been provided to our CHE program – Childhood Hunger & Education. Nice!
Charlie Frair provided some insight into our Communications Committee, and its importance to the club. First, our weekly Windjammer, with the hard work of our Editor and the stories of our weekly reporters. Next, our website, with various webmasters keeping it updated. Last, the Public Relations arm, with special thanks to Linda Varrell. Linda’s company, Broadreach, has offered 2 associates, who will work with us to write stories on our behalf to be posted on our Facebook page. We need 2-3 people who can set up a structure to funnel the information through. If you are interested, please contact Linda at: lindav@broadreachpr.com!
Raffle… it grows, and will keep growing because John Houghton was kind enough to pull the Seven of Hearts, which pays zippo! Only the Queen of Hearts is redeemable for cash, which will top $500 next week.
Photo Corner - from Kosovo
Photo Corner
*05/04/18 Erin Ovalle, Maine Life Media
Maine Life takes viewers on an exploration of Maine, the state’s most interesting places, off-the-beaten-path discoveries, introduces us to fascinating locals and the stories hardworking Maine people tell. Host Erin Ovalle highlights all the things that make Maine a special place to live and work.
Erin is a former morning news anchor on Portland TV stations WGME and WMTW. She grew up vacationing in Maine and like so many, fell in love with the state. Erin worked in broadcasting in New Hampshire, Illinois, Michigan and Florida, before returning back to be the morning anchor here in Maine. When not traveling the state, Erin enjoys volunteering in her community, spending time outside with her pup, Baxter, and checking out the many delicious restaurants Maine has to offer.
“I spent a lot of my career covering the news of the day behind the desk but missing the personal stories and people actually shaping Maine and our economy,” says Erin. “Maine Life is not only taking on personal and authentic stories but we’re also engaging with new and existing audiences both on air and online, giving viewers the chance to engage on their terms.”
Now in its third season, Maine Life can be seen Sunday mornings at 11:30am on Channel 6 in Portland and Channel 2 in Bangor. Past episodes are available online at mainelifemedia.com .
There’s more to the Maine Life and Erin Ovalle story – how she got the idea and what are some of the most interesting episodes to date – as we will hear this Friday.
04/27/18 Bits & Pieces
Last Friday we were pleased to be hosted by Bob Clark at the Boys and Girls Club on Cumberland Avenue. Thanks to our contacts through The Long Creek Youth Development Center, we were fed a scrumptious meal, served by two residents, Ernie and Alex, who were about to head out to play basketball at northern Maine higher learning institutes.
Past President Cyrus Hagge offered up a thoughtful inspirational moment with humorous quotes from Mark Twain.
Past President Bowen Depke reported that the Allagash Brewery fundraiser/social event was a rousing success. As he handed President Don Zillman a wad of cash, in an undisclosed sum, Bo thanked all who attended and donated for our ongoing effort to support the club’s CHE (childhood hunger and education) project. Rusty Atwood mentioned that his wife Sue won a wonderful door prize at the event. Many thanks to all who made this happen, especially Dave Seddon, the organizer extraordinaire.
Rotary International is in the process of handing out 1,200,000 trees to clubs around the world. Each tree, representing a Rotarian, will be planted in an effort to keep our planet green and breathing. Past President Kris Rosado is spearheading our give-away so, if you’d like to plant a small tree in your yard (or anywhere!), please contact Kris.
Gracie Johnston thanked those who participated in serving meals at the Preble Street Resource Center last Wednesday. Seven folks gave of their time, including Megan Peabody, who was, on Friday, celebrating her acceptance into her master’s program at USM.
Xavier Botana, the superintendent of the Portland Schools and one of our newer members, was recently named a “Change Maker” byThe United Way, one of the highest honors from this group. Congrats, Xavier!
A $500 check was given to Mike Robinson, who accepted on behalf of the “K-9’s on the Frontline” program, which was selected via a club vote last month to receive a portion of the funding available after our extremely successful Veteran’s program last fall.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge is quickly approaching, as Patty Erickson reminded us from the podium. She asked that we all keep our eyes and ears open for silent auction items as we are out and about in Greater Portland. Restaurant and store gift certificates are an easy ask and, if needed, you can grab a letter explaining the process from Past President Kris Rosado to show for bona fides. We are also looking for gently-used sporting equipment, such as canoes, kayaks and bikes, to help as auction items. And, lastly, 2nd VP Amy Chipman is handing out raffle tickets to all members (1 for $10, 3 for $20), with the winning ticket being awarded a $500 gift certificate to LL Bean.
Our tables were adorned with very sweet thank you notes from the young students at Lyseth School in Portland, who are so very appreciative of our efforts, spearheaded by Past President Laura Young, to read to these young people. (See Photo Corner for photos of special event at Lyseth School for Portland Rotary volunteers.)
Past President Peter Goffin offered up a surprise Paul Harris Fellow to one of our most vibrant and active members, Mike Fortunato, who seems to have his hand in every aspect of our club. Peter, who joked that he had “run out of relatives to honor,” mentioned the Veteran’s luncheon and our Long Creek mentoring programs as two examples of Mike pitching in, often over and above, during just the past few months. With his extra efforts ongoing for many years now, Mike should be an example to us all of how “Service Above Self” should not just be a slogan, but a way of life.
The weekly raffle was led by Jennifer Frederick. Mike Robinson's name was selected, but he did not find the Queen of Hearts allowing the pot to grow for next week.
04/27/18 Catherine Fossett & Jennifer Nemi
Small business is a driving force in our economy. It’s not much of a leap to correlate small business and family business, especially when they are starting out. Not all family businesses remain within the financial or government definition of a “small business.” A better understanding of the dynamics of starting, developing, sustaining and passing along a family run business was the focus of our recent meeting. Bob Martin introduced the club to Catherine Wygant Fossett, the Executive Director of the Institute for Family-Owned Business (IFOB), and Jennifer Nemi, a third generation principal of Franklin Printing located in Farmington, Maine.
Catherine was well armed with charts and statistics laying out the challenges that are common to small business and are often accentuated when it’s a family affair. It is claimed that as much as 70% of our U.S. GNP can be traced to small, family-owned businesses. Clearly, they represent a significant and powerful segment of the economy and are worthy of assistance. It comes as no surprise that it was a prominent patriarch of a family-owned business who started the IFOB. In 1994 Shep Lee and his daughter, Candace Lee, were living the life and working through the labyrinth-like path toward a successful transition of a family-owned business to an offspring. They employed their experience and financial support to get the IFOB off to a great start and the success is proven. The Institute works in association with the University of Southern Maine, Thomas College and Husson College to assist family businesses prepare for the known and unexpected hurdles of business, as well as the olympian high jump of transfer and transition to succeeding generations.
The IFOB has been working on coming up with solutions to the problems of family-run businesses and has developed over 40 programs to offer examples of successful solutions. They hold a number of social gatherings to facilitate the development of relationships that can become mentoring opportunities. We now have the luxury of the internet which provides an easy access portal for members to access as they search to find the secrets of a successful family-owned business and the successive transfer of such.
We were introduced to Jennifer Nemi, a third-generation principal of Franklin Printing. The company has been active in the IFOB for many years and enthusiastically endorses the organization as a resource. Franklin Printing was started by Jennifer’s grandfather some years ago and has gone through the typical periods of downturn and obstacles. The initial iteration of Franklin was that of a small local journal. The world of newspapers, long before the internet, has always been extremely competitive, demanding and littered with failures. As times and finances changed for Franklin they evolved from the nucleus of being a newspaper into a printing facility, thus capitalizing off of the fundamentals of the business. It follows that you are always taking the job home with you and that can magnify the explosiveness of dinner discussions. It is essential that those involved with running a family-owned business have both an information source as well as an outlet for those pent up emotions and problems.
The statistics accentuate the need for an organization such as the Institute for Family-Owned Business, in order to facilitate the development and transition of this huge economic engine. Family-owned businesses represent 80-90 percent of U.S. commercial ventures while providing jobs for about 62% of the workforce. The Institute for Family-Owned Business is a valuable resource for this segment of the economy and the business secrets for day-to-day operations and their continued success.
(Photo: Bob Clark, Bob Martin, Catherine Fossett, Jennifer Nemi, and President Don Zillman.)
Rotary Short Term Youth Exchange
Hopefully you got the email announcing the District pilot program for Rotary Short Term Youth Exchange, for this summer. If your high school age family member would like to go to Italy or France for 3-4 weeks this summer and then host a French or Italian student for 3-4 weeks, contact Dick Hall, Megan Peabody or Jan Chapman. Applications are due in the next two weeks.
04/20/18 Bits & Pieces
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
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
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
The weekly raffle, ably run by Jerry Angier, had lucky member 2nd VP Amy Chipman's name drawn out of the holding vessel to try and find the Queen of Hearts. Unfortunately, Amy did not find the Queen, leaving the pot to grow for next week.
04/20/18 Ford Reiche, Lighthouse Restoration
Peter Noyes introduced his longtime friend and favorite brother in law, Ford Reiche. Ford’s grandfather, Howard Reiche, Sr., was a fixture of Portland Rotary for many years and also Principal of Portland High School. Additionally, Ford was also a past member of Portland Rotary and sponsored Peter’s application.
(Photo L-R: Peter Noyes, Ford Reiche and President Don Zillman.)
Ford has had an interesting professional career as a lawyer and as a businessman. Moreover, he has acquired and restored several buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ford presented an overview of the 3 year restoration of Half Way Rock Light Station, located on a two acre rock ledge in Casco Bay.
Lighthouses were once essential to navigation along the coast of Maine in the years before railroads became the essential to commerce; but technology and GPS have replaced their functions. Navigators followed the lighthouses into Casco Bay with the sequencing “First Monhegan, then Sequin, Halfway Rock and then you’re in.” Three people were assigned to the lighthouse, but two lived on the rock while a third would be given shore leave. It was very tough living with dreadful weather conditions. Their primary job was to keep the glass on the light clean so the beacon could shine bright during storms. They worked to keep the glass clean even during icy weather. Lighthouse keepers also kept detailed written hourly records about weather conditions. Every day of work was involved in doing maintenance and chores.
In 1975, technology allowed for automation of Halfway Rock lighthouse although a crude weather monitoring station was installed. In 2005, Halfway Rock Lighthouse Station was listed as one of the historic places in Maine most in need of restoration. Indeed, the granite structure and living quarters were devastated by erosion caused by severe weather conditions over time.
His story about the lighthouse restoration has been featured on Bill Greene’s Maine and online videos and as part of the online Building Off the Grid DIY series.
Ford presented a slide show to demonstrate the progress of the lighthouse restoration. Achieving the goals of the restoration to be consistent with the National Historic Places requirements was a challenging and daunting process. First of all, it took him 18 months to finalize the purchase of the abandoned lighthouse due to confusion about how the paperwork for the site had been filed in Massachusetts rather than in Maine.
Restoration must be done in compliance with the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) meaning the paint finishing and window types must be approved. Building permits were needed but determining what town to obtain one was unclear. Eventually, Yarmouth became the town where the permits were obtained. Restoration style is consistent with how the lighthouse looked during the historic period following World War II. During the restoration, a bottle of liquor with the dated inscription “Christmas 1938”, was discovered behind one of the paneled walls.
Access to the lighthouse is dangerous. The Coast Guard uses helicopter transport to visit for light maintenance and to change the LED bulbs. Ford travels to the rock in a pea pod dinghy, during calm seas. He receives communications from people who have a personal connection with the lighthouse, including from former lighthouse keepers.
Information about Halfway Rock Light is available in Lighthouse Digest: www.lighthousedigest.com/ and with the American Lighthouse Foundation: www.lighthousefoundation.org. Ford is also composing a book. The website is www.HalfwayRock.com or contact Ford at the email Ford@FordReiche.com.
(Halfway Rock Lighthouse)
(Halfway Rock Lighthouse)
*04/27/18 Catherine Wygant Fossett &
Jennifer Nemi is a member of the third generation of a family-owned printing business, Franklin Printing in Farmington, Maine. Her grandfather Joseph Nemi started the company in the late 1960’s by purchasing the Livermore Falls Advertiser and Franklin Journal. In the late 70’s, early 80’s Joe’s two sons came on board, Greg and Dick. The business expanded throughout the 70’s and 80’s by continually increasing its commercial printing sales. In 1986, at the urging requests of his sons, Joe decided to sell the newspaper business and focus solely on commercial printing. Over the years Franklin Printing has continued to grow and reinvest its profits into the most advanced equipment in technology. In 2008 it moved into the digital printing business adding another market segment to the mix. Today their services range from offset printing to wide format and they are one of the top 24 finalists for the Maine Family Business Awards.
For more information on the IFOB - Visit www.fambusiness.org
04/13/18 Lee Urban, The Power of a Ukulele
Rusty Atwood introduced Lee Urban. Lee was formerly in two Law Firms, then Portland’s Economic Development director. After that he enrolled in an extended teacher program, and then gravitated to the ukulele.
Lee started by telling us that the power of the ukulele is that it is OK to smile, laugh and giggle. That is what the ukulele is all about. The ukulele brings to mind Tiny Tim, Arthur Godfrey,and silly shirts. It is small and has a very easy learning curve.
The ukulele was brought to Honolulu from Madeira 8/23/1879, on the British ship Raven’s Craig. Both the King and Queen of Hawaii fell in love with it. There are two ways to pronounce it, and either is OK. The name can be translated to mean Leaping Flea, Jumping Flea, or Gift from Afar. In 1915, Hawaii introduced the ukulele to the world at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It was introduced again to rest of USA, in 1949, when the first plastic UK was created. Authur Godfrey sold 350,000, for $2 each, in a year. He sold millions over the next few years. Rock and Roll killed the uke for a while, but in the 1980s, Independent bands picked it back up. Now ukesters are taking over in the elementary school. There was a old out concert Thursday night, at the Merrrill. Hundreds came to the uke festival last year and thousands are expected this summer.
Studies show: The ukulele breeds group cooperation and teamwork. The Ike has been shown to help students achieve because it is fun to learn. Ukuleles heal the world. After a four day class, one nine year old girl said “It is going to be a better world if people teach other people to play the UK.” Powerofuke.com is a commercial enterprise which says they unleashes the power of business, through the ukulele. Neurologist have said that bringing one to the hospital helps to eliminate fears. The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital just got 20, and will give them away. The Survivor Girl Ukulele Band assists girls to escape prostitution in Calcutta.
Learning to play it is easy. You never have to practice. All playing is fun. Find a song you like, and then you play it. It is far more important to make music than to be good at making music. Lee proceeded to teach 13 Rotarians, who had never picked up a Ukulele before, to play. He taught the basics: Singing, Strumming, and Fretting in less than 10 minutes. While learning the basics, the group serenaded us with Row, Row, Row Your Boat, in three versions, first with the chords C6, then the chord C, and finally with the the chord C7. After that, he spent another three minutes teaching the orchestra Down in the Valley! They received a standing ovations, from two people!!!! Selfies and autographs were gladly offered after this premier concert.
Lee Urban and accompanying ukulele players.
04/13/18 Bits & Pieces
PLEASE EXCUSE THE BREVITY OF THIS REPORT, BUT WE WERE MISSING A BITS & PIECES REPORTER.
President Don Zillman opened the meeting, John Houghton led pledge, and Kathy Grammer led patriotic song.
Past President Laura Young nominated and elected a new Sergeant-at-Arms, Dave Putnam. Our current Sergeant-at-Arms has work conflicts and felt it necessary to to relinquish the position.
Don talked about the Pyramid of Peace application and the number of hours of service.
Checks were presented to "Honor Flight" and the "Ross House" from the Veterans' Recognition programs.
Past President Jim Willey introduced our newest club member: Kim D'Amaro, of the Salvation Army.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge – Members were asked for teams and donations. “If you are going out to a restaurant, after paying the bill, ask for a donation for the silent auction.
Portland Rotarians will be working at the University Hospital Clinic in Prishtina, Kosovo the last week of April. John Curran will be setting up a prosthetic hands clinic while Liz and Roger Fagan set up an audiology clinic.
*04/20/18 Ford Reiche, Lighthouse Restoration
Ford Reiche’s passion for Maine and its history stems from his family’s many generations in the state. A self-made historian, he has acquired and restored several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including houses, a railroad station, and most notably, Halfway
Rock Lighthouse—a complex, hands-on, extensively researched undertaking. Maine Preservation Association recognized the project with its 2016 Preservation Award, and the American Lighthouse Foundation presented Reiche its 2017 “Keeper of the Light” award honoring his “contribution to the preservation of America’s lighthouses and their rich tradition.”
Perched on a barren ledge of two acres at the mouth of Casco Bay, Halfway Rock Light Station is a remote, wave-swept beacon, nearly inaccessible and totally exposed to the ravages of Mother Nature. The lighthouse’s 76-foot-tall granite tower and the attached two-story wood structure built of huge frame timbers present a striking image on the water.
Halfway Rock was a fully staffed lighthouse of the federal government from 1871 until 1976, when it was automated and essentially abandoned. The lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, but its deteriorating condition soon earned it recognition on lists of endangered and “doomsday” lighthouses. In 2014, it was deemed surplus federal property and auctioned. Ford Reiche, the winning bidder, acquired the light in 2015.
Reiche has devoted significant energy and resources to preserving Halfway Rock Light Station in what Lighthouse Digest has described as “a miracle restoration in Casco Bay, Maine.”
A former attorney and entrepreneur, Reiche’s background includes founding Safe Handling, a firm that reduced the cost of moving certain goods by eliminating their water so they could be shipped in a dry state to their point of use. He was named a business leader of the year in 2008 by Mainebiz.
A graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, with a JD from the University of Maine School of Law, Ford lives in Freeport with his “quite patient” wife, Karen.
04/06/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman began the meeting with Charlie Frair giving the unique and comical invocation about the surprise return of a Bunny. We did the Pledge and Bill Blount led us in a patriotic song. President Don welcomed 1 visiting guest and 47 Rotarians – with a special note about Kerck Kelsey – a former Rotarian with our club and Past President of the Boston Rotary Club.
Present-elect John Curran presented an excellent slide show and discussion about two clinics helped in the Dominican Republic by our 3H project and he focused on various individuals helped by advances in prosthetic hands. It was a moving presentation about the impact this project makes on individuals who so desperately need our assistance.
Gracie Johnston and Jessie Harvey took the podium and spoke about the Recovery Initiative and helping those with a substance abuse disorder. They discussed ways for Rotarians to participate in the Recovery Coach Academy and noted that classes are starting in mid-May.
Past President Ben Lowry spoke from his table and reminded us about a club trip to the Allagash Brewery on April 25th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The cost is $30.00 ($35.00 at the door). This is a fun social event and opportunity to invite new prospective members.
President Don noted that our trees from Rotary International are due to arrive on April 20/21 and all those who purchased them should be ready to pick them up. He also noted that Lyseth School has a celebration on April 24th at 9:30 am to thank folks who participated in the reading to students.
Past President Kris Rosado is gearing up for our major fundraiser: "The Maine Outdoor Challenge" and invited all interested in volunteering to attend a meeting on April 11th at the Boys & Girls Club in Portland. Contact Kris for more details.
The raffle was conducted by Matt Wolcott and Eric Greven was chosen and graciously missed pulling out the Queen of Hearts, leaving the pot of $362 to grow until our next meeting.
Rusty Atwood reminded us that Lee Urban will be our speaker on the 13th and he’ll be discussing and showing the 'Power of the Ukulele.'
*04/13/18 Lee Urban, The Power of a Ukulele
What do rock ’n roll superstar Bruce Springsteen and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett have in common? They love to play their ukuleles! It seems as if more and more people - young, old, and in-between - are picking up a ukulele nowadays. But why is that? What is the attraction of a ukulele?
Lee Urban plays ukulele and believes passionately in the power of the ukulele to do lots of things besides making cheerful music. As Lee will describe in his presentation, the ukulele is used by music therapists in hospitals to address children’s physical, emotional, and social needs. A song played on a ukulele can bring back memories to those living with Alzheimer’s. Learning to play a ukulele can enhance social skills in children and peace of mind in adults.
Best of all, a ukulele is fun and easy to play. Anyone can learn to play a song or two in just a few minutes. Immediately following his presentation, Lee will demonstrate a 10-minute ukulele les-son with any Rotarian who’d like to experience the joys of a ukulele. No prior musical experience needed. No need to know anything about music. No need even to have a ukulele be-cause Lee will have several to share. All you need is the desire to have some fun.
04/06/18 Bill Brennan, Maine Maritime Academy
At our last meeting, David Clough introduced us to his high School friend, Bill Brennan. These guys must have had a great time during their time together at Kent’s Hill Academy, because their repartee was worthy of Saturday Night live, as they threw jabs at one another. For a while some might have wondered if MMA was going to be mixed martial arts, for the day. However, things settled down and both gentlemen assumed their usual professional persona and we learned a great deal about the Academy. For example, MMA is a stand-alone institution and not part of the Maine University system. Mr. Brennan’s personal story is almost as interesting as the history of the school. One might opine that he was born into the job since he succeeded his father as President of the Academy.
Maine Maritime was created by an act of the legislature, vigorously promoted by Senator Ralph Leavitt father of club member Bill Leavitt, and came to fruition in 1941. Proving that politics changes little over the years, it turns out that the remote location, picturesque Castine, was not the choice due to aesthetics. It seems that a local school, Eastern State Normal School, had closed down and the building needed a tenant as much as the community needed the jobs, so it was a match made in Augusta, if not heaven. Travel to the school is a bit of an exercise but worth the trip, given the beauty of the surroundings and the astounding education.
The Academy is much more than a teaching facility for sea going mariners. Every graduate of MMA goes off to sea when they gain their degree, many stay on terra firma and utilize their expertise in land based engineering jobs, think ship building and safety services. As the merchant marine service of the United States has gone through momentous changes since WWII and mid Twentieth Century, the Academy has kept pace by providing much needed mariners along with well schooled engineers and students of management. The current enrollment of the school is about 950 students with a faculty of 110. The school employs 312 in total and has a payroll of close to 18 million dollars, which includes the cost of the flagship State of Maine training vessel. We get a great bang for our buck, since the school is considered one of the best in the U.S. and highly regarded worldwide. Students are often the first in their family to gain a college degree and most of them receive some form of financial support, but it doesn’t all come from the State. The graduates are highly recruited as is proven by 90% of the graduates having a job within 90 days of getting their degree! U.S. News & World Report, as well as Brookings and others rate MMA as one of the best. The students are well mannered and disciplined with a retention rate of 82%, despite the remote location. These kids are in school for a great education not a fabulous frat party. In fact, drug testing is required since there is an association with the Coast Guard.
The highlight of every sea going student is the time they spend on the schools ship, The State of Maine, which travels the globe and is well recognized wherever it travels. This is not a pleasure cruise, by any measure. The students are put through rigorous paces and must take care to keep the ship in shape and functioning to the highest of maritime standards. The ship uses about $900,000 on its tour but it’s money well spent as proven by success of the alumni and the distinction of being rated the number one Public College in the U. S. by Money Magazine.
2018 Maine Outdoor Challenge
Excerpted From Meeting 030218
On March 2, 2018, with District Foundation Chair and PDG Marty Helman in attendance as our speaker of the day, Club Foundation Chair and Past President Dick Hall summoned the “man in the orange vest” John Houghton to come forward. John was neither hunting or directing traffic, but was to be honored for receiving his Paul Harris Fellow +3 pin, for his contributions to the Rotary Foundation. John participated in one of our “Circles,” where 5 members pledge $200 a year, and then nominate one member to be the recipient of the PHF. Thank you John!
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, District Foundation Chair, PDG Marty Helman, John Houghton, and Club Foundation Chair and Past President Dick Hall.)
Die-Hard Rotarian Skiiers
*04/06/18 Bill Brennan, Maine Maritime Academy
In the winter of 1966 a New England family moved from Bermuda to Castine, from green grass to deep snow and cold wind off Penobscot Bay. One member of the family arrived to become Commandant of Midshipmen. Another memberwas an 8th-grade boy whose life was changed forevermore by that move.
Bill Brennan, who left Castine in the 1970s for college and a career, returned in 2010 to become the fourteenth president of the Academy (which includes a commission as Rear Admiral in the U.S. Merchant Marine Service).
Dr. Brennan holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine, an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine.
His professional career includes senior legislative staff for then-Congressman John R. (Jock) McKernan, Jr.; commissioner of Marine Resources for Governor McKernan; consulting for private and public sector clients in natural resource, energy and environmental areas; administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and, Assistant U.S. Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Maine Maritime Academy is a state college founded in 1941 for the purpose of perpetuating Maine’s seafaring tradition and contributing to the nation’s wellbeing. Maine Maritime has since grown to over 1,000 students, become co-educational, expanded its academic programs, and is widely recognized as one of the best public colleges in America and one of best-value educations available. Its enviable job placement rate is over 90% within 90 days of graduation.
What is the future vision for Maine Maritime? How will it get there? Learn more about these questions and others this Friday.
03/30/18 Julie Mulkern, WinterKids
03/30/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 49 Rotarians, and 1 visiting Rotarian, then asked Past President Tom Talbott to give the invocation on Friday. Tom selected the theme of spring and the end of winter. Past President Laura Young led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Kathy Grammer led us in "America the Beautiful."
Elise Hodgkin reminded the Club to fill out the committee choice sheet for next year.
Visiting Rotarian Lionell Nima requested assistance from the Portland Rotary Club to help him with efforts in the Congo. He is looking for volunteers to help with being board members and volunteers to help his organization with waste management and other environmental management initiatives.
The Rotary tree initiative is springing forward with the goal of planting one tree for every Rotarian around the world, or over 1,000,000 trees. Stay tuned for instructions on where to request and pick up your tree.
Charlie Frair discussed the results of last meeting regarding veteran-based organization presentations and the selection of two organizations for the fund raising efforts: Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope, and Honor Flight Maine. Additional funds are still available, and are being distributed to some of the other veteran support organizations.
Joe Reagan hosted a telethon fundraiser on WGAN to support veteran’s initiatives, and he helped raise over $50,000, which met the goals for the event.
Mike Fortunato discussed how the Cedar Kids at Long Creek's 'Game and Pizza' night event went well, and he thanked the volunteers who helped make the night special.
Mike also discussed some of the needs for making the upcoming Maine Outdoor Challenge a success. These include calling for more auction items, asking volunteers to help prepare for the event, and to run the event.
Gracie Johnston discussed the Preble Street volunteer night in which the Rotary clubhelps prepare and serve the food to those in need. The volunteers during the recent event included over six Portland Rotarians.
Elise led the raffle this week, and the speaker (Julie Mulkern) from Winterkids picked PTG's ticket out of the can. Paul Gore selected a King of Clubs, which lets the Queen of Hearts rest for another week. The pot is getting bigger, so join us next week for a chance at over $350.
Nan Heald had the pleasure of introducing our newest member to Portland Rotary: Chet Randall, who works with Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Please join us in welcoming Chet to our club!
(Photo: President Don Zillman, Chet Randall and Nan Heald.)
03/23/18 Bits & Pieces
Opening the meeting at the Holiday Inn by the Bay: President Don Zillman called on David Small to lead the invocation, titled, “Bonds of Rotary Between Us”, a reflection from Chris Offer, the Past District Governor of 5040, Province of British Columbia.
“Let us take a moment to remember all the religions represented in the Rotary family throughout the world. Let us also recall that when we were invited to join our Rotary clubs, we were not asked, “Are you a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Jew, a Buddhist, or a Sikh?” We were not asked because all religions are welcome in the Rotary family. Please join me in a moment of reflection and thanks. With our friends beside us, and no person beneath us, with the bonds of Rotary between us, and our worries behind us, with our goals before us, and no task beyond us, with a thirst for knowledge, and a dream of a Polio-free world, we are thankful for our Rotary friends and the time we are about to share.”
Elise Hodgdon expressed thanks from Loretta Rowe for the ongoing support she is receiving from Rotarians.
Jim Willey read a letter from Caroline Raymond, the Superintendent of Long Creek Youth Development Center in Portland. She thanked Rotary for inviting her to speak at our March16, 2018 meeting and acknowledged how she enjoyed the club’s singing tradition.
Rotarians who ski are invited to meet up with Bill Blount on Thursday March 29, to travel to Sunday River. Connect with Bill for more information ~ wblount1@gmail.com.
Megan Peabody announced the April 7, District Assembly “New Generations Conference”, on April 7, 2018 at York County Community College. You may register on the home page at this website, rotary7780.org. One topic to be discussed is the consideration to bring back the Rotary Youth Exchange.
In the raffle kitty was an award of $304, and the drawing was led by Tom Nickerson. John Houghton’s name was drawn but he did not pick the Queen of Hearts. On to next week!
Ellen Niewoehner announced Nick Jenkins, of Waynflete School, as the recipient of a Youth Fellowship Award. He was introduced by Lydia Maier of Waynflete. Nick was recognized for his active community engagement. A $100 donation was designated to the American Red Cross dedicated to Puerto Rico Relief efforts. Nick thanked the Rotary Club for his recognition and acknowledged the potential for him to be a future Rotarian.
Matt Wolcott will chair the program committee beginning July, 2018, when John Curran becomes the club’s president. He requested Rotarian participation in helping to identify speakers for the club programs. His email contact info is benjaminlee2392@gmail.com.
03/23/18 Veterans' Organizations
After our very successful Veteran’s Day luncheon last November, our club was left with an unexpected surplus of just over $3000. So, event organizers Charlie Frair and Paul Tully put on their thinking caps, hoping to meaningfully distribute these funds. The first $1000 was given to the Veteran’s Adaptive Sports and Training Program but, with the excess $2000 still in play, our group was given a unique and very difficult challenge on Friday. We heard from five Portland Rotarians, who advocated for five veteran’s causes, and we then took a vote to see which two groups would receive a check for $1000 apiece.
With Charlie Frair holding a stopwatch set to go off at exactly five minutes, we first heard from Roxane Cole, who was flagged to give an impassioned plea for the Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope, a gorgeous home in Augusta that has been established to house homeless veteran women and their children. Founded by Martha Everatt St. Pierre in 2014, this facility currently houses five female veterans and their two children, allowing these women to gain the dignity they deserve after living on the streets or in shelters. With thirty states providing this type of aid to female veterans, this is the first of its kind in Maine.
Next up we heard about the Healing Through Horses program from new member Annie Messinger (thanks, Annie, for taking the reigns!). This equine therapy program out of New Gloucester serves 80 veterans, with approximately 45 from Greater Portland. Through psychotherapy and hands-on interactions with horses that have been donated for the cause, many vets get through the six-week program with a greater confidence and understanding of the benefits of working with these regal animals, one of which is a 1200-pound Clydesdale names Sierra. In any kind of weather, founders Sandy Fletcher and Michael Fralic are open to giving back to many of the veterans within Maine who have struggled upon their return from duty.
Mike Robinson, another fairly new member who was able to unleash his inhibitions, spoke passionately about K-9’s on the Front Line, a Portland-based canine therapy program that rescues dogs, often days from euthanasia, and pairs them with returning veterans. Funded by grants and donations such as from our club, this sixteen-week program has worked wonders for many with PTSD and/or traumatic brain injuries. With the help and guidance from the Portland Police Department, this $60,000 training is cut back to just $4500, with no cost to the veteran, who is given a new lease on life, sometimes allowing a housebound veteran to regain the strength to re-enter the community.
Bob Traill, a self-proclaimed “Man of Ten Thousand Words”, was able to resist the urge to pontificate for Honor Flight Maine, instead showing us a very powerful and moving video on this program which sends WWII veterans to Washington DC to visit the various memorials set up on The Mall. As the nation loses 640 WWII veterans per day, it will be just 5-7 years before all these heroes are gone, and it would truly be a gift to send as many as we are able to see these historic and moving monuments to the service men and woman who literally saved the world.
Joe Reagan, also a new member who hopped to the podium with great enthusiasm, not only spoke for Easter Seals and Veterans Count, but thanked us all, as a full-time employee and a veteran of the Middle East conflagrations, for all that we are doing to help those Maine veterans in need. Working with the families of 125,000 veterans in Maine today, Joe and his co-workers provide support on many, many levels: food, housing, rental assistance, mental health, and utilities. With 20 veterans per day committing suicide, Joe told a very personal story of losing a beloved friend, Sgt. Mac, who took his own life a year after returning home from Afghanistan. With Veterans Count and the backing of the venerable Easter Seals, Joe and his fellow vets are hoping to help so many very deserving families with any funding they can garner from Portland Rotary or any source.
It was truly an inspiring meeting and one in which we not only learned so much about the ongoing needs of veterans within Maine, but a meeting in which each and every Rotarian in attendance was given the power to expedite change.
Many thanks to Charlie Frair and Paul Tully for their ongoing efforts for our proud Maine veterans.
*03/30/18 Julie Mulkern, Winterkids
*03/23/18 Veterans' Organizations
We are having a unique and unprecedented program this Friday, March 23, at the Holiday Inn. Five exceptional Maine organizations that serve Maine Veterans will be presenting their work and asking for your support.
Two of these organizations will be receiving a $1000 gift from the Portland Rotary Club and the members will decide which two. Each organization will be represented by one of our Rotary members who will speak on their behalf. When all five presentations are complete each member will receive a ballot to vote for the two groups they want to see receive one of the gifts.
The five groups nominated by our members this year that will be represented at the meeting are:
• The Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope, nominated by Roxane Cole
• Healing Through Horses, nominated by Annie Messinger
• K9’s On The Front Line, nominated by Mike Robinson
• Honor Flight Maine, nominated by Bob Traill
• Veterans Count/Easterseals Military and Veterans Services, nominated by Joe Reagan.
Please make every effort to attend this meeting and have your vote count.
03/16/18 Bits & Pieces
This weeks meeting was extra special, because we gathered at Long Creek Youth Development Center and the food was prepared and served by the students involved with the Culinary Arts program, under the guidance of Chef Stevens. The students did a masterful job with the Italian dinner they prepared for their guests. Many club members expressed favorable commentary and suggested that this was the best luncheon the club has enjoyed at a meeting.
President Don called the meeting to order at the usual time. In conjunction with recent discussion and decision, we began the meeting with the salute to our flag. Past President Bill Blount lead the group, a capella, in our singing of "The Star Spangled Banner." Well lead and well sung, despite being free of accompaniment.
Past President Jim Willey, recalled the 100-year association our Rotary Club has enjoyed with the Salvation Army, including our fundamental role in the development of the Kid’s Room at the Portland head-quarters. In order to sustain the effort to provide a comfortable space for the homeless and needy children of the community, the Salvation Army is seeking support from the Rotary and others to participate in the Sail Op which is scheduled for April 27th, from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Please contact Jim for further details and to help support a most worthy cause.
Our Portland partner club, The Casco Bay Sunrise Club, will again be hosting a wine tasting night in support of the Children’s Cancer Fund of Maine. The event will be held at DiMillo’s on April 16th. Tickets can be purchased from members or at the door. If you’ve ever attended, you know it’s a great night, Just ask diamond George Crockett who had the lucky ticket. Our club has always been very supportive. See you there.
HOW’S LO RO?
We have all missed the energizing smile and never-ending support that Past President Loretta Rowe has given the club over decades. Loretta is a fighter, but her iIlness requires her to remain secure and free from germs and viruses as her system recovers. Her Club is making a continuous effort to offer support and Past President Tom Talbott has remained in close touch with our friend and provides regular reports. With continued progress we may be able to greet her in person in a few months or so. Please feel free to contact her via email for now and let her know you are thinking of her.......cards and other spirit-lifting niceties are most welcome. Oh how we miss that smile!
Our club continues to take on the need to support the Preble Street Food Kitchen, feeding our community’s homeless, by committing to help prepare and serve food once a month. Our, indefatigable, Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston, has been organizing our outreach and asked for volunteers to come out Wednesday, March 28, between 3:30 to 6:30-7:00 to help. It is important that we commit to stay to the end and assist, which means in this case its better to show up late and stay to the end.
Charlie Frair and Paul Tully continue to spearhead our Veterans' Day program which honors those who have been part of our military serving to protect our freedoms. We have provided a wonderful luncheon to show our thanks, but want to do more. When a Rotarian wants to do more, you can be sure, it’s going to happen. This dynamic duo has been seeking club input to recognize two veteran centric organizations to support with a contribution. As of this date, we have recognized five worthy veteran service organizations and are asking them to come and present to the club, at this Friday's meeting to help us make an informed selection for our financial support. Joe Reagan, a newer member, has jumped right in and offered some unique support. On March 29th Joe is heading up a 12-hour radio-athon to garner support for our Maine Veterans. As if that’s not enough, on April 24th there is another Veteran’s Point event planned with further details to come.
Past President Bill Blount has long been in song and a member of the Music Committee. The committee recently heard from the club and knows they are respected as part of our history and identity. He explained how they have reformed the way the club will determine when a song is appropriate for an occasion, rather than to be an obligatory part of the meeting. He provided a perfect example of the intent by leading us in the singing of “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” on this, the eve of Saint Paddy’s Day. Great job, Bill!
Our working the deck, as part of our raffle, has become a tad more difficult as the full fifty-two are back to tempting. This week Nan Heald had the chance to prove her luck by plucking the Queen of Hearts from the deck. However, me lady decided to remain in waiting and let the treasure develop to entice interest and dollars. Sorry Nan we were all wishing you well.
When it comes to fun events, you’ll always find Mike Fortunato close by. Consequently, he has arranged for the club to once again have a night of suds-sipping and fellowship development by meeting at the Allagash Brewery, with a large part of the proceeds going in support of our CHE (Childhood Health and Education) programs. The tickets are $30, if purchased in advance, but $35 if purchased at the door. Each ticket gets you into the tasting and there will be plentiful snacks to supplement the suds. Allagash is located at 50 Industrial Way in Portland The flyers are out there for details and we hope that you will be there as well. Of course, if you want more detail, contact Mike at michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com!
02/26/18 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
President Don Zillman led the Club Assembly discussions about ByLaws language. Several memoranda were emailed to members for the purpose of requesting advanced feedback for this club assembly.
Additionally, Nan Heald (at left), the Rotary Club’s Protection Officer, provided leadership information during the assembly about how to uphold our Rotarian responsibilities within the framework of the “Four-Way-Test.” In summary, the consensus of the discussion involved updates to ByLaws language related to two key issues:
• The provision about the concept intended in the word “invocation,” and
• The Music Committee’s weekly schedule of Rotary Song Book singing and patriotic songs.
By a show of hands, the Rotarians who were present at the Assembly supported retaining the word “invocation” in the ByLaws. Discussion supported the concept of invocations being welcoming, uplifting and inspirational messages, inclusive of all religious faiths and respectful of everyone.
Past President Bill Blount provided a brief history about the tradition of Rotary songs. In fact, several Rotary song books, dating to the club’s earliest years, are part of the club’s archives. Fortunately, the Portland Rotary has the talents of trained musicians to accompany singing and the choice of patriotic hymns. Although some of the lyrics in the Rotary song book may seem to be out of musical style, the tradition of singing is supported by a consensus of the members who discussed this topic. Preference should be considered to singing songs that contribute to the program or enhance seasonal themes, like special holidays and particular celebrations. Singing patriotic songs and Happy Birthday to Rotarians will continue. Thanks is expressed to the Music Committee for giving careful consideration to this subject because singing is a long practiced tradition in the weekly program.
02/26/18 Bits & Pieces
Raffle: We will be looking for more club participation this year in selling tickets. Our goal is that everyone can sell $50 of tickets. We also are replacing the shotgun raffle, and need IDEAS for a new raffle item that we can conceivably obtain at a low price/for free.
Silent Auction: We will be having the MOC Silent Auction Solicitation Letters printed and available during every meeting going forward. They will be on the front table. We are asking that Rotarians please take one or two and try to provide at least one item to the Club. I will be also asking for volunteers for teams, and be assembling that within the next couple weeks.
02/16/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman began the meeting by welcoming 52 members and 8 visitors, and Gracie Johnston giving the invocation with a moment of silence given to the 17 people killed in the Parkland, FL school shooting. Kathy Grammer led us on the keyboard in singing the “Star Spangled Banner.” Don reminded us to continue to collect and bring in those small bottles of shampoos, body lotion and other items we get when staying at hotels. These items are donated to local shelters and greatly appreciated by those in need.
Gracie Johnston took the podium again and reminded us of the upcoming support needed for the dinner on February 28 at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen and asked all Rotarians to lend a helping hand.
Past President Ben Lowry spoke loud and clear from his table and told us about a club trip to the Allagash Brewery on April 25th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The cost is $30.00 pp and this is a great social event and opportunity to invite new prospective members.
Past President Jim Willey reminded us that we are meeting at the Long Creek Youth Center facility for our meeting on March 16th and said that the speaker with be the new Superintendent, Caroline Raymond.
Charlie Frair is still looking for ideas for veteran organizations that could use a $1000 donation from our fund raising efforts of last year’s veteran’s dinner. Contact Charlie with your nomination.
President Don reminded us of the "District’s Frugal Feast" to be held at the Woodfords Congregational Church on February 23rd at 5:30 pm. This meal is in celebration of the District’s World Understanding and Peace Day in Rotary and will focus on food insecurity issues. He also reminded us that the annual Rotary Leadership Training is coming up on March 24th at the York County Community College and all Rotarians are invited to attend.
Past President Dick Hall then had the privilege to announce Kathy Grammer and Dave Putham as Paul Harris Fellows – both for the second time! Thank you both for your contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
Glenn Nerbak then introduced the Principal of Portland High School who told us about the admirable accomplishments of our latest Youth Service Award winner, Tasha Tracy.
The weekly raffle was conducted by Rusty Atwood and Tom Ranello’s name was chosen. Tom graciously pulled the Jack of Clubs, leaving the pot of $1,497 to grow until our next meeting.
02/16/18 Reade Brower, Owner PPH and Lew Sun Journal
During the introduction, Bob Martin told us about the death of many print media companies and that digital media has more eyes than print media.
Reade Brower immediately said that if he knew it was as bad as Bob says, he would not have bought the paper. Reade told us that he never intended to buy the Portland Press Herald, but it happened when his printing company wanted to get the printing contract. In discussions over the contract, Donald Sussman had another idea. Donald Sussman offered Reade the ability to take over all of Maine Today Media’s assets. Donald found it very difficult running a paper while being married to the US Representative from the area. Reade agreed to the purchase because he wanted to save the jobs and save the community newspaper. He retained 99+% of the employees and has let the talented staff continue to do what they do so well. He has introduced a number of cost savings and the paper is now on solid footing.
Reade explained how he started in the business as a paperboy but when he moved to Maine, following his girlfriend, he could not find a job. He recounted how he was told he did not have enough experience for lift attendant at the Camden Snowbowl. With no prospects, he started a coupon book for downtown merchants. He realized he needed some content, so he morphed the coupon book to the The Free Press, a fixture in mid-coast Maine for over 25 years.
Reade told us that he was very successful in the advertising publications, and these led to opportunities when others were falling on hard times. His philosophy is that communities need community newspapers, and the papers need to be responsive to the needs of the community. Reade himself would be apolitical in his management, but he allows each organization to develop its own voice. Reade very rarely gets involved in any editorial decisions. When selling adds, Reade would accept ads from anyone, although on one occasion the ad was too graphic for the audience.
Reade, after the purchase of the PPH, acquired the Sun Media Group, publisher of Lewiston’s Sun Journal and a dozen weekly newspapers in southern and western Maine, and the Rutland Herald, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, along with affiliated print and online publications of the Herald Association in Vermont. He did this for the same reasons, to support community newspapers and save jobs. Since the purchase all are on firm financial footing
When asked about the future, Reade confirmed that he only has a 10-minute plan. He had a back-and-forth reminiscing with Gracie Johnston, as she worked at several of the papers which Reade now owns in Vermont. He was also very good natured when Jim Willey suggested double bagging the paper on rainy days.
(L-R: Bob Martin,Reade Brower, ? and President Don Zillman.)
*02/23/18 Club Assembly
Thanks to the 20 of you who responded to last week’s request for reactions to the Board’s suggestions for Program, Song, and Political content of the Club meetings. Several of you expressed the desire to discuss these matters at the Friday, February 23rd meeting before reaching final decisions. We will put this at the top of our agenda for that meeting. All comments are welcome, but I will try to report on the consensus of the 60 messages I received in answer to our two requests for comment. After discussion on each item, we can take an informal consensus of the Club. If there is a close division of opinion, we may decide to put the issue to a formal vote at a later meeting.
Before the meeting I would welcome any motions that you would like to be considered by the Club. That should speed our consideration of matters and sharpen our discussion of them. E-message those motions to me.
Here are the Provisions of our Club Constitution and By-Laws that relate to the topics. Amendments of By-Laws require a two-thirds vote.
CONSTITUTION
Article 13 Section 1 “Proper Subjects. The merits of any public question involving the general welfare of the community, the nation, and the world are of concern to the members of this club and shall be proper subjects of fair and informed study and discussion at a club meeting for the enlightenment of its members in forming their individual opinions. However, this club shall not express an opinion on any pending controversial public measure.
Section 2. No Endorsements. “This club shall not endorse or recommend any candidate for public office and shall not discuss at any club meeting the merits or demerits of any such candidate.”
Section 3(a) Non-Political “Resolutions and Opinions. This club shall neither adopt nor circulate resolutions or opinions, and shall not take action dealing with world affairs or international policies of a political nature.”
BY-LAWS
Article XII Duties of the Committees
(d) Invocation Committee “This committee provides the invocation or opening blessing at each weekly meeting of the Club.
(f) Music Committee “This committee is responsible for providing music, a piano player and a song leader each week. Details and schedule will be given to the Club Administrative Coordinator and/or newsletter editor for inclusion in the Club newsletter (Windjammer). This committee will plan musical programs throughout the year.”
Let me know if you have any questions. I hope that we are coming to closure on these important issues.
*02/16/18 Reade Brower, Owner PPH and Lewiston Sun Journal
Reade Brower began his publishing career in Rockland, Maine with a coupon book for downtown merchants. The coupon book became The Free Press, a fixture in mid-coast Maine for 30 years, and Brower’s publishing business grew to include Target Marketing, the Sunshine travel guides, and a number of publications for various chambers of commerce along the coast. The failures of other entrepreneurs expanded his portfolio as he acquired Village Soup and Courier Publications, and took over Alliance Press in Brunswick when they couldn’t pay his invoices. To make the numbers work with the printing press in Brunswick, he successfully approached the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald to outsource their newspaper printing. In 2015, when he sat down to negotiate a new printing contract for the Portland Press Herald, then-owner Donald Sussman proposed an offer for Brower to take over all of Maine Today Media’s assets.
Since his purchase of Maine Today Media, Brower acquired the Sun Media Group, publisher of Lewiston’s Sun Journal and a dozen weekly newspapers in southern and western Maine, and the Rutland Herald, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, along with affiliated print and online publications of the Herald Association in Vermont.
In a November 26, 2017 article, Murray Carpenter of the New York Times described Brower as “an unassuming figure for a media mogul.” Media watchers don’t find Brower’s hold on the newspaper industry in Maine and Vermont in the same vein as a Jeff Bezos or Rupert Murdoch. “I don’t feel at all powerful,” Brower told the Times. “My job is to create a sustainable business model that keeps people who want to be working in this industry working. And to have enough money coming in to pay the bills and make a profit so it’s a viable business.”
Asked by Downeast Magazine whether he had a five-year or a ten-year plan for his conglomerate, Brower responded, “I have a 10-minute plan.”
02/09/18 Susan Axelrod, Editor Maine Old Magazine
Last Friday, we were fortunate to have Bob Martin introduce Susan Axelrod, managing editor of “Old Port” magazine”, a part of the successful Maine Media Collective, whose flagship publication, “Maine Home and Design”, has allowed for the offshoot of “Old Port” as well as the brand new “Ageless” publication, which hit stores just this year, targeting the 230,000 AARP members in Maine.
Susan, who grew up in New Jersey and comes from a background in the restaurant business, came to Maine in 2013 and began a new career in editing and writing, first with the Portland Press Herald and then, with “Old Port” as it began its run as a quarterly publication in 2014. Now, four years later, the magazine puts out monthly editions, always with a theme (business, food, weddings, etc.) that tries to put a positive, yet not “pollyannaish” spin on certain aspects of Portland living. With “Old Port” now distributed to stores, offices in libraries all around the Greater Portland area, Susan and her group of collaborators are focusing much of their attention on the “Ageless” endeavor, which, as a bi-monthly publication (editor’s note: research shows that bi-monthly can mean twice a month OR every two months, in this case we are referencing the latter), features home, housing, food and health articles for those in the over-50 set. This month’s “Ageless” features articles on Bethel and Hallowell, amongst other interesting stories.
With 226 print publications in Maine, the ability to draw attention from readers and get them to offline is becoming an ever-increasing challenge. But, with the efforts of Susan Axelrod and the many folks at the Maine Media Collaborative, the days of the glossy magazines featuring fantastic articles and photography lives on.
02/09/18 Bits & Pieces
Portland Rotary welcomed two new members at our February 9 meeting. Xavier Botana, Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, was introduced to the club by Rusty Atwood. Joe Reagan, Vice Chairman of Veterans Count Maine, an Easter Seals charity supporting local Veterans, was introduced by Charlie Frair.
Alex Fitzgerald was honored for her community service with a Youth Service Award Scholarship. Alex was recognized for her leadership of Deering High School’s transgender group and advocacy for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues.
Charlie Frair reminded members of the Veterans Organization “pitch-off” to be conducted on March 23. Various organizations will be selected to speak to the club on their programs and members will choose which ones will received grants from funds raised at the Veterans Luncheon. If you have nominations of organizations who should be included, please let Paul Tully or Charlie Frair know.
Gracie Johnston reminded everyone that the Club will provide dinner support at Preble Street on February 28. Please let Gracie know if you can volunteer.
Mike Reed had a chance to win $1,431 in the raffle but could only find the ten of spades. The pot inflates.
President Don reported that he had received 60 responses from members on the program issues reviewed by the Board concerning opening invocation, singing, and political speakers. The meeting of February 23 has been set as a Club Assembly. President Don requested input from anyone who wanted a motion placed before the club. A separate email has been sent to everyone on this topic.
02/02/18 Melissa Sweet, Illustrator of Children's Books
Melissa Sweet is a well-known children’s book illustrator, and now she is also an author of books for children. Ms. Sweet spoke at the Rotary Meeting on Friday, and she let us peek into her career life by cataloging the process of both writing and illustrating a biography on E.B. White.
In the beginning of her writing process, she described how the ideas for her books come to her often while walking her dogs, reading the daily newspaper, listening to the radio, or while talking with random people. The day she decided to write a biography on E.B. White, she was visiting with a neighbor and friend from Rockport, Maine. She must like a challenge, because she told us her opinions of biographies are that they are often dry and not too memorable. So up for a challenge, Ms. Sweet began a several-year research project digesting everything she could about E.B. White. There was no magical formula to it. She researched everything from his birth to his death, interviewed family and friends, and she noted any clues on his life that interested her.
Ms. Sweet feels that to be successful as an illustrator or author, one must go to work every day, so she follows that mantra, and we can find her in a separate work space at her home from 8 am to 4 pm. While at work, she spends time writing, illustrating, or looking at picture books. While sometimes it can be rough, Ms. Sweet finds that if she plows through the tough times, something good eventually comes out of the process.
Many of the illustrations in her E.B. White biography are actually photographs of 3-D collages that she built by hand. She explained how much of the art that she creates for books may not even be used in the final product, and that there are new museums and galleries (e.g., such as the University of Minnesota collection) for works like hers. Rather than sell her work, she has more recently started donating some of her unused or old art to these entities. She noted that storing art can be problematic and rather costly. This statement was likely another surprise she taught our club members.
Ultimately, while teaching us about her creative work ethic and processes, we really learned quite a bit about another interesting author: E.B. White.
02/02/18 Bits & Pieces
Our meeting may have taken place on the day that the Punxsutawney Phil brought us news of 6 more weeks of winter and Bill Murray may be a tad loopy, but we have President Don to keep us on track and not hiding out in a hole. We may not have had the usual audio equipment but that doesn’t affect Don, who got us going on time and doing fine and welcomed 43 members and 1 guest at the Clarion Hotel. Despite it being Ground Hog Day, it seemed like Patriots Day with all the New England Patriots swag being worn. Of course we had our own Tom Brady, number 12 (Matt Wolcott and Terri St Angelo at right), in the house bringing good vibes and a terrific game prediction from the tamer of Thailand, Ben Lowry, who predicted the Pats to win 27-17. Getting us used to change we started with a moment of inspiration in deference to the invocation with Kathy Grammer (at left) offering a meditation penned by “the other” Thomas Moore. That was followed by a masterful a cappella rendition of “America,” led by Past President Russ Burleigh.
Once again out Dynamic Duo of Charlie Frair (at right) and Paul Tully, are orchestrating a reprise of our annual event honoring of those in the military who preserve and protect our great nation’s freedoms. Every year the Rotary team takes advantage of experience and brings us to new heights. We have hardly started and already we are taking $3000 from last years success and donating $1000 to VAST and will give two similar sums to veteran organizations identified by the club members. If you have a suggestion, please make it known to Charlie or Paul utilizing the form they are preparing. Stay tuned and get your list of vets you want to invite and recognize for their service.
Drs. Roger (at left) and Liz Fagan just got back from another successful trip to the Dominican Republic (DR) to help the indentured servants of the cane fields who live in squalor in the horrid work camps. As is the custom, Roger and Liz tended to the hearing and speech needs of the poverty stricken of the batae. At the same time 1st Vice President John Curran was fitting injured workers with prosthetic arms and Dick Giles was tending to water needs and solar lights. John and Dick remained in La Romana providing additional assistance. The work this group has done for close to a couple of decades is the epitome of the “Service Above Self” creed of Rotary.
Consistent with our tradition, we recognized our members who celebrate another year in February. The particularly noteworthy accomplishment is that Past President Paul T. Gore is marking off year number 32 as a member of our club. Thanks for your service and generosity, Paul!
David Clough sold a bunch of raffle tickets to a rather thin group of Rotarians who made it to the meeting. However, that brought some luck to Linda Verrill, who had a chance to find the Queen and take home her treasure of $1,836. Linda decided to let the Queen rest and reinvest so the pot will be close to $2,000 when we pluck next week. (Photo: expressions priceless?) So, make sure you make the meeting and bring a few extra bucks to improve your luck and the club’s treasury.
The indomitable Past President Loretta Rowe remains an in patient at Maine Medical Center, as the doctors work to find the best medicine to get this special lady back to the club and friends she loves. She is not up for visitors but would enjoy getting emails and cards to help keep her spirits high. She may not be able to make the meetings but she remains involved and had her PC brought in so she could keep up with Rotary. (Update: Loretta is home from the hospital, but quarantined due to her sensitive condition. Heal quickly and well.)
Hopefully you have seen the report from Don and the committee dealing with some modifications to our customs, e.g. song and invocation. The group has provided Don with some ways to maintain the essence of our past practice and change is afoot. However, we are a proud democracy and President Don wants to hear what you think before we institute the changes.
*02/09/18 Susan Axelrod, Editor, Old Port Magazine
Susan Axelrod is the Managing Editor of Old Port and Ageless Maine magazines and a writer for both Maine Magazine and Maine Home + Design, all imprints of the Maine Media Collective. She also blogs with her husband Ted, a photographer, at Spoon & Shutter.
Susan’s background includes editor positions at the Portland Press Herald, and the North Jersey Media Group where she was Food Editor of the Bergen Herald. She is also the founding editor of the blog Eater Maine, which has been absorbed by Vox Media. Susan describes her work as telling the “stories that highlight the astonishing diversity of this city and state.”
A frequent traveler around the state, she enjoys meeting fascinating people and learning about everything from sustainable seafood to design thinking. Before becoming a writer and editor she was a chef and owner of a busy restaurant and catering business.
Susan lives in an 1840 farmhouse at Rainbow Farm in Yarmouth where she and her husband write about food, living in Maine, and travel.
Fund Raising Committee Meeting - THIS FRIDAY
Friday, February 2nd, 11:00 AM
Before our regular weekly meeting
Thanks to everyone’s participation, our Club has stepped up our level of activities and programs. Our focus on Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) has helped us to expand existing efforts and develop new community project activities. In addition to our great work locally, our Hearing, Hands and H2O (3H) program has also experienced fabulous results and continued growth.
In order to maintain this pace and to continue to grow our programs, we will need to also grow our funding. It is up to our committee to make sure that the club has these resources. In this upcoming meeting, we will review and discuss the events and activities that we currently have, as well as discuss and plan events we might want/need to add.
We need you at this meeting!!
Thanks for all you do for Portland Rotary!
Kris Rosado
Fundraising Chair
*02/02/18 Melissa Sweet, Children's Books Illustrator
Melissa Sweet says she’s “been making art ever since I could hold a crayon, scissors, Etch-A–Sketch, and coloring book.” Her work is extraordinary.
Melissa has illustrated over 100 books as well as many toys, puzzles, games for eeBoo. Her work has been in magazines, on greeting cards and as drawings on her living room walls.
She has written four books: Carmine: A Little More Red, a New York Times Best Illustrated book; Tupelo Rides the Rails; Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, a Sibert Award winner (for informational books) and a NCTE Orbis Pictus winner (for nonfiction); her most recent book, Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White, was a New York Times Best Seller and garnered an NCTE Orbis Pictus award.
Melissa has illustrated three books by author Jen Bryant: A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams; The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, both garnered Caldecott Honors. A Splash of Red: The Art of Horace Pippin, was a Sibert Award and Orbis Pictus Award winner.
Melissa lives in Portland and Rockport.
01/26/18 Bits & Pieces
Our Rotary Club meeting at the Clarion Hotel opened with President Don Zillman welcoming 45 members and one visiting guest, followed by the clever wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, read in the invocation by Past President Cyrus Hagge. Cyrus is a Ben Franklin fan. Some inspirational quotes included, “Diligence is the mother of good luck!” and “Remember, not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” An unresolved question was posed by Cyrus, about whether or not Ben Franklin would have been a New England Patriots fan?
In recognition of Ben Franklin being a true American patriot, the Rotarians sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” led by Past President Bill Blount.
(Photo left: President Don, Annie Messinger, and Tom Ranello.)
President Don asked Tom Ranello to introduce Annie Messinger, the newest Portland Rotarian. Annie is a USM graduate and currently the Director of Achievement at the Maine Girls Academy - MGA - (formerly Catherine McCauley High School). We all welcomed Annie to Rotary!
Linda Varrell, the chair of the Public Relations Committee, asked for stories to submit to the District 7780 newsletter, about activities the Portland Rotarians are engaged in to support the programs sponsored by our club.
President Don explained an upcoming draft memo he will send to members regarding the recommendations of the Program Committee.
Although it was a large sum of $1,356, the weekly raffle was run by Bruce Jones, as Rusty Atwood's name was pulled for him to try and find the Queen of Hearts from the remaining cards in the deck. The amount will grow again as Rusty drew the 10 of hearts from the dwindling cards.
01/26/18 Appalachian Trail Trek - Charlie Frair / Megan Devlin
(Photo L-R: Megan Devlin, Charlie Frair and President Don Zillman.)
Our speakers last Friday featured home-grown club member Charlie Frair, and former member Megan Devlin, who shared with us their adventurous 100-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. This was not a walk-in-the-park, this particular section is rated the toughest part of the entire trail. A cautionary sign at the beginning of the hike forewarned worthy trekkers to bring a 10- day supply of food and be fully equipped. “Good Hiking!”
The hike itself was 2 years in the making. Megan needed to heal from a broken arm, and Charlie, who has to take precautions due to heart/AFib issues, hired a personal trainer to prepare for the hardest physical challenge of his life. Finally, a “practice hike” was scheduled in order to test the gear, assess the backpack weight, and get a feel for it all. Everything looked easy at first, just stay on the trail. Uh-oh – they got lost in the first two hours, and endured attacks from Maine’s state bird, the mosquito. No fun! However, the duo made their way back, and was not to be deterred. The full 100-mile hike would soon follow.
The “Trail” was rough – plenty of rocks and tree roots that were often difficult to navigate. Charlie estimates he fell down once every 10 miles, not really the thing you want to be doing out in the wilderness. It’s a long day, but at the end of the hike, the work begins! Setting up their tents, collecting water and pumping it through filters, making the meals, hanging the bear bags…it’s not easy! The trail has some accommodations, including one old lodging camp named the WhiteHouse Landing. A little pricey, but a good meal, and good place to sleep. Apparently, the house dog was Charlie’s nemesis, stealing his socks. Megan and Charlie took this opportunity to mail back about 15 pounds of supplies they did not feel were essential to their expedition, and lightened the load. Camping gear is far lighter and more efficient than in the past, but a pound is a pound, and the goal is to pack right and travel light.
If you want to make friends with NOBOS and SOBOS, aka Northbound trail hikers, and Southbound trail hikers, a little bit of whiskey is an effective way to break the ice. Charlie’s Listerine bottle was actually 90 proof, and he became quite popular. Perhaps this is one of the catalysts for hikers to be given interesting nicknames as they meet each other on the trail, as real names are not used. Charlie’s call-sign was “Tiger Balm,“ which we assume was a cream for sore muscles, while Megan was known as “Chair Girl” or “Sittin’ Pretty.” Megan took it upon herself to tote along a folding chair, not something that most hikers bring along, however, she became the envy of others after a long day of hiking.
The trail is truly a community with a spiritual feeling. On a typical day, they would see 30 or more backpackers. As you can imagine, you meet all kinds of interesting characters. Not a lot of wildlife, perhaps due to the consistent traffic. They spotted 5 snakes, 2 deer, a moose across the lake, loons, and leeches. And the aforementioned mosquitos.
Unfortunately, Charlie did have an an AFib episode, and had to cut his journey short just past the half-way mark. A friend was able to meet him on a road intersection and bring him out. This left Megan with a dilemma: Keep going by herself, or wait for another opportunity? Taking stock, she decided to press on, no excuses, just do it. Not an easy decision by any means. A bad fall along the way didn’t make things easier. However, she persevered, and completed the journey. Congrats Megan!
Thanks Megan and Charlie for taking us on your trek, and we are glad you’re both home safe to tell us all about it!
01/19/18 Robert MacKenzie, Kennebunk Chief of Police
Gracie Johnston introduced our guest speaker, Robert MacKenzie, the Kennebunk Chief of Police, who has the distinction of also being a Rotarian and Past President of the Kennebunk Rotary Club. Chief MacKenzie spoke to us about the opioid crisis in Maine and his efforts to combat it!
But first he gave us some sobering statistics: 650,000 opioid prescriptions are dispensed daily in the U.S. and there are 52,000 deaths nationwide due to drug overdoses. Although we spend $400 billion annually to treat substance abuse, in the next decade, an additional 650,000 people will die due to opioid overdoses. In Maine, 318 died from drug overdoses in 2016 and there are an estimated 35,000 Mainers addicted to opioids.
Chief MacKenzie has formed a new committee in our Rotary district called 'Recovery Initiative.' There are 25 members on the committee — 18 of whom are Rotarians. The Recovery Initiative focuses on all the six Rotary areas of focus: Disease Prevention, Economic and Community Development, Maternal and Child Health, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Basic Education and Literacy.
The Recovery Initiative has already trained Rotarians at the Kennebunk and Saco Bay Rotary clubs to recognize drug overdose victims, provide first aid and even administer naloxone to combat the symptoms of opioid overdose. Chief Mackenzie hopes to train other Rotarians who can bring their training into the community and potentially save lives.
"Learn to Cope" is another program the Chief is hoping to bring to Maine. This program is a peer-to-peer recovery group where individuals can go online to learn what others are going through. This is a safe place to go for friendship and to obtain materials related to opioid addiction.
Chief MacKenzie wants to continue with his efforts to get Rotary involved in this issue and emphasized that opioid abuse has probably touched each of our lives in some way. He then took questions after his talk about: how to give the often lifesaving drug (Naloxone) to someone who has overdosed; whether or not Governor LePage has softened his stance on treating overdose victims with naloxone; and how doctors can help in this opioid crisis.
We are lucky to have such a dedicated law enforcement official and Rotarian working diligently to combat this crisis and it’s inspiring to see his efforts include Rotarians here in Maine.
01/19/18 Bits & Pieces
Invocation by Past President Russ Burleigh, using the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. Somehow this turned into a Go-Patriots theme.
Gracie Johnston led the pledge, then back to Russ on the keyboard for 'God Bless America.'
President Don Zillman thanked 1st Vice President John Curran and 2nd Vice President Amy Chipman for covering the podium for him while he was traveling and trying to get his book to the editor.
President Don welcomed 48 members, 4 visiting Rotarians and 7 guests. Among our visiting Rotarians, joining us were District 7780 Past District Governor Carolyn Johnson and District 7790 Past District Governor Leni Gronros, his wife Kimberlee Graffam, as well as our speaker for the day, Kennebunk Police Chief Robert MacKenzie. We also had a few guests, one of whom was described as a “Domestic Goddess,” and another was the Portland Police Chief, Michael Sauschuck.
President Don launched into a number of thank you's. He thanked all the Portland Rotarians for their meeting service, then read letters from Lyseth School (for Joan Steinberg’s mittens) and Preble Street (for the large donation of shoes).
Our Maine Outdoor Challenge committee will meet this week at the Boys and Girls Club. Contact Past President Kris Rosado or Don Zillman if you want to join the planning group. All are welcome.
Roger Fagan announced that the 3-H team was leaving for a week in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, Jan 20. This is their 21st trip and they have 200 hearing aids, 70 water filters and 70 solar lights to distribute. They also have toothbrushes, toothpaste and other personal care products which have been donated. A week later John Curran will bring 24 prosthetic hands to fit.
Gracie Johnston is looking for volunteers for the Preble Street dinner Wednesday, Jan 24th. The starting time is 3:30pm. Contact Gracie if you can help at: gracie.johnston@newscentermaine.com.
She said that your hands, feet and heart are appreciated.
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman,, Megan Peabody, PP Laura Young, Bruce Jones, David Ertz, Jesse Harvey and Gracie Johnston.)
We were treated to the introduction of three great new members: first - Past President Laura Young introduced Megan Peabody, a third-generation Rotarian who began Rotary involvement at age 8, raising funds for Shelterbox and continued on with Interact, Youth Exchange and Safe Passage. Bruce Jones introduced David Ertz, a semi-retired consulting engineer who has been active in other organizations, and now wants to serve through Rotary. Gracie Johnston introduced Jesse Harvey, the Founder and Director of Mission of Journey House, which operates two recovery houses in Sanford. He works as the Peer Support Coordinator for Greater Portland Health. Anyone who missed the meeting missed hearing three excellent introductions about three great new Rotarians.
President Don told us he was asked by District Governor Dave Underhill to name three recent accomplishments by the club. Don’s choices were: great new members; a wide range of service projects; and success and growth of the Veterans Appreciation Lunch.
The weekly raffle was run by Matt Tassey, who had our speaker pull Past President Dick Hall’s name from the holding vessel of entries, but Dick was bummed out when he pulled the Ace of Diamonds....and the pot continues to grow. (Photo: PP Dick Hall and Matt Tassey.)
*01/26/18 Charlie Frair, Appalachian Trail Trek
Last July (2017) one of our members (Charlie Frair) and a former member (Megan Devlin) hiked the 100-mile wilderness trail, one of the most difficult sections of the Appalachian Trail in Northern Maine. They will be sharing some of their adventures on this hike at our next meeting.
Megan Devlin, who is about to graduate from UNE and become a Dental Hygienist, and Charlie Frair, both love the outdoors, camping and hiking and had been planning this hike for more than a year. They will be sharing a few pictures they took along the way, some of the gear they carried and introducing you to some of the people they met along the way.
Charlie has been on variety of hikes in various parts of the world, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and yet has said that this was the most challenging hike he has ever taken. Megan is an accomplished hiker and camper in her own right. Both are looking forward to sharing this adventure with the club.
01/12/18 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting with thanks to First VP John Curran who had filled in for him on 12/29 while he was in New Mexico. 2nd VP Amy Chipman was set to fill in for the 1/5 meeting, but due to the inclement weather, it was cancelled. Don graciously said he would cede the podium to Amy for the remainder of the meeting after one brief announcement. The Assistant District Governor (John LoBosco) has asked for some “best of” news and info from each club. Don noted there was a lot we can draw from, but recommended our Veterans Lunch, our extensive Community Service projects, and the number of new members who have joined the club. Without further ado, 2nd VP Amy Chipman took the helm. David Clough led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Kathy Grammer tapped out “America The Beautiful” on the keyboard.
Amy (at right) welcomed 61 members, 6 guests and congratulated our members with January birthdays and Rotary anniversaries.
Jake Bourdeau conducted our weekly raffle. Guest speaker Peter Van Allen was all business as he drew the hopeful contestant, PTG, who needs no introduction. Well, OK, Paul T. Gore! Not this time for the savvy player of odds, as he drew the 9 of Clubs.
Past President Dick Hall reported on Portland Rotary’s progress in Rotary Foundation giving. Since July 1st, we are at $11,885 toward our goal of $20,000. 49 club members have contributed to this number. 34 members are currently Sustaining Members with $100 per year pledges. We have 8 “Circles of Five,” where five members join together with $200 donations each for $1000 Circle. (We have 2 members who want to start a new circle - need 3 more.) 7 members have designated $1000 in their will (Sustaining PHF) or made a direct contribution to the Permanent Fund. 2 Members have bequests of $10,000 or more in their wills. Thank you one and all! Portland Rotary encourages all members to contribute at least $25 to the Foundation every year.
(Photo: PP Dick Hall and Mike Reed.)
Dick capped off his report announcing that Erik Jorgensen was now a Paul Harris Fellow +2, and Mike Reed a Paul Harris Fellow +6, presenting Mike with his new pin. Erik was unable to attend, and will receive his PHF pin at a future meeting. Thanks to both!
Bob Martin announced the Maine Medical Center Community Action Council will meet on Jan 15th at 5pm to address the needs of homeless with medical needs. See flyer below. If you would like to attend, please reach out to Bob.
(Photo L-R: Rusty Atwood, 2nd VP Amy Chipman, Alexis Pathwick-Paszye and Dan Costigan.)
Rusty Atwood, Youth Service Committee, introduced Dan Costigan, Asst Principal at Cheverus High School, who introduced our Youth Service Award recipient.... Alexis Pathwick-Paszye. We are proud to recognize her and her parents Christopher and Deborah, with a check of $1000, plus $100 donated in her name to the Kennebec Valley United Way.
(Photo L-R: Paul Tully, Kristina Sabasteanski, and Bruce Jones.)
Paul Tully and Bruce Jones were armed with good news for VAST, the Veterans Adaptive Sports & Training program at Pineland Farms. The duo presented VAST Director Kristina Sabasteanski (2x Olympian in biathalon) with $2000 in compound pulley bows. This was a follow up from our Veterans Lunch back in November, where the donation was first announced. VAST provides veterans with disabilities a host of different physical activities and sports. It is free to those who are disabled, or those who provide volunteer support.
*01/19/18 Robert MacKenzie, Kennebunk Chief of Police
Bob MacKenzie is a 29-year veteran of law enforcement, currently serving as Chief of Police with the Kennebunk Police Department. Chief MacKenzie began his law enforcement career in 1988 with them and rose through the ranks, being promoted to Chief of Police in 2008.
Chief MacKenzie is a graduate of the 243rd FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice through Husson University. Chief MacKenzie is the producer of the “Point of No Return,” a 30-minute movie which depicts the consequences of underage drinking and has been shown in 34 states. Chief MacKenzie is a Past-President of the Kennebunk Rotary Club in which he has served for the past ten years and is the Chair of the Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative.
01/12/18 Peter Van Allen, Editor, Mainebiz
“A lot has changed; a lot has stayed the same.” That was Peter Van Allen’s response to David Clough’s question in his introduction of our speaker, noting that Van Allen first addressed our club in 2015 just after he moved to Maine to assume his managing editor role at Mainebiz. “I’ve been on the road a lot,” he said. “From Kittery to Fort Kent, participating in Mainebiz events," some of them sponsored by our own Peter Moore.
He pointed to examples of changes around Portland: WEX’s announcement to move their corporate headquarters to the Portland waterfront; Tilson Tech’s new offices and the heavy condo development in the India Street area; and the growth of Maine’s craft beer industry. “Craft beer adds a lot of sizzle to the Maine economy, but it’s never going to replace the larger industries the state has lost like paper,” Van Allen cautioned. He also commented on the thriving real estate industry and the contributions to his understanding of it by experts like Justin Lamontagne. “The rest of the state, however, is clearly in a different situation,” he said. Invoking a metaphor attributed to the peripatetic editor Tony Ronzio, Van Allen pointed to the “Volvo Line” that tends to divide the states demographic makeup.
The best gauge of change Van Allen suggested was captured in the most recent issue of Mainebiz where five economists offered their prognostications about the state’s future growth, along with comments from four business leaders. “Most offer cautious optimism,” Van Allen reported. “But there are some warning bells about problems ahead. We want change, but not too much.” He quoted Jim Damicis, an economic consultant, who told the paper that “far too many projects take too long to come to fruition.” He said a good sign was that there are 600 more construction workers on the job now versus a year ago, and employers are continuing to look for people. “Maine Med is on the cusp of a $500-million expansion and is seeking 75 additional doctors.” But he pointed to Jeff Zauchau, President of Zauchau Construction, who warns that while he is “cautiously optimistic…I fully expect at some point [the economy] will turn again after a strong 2017.”
Van Allen shared a personal anecdote to indicate some of the pent-up demand in the economy. “We wanted to add another heat source to our house after the recent big storm, but we had to wait three weeks for someone to come out and look at the house, then another six weeks for installers to show up, but they wouldn’t go up on the roof in the ice. So, we waited another three weeks for another company to show up, and then they said all the stove companies were backed up until spring before they could make and deliver a new stove.” He said the state has shortages of installers and retailers, shortages of younger workers, and a need for younger people to become more involved in political leadership.
Peter also talked about some reorganization within Mainebiz to help the paper focus more on different geographical areas in Maine. He also touched on the two areas he sees that will continue to grow in the state: healthcare and marijuana. “We may not like it, but there it is.”
*01/12/18 Peter Van Allen, Editor, Mainebiz
We are fortunate to have Peter Van Allen as our speaker this week. Since becoming Editor of Mainebiz in April 2014, Peter has racked up thousands of miles traveling around Maine, visiting scores of businesses, and talking with hundreds of business people in all corners of our large, diverse state. What stories he could tell about those places, people and the things they are doing. This Friday we will hear about the view of Maine from a business editor’s desk.
Peter has spent the past 29 years writing and editing newspapers and magazines. Prior to joining Mainebiz, he was with the Philadelphia Business Journal for 15 years. Previous to that, he was both editor and reporter for such publications as Vanguard, American Banker, the (Gary, Ind.) Post Tribune, the (Camden, NJ) Courier Post, as well as writing for the NewYork Times and Philadelphia Inquirer. An avid waterman who has gotten to know many of the Casco Bay islands by sea kayak and standup paddle board – he also likes to sail, surf and row – it is no surprise that he has also contributed to Rower’s Digest, Rowing News, and Liquid Salt.
Peter graduated in 1988 from Goddard College with a BA in non-fiction writing. He and his family reside in Yarmouth. Peter said of the decade before moving to Maine in 2014: “My family and I have been lucky enough to spend our vacations in Midcoast Maine. My younger daughter summed up our love of Maine this way, ‘It was one week of vacation and 51 weeks of waiting.’” After experiencing record snowstorms and memorably frigid temperatures in recent years, we expect the Van Allen family understands how winters imbue us with hardiness while spending many weeks waiting for summer weather.
*03/02/18 PDG Marty Helman, District Foundation Chair
Martha Peak Helman has been a member of The Rotary Foundation’s Rotary Peace Centers/Major Gifts Initiative Committee for the past two years; this year she serves as vice chair of The Foundation’s Peace/Major Gifts Initiative.
Marty has been selected to be a Training Leader at the 2018 International Assembly; she served as Trainer for the Governors-nominee at the Zone 24-32 Institute (2013 and 2017), for the Zone Rotary Future Leaders (2016), as well as for D-7780 Governors-elect (2015-16 and 2019-20). She has been a President’s representative (2016); she frequently facilitates at the Rotary Leadership Institute (since 2009) and Northeast PETS (since 2013). She started and continues to edit the Zone 24-32 monthly newsletter (2013-present). Marty currently serves as District 7780’s Foundation Chair (2015-18); she was a “Peace Through Service” District Governor in 2012-13.
She and her husband Frank are multiple Major Donors and Bequest Society members, and through the corporate support of the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation, they are Arch Klumph Society members. Marty and Frank are members of the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club in District 7780, which they joined in 2003.
12/29/17 Kay Mann, Green Power Energy in Maine
Bob Martin, introduced our speaker, Ms. Kay Mann of the Maine Green Power Program. The continuous clamor declaring global warming as the executioner of plant earth has created sufficient concern that alternative power sources are replacing alternative truths in the mind of many and Ms. Mann is the spokesperson for a source of choice for Maine citizens seeking relief from carbon-fueled sources of power. While most have heard and defer to the “Standard Offer” with CMP, there are alternatives to consider and the Maine Green Power Program is a source of alternatives to the common carbon-based electric generation sources.
Ms. Mann pulled back the curtains and introduced us to green sources of power made available to those who disdain the carbon way and want to go green.
The complex web of power generation and delivery was explained and access to alternatives were discussed. For decades the world has been reliant on the standard carbon methods of electric power generation: coal, oil, gas, and other mineral-based heat sources. We have been accustomed to a single choice when it comes to the electricity we use in our homes and businesses, with sourcing never something we had any control over. There are many who think that relying on “green" sources of power is a way to save the planet and would like to have a way to bring clean power into their homes. Kay provided us with a way to go green without having solar panels or windmills on our property.
We can enhance our electric power with healthy options, if we make the choice and are willing to pay more. The average home uses about 530 kilowatts hours of electricity per month which produces about 300 pounds of carbon pollution. If one chooses to avoid the carbon-emitting fuel sources they can do so by making the choice to buy “Recs” from their delivery source that rely on sustainable, non-carbon emitting power sources, such as solar and wind-generated energy. These sources are renewable and are local, clean and readily available. Furthermore, they are an income-generating resource, if developed and enthusiastically embraced by Maine.
Understanding the power grid is a first step in developing a green energy resources. Our power is delivered through ISO New England, which includes CMP and Bangor Hydro, and they utilize a variety of power sources, including wind and solar. However, they are not going to develop sources that they can’t make money from, which is where the “Recs” come in. If we, as consumers, want green-based electricity we have to pay an additional $8.95 per rec to support the development of the clean grid. One way to better understand the source and its impact is to go modern and get an app for that.
The favorite energy app of Senator Angus King is “ISO to Go,” which provides information on transmission and the implications of choice. If you want to move away from the Standard Offer for your electricity, you can contact the Maine Green Power Program and they will walk you through the process or you can access CMP or Bangor Hydro and make a voluntary choice to transition to a green power source. Almost as easy as it is to flip a switch and turn on the lights, you can make a switch to a sustainable, local-based, non-polluting power source and do your part in helping to deliver a healthy and beautiful earth to our successors.
For more information, go to: maine.gov/mpuc/greenpower/
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Kay Mann and 1st Vice President John Curran.)
12/29/17 Bits & Pieces
First VP John Curran filled in admirably for President Don Zillman, who will be back from New Mexico for our next meeting. John welcomed three visitors, including a son and grandson of two of our members, and one visiting Rotarian, Moises Silfren, from La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Moises (photo at right with Roger Fagan) thanked us all for our efforts with the “3-H Project" over the past many years. Moises, whose parents are Haitian and who was born in a sugar field bate, has seen our good works in his position at the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana. He thanked us for helping the poor-but-proud people who work so hard in the area and his words were rewarded with a check, presented by Roger Fagan, for $5250 for water filters. This wonderful gift made the trip, with his family (who wanted to experience a Maine winter and were rewarded heartily!) all the more enjoyable for Moises, who is an active Rotarian and former District Governor on his home island.
Past President Alan Nye offered an uplifting invocation, asking for many “new” blessings in the new year and hoping to find many wonderful “Rotary projects, successes and friends” in the year to come.
Past President Jim Willey led the Pledge of Allegiance and Past President Russ Burleigh tickled the ivories for both “God Bless America” and “Old Lang Syne,” which was led by Ron Bennett, who is celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss this week.
David Clough conducted the weekly raffle, which has skyrocketed to $1242, and Past President Laura Young took a shot at trying to find the elusive Queen of Hearts, but she came up short with the six of hearts.
Mike Fortunato offered an update and a reply to a recent Portland Press Herald article regarding The Long Creek Youth Development Center, where Portland Rotarians have been serving up monthly good cheer for over four years now. After seeing the holiday joy in the eyes of these troubled youth during the December visit, Mike feels strongly that the center is giving these 56 young people the structure they need and hope that they deserve. Congrats and thanks to everyone from our club who has touched the lives of these young folks.
Past President Russ Burleigh offered up thanks to all who have given yarn to his wife Joan, who continues with her amazing efforts at supplying hand-knitted mittens to children in need. With 140 pairs offered up to students at Lyseth School, there were enough to go around to kids at both Riverton and Presumpscot Schools at well. This is a wonderful and longstanding effort by a very generous family. Thanks to the Burleigh/Steinbergs and to all of the Portland Rotarians who have provided wool and cash to help aid in this much-needed project.
*12/29/17 Kay Mann, Maine Green Power Program
Kay Mann is the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Maine Green Power Program, an offering of Maines Public Utilities Commission that allows energy users a way to purchase renewable energy. Most people believe the only way to take advantage of the benefits of renewable, or clean, energy is to install their own wind turbine or solar array. For many, this is not possible.
The Green Power program offers options for residential and commercial energy users. The program is managed by 3Degrees Inc., a business that provides a wide variety of comprehensive clean energy services to organizations, utilities, and individuals to help them transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Kay is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, and lives in Brunswick.
12/15/17 Matt Herpick, GM Cross Insurance Arena
Matt Herpick has been the General Manager for the past two and half years of the Cross Insurance Arena, formerly known as Cumberland County Civic Center, which transitioned from public to private management with Global Spectrum, now Spectacor managing the facility. Spectacor is a national events management company headquartered in Philadelphia and currently manages over 160 areas and centers throughout the United States.
Four years ago the Cross Insurance Arena underwent a $33 million dollar renovation which included new seats, suites and system upgrades. While Portland lost its AHL hockey franchise, the Portland Pirates, Matt pointed out that the arena was able to attract a new Eastern league franchise with a traditional Maine name, the Maine Mariners, starting next October and was recently awarded a new arena football franchise, the Maine Mammoths, which will be offering exciting indoor football beginning this April with a season extending to August.
Matt told us how being part of the larger Spectra Comcast organization, he is able to attract first quality performances. His organization manages several venues, provides food service, and sells tickets. He says that of 10 date-holds which are requested for Portland, only one turns into an event, so there is lots of work done with no benefit.
The Cross Arena will still honor all the special shows already booked, and all the graduation and other local events. The sports teams have agreed to work around these schedules.
When asked about UMaine hockey, he responded that one game is scheduled and he is trying for a second. Last year two games had great attendance, but a third was poorly attended. He invited us to watch for announcements of some great shows coming in the fall and winter next year.
(Photo L-R: Joe Gray, Matt Herpick and 1st Vice President John Curran.)
12/15/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman was spending the holidays in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Linda, and missed the meeting, so First Vice President John Curran ably stepped in to run the show. Tom Nickerson (at right) provided us with a moving invocation and 1st VP John welcomed 52 club members and 2visiting guests.
The raffle was conducted by Terri St. Angelo and (once again) Past President Loretta Rowe's name was chosen – but in the spirit of Christmas, she graciously pulled the 5 of clubs, leaving the pot of $1,202 to grow until our next meeting.
Tom Ranello introduced our newest member, Ben Jackson (at right). Ben is the Headmaster at North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth. Be sure to welcome Ben!
Past President Laura Young (at left), Chair of this year's Nominating Committee, announced the slate of officers for the coming year and asked for a motion and vote to accept the announced officers, which was unanimously approved by the members. The slate of 2018-19 Slate of Officers is listed separately in this issue.
Erik Greven (at right) thanked everyone for their warm clothing donations to the Preble Street Resource Center – including the donations for underwear. Since more money was spent on buying underwear than was collected, several members pledged happy dollars to make up the difference.
Past President Dick Hall (at left) urged all Rotarians to support the Rotary Foundation and indicated that letters would be going out to all members inviting them to become Sustaining Members or to join the Portland Rotary Circle of Five Program. Contact Dick for more information at: dickhall@maine.rr.com
Jan Chapman (at right) filled us in on our own long-time Rotarian Meredith Small and her husband Bill, who live in Saint John, Virgin Islands, during the winter months. They recently returned there to assess the condition of their home after the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Meredith is hoping to have power by January and she and her husband are hauling water for cleaning, cooking and all other needs. The house was open to Hurricane Maria and all their belongings were blown outside, lost or destroyed. They had no insurance as it was prohibitively expensive. We are planning to send a care package off to them soon and a card was passed around to send. Contact Jan or Bruce Moore (janchapman1966@gmail.com or brucevmoore@gmail.com) for more information and ways to help.
1st VP Amy Chipman (at left) reminded everyone again about signing up for the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada to be held June 23-27, 2018 and urged more Rotarians to attend. To register, go to riconvention.org
Roger Fagan (at right) urged all Rotarians to check the hearing aid boxes previously placed in the local communities and get the units back to him. He, along with 12 people from Alaska, Maine and Florida, will be going once again to the Dominican Republic on January 20th and will provide 200 hearing aids, 70 water filters and 70 solar lights. We have also joined with 15 other clubs in the District to support the Westbrook/Gorham Rotary Club in bringing clean water to the jungles of Guatemala. In April, the 3-H project will be brought to Prishtina University Medical Center in Kosovo, a country that is rebuilding its medical infrastructure after recently gaining independence from Serbia.
Happy Holidays everyone – and remember, no meeting this Friday!
2018-19 Slate of Club Officers
Help Preble Street Clients Stay Warm
Help others to stay warm this winter!
On Friday, December 15th, please bring your slightly used gloves, mittens, winter wear and/or a multi-pack of new underwear to our meeting (men and/or women's)....we will collect and deliver to the Preble Street Resource Center.
Many of the Preble Street clients spend a big part of their day outside.....often not by their own choice. Rotary helped by donating over 100 pairs of good-as-new shoes and sneakers. Thank you !!!
Now with more cold weather upon us, the need is growing for the essential items to keep them warm.
If you have any of the above items you can part with, please bring them in this Friday. (You can always ask for fashionable replacements this Xmas). But if you can't part with your winter collection, please consider a donation of $10-20 and we will do the shopping for you!
Thank you kindly,
For Portland Community Service
Erik Greven
Club Policy for Meeting Cancellation
IF PORTLAND SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS, PORTLAND ROTARY DOES NOT MEET.
Please watch your local TV news/weather broadcasts on Friday mornings, in the event of a snow storm.
12/08/17 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
President Don Zillman started off the Club Assembly and brought up an article by Time Magazine’s Nancy Gibbs that discussed where America has been and is presently. Her article discussed how unifying institutions like Rotary and churches are declining in attendance. She noted that major societal changes seem to be occurring, and President Don provided this as food for thought during the assembly discussions.
(Photo at left: President Don Zillman and Steve Mortimer, Chair of Visioning Committee.)
Steve Mortimer, Chair of the Visioning Committee, moved the conversation to the recent questionnaire sent to all club members.
Regarding music, the patriotic support components of the meeting will continue, however, the Music Committee is evaluating the current arrangement list in the club song book, and whether some more improvements can be brought about. Stay tuned until January….
Regarding the invocation, the Club input was regarding whether the time spent should be religious-based or more inspirational, since the times, the club, and societal makeup have grown more diverse.
There was a large consensus that as a club, we do not want to divert speakers from discussing public policy and affairs. Club members want to be careful to limit partisan political events and speakers, however. A written policy is being prepared which can help speakers with presentations when then are considering their speaking topics. The Club would like to leave open the possibility for finalists in state-wide political races, federal races, and even possibly local races, if pertinent. The Club is also considering debates, and/or for the lead candidates to come speak at our club during consecutive weeks. Since there are currently over 10 candidates for governor, the consensus is to wait for a few to drop out, or to stick to the primary party candidates.
Steve noted that the Club’s vision statement seemed a little long compared to others. He also noted that only 23 members of the club responded to the visioning questionnaire which served to start the conversations.
There was a question about whether the Club's vision statement would be revised. Approximately half of the respondents agreed; however, none disagreed. So why change the vision statement? Steve has worked on many vision statements over the years, and he noted the best ones are 15 words or less....ours has over 100 words. Many responses from the club following this topic discussed how the vision was developed in recent club history, questioned the need of a statement, and noted that the Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) focus was voted to last for a minimum of a 5-year span.
Another question from the survey was regarding the Club's geographical focus? Portland, Greater Portland, and international were the reported ranked priorities.
The rest of the meeting was packed with goodwill, ideas, and opinions. Many of the club members shared valuable input.
Finally, the survey listed a number of different Portland Rotary projects, and it asked what projects members would give their time, money, both, or neither? Survey says:
1) Veterans lunch
2) Food insecurity
3) Local students on path toward financial independence
4) Improvement of early childhood education, such as reading programs
5) Helping new Mainers acclimate
6) Helping others
So where do go from here? The information shared will be discussed with the Vision Committee to prepare for that answer and they will report back to the membership.
12/08/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed Julie L’Heureux to the podium for our meeting invocation, who quoted Gene Kelly’s 1952 song, “Singing In The Rain.” Wishful thinking as the first solid snow of the season is slated for the coming weekend! Ellen Niewoehner led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and we broke into a full-throated rendition of “America The Beautiful.”
Don welcomed and introduced 2 guests, who joined the 62 Portland Rotarians in attendance. If you follow the “society pages,” perhaps you saw Julie Chase partaking in a Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce event. Don then thanked the roster of Rotarians responsible for the implementation of our meeting.
A birthday tribute and a day of celebration for her majesty and Past President Peggy Wescott, affectionately known as “Queenie” to her subjects. To the tune of ‘God Save The Queen,’ our Queen was adorned with tiara, sash, and a bouquet of roses. Her wave, refined and graceful, let us know she appreciated us. Her royal court "ladies-in-waiting" attendants included Past Presidents Roxane Cole, Loretta Rowe and 2nd Vice President Amy Chipman. Rotary Poet Laureate Past President Alan Nye then read from his latest work, “Queen Peggy”:
Unlike over in England,
There’s no need to curtsy, bow or preen,
The etiquette here is more relaxed,
For greeting our own Rotary Queen.
Across the pond they say “Your Majesty,”
It shows respect, you see,
But here in the good ‘ole USA,
She’s fine with just “Hi Peggy!”
The Royal Queen of England,
Is a ripe old 91,
Our Queen is much younger than that,
And I’d wager a lot more fun.
So raise a glass to our own Past President and Queen,
And before you rush out the door,
Offer good wishes to her on her Birthday,
And wish her many, many more!
Gracie Johnston said thanks to all Rotarians who’ve been out ringing the bells for the Salvation Army in Monument Square. There is a spot open on the 15th and Matt Wolcott raised his hand. Thanks, Matt.
1st VP Amy Chipman is heading to the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, June 23-27, and she’s encouraging more Rotarians to join her! Tom Nickerson, Ellen Niewoehner, and Alan Nye have said they’re in, so it looks like it’s going to be a fun time! Interested? Early registration ends Dec 15th, and is $345. After that it moves up to $420. FMI: riconvention.org
Don reminded us that while it’s always fun to remember birthdays and anniversaries, today’s meeting was also an important day in history....a day to reflect and remember....Dec 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor. We are blessed to have with us at our meeting, Earle Leavitt, who was at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day 66 years ago. Thank you, Earle, for your service to our country, and 30 years of dedication to Portland Rotary.
Raffle! The elusive Queen of Hearts lingers in the dwindling deck. $1157 at stake. Raffle master Jake Bourdeau gave the honor of drawing a winning name to Queen Peggy, who plucked Past President Loretta Rowe’s ticket from the tin. Alas, the clever Jack of Spades came out to play, denying LoRo from the coveted bounty.
Our Club’s By-Laws state that the Nominating Committee shall announce it’s nominations for the new slate of officers for the coming year on the second Friday in December. The Committee is chaired by the immediate Past President, in this case Laura Young. Laura made it back in the nick of time from an early morning meeting in Augusta, and announced the following nominations for 2018-19:
President: John Curran
1st Vice President: Amy Chipman
2nd Vice President: Ellen Niewoehner
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Secretary: Bruce Moore
Sergeant-at-arms: Travis Parker
Club Protection Officer: Nan Heald
*12/15/17 Matt Herpick, Cross Insurance Arena General Manager
The current General Manager for Spectra at the Cross Insurance Arena, formerly known as the Cumberland County Civic Center, is Matt Herpich. Matt was born in upstate New York, and graduated from Canandaigua Academy, then went on to receive his AS in Sports and Tourism Management from FLCC before graduating with his BS in Sports and Entertainment Management from USC.
Throughout Matt’s career he has held many different roles with Spectra (formerly known as Global Spectrum) a management company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. He began as an intern during his junior year at South Carolina, in the marketing department at the Colonial Life Arena, which lead to full-time employment during his final year at USC as the box office coordinator for the same venue. Upon completion of his degree, Matt moved to Aiken, SC, a satellite University in the USC system, where he began as the events and Operations Manager and finished as the General Manager. Matt moved on to manage the Wolstein Center, a 14,000-seat venue and 10,000-sq. foot conference center at Cleveland State University. Matt was one of four Spectra managers presented to the Board of Trustees, of the CCRC during the transition in early 2015 – ultimately chosen to run the newly-renovated Portland venue – he relocated in March of 2015.
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is a food, venue and sponsorship management company that has over 400 accounts in the US and Canada. In the northeast region, Spectra manages the CIC in Bangor, the LMA and Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA, the Mullins Center at UMASS Amherst, as well as venues in CT, RI, NJ, NY and PA. Spectra was brought in to manage the Cross Insurance Arena, when the Trustees and the County decided that after renovation, it was time to go from an in-house operation to an operation with regional, national and international resources. Spectra’s original term of the contract was three years, plus an additional two-year option for a term date of March 8th, 2020. However, with the introduction/purchase of a hockey team by Comcast Spectacor, the Spectra agreement has been extended to March 9th, 2025, with additional years at the option of both parties.
Matt and his wife, Rachel, (a New Jersey native) have settled on Pine Street in Portland’s west end. They enjoy the wonderful food scene here, finding many “go to” spots within walking distance of the arena and their home.
*12/08/17 Club Assembly
Portland Rotary Partners With Dean Rock, Creator of 3D Limbs
An international program at Portland Rotary is helping folks in the Dominican Republic (DR). The club’s 3H program stands for Hearing, H20 and Hands. There’s medical services offered for people in the DR who are hard of hearing, filters are installed to provide clean water and amputees are fitted with prosthetic limbs. The hands and arms are created with a 3D printer in Dean Rock’s Cumberland basement. He joined the 3H program’s efforts in 2016.
(Photo L-R: Dean Rock and 1st Vice President John Curran.)
Hundreds of prosthetics have been fitted during the 19 trips the 3H program has taken to the DR. The look and function of the limbs, that are provided at no charge, have changed a lot over time. Dean spends around $50 dollars in materials for each limb, but he expects nothing in return. It’s charity work he chooses to be a part of because of the impact it has on others. His next ambition will be to teach 3D printing.
The Club’s next 3H trip to the Dominican Republic is scheduled for January 2018. Dean Rock has made around a dozen prosthetic limbs to take during that trip.
For more information on Portland Rotary’s efforts and involvement in the Dominican Republic, contact Roger Fagan at: drrogerfagan@gmail.com or the Club's First Vice President John Curran at: curraj@mmc.org
For more information on the making of the 3D limbs and Dean Rock, go to: wcsh6.com/news/local/207/cumberland-man-3d-prints-prosthetic-limbs-for-amputees-1/495231735
12/01/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 56 members and 6 guests. Bruce Jones (at right) led the invocation about “shared optimism.” He borrowed a commentary by the author David McCullough, delivered in 2004, to the graduates of Ohio University: “When bad news is riding high and despair in fashion, when loud mouths and corruption seem to own center stage, when some keep crying that the country is going to the dogs, remember, it’s always been going to the dogs in the eyes of some; and that 90 percent or more of the people are good people, generous hearted, law abiding, good citizens who get to work on time, do a good job, love their country, pay their taxes, care about their neighbors, care about their children’s education and believe, rightly, as you do, in the ideals upon which our life is founded.”
We pledged our Allegiance and sang a patriotic song, accompanied on the keyboard by Past President Russ Burleigh. Happy Birthday was sung to celebrate December birthdays, led by Past President Bill Blount. Following the birthday tributes, Bill also led the singing of “The More We Get Together.”
Chair of Community Service, Gracie Johnston (at left) reported that our annual Thanksgiving event at the St. Vincent De Paul was a successful project, with 37 Rotarians and family members helping 135 people who were served a hot Thanksgiving meal. Sysco Corporation donated about $1,000 in food for the meal.
Gracie also reported that all the time slots for the Salvation Army bell ringing were filled. Bell ringing times are from 11:30 am- 1pm at Monument Square. Locate and return the Salvation Army kettle at the “Others” coffee house on the Square at 15 Monument Way. Watch for a followup email.
President Don asked Rotarians who helped in the many club service projects to please stand for recognition (photo), to include: those who travel to the Dominican Republic for the “Hearing, H2O and Hands” project, as well as the volunteers who read at Lyseth Elementary School, those participants in high school mentoring, the Salvation Army helpers, the Friends of Long Creek Youth Development Center, the St. Vincent De Paul Thanksgiving meal service and the Veterans appreciation luncheon. Everyone was enthusiastically thanked.
Congratulations to Past President Kris Rosado for receiving his 4th Paul Harris Fellow pin. Past President Dick Hall, the Club’s Foundation Chair, presented the award and Kris received a well-deserved standing ovation. The Rotary Foundation promotes World Understanding and Peace.
Erik Greven (at right) thanked all who supported the Preble Street “almost-new, gently-used” sneakers/footwear collection. Portland Rotarians contributed 70 pairs of sneakers to the collection. Requests continue for slightly-used shoes, boots, winter scarves, sweaters, mittens and yes, unused or very clean underwear to be given to mostly young adults who rely on Preble Street for assistance. Collection will be held at Friday’s December 8th meeting and Club Assembly. Monetary donations will also be accepted to purchase new underwear. (See separate article this issue.)
Rotarians Mike Fortunato and Past President Bowen Depke are considering ways to improve on the Andrews plaque, in recognition of the first Maine casualty of a World War I veteran from Maine. Next year, November 11, marks the Centennial of the end of World War I. Rotarians want to consider ideas for bringing more recognition to the Andrews plaque. Three years ago, the Rotarians unveiled a restored flag pole on the site. An article at this site published in the Bollard, reported the story about Harold Taylor Andrews: thebollard.com/2017/11/05/when-world-war-knocked-on-portlands-door/. To share your ideas or to become involved, contact Mike (michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com) or Bowen (bowen.depke@spireexpress.com).
Jake Bourdeau ran the weekly raffle, where Past President Laura Young’s name was drawn, but the generous pot of $1,122 was not won, as the Queen of Hearts remains hidden in the deck of cards.
12/01/17 Derek Langhauser, President Maine Community College System
Derek Langhauser, President of the Maine Community College System (MCCS), was introduced by David Clough. Derek became president in March 2016. Dave highlighted the direct connection between business and the community colleges.
MCCS serves 1700 students and provides training to an additional 13,000 people, with an average age of 26. Most attend a college within 25 miles of their home. 92% of the MCCS graduates stay in Maine. 75% of what is offered by MCCS is not offered by any other institution. The biggest challenge for MCCS is addressing the changing needs of the Maine workforce. There are 7 colleges, from Wells to Presque Isle, offering 300 certificate options.
Derek noted that education levels and income levels match. By 2020 66% of all jobs in Maine will require at least a one-year certificate. In Maine only 38% of high school graduates go on directly to college. Maine high school graduates are losing out on significant income potential. Dislocated workers from the paper industry are coming back to school, and upon graduation secure good jobs, like building Hinkley, and other yachts. 1000 graduates each year transfer on to the University of Maine system.
MCCS has the lowest tuition in New England, at $3600 for tuition and fees.
78% of applicants seek financial aid and 60% qualify for Pell grants. 60% work while studying, because they must....half of these students work 30 hours per week....40% more work 20 hours per week. Some students are desperately poor. MCCS discovered a male student who had not eaten in 8 days!
The Maine workforce is stressed. There are more deaths than births in Maine. The priorities for MCCS are student retention and building a skilled workforce for Maine. Community College and Correctional Facilities cooperate to assist Long Creek residents leaving the correctional system. A significant number of returning veterans are enrolled in college, with special service needs and MCCS coordinates with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to serve their needs. MCCS is trying to assess military training and give veterans credit for it.
For more information, visit ccs.me.edu.
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Derek Langhauser and David Clough.)
*12/01/17 Derek Langhauser, Pres. Maine Community College System
Derek Langhauser was named President of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) on March 8, 2016, after having served as Interim President since February 2015.
President Langhauser has served as a senior member of the MCCS leadership team for over 20 years, becoming General Counsel of the seven-college system in 1994.
A nationally recognized expert in higher education law, President Langhauser has served as president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, as an advisor to the Ford Foundation Initiative on Academic Freedom, and as chair of The Journal of College and University Law Board of Editors (The University of Notre Dame).
Since becoming MCCS President, he has secured new legislative and philanthropic support for the state’s community colleges; entered into new contracts with all six of the MCCS collective bargaining units; advanced the System’s strategic focus on student success; and been instrumental in the creation of the Higher Education Coordinating Committee to ensure greater collaboration with the University of Maine System.
As MCCS General Counsel, President Langhauser oversaw student, employee, and corporate legal affairs, emergency management, statutory and regulatory compliance, and risk management. He also oversaw the development and implementation of MCCS policies, procedures, and legislation. In 2013, he served as the System’s Acting Director of Human Resources.
In addition to his work with the MCCS, President Langhauser has served as constitutional law counsel to former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe and as a legal compliance advisor to Maine Maritime Academy. He has taught for over a decade for the Williams College Maritime Studies Program.
President Langhauser is a 1984 graduate of Bates College and received his JD from the University of Maine School of Law in 1987. He is a member of both the Council and Executive Committee of the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.
He resides in Cumberland Foreside with his wife and daughter.
11/22/17 St Vincent DePaul's Thanksgiving Dinner Event
The Rotary Foundation
As Rotarians, we have good reason to take pride in our membership. We can be proud of the fine programs presented, the fellowship at our weekly meetings, and the money and volunteer manpower we donate to the many projects in our community.
An important reason for us to be proud of our Rotary membership is that we band together with many thousands of fellow members around the world as a force for improvement in the human condition, as well as for fostering peace and understanding among people in every corner of the world. We do this through our Rotary Foundation.
The programs and accomplishments of the Foundation are much too numerous to list here, but include not only the well-known fight against polio, but programs to alleviate hunger, fight disease by improving sanitary conditions and clean water, promote literacy, provide scholarships for international study, the Rotary Peace Centers, vocational training, and much more, even including support of our own 3-H project for Hearing, Hands and clean water in the Dominican Republic.
You can take great pride in being a part of this wonderful organization. We encourage you to support our Rotary Foundation, so we can continue to help others locally and world-wide. Your donation should be for whatever level you are comfortable with and able to give.
Thank you.
11/17/17 Jennifer Hutchins, Exec Dir Maine Assn Non Profits
On Friday, we heard from Portland’s own Jennifer Hutchins, who, for the past year, has been the director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits, a 900-member organization with a statewide mission of promoting, assessing and fostering professional development for Maine’s nonprofit community. The nonprofit sector represents “all those things of value that the private sector and the public sector can’t figure out how to do.” According to Hutchins, “it’s not just charities,” but a huge range of activities, from Easter Seals to Maine Med, to the United Way and the all-volunteer local historical society.
To understand the impact of this sector in Maine, consider that it employs 95,000 workers (1 in 6) with a total contribution of over $11 billion to the Maine economy. Maine has around twice the number of nonprofits as the national average, a phenomenon driven at least in part by a home-rule-centric civic approach which values independence. This has resulted in 400 municipal units and lots of micro-organizations that want to do things their own way. Here the nonprofit sector does what in many places of the country, the government does. While the number of people working in nonprofits is greatest in Cumberland and Penobscot counties, the proportional amount of employment by such organizations is actually greatest in rural counties.
Ms. Hutchins spoke briefly about “the Meds and the Eds” – the large hospitals and colleges that are outsized and which can skew perceptions of the nonprofit sector. Almost 6,000 organizations are registered with the IRS in Maine. Of those, 89% have budgets of less than $500,000 per year and 75% have budgets under $100,000 per year. So many of these tiny organizations are making an impact with few cash resources. The difference is in voluntarism – which is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Challenges faced by almost all nonprofit organizations include fund-raising, board development, and attracting youth. The traditional nonprofit corporate model of CEO and board of directors is an old one, but it’s not necessarily a structure that is intuitive to young people who volunteer and contribute differently. Board governance structures may need to be modernized to attract the next generation of nonprofit volunteers.
As for board service, she noted that too many organizations actively search for wealth above all other characteristics. While this can have obvious value, she suggested that boards where the members are totally focused and engaged are often significantly more effective than boards that feature people who are wealthy, yet who might not be “all in.”
Ms Hutchins came to the Association following a successful tenure leading Creative Portland, and before that, working at the Muskie School, from which she received a master’s in public policy and public finance. She lives in Portland, near the USM campus, with her husband and two children.
(President Don Zillman, Jennifer Hutchins and Steve Mortimer.)
11/17/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 60 members, 1 guest and 1 visiting Rotarian. Gracie Johnston offered us our invocation, where she reminded us that friendship is a gift worth giving thanks for and thanked all of us for being her friend. We then pledged our Allegiance to our Flag and offered a sonorous rendition of God Bless America, with Past President Russ Burleigh at the keyboard.
Charlie Frair (at right) and Paul Tully co-chaired a committee composed of about 65 Rotarians to put together a lunch honoring our veterans of the military service on Veterans' Day. The feedback has been consistently favorable and effusive. The committee had five goals and all were satisfied. Through no fault of their own and with a lot of effort extended by our Public Relations people, it was felt that our Rotary Club's recognition by the media could have been better. The entire club showed their appreciation to Charlie and Paul for their outstanding efforts and results.
President Don read off a number of news pieces that were brought to his attention, such as the broad spread given to “Local Man Makes Hands” published in the Portland Papers regarding the 3-D hands being produced and taken to the Dominican Republic by our own International Service Committee.
Janelle LoSciuto led us in a brief song, “We Gather Together,” while Kathy Grammer accompanied us on the keyboard.
Past President Don Lowry (at left) gave us a “Rotary Minute,” where he shared that it is the service and goodwill that Rotary provides to local and international efforts that have inspired him. He said that our club is but a part of a much larger worldwide organization. He lamented that a club as great and giving as ours has not attained a 100% participation in Foundation giving and encouraged everyone to do so. (See separate article this issue.)
For decades our Club has volunteered at Saint Vincent DePaul's soup kitchen on the Wednesday preceding Thanksgiving and provided the food, cooking, serving and cleaning, so that some of the many indigent in Portland could have a Thanksgiving dinner. Gracie Johnson, Community Service chair, has thanked everyone who has volunteered this year and is asking for some of those volunteers to help with the clean up. If you can, please contact Gracie (gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com) or Loretta - her assistant on Nov 22 (lrowe@maine.rr.com). Thank you
Erik “Shoeman” Greven (at right) has been working with the Preble Street Resource Center for years and coordinating a number of Rotary efforts in support of their needs. Once a month we serve dinner at the center, which is great and important. We get to see some of our neighbors who are in need of so much. One of their needs is decent footwear, especially with the cold winter months upon us. Members are asked to bring usable footwear to be passed along to them. We still have time, so dig into your closet and bring in the "hardly-worn" and "in-good-shape" footwear you no longer use. Contact Erik Greven (egrev95@aol.com) and he will deliver them to Preble Street. Your donations will be greatly appreciated.
Janelle Loscuito has been bringing her future-Rotarian son, little Luca, to our meetings since he was an infant (and before). We all seem to think of him as a member, so we get a two-for-one when Janelle’s with us (and we now know Luca is going to have a baby sister in a few short months). Luca is not just a pretty face and to prove he does his share to help the cause, his mom bought a raffle ticket from this week's Raffle guy, Jerry Angier (in photo at left), who showed us a new way to shuffle the cards (dropped the deck). Poor little Luca was deprived of a bundle of bucks for his college fund when he pulled a card closer to his age (the three of clubs), allowing the pot to grow.
Steve Mortimer (at right), in taking over as Champion of our Vision Committee, has taken on the important task of gathering our thoughts (aka herding cats) through a club survey, relative to what direction we'd like to move our club. The response has been low, so he requested that we please take the time to submit the surveys ASAP. The survey has been resent to everyone through email. If you don't share your ideas, you won't have any room to grumble. Contact Steve: stevenhmortimer@gmail.com.
Our Dominican Republic outreach, spearheaded by Doctors Roger (at left) and Liz Fagan, are requesting that if you placed a “Hearts For Hearing” donation box out in the public for hearing aid collections, please pick them up and return them to Roger, so he can do any needed repairs before they prepare them for transit to the Dominican Republic on their upcoming trip. Contact Roger: drrogerfagan@gmail.com.
We are a strong and sizable club, but have not had a District Governor come out of our membership since Past President Bob Patten (deceased 2015). That was corrected when the nomination of Past President Dick Hall (at right) was placed to a vote, with a unanimous in-favor response. It’s up to us to give him our enthusiastic support. Thanks and CONGRATULATIONS, Dick!
DON'T FORGET - SHOE DRIVE THIS FRIDAY!
11/10/17 Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
Jack Rioux, George Alexander, and his brother, Lou, sons of fishermen, grew up together on Peaks Island and did everything you could image together on Peaks Island in the late ‘40’s and early ‘50’s. Inseparable until they graduated from high school, Jack and Lou enlisted in the Air Force at the end of the Korean war, and served 25-year careers as bomber mechanics around the world. “I served two tours in ‘Nam,” Lou said. “We ferried bombers from Florida to the RVN, and kept them in shape.” George enlisted in the Coast Guard a few years later, serving on the weather ship that navigated the east coast from Portland to Florida. When his boat returned to base in Portland, he walked over to the Casco Bay Line dock to take the ferry home to Peaks. George and Jack joined the Portland Fire Department after they retired, and Lou went to work for Maine Med. They have stories, and they like to tell them.
These three gentlemen, along with 175 of their fellow veterans, and 110 other attendees were welcomed by President Don Zillman at Portland Rotary’s 3rd Annual Veterans' Day Appreciation Lunch last Friday held at the Italian Heritage Center.
Everyone enjoyed Denny Breau’s musical prelude, and rose to attention for the 1st Battalion 25th Marines Presentation of Colors, the Pledge led by Past President Bob Traill, the National Anthem, led by Kathy Grammer, and Major Kim D’Amaro’s invocation.
All glasses were raised high to join Past President Kris Rosado’s (at right) toast to our “Fallen Comrades,” as he explained that we had a “Fallen Comrades Table” set up in the front of the room. Kris shared the symbolism of the items placed on the table:
• The folded Flag represents that this reserved table is set for all who have fallen or are missing after answering the call of duty.
• A single setting symbolizes the decision they each made to answer that call.
• The tablecloth and napkin are white, symbolizing the purity of their motives.
• The vase is tied with a ribbon, symbolizing their love of our country.
• The single rose reminds us of the families and loved ones who keep the faith of those who served.
• A slice of lemon on the bread plate reminds us of their bitter fate.
• Salt upon the bread plate is symbolic of their families’ tears from their loss.
• The chair is empty because they cannot be with us today, and the glass is inverted because they cannot join us in this toast.
During lunch, many of the veterans in the room shared stories between themselves and their tablemates, talking of family, travels, and reminiscences of military service. These were conversations between ordinary people.
Lou Alexander liked that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (at left) delivered the keynote address, because of his involvement with the VFW. “She gets it,” he said as the Congresswoman talked about her efforts, and those of the other members of Maine’s congressional delegation, to secure benefits for veterans, and ease service claims at the VA. “We’re pleased to add another community-based outpatient clinic in Portland,” she said. “In a rural state like Maine, it’s difficult for veterans to have to travel long distances for care.” She also drew attention to a rare occurrence in today’s Congress, the unanimous approval of the Veterans Fair Care Debt Notice Act, a bill she sponsored to relieve those who had become snared in the VA’s bureaucracy.
Chellie spoke of plans to help veterans deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST), and provisions in the Farm Bill to assist veteran farmers, as well as help qualified veterans purchase food from farmers markets. “A lot of this depends on the overall budget,” she said. “The funds are there, it’s just a matter of applying them here. Our recognition of veterans has to be more than a day off and a flag.”
Joe Reagan, a veteran of the 10th Mountain Division, who holds the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, is Vice Chairman of Veterans Count, an organization focused on providing a range of services to veterans. “When I came home, I received a standing ovation in the airport. For those of you who did not get that welcome home, you deserve it.”
Since its founding in 2006, Reagan reported, Veterans Count has served over 5,000 veterans; prevented 112 suicides; protected 1,000 families from foreclosure; helped 2,000 individual veterans obtain mental care; and, distributed over $2.6 million to veterans in need. “Ninety percent of the funds we raise go directly to vets,” Reagan said. He said his organization works first to establish trust with vets, taking care of basic needs, and then moves to help get them treatment for PTSD, and employment. “The VA does a great job of helping vets with physical injuries, but has difficulty handling complex injuries like PTSD or brain trauma,” he said.
He pointed to one story of a veteran assisted by Veterans Count who was talked out of committing suicide. “It was a tough situation, but we prevented it. Now that individual has his own construction company with ten employees. Many lives were impacted by that effort.”
Past President Larry Gross (standing at left with President Don Zillman and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree) presented Kristina Sabasteanski, Executive Director of Veterans Adaptive Sports & Training (VAST), with compound bows and a three-wheel bike to be used at the VAST facility at Pineland Farms.
(Photo right: PP Kris Rosado, Kristina Sabasteanski, Steve Stromsky and PP Don Lowry.)
Larry also commented on the effective work done with the Southern Maine Agency on Aging’s Vet to Vet program, which breaks down the isolation of older vets.
Kathy Grammer and Past President Russ Burleigh, accompanied by Betty Rines on trumpet, led the singing of the military service branch songs—a club Veterans' Day tradition that gives everyone a chance to cheer for their fellow members who rise to be recognized when their branch’s song is sung. George stood for the Coast Guard's “Semper Paratus,” and waved at the applause. Lou rose to sing the Air Force's “Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder,” his hand on Jack’s shoulder because it was too difficult for him to stand; we sang the Navy's “Anchors Aweigh,” the Marines' “The Marine Hymn,” and the Army's “Caissons Go Rolling Along,” applauding all those who stood.
Many veterans and guests commented how much they enjoyed the event, and the gifts of a scarf and recognition pin. In some ways, the men and women in the room who served in the armed forces are just average people...but in another way, they are extraordinary: they accepted the challenge of military service knowing it could cost them their lives. All the veterans in the room, and across the country, deserve the commendation we extended last Friday.
*11/17/17 Jennifer Hutchins, Ex Dir Maine Assn Nonprofits
Jennifer Hutchins became the Executive Director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) in July 2016, where she leads a member network of more than 900 charitable nonprofits and 150 private partners.
Prior to joining MANP, Jennifer was Executive Director of Creative Portland, where she led the City of Portland’s efforts to strengthen the creative economy. She is a co-author on the seminal 2004 report published by the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service on Maine’s Creative Economy conducted for Governor Jon Baldacci. She was the Director of Communications and External Affairs at the USM Muskie School for nine years and Marketing Director at Portland Stage Company from 1995-2000. Her career got its start at organizations in Washington D.C. and abroad before returning to Maine and deciding it was the best place for her to make a difference.
She holds a master’s degree in public policy and management from the USM Muskie School and lives in Portland with her husband and two daughters.
Photo Corner & Rotarians in the News
11/03/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 56 members and 3 guests. Kathy Grammer provided us with our invocation, thanking all those who assisted in getting our power restored after the recent storm-related outage (including CMP workers, fire, police and others that assisted). After the Pledge of Allegiance, Kathy also led us in singing "God Bless America."
President Don told us of the passing of long-time member Austin Harris (photo at left) and we honored him with a moment of silence. Past President Bob Traill then spoke eloquently of his and Past President Jim Willey's recent visit with Austin and the bestowing on him of his 6th Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Bob spoke of how upbeat Austin was for the visit, trading Rotary stories and having a chocolate chip cookie.
Gracie Johnston spoke about the upcoming volunteer opportunity at St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen for the Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, November 22nd. We have lots of volunteers, but more are always helpful and will make the job go easier. Pleaswe contact Gracie at: gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com or 939-0315.
Paul Tully brought us up to date on the annual Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch (November 10th). Over $11,000 has been raised for the event and 225 veterans and friends have registered to attend, but we are hoping that number will rise to 300 for this very special event. Over 60 Rotarians have volunteered to help and Paul asks that volunteers report by 10:30 that morning. He reminds us that arriving early is on-time; arriving on-time means being late; and being late is inexcusable. If you just plan to attend the meeting, please be there by 11:30, as you’ll need to have time to go through the “check-in” process.
Dr. Roger Fagan urged all Rotarians to check the outstanding hearing aid boxes in the local communities and get the units to Roger. This is especially important as some hearing aids destined for the Dominican Republic were recently stolen, so the need is even greater. Roger also noted another volunteer opportunity for Rotarians, as indicated by a flyer left on the tables, outlining help needed to load a container bound for Africa containing needed crutches and medical equipment that have been donated. This effort is on November 18th and teams of help are needed at 9:30 to work for 2 hours and at 10:30 to work until 12:30. The location is 20 Gooch Street, Biddeford and the contact person is Dennis Robillard (486-0043).
Steve Mortimer indicated the Visioning Survey results are being tabulated and will be discussed at a Club Assembly scheduled for December 8th. Eric Greven reminded us that on November 17th, there will be a shoe drive for the Preble Street Resource Center — bring your gently used or new shoes or boots to the meeting for the benefit of the less fortunate in our city.
Ben Millick reminded us that the next Portland Rotary Happy Hour is at Foulmouth Brewing located at 15 Ocean Street, South Portland. It is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15th at 5:30. Come and join fellow Rotarians for a fun and informative event.
The weekly Rotary Raffle conducted by Deb Lavoie was up to $1,042. With his name being picked, Past President Bob Traill graciously picked the 6 of Hearts – leaving the sum to be even larger next week. Sorry Bob!
Editorial Correction
This year's Nominating Committee was announced by Chair - Past President Laura Young. The members, who will select candidates for a number of leadership positions will consist of 1st VP John Curran, 2nd VP Amy Chipman, Past President Bowen Depke, Past President Kris Rosado, Mike Fortunato, and Kathy Grammer. If you would like to discuss any potential club leaders with any of these members, please do so. Nominations will be presented to the club membership in December.
*11/10/17 3rd Annual Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
Special Veterans'
Appreciation Lunch
at the Italian Heritage Center
The cost for all other attendees is $20.
11/03/17 Dr. James Herbert, UNE President
In Dr. James Herbert, President University of New England we found someone who not only is leading one of Maine’s top schools, but someone who seems very willing to go to work for Maine’s Tourism Board. Migrating to Maine from Philadelphia, Dr. Herbert is in love with our state, and though fully admitting he was from away, yearns to be called a Maine-ah!
Herbert spoke about the core values that UNE shares with Rotary’s 4-Way Test. Service. Integrity. Diversity. UNE has stayed true to the roots of the founding schools – St. Francis College and Westbrook College, both of which were proudly known for providing access to higher education to the community. A century ago, St. Francis reached out to those working in the nearby mills, and Westbrook was recognized for its high percentage of women who sought a college education.
Many UNE students who have financial needs are supported by Federal Pell Grants. Herbert noted that in the application process, student test scores (SAT’s etc.) are recorded and studied to predict future income potential and earnings. He observed that UNE students are well above the curve in their return on investment, in fact the best school in the state of Maine in that regard. He feels this is due primarily to their offering of studies that are very career oriented, as opposed to a broader based liberal arts programs that have more of a focus on the arts, economics, and language.
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Dr. James Herbert and Bob Martin.)
UNE is proud to have Maine’s only medical and dental schools, which includes pharmacy, nursing, and other health occupations. The contribution to the Maine economy is vibrant, with an annual impact of over 1 billion dollars stemming from 12,000 students and 1300 employees. The impact is felt through unique partnerships, such as the dental school’s ties to Delta Dental. Students who graduate are incentivized to set up practices in rural parts of Maine in return for reductions in their student loans.
UNE has two Maine campuses, Biddeford and Portland, as well as Tangier, Morocco. Understanding that a high percentage of UNE students were from small Maine communities with little or no exposure to the world stage, the Moroccan campus opened in 2014. With the dollar going much further, UNE was able to build a facility with two new buildings at an extremely low cost. Keeping in step with the school’s science and medical curriculum, the campus features excellent science and technical labs, so students can continue with their majors, while at the same time explore an entirely different culture at no extra cost. Most students describe it as a life-changing experience.
Though it is well-positioned, Dr. Herbert outlined the challenges that lie ahead. Maine continues to lag at the bottom of states in the number of HS students who go on to higher education. Not only does that need to improve, but it also means that the University must continue to expand its reach. This includes NY, mid-Atlantic states, as well as internationally. Other issues include students and parents who question the high costs of college, and the advantages and growing popularity of online degrees. Herbert also noted the staggering level of regulations and accountability from state and federal legislature, growing demands of students for a holistic experience, as well as the effect of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence and the effect that they are having on the job market. Though each concern is a hurdle, Dr. Herbert feels exceedingly strong about UNE’s positioning in the marketplace.
For more information on the programs, campuses, facilities, and student life, please visit: www.une.org.
Daylight Savings Time Ends
ON SUNDAY, NOV. 5TH
10/27/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don opened the meeting at the Clarion Hotel by welcoming 53 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests.
A very interesting invocation was offered by Charlie Frair, who brought us back to his earlier days in Colorado, when he and his cronies “pliked” their times at “Suposiums,” pondering what it would be to play like, (plike) a cowboy or a professional skier. An oddly fascinating invocation and one that was enjoyed by the club.
Visitor Ben Jackson was welcomed and announced that he has gotten his membership application into the club for review. We look forward to hearing more about one of our now numerous “Bens.”
Our visiting Savannah, Georgia Rotarian, Kirk Duffy, is heading back home for the winter. It’s been nice having you with us for these past many months, Kirk! Safe travels and a mild winter (for all of us).
President Don read a nice letter from John Tewhey thanking members for attending a celebration of life ceremony in honor of his wife Gloria’s passing.
This year's Nominating Committee was announced by Chair - Past President Laura Young. The members, who will select candidates for a number of leadership positions will consist of 2nd VP Amy Chipman, PP Bowen Depke, PP Kris Rosado, Mike Fortunato, and Kathy Grammer. If you would like to discuss any potential club leaders with any of these members, please do so. Nominations will be presented to the club membership
Mike Fortunato asked us to save the date of Thursday, November 16, from 5:15 to 8:30 for a fabulous dinner to be prepared by the residents of The Long Creek Youth Development Center. The four-course dinner, which will be served in the visitor area of the facility, promises to be quite amazing and, as their major fundraiser for the year, it is important that we help support this wonderful cause. Tickets are $45.00 per person. You’ll be hearing more as the date approaches.
The annual Veterans' Appreciation Lunch luncheon is quickly approaching (Nov. 10) and Charlie Frair wanted to give us a final update for the event. We are hoping and expecting almost 300 veterans, friends, family and Portland Rotarians for this very special event and we need a few things from club members: first and foremost, please reach out to any vets who you think may be interested (it’s free for them!); second, please make sure that you have registered for the event on our website; third, please seek sponsors for the luncheon: and, last, please volunteer to help out on the day of the event and, if you do, please show up in plenty of time BY 10:30 a.m.!
President Don asked that anyone interested in giving their opinions on our programs and meetings to please respond to his e-mail asking for input. In a Club Assembly on December 8th, we will be going over the comments and suggestions.
Ellen Niewoehner was in charge of the weekly raffle, which has now risen above $1000. 1st Vice-President John Curran’s name was called, but he drew the eight of clubs, allowing for an even larger pot next week when we meet at Gateway Community Service, 501 Forest Avenue.
Crutches4Africa Volunteers Needed
RESPONSE REQUESTED TO EITHER DENNIS ROBILLARD OR TONY WAGNER (see below).
Dennis Robillard and the Saco Bay Sunset Club will be loading CONTAINER #7 (bound for Africa) on Saturday morning Nov. 18th. As part of the District Initiative to promote inter-club collaboration, we are hoping many local clubs will join in. This is a hands-on International Project.
Location: 20 Gooch St. Biddeford, ME.
CONTACT PERSON DAY OF THE EVENT: Dennis Robillard - Cell 468-0043
FIRST TEAM: 15 people to arrrive at 9:30 and work until 11:30, to get things organized and start loading around 10 AM. Any extra people will work on packaging several crates of inbound crutches for a future shipment. We are loading crutches, wheel chairs, walkers and canes.
SECOND TEAM: 10 people to arrive at 10:30 and work until about 12:30 to continue the loading and packaging.
Tony Wagner, Asst Governor
207-229-3254 Cell
10/27/17 Abdullahi Ali, Gateway Community Service
President Don Zillman introduced our own Portland Rotary member Abdullahi Ali as our speaker. For those who didn’t get the chance to read the Windjammer or haven’t had the distinct opportunity to speak in any detail with Abdullahi, he was born in Somalia, raised in Kenya, and resettled in Maine in 2009, after spending his younger years in a refugee camp. He has spent his career helping those less fortunate – and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Community Services.
As described on its website, Gateway Community Services “was founded in order to help improve the mental health status of people in Maine, with a specialized concentration of practice for new Mainers who have recently immigrated to the United States. Gateway was formed to support and empower all people who are suffering from mental anguish, trauma, emotional distress, and other evidence of social instability. Our service delivery platform is tailored to meet the needs of individuals and their families from all walks of life, including specially designed service delivery for refugees who have suffered deeply in their countries of origin and in their journey to America.”
Having fled Somalia when civil war broke out and seen mass killings and inhumane treatment of others, Abdullahi is committed through Gateway to providing personal care services for the elderly and those with disabilities. Abdullahi spoke movingly of how refuges and those people living in other countries are mistreated when suffering from mental health issues. He described how they are often given little or no support unless they are harmful to themselves or others. And if intervention is needed, they are sometimes locked up without any diagnosis or treatment – and the government can even take away their children.
Through Gateway, Abdullahi shows clients that treatment for mental health disabilities is different than what they may have heard or experienced in the past. Gateway provides home support services to Maine families – including refugees who may speak different languages – so that they are given access to needed resources to help them become independent and contributing community members. He indicated that for many this begins with education about the services available and advising trust for the service providers.
It was clear after his presentation, that looking for guest speakers who make a positive impact on our community can be as simple as asking some of our own Rotary members.
Photo L-R: 1st Vice-President John Curran, Abdullahi Ali and President Don Zillman.
*11/03/17 James Herbert, PhD, President UNE
James D. Herbert, Ph.D., serves as the University of New England’s sixth president. He assumed the position on July 1, 2017, immediately following the 11-year tenure of Danielle N. Ripich.
Dr. Herbert arrived at UNE via Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he had served most recently as executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate College. Before that, he had held a variety of administrative positions at Drexel, including interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, head of the Department of Psychology, interim head of the Department of Biology, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Program, director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, and president of the University Faculty.
Dr. Herbert’s educational background is in psychology; he holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include cognitive behavior therapy — including newer mindfulness and psychological acceptance-based models of behavior therapy, anxiety, mood, and eating disorders, remote Internet-based treatment, and the promotion of evidence-based practice in mental health.
He is known internationally for his publications on quackery and pseudoscience in mental health, having authored more than 170 scholarly works on these and other topics. His 2011 book “Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy” has been endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who called it “a most beneficial and powerful method for ensuring a healthy mind and heart.” Dr. Herbert is a fellow of the Institute for Science in Medicine, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health.
10/20/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman began our meeting by welcoming 58 members and 1 guest at the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay. Past President Russ Burleigh provided the invocation, reciting the poem “Autumn is Here." Past President Bowen Depke led us in the pledge to our flag and Russ led us in patriotic song with “God Bless America."
President Don mentioned the celebration of life for Gloria Tewhey, wife of Past President John Tewhey, that was held on Sunday, Oct. 15th. Don also discussed the attendance at the Oct. 14th Back Cove 5K Race, including Andy Stone, himself and Jennifer Johnson (Andy Stone's fiance).
We bid adieu and buona fortuna to Michael Greer, as he is headed to the other Portland for what sounds like a terrific career opportunity with the Oregon Ballet. We will miss you, Michael! (Photo at right)
President Don acknowledged the return of Philip Rhinelander and Joel Gratwick, who were at our meeting this week. President Don also welcomed our non-Rotarian guest and acknowledged those members who make our meeting happen.
Charlie Frair reminded us of the details on our Veteran’s lunch Friday, November 10th, at the Italian Heritage Center. Sign up sheets for volunteers were on the tables and Charlie reminded all to go the club website (portlandrotary.org) to register their attendance and any guests they are bringing, or call Elise Hodgkins to register (899-6342). Charlie went into explaining the mission of the dinner, its overall purpose and intentions. The committee has developed working goals for a five-year plan for this annual event.
Chair of the Community Service Committee, Gracie Johnston announced several service opportunities: Oct. 25th 3:30 p.m. early set-up volunteers, along with more volunteers needed at 4:30, for Preble Street Resource Soup Kitchen. Contact Gracie at gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com; November 17th, there will be a shoe drive for Preble St Resource Center — bring your gently used or new shoes to the meeting for the benefit of the less fortunate in our city; the Salvation Army holiday bell ringing by our club is an annual tradition, so from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday December 4-22nd a kettle set up at Monument Square will be staffed by teams-of-two Rotarians. Sign up sheets are forth coming.
Gracie then led us in singing “It’s a Grand Old Flag” and we nailed the key change.
Dr. Roger Fagan asked the custodians of the hearing aid donation boxes to retrieve the boxes and get them to him, so he can repair the donated hearing aids before he departs for the Dominican Republic early next year.
Lili Brown asked for volunteer readers at Lyseth Elementary School. If you can and want to help, contact Lili at: lilinbrown@gmail.com.
Dave Putnam discussed the recent visit by our member volunteers to Long Creek Cedars Unit, where Past President Jim Willey donated pumpkins to be carved by the residents, then brought to the Veterans’ Home - a win-win situation for all.
Tom Nickerson conducted the weekly raffle, where Dick Giles' name was drawn by our speaker. Dick drew the Eight of Hearts, losing his chance at $980. Next week promises a four-figure prize.
10/20/17 Nancy Markowitz - Welcoming The Stranger
Our guest speaker this week was Nancy Markowitz, who is a spokesperson for “Welcoming the Stranger,” a group devoted to assisting those who have legally made it to America and are seeking asylum from persecution in another land.
About a year and a half ago, Ms. Markowitz attended the initial meeting of a Jewish-based group of caring individuals who saw a huge need to assist those seeking asylum. When refugees arrive after their struggle to get here, it’s the start of another chapter without any assurances, and risk being turned away without any protection.
It’s important for an asylum seeker to have somebody help them find their way through the legal labyrinth. Before the first meeting ended, Nancy had decided she had to help. As a member of Portland’s Jewish community, she is familiar with what it’s like to be without a safe homeland and to be the focus of hatred and injustice. She immediately took an assignment and became the mentor for a family escaping persecution in the Ivory Coast, Africa. The family consisted of two parents and their two young children and they were being housed in a shelter and little more. When they first reach the U.S., they are not allowed to seek work for the first 6 months and are not allowed to have any money or valuable assets. The plight of these human beings is not lost on Nancy and the other members of “Welcoming the Stranger.”
The Welcoming group becomes a reliable resource for the asylum seekers and legal matters are tended to by specialists. While the wheels of justice grind on, sometimes for years, there is the daily living needs to contend with. These people are here without a job, a place to live, furniture or a financial base. Since they can’t have assets, they need help with common daily needs like travel, clothing, toiletries and cleaning. Nancy emphasized how dedicated and determined the seekers are to find ways to live on their own and not require assistance from the community. The Ivory Coast family, despite incredible struggles, including the mother being diagnosed with breast cancer requiring treatment, has found a rental and secured furniture with the assistance of the Welcoming group and “Furniture Friends.” The father has found a job, striving to make things better. While recovering from her breast cancer, the mother has used the time to become proficient in English and she looks forward to getting a job to help the family become a functioning part of their new homeland.
The story of the Ivory Coast family is but one of many. Nancy proudly says that when you assist a family, you morph from mentor to friend. One of her happiest moments is when the South African couple she helped invited her to be present at the birth of their first child and was told that she would now be the grandmother to their little girl.
Nancy and the Welcoming group have helped asylum seekers from the Ivory Coast, Congo, Burundi, and South Africa over the past 1.5 years. They have worked with over 100 “matches,” but still have many more families needing assistance. There are many small things we can do to help, such as donating used cell phones, lap tops and good furniture, which will be distributed to those in need.
If you would like to help “Welcoming the Stranger,” please contact Nancy Markowitz at: nmark88@gmail.com.
Photo L-R: Andreea Paine, Nancy Markowitz and President Don Zillman.
*10/27/17 Abdullahi Ali, Gateway Community Service
Abdullahi Ali is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Community Services. Born in Somalia, raised in Kenya, he resettled in Maine in 2009 after spending much of his youth in a refugee camp. While in Kenya, he studied sociology at the University of Nairobi, and worked with humanitarian and development agencies in the country. He has been regularly involved in programs and income-generating activities for vulnerable communities, as well as in peace education, women’s empowerment, and skills development. He has also worked for Catholic Charities of Maine and Community Counseling Services.
Abdullahi studied Social Science at Southern Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine, and earned a Master of Science degree in Justice Studies from Southern New Hampshire University. In the past six years Abdullahi has worked with survivors of torture and individuals and families with mental illness in Portland, Maine.
He currently lives in Westbrook, and is a member of Portland Rotary.
*10/20/17 Nancy Markowitz - Welcoming the Stranger Program
10/13/17 William "Bro" Adams, Frmr Chr Nat'l Endowment for the Humanities
Our speaker last Friday, William “Bro” Adams, recently finished his terms as the tenth chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and spoke about his 4 years at the helm of this important and long-standing agency which, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, annually oversaw $300M in grant monies. Begun in September of 1965 by President Johnson, the NEH works with over 7000 agencies, museums, colleges, media outlets and even filmmakers to advance cultural knowledge and appreciation. Within the 50+ years of its existence, NEH has provided over 5.3 billion dollars of support in an effort to enrich our society and create a bridge between the government and the arts. In some cases, as we have seen in Maine, introducing a cultural economy can help ease the pain of losing an industrial economy, with Waterville as a clear example of how the arts can help transform a city and region after the loss of industry has left a city searching for an identity.
When President Trump’s budget came out recently, many were stunned to find the previous level of funding for the NEH and the NEA, which had stood at a modest $150M apiece, suddenly slashed to zero. Congressional pressure, including firm support from three of Maine’s four member delegation, should allow for ongoing funding in 2018, but the waves were felt throughout the nation as the arts seemed to take a back burner. Mr. Adams suggests that no democracy can survive without an acquaintance with our history, our theories in democracy, and in an understanding of the cultural complexities of our nation and our world. While The United States is certainly at a crossroads, with a swift increase in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) funding and this sudden shot across the bow of our cultural heritage, there is still hope and optimism that the arts and the humanities can survive and even flourish despite the seemingly myopic vision of the current administration. Only time will tell, but it was certainly fascinating to gain the perspective of Mr. Adams, who has devoted his career to higher education and a higher understanding of the arts and culture of our nation.
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Abdullahi Ali, Bro Adams and Rusty Atwood.)
10/13/17 Bits & Pieces
We met at Gateway Community Services this week on Forest Ave in Portland. We were treated to a lunch prepared with a different ethnic flair. Although many of us looked into the serving dishes and were not sure what we were getting, many comments were made during lunch about how good the food was.
The meeting was opened with a warm welcome by Abdullahi Ali, the Manager of the Gateway Community Services center, who is also a Portland Rotarian. There were 50 Rotarians present, including two non-Rotarian guests.
Past President Peggy Wescott provided her version of an “Earth, Wind and Fire” invocation. Kathy Grammer led us in the pledge to the two mini flags held aloft by President Don Zillman. Kathy then led us all in “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
President Don talked about recently deceased honorary member Harry Sawyer’s memorial service. Many Rotarians attended and Past President Don Lowry spoke for us all. President Don said it was a wonderful experience to honor Harry, as Rotary meant so much to him.
President Don also told us that due to poor health, Austin Harris cannot attend meetings anymore. Past Presidents Bob Trail and Jim Willey visited Austin and presented him with a club-sponsored Paul Harris Fellow, which was much appreciated.
Charlie Frair reminded us all to register for the Veterans Appreciation Lunch on November 10th and be sure to contact Past President Loretta Rowe, if you are a veteran (lrowe@maine.rr.com). Even volunteers need to register, or you will not get a meal. Volunteer training will be at 10:30 a.m., and the lunch/program runs from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Registrations will be cut off at the 300 count, so you need to register NOW (go online at portlandrotary.org or click HERE). 25 more volunteers are needed....please contact Charlie (cfrair47@yahoo.com) or Paul Tully (ptully@maine.rr.com).
The Lyseth Reading program will start 10/23/17. It includes reading for a ½ hour to a child. The kids are hungry for the reading, and they are presented with their own copy of the book being read to them after the session. Books are supported by the District Rotary Foundation Grant. Signup sheets are on the table at lunch, or contact Lili Brown (lilinbrown@gmail.com) to signup.
Eric Greven announced that we need volunteers for the Preble Street Soup Kitchen volunteer night on October 25th, which will be the last one we will do for this year. Please contact Gracie Johnson at gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com to volunteer.
President Don asked all Rotarians to look through their closets for good, usable athletic shoes (sneakers) to donate to the Preble Street Resource Center. He will let us know what week to start bringing them in soon.
A big “shout out and thank you” to Jerry Angier. He heard that Swiss Time was looking for a worthwhile charity. Jerry suggested the Portland Rotary Charitable fund and we received a $1400 donation. Way to go Jerry!
President Don told us he is hoping the US disasters end soon. We have donated to two hurricane relief funds and the club is now collecting monies to help Puerto Rico. If you can and want to help, please make your check out to Portland Rotary Charitable Fund and send to the Portland Rotary address at P.O. P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104 or give the check to Elise Hodgkin at a Rotary meeting. We will send one check from the club.
Past President Bill Blount announced that there are vacancies in the tennis league for the spring season starting in January. There are four levels of players from A to D, where D is beginner. Bill claims that when you join the Rotary tennis league, you stay in Rotary for a very long time. Please contact Bill (wblount1@gmail.com) or Erik Jorgensen (erik.c.jorgensen@gmail.com), if you have interest.
President Don mentioned the Celebration of Life ceremony for Gloria Tewhey, the wife of former Portland Rotary President John Tewhey. It is scheduled for Sunday Oct 15th at noon at their home, 3 Valley View Drive, Gorham.
Bob Martin led the weekly raffle, where the pot has grown to $957, and Jennifer Frederick’s name was picked to try and find that elusive Queen of Hearts in the dwindling deck of cards, but she did not find the right card, to the sigh of relief from members in the audience who are hoping they might get their chance next week.
Past President Don Lowry led us in singing, “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover.”
*10/13/17 William "Bro" Adams, Former Chair, Nat'l Endowment for the Humanities
Under the rubric of The Common Good, NEH launched a number of new grant lines, including the Public Scholar Program, Common Heritage, Dialogues on the Experience of War, Next Generation Humanities PhD Grants, Humanities Connections, NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication, Open Book, Creating Humanities Communities, and Humanities Access Grants. During his tenure at NEH, Bro also sought to deepen the engagement of the agency with community colleges and veterans groups and causes.
Prior to joining NEH, he served as president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, from 2000 until his retirement on June 30, 2014. He also served as president of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania from 1995–2000. A native of Birmingham, Michigan, Bro earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at Colorado College and a PhD from the history of consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He studied in France as a Fulbright Scholar before beginning his career in higher education with appointments to teach political philosophy at Santa Clara University in California and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He went on to coordinate the Great Works in Western Culture program at Stanford and to serve as vice president and secretary of Wesleyan University. Mr. Adams's formal education was interrupted by three years of service in the Army, including one year in Vietnam. In each of his professional roles, Bro has demonstrated a deep commitment to the humanities and to the liberal arts.
10/06/17 Justin Lamontagne, Portland Commercial Real Estate
Bob Martin introduced Justin Lamontagne, a Portland Rotarian, and a partner with NAI The Dunham Group. His presentation centered on the commercial real estate market from the big-picture perspective. Commercial real estate includes three types of properties (a) industrial (b) office and (c) retail; Justin is an Industrial Office Specialist. Also included was some information about “Peninsula/Old Port Developments.” Other commercial real estate includes hospitality, like hotels. Commercial real estate works with property owners and businesses to find space to buy or sell. In the commercial market, about 70 percent of consulting with clients are advising them about property values. In the industrial real estate market, the property inventories are tight and it’s having a deterrent impact on economic growth.
Since 2011, the rents and the sale prices of commercial rentals and sales have risen. Industrial vacancy rates are declining and are under five percent. Driving this market are craft beer-making and legal medical marijuana growers. Unfortunately, new construction has not kept up with the demand and one reason is because banks will not provide cash to medical marijuana growers.
In the office properties market, the nicer spaces are gone. A recommendation is for class B office space to invest in property upgrades to attract tenants. Medical office space requires a “Class A” space to comply with quality regulatory requirements. Office space design is changing....now created for efficiency. Office space is shrinking. Maine has mixed-use space and unused industrial space with high ceilings. Although there is some new building in office properties, the rents on new construction are top of the range.
Retail and e-commerce are impacting bricks and mortar stores. People are changing how they shop.
During the 2007 Recession, the dark space left as a result of the economic downturn is quickly being reabsorbed. Customers must brace for an increase in the cost of properties when leases are renewed. In the Old Port and Peninsula, the market is primarily about hotels and condos. Parking for employees and consumers continues to be a challenge for all who want to do business in this area of Portland.
Justin encouraged Rotarians to learn more about two questions on Portland's election ballot this November related to real estate: one is about rent controls and the other about residents’ influence over zoning.
(Photo L-R: Justin Lamontagne, Bob Martin and President Don Zillman.)
Hand-delivered PHF
When it became known that our much-loved and respected member of 55 years, Austin Harris, was in declining health, our Board very thoughtfully voted to award him with a Paul Harris Fellowship, his sixth. Since he was unable to attend a Rotary meeting and was even without the strength to meet with many people, it was decided that, with the agreement of Austin’s son, Scott and daughter, Jane, Jim Willey and I would present Austin with pin and declaration in his home on Thursday, October 5, 2017. We were both saddened to see that Austin was not well. Nevertheless, he was clearly overwhelmed and happy to receive the honor. He then began to reminisce and recount a variety of stories with wit and lucidity.
After over two hours Jim and I took our leave, pleased to know that it was the right action to take, but saddened to see that Austin was not well. We receive a note from Jane with the enclosed picture and the message that Austin was quite exhausted in the afternoon but extremely pleased with his sixth Paul Harris Fellowship.
(Photo L-R: Past President Jim Willey, Austin Harris (seated), and Past President Bob Traill.)
10/06/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman rang our meeting in at the Clarion Hotel with 53 members and 3 guests before turning the mic over to Paul Tully (at right) for the invocation. “PT” reminded us of interesting historical occurrences that happened on other October 6ths, but closed with a moment of silence in the wake of the tragedy that unfolded in Las Vegas - 58 killed, 500+ wounded. Past President Bowen “Front Page News” Depke led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and we sang our best rendition of “America The Beautiful.”
Last week our speaker, Carol Coultas, Business Editor for the Press Herald, remarked that she was always on the lookout for a good story. She hit paydirt with Bowen Depke. Bowen is President of Spire Express located in at 477 Congress St., aka Portland’s iconic “Time and Temp” Building. The crux of the story is that the building’s owners are letting the building fall into disrepair and neglect. Peeling paint, broken and leaking radiators, and crumbling plaster are causing tenants to move out, leaving the remaining businesses to wonder why the owner doesn’t renovate or sell. When Bowen raised the question at the meeting, it resulted in a feature front page story in the paper, detailing the situation and drawing upon Bowen as the voice of the tenants.
President Don thanked the members who participated in our meeting’s set up and execution, and then read the list of 13 members born in the month of October. Happy Birthday, Dear Rotarians!
Many had heard the news this week of the passing of two important people in our Rotary family. Honorary member Harry Sawyer and Gloria Tewhey, wife of Past President John Tewhey. Harry was remembered by Past President Russ Burleigh, when he spoke of Harry as his long-time friend. Harry was prolific at bringing in new members over the years. A quick review of our current roster shows 7 members under his name, and there were many more. Russ read a poem he wrote and read to Harry a few years ago, a roll call of the members he brought to Rotary. There will be a memorial service at St. Lukes next Thursday (10/12) at 2pm. We then remembered Gloria Tewhey, wife of our Past President John Tewhey. Linda Varrell stood to tell us how she had met Gloria while working 13 years together with Maine Youth Leadership. <Maineyouthleadership.org> When the organization was going through difficult times, it was Gloria who kept the program going and developing it into the sustainable organization it is today. Services for Gloria will be in MA, closer to her children, but there will be a gathering of friends at the Tewhey residence in Gorham, 3 Valley View Drive, noon on October 15th. Our condolences to both families, and our eternal respect and love to two great people.
Charlie Frair (left) updated us on the upcoming Veterans Day Lunch. It will be a sell-out, so please register right away at: portlandrotary.org. Pay at the door. If you are a veteran and club member, please contact Past President Loretta Rowe (lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432) as soon as you can, as there will be something special planned! Flyers are being passed out, so take one for your office or community center and post it up. Volunteer sheets are on the table, we need as many as possible and we have a job for everyone!
President Don provided the latest news on the Rotary effort to help hurricane victims. The District is looking for volunteers to drive supplies to Florida – let Don know if that could be you! Info came out in an email from District Governor Dave Underhill. Contributions can be made directly to the efforts in Puerto Rico with a check made out to Portland Rotary, and “Puerto Rico” written in the memo line.
Song Leader Ron Bennett, with side-kick Past President Bill Blount, led us in a rendition of “This Land Is Your Land.” With members concluding the song at different points, it had a nice fade out.
We welcomed new member Merle Hallett, introduced by Gus Karlsen, to our club. (Photo at right: Gus and Merle.) Affectionately known as a true “Man of the Sea,” Merle has sailed the world, was the owner of Handy Boat, and one of the original founders and sponsors of Portland’s MS Regatta, now known as Portland HarborFest. Under Merle’s guidance, some 3 million dollars has been raised to help those afflicted by MS. With an encyclopedic knowledge of the maritime, seek him out for some great stories. Welcome Merle!
Program Chair Bob Martin let us know that this coming Friday, plus Oct 27 and Nov 3, we will be meeting at the Gateway Community Service, 501 Forest Avenue here in Portland.
Last but not least, the weekly raffle, with $927 available for the taking. Led by Terri St Angello, Ron Bennett had the honors of the name draw, but he left empty handed, unable to pull the Queen of Hearts from the shrinking deck.
09/29/17 Carol Coultas, Bus. Ed. Portland Press Herald
“How many of you have tried to hire someone recently?” That was among the first questions from Friday’s speaker, Press Herald Business Editor Carol Coultas. When a number of Rotarians raised their hands, she continued, “How many of you have had problems hiring people?” The same hands, more or less, stayed in the air. The often-described “demographic cliff” is a massive issue for Maine, from Millinocket to Portland. There is also the so-called “Maine Discount” affecting hiring, in which workers here are paid 15%-20% less than in other states. This makes recruitment from other parts of the country difficult, and though the “way life should be” is a powerful lure, the reality of lower salaries is a real challenge.
Carol talked about what she sees as our state’s somewhat scattershot approach to the issue of coordinating available jobs with our educational system. Lots of organizations are trying to solve the problem of workforce, but at this point we simply don’t have the workforce. We have, for example, a growing veterinary services cluster, but there is no veterinary school in Maine.
Visa problems are still a massive issue, and one that appears to be worsening under the Trump administration. Tourism business owners, unable to find adequate seasonal help, are finding themselves flipping burgers and snapping sheets in addition to the administrative and managerial duties that they’ve always had. With an aging native workforce and serious limits on businesses’ ability to bring new people in from abroad, she predicts that many tourism-based businesses will simply be unable to continue.
Ms. Coultas ended her presentation early in hopes of answering the flood of questions and comments from Rotarians who were eager to discuss Maine business issues while also offering possible story leads. It was a lively conversation that ranged from the changing role of classified advertising to prosthetic hands.
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Carol Coultas and President Don Zillman.)
*10/06/17 Justin Lamontagne, Grtr Portland Commercial Real Estate Market
Justin Lamontagne, CCIM, joined NAI The Dunham Group in 2011 and was named Partner in 2016. He has worked in commercial real estate since 2006 and has successfully brokered transactions in all sectors of commercial real estate, specializing in industrial, office and investment properties.
In 2013, he was named the Maine Commercial Association Realtor of the Year. In 2015 he earned the prestigious CCIM accreditation, an international membership comprised of the world’s top commercial real estate professionals. In 2017 he earned the Society of Industrial & Office Realtor’s (SIOR) designation becoming only the 5th broker in the state of Maine to carry both CCIM & SIOR honors. Annually, Justin is the author of NAI The Dunham Group’s Greater Portland Industrial Market Survey, a comprehensive study and inventory of the local industrial market.
Today, Justin is active in several Greater Portland philanthropic and professional organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine Commercial Association of Realtors as President-Elect, the Rotary Club of Portland, Town & Country Federal Credit Union and the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce. Justin is also an active member of MEREDA and the CCIM New England chapter.
He has a degree from the University of Rochester (BA ‘02) and an advanced degree from Boston University (MS ‘04).
In his free time, Justin enjoys staying active and healthy. He is an avid water skier, snow skier, hiker, rock climber and plays organized softball. He lives in Portland with his wife, Marycelina, their children Katherine and William and their dog, Fenway.
09/29/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 48 members, 4 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian to our Friday meeting. Past President Tom Talbott (at right) gave the invocation and in it he selected the theme of "time." He quoted Einstein, Shakespeare and shared many other time-related concepts and anecdotes. Past President John Marr led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Gracie Johnston led us in “God Bless America.”
President Don thanked those members responsible for setting up and helping run the meeting.
When Gracie Johnston was asked to lead us in song, she acknowledged that we didn’t have our song books while we are on the road, so she led us acapella with a song most everyone knows: “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”
1st Vice President John Curran noted that guests were here from Kosovo and the Yarmouth Rotary Club to help on the prosthetic device outreach in Kosovo. John showed us a new model of prosthetic hand which will be shipped to an 18-yr. old in Kosovo, in advance of the Rotary trip to help her with college sooner.
(Photo above L-R: 1st VP John Curran, Dr. Gani Abazi (from Kosovo) and Yarmouth Club Rotarian, Bill Dunn.)
Gus Karlsen (left) brought the man-of-the-sea and champion sailor, Merle Hallett, as his guest. Merle is a considering being a Rotarian and was instrumental in organizing the MS Regatta, which morphed into the MS Harbor Fest.
(Photo at right: Tom Nickerson and Dr. Roger Fagan.)
Tom Nickerson led the raffle this week and the speaker picked “3H” out of the holding vessel of tickets. On behalf of 3H, Roger Fagan selected a red 2 from the deck, which lets the Queen of Hearts rest for another week. The pot is getting bigger, so join us next week for a shot at over $900.
President Don apologized for the bowling alley meeting issues on 9/22, where Erik Jorgensen presented a program on being a State Representative. President Don voiced his appreciation for everyone’s patience and tolerance. Erik was asked to return for an encore presentation (with updates) in the near future.
Mark Millar will be leaving for Colorado, but don’t worry, he plans to return in May 2018.
Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston (left) thanked those who participated in the club's volunteer night at Preble Street: Jim Willey, Mike Robinson, Ron Bennett and four volunteers from the Portland school department. The next volunteer night will be on October 25th, so mark your calendars and sign up, if you have time to volunteer (and watch your emails for more information).
Paul Tully (right) provided us an update on the Third Annual Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch, which is scheduled as our weekly meeting at 12 noon on November 10th, 2017 at the Italian Heritage Center. Paul encourages you to register soon for the lunch or as a volunteer. On tap is a great program.....more volunteers and table sponsors are needed. It is $500 to sponsor a table, and this provides you with two seats at a table. To register, please contact Past President Loretta Rowe (lrowe@maine.rr.com) or Elise Hodgkins (portlandrotary@maine.rr.com). Please register early, and if you are a Veteran, please contact Loretta and let her know. Please also check portlandrotary.org for more information.
Portland Rotary has been sponsoring donations to the relief efforts for those areas impacted by the recent hurricanes, including those in Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico. District Governor Dave Underhill is shaping a response to that effort, and we appreciate the support of the District.
The upcoming Rotary celebration to end Polio is being held in Seattle, and a thoughtful donor has offered a chance to win round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations to those that donate to the event with a $25 pledge through the Rotary foundation. The deadline to enter into the drawing was September 30th, 2017.
(Photo L-R: Safa Mohammed, Aisha Mukhtar and Glenn Nerbak.)
Glenn Nerbak introduced two Portland High School (PHS) students who attended the RYLA Camp with support from the Portland Rotary. They are: Safa Mohammed and Aisha Mukhtar. They spoke about their experiences, explaining how their participation changed their lives for the better, making them feel more confident in their lives. They plan to continue to pursue paths to bring their fellow students and the community together in a positive manner by participating in the Interact Club that was formed at PHS.
09/22/17 Erik Jorgensen, Maine State Legislature
Erik Jorgensen, Maine Legislature representing Maine House District 41, elected to the Legislature in 2012, and member of Portland Rotary, was back to report on the most-recent past session.
The First Regular Session of the 128th Maine Legislature convened December 7, 2016 and adjourned, August 2, 2017. It was the longest session in history of Maine. Erik’s service has allowed him to have experiences ranging from his visits to a marijuana cultivation facility, and to visit a huge hydro facility 1400 miles north of Quebec. Erik told us he is lucky to have a job with such experiences.
1650 bills were filed and 350 new laws were enacted. The vast majority of bills were killed by unanimous vote of the committees of jurisdiction. This unanimous record disputes those who say no one can work together. Erik told us that the dysfunction in Washington makes Maine’s dysfunction look amateur in comparison. Most of the 350 laws which were enacted, were modifications and clarifications of existing law. He was disappointed that they were unable to pass a meaningful solar law. The citizen referendums dominated most of the time in the session. He believes that Maine needs to have an effective tax structure, but we must be competitive with nearby states.
Marijuana legalization for recreational purposes: Erik worked on this committee and says that he had a change of mind after studying the issue as part of the committee. He pointed out that it's very difficult to regulate a product when there is no requirement for labeling what level of active ingredients are in the product. Consumers need to know what is in that brownie or cream which is purchased.
With a lot of work from both parties, the 3% surcharge for highest earners was eliminated, and schools were funded at a higher level, which came from a non-sustainable source, so this issue will likely return.
The reform of the minimum wage was changed to keep the tip credit intact. The removal of the tip credit was probably not intended, but as written, it occurred.
Unfortunately, other participating groups at the meeting venue created a level of noise making it impossible to hear the balance of Erik’s remarks and, after extending our apologies to him, he was invited to return at a later date.
(Photo L-R: Erik Jorgensen, Bob Martin, and President Don Zillman.)
*09/29/17 Carol Coultas, Business Editor Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram
Carol Coultas, Business Editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has been a journalist for over 30 years, with much of her experience focused on reporting and editing about Maine businesses. She started her career as a part-time writer/receptionist at a small weekly paper in Billerica, MA, following a stint as a Vista volunteer. She met her husband when they both worked at the Lowell Sun. They spent their first year of marriage teaching English in Mexico.
Carol worked at the Lewiston Sun Journal for 22 years, first as a reporter, then as Managing Editor for nine years. She was Managing Editor of Mainebiz for a number of years before moving to the Press Herald. She has a special interest in reporting on banking and manufacturing and projects under her supervision have won numerous awards. She has hosted a wide variety of recognition programs sponsored by the newspapers for which she worked, as well as a number of panels providing in-depth insight in a range of topics.
A graduate of UMASS-Amherst, Carol and her husband live in Harpswell and have two children, one a journalist in New York City and the other is currently pursuing a graduate degree at Duke University. When she’s not working, she likes to bake pies.
09/22/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman began our meeting by greeting 51 Rotarians, 1 Visiting Rotarian and 3 guests at the Bayside Bowl in downtown Portland. Dave Small provided the invocation with excerpts from Mother Teresa’s “Life is Life,” extolling the joys, trials and tribulations of our journey. Erik Jorgensen led us in the pledge and Past President Bill Blount led us in singing the Star Spangled Banner.
President Don thanked the Rotarians whose efforts made the meeting possible.
He welcomed visiting Rotarian Jim Graham and his wife, who hopped off a cruise ship in Portland harbor from his Kernersville, North Carolina Rotary club and exchanged club banners with us.
Dick Hall, Club Foundation Chair, discussed the Rotary Foundation and a District 7780 raffle, asking: “Do you want to win a trip to Seattle for World Polio Day the first week of October?” District Governor Dave Underhill sent out an email to all clubs explaining the details: Donate $25 by September 30 to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus and you are entered into the District drawing. You may donate online: endpolio.org/donate. Any questions, contact Dick Hall at: dickhall@maine.rr.com.
Thank you for helping Rotary to end Polio.
2nd Vice President Amy Chipman announced the "Circle of Five" involvement by our club members in support of the Rotary Foundation. As "Circle" participants, Julie L’Heureux was feted garnering her sixth Paul Harris Fellow and Mark Millar was recognized for his third.
Andy Stone led us in our acapella rendition of singing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Handling the raffle this week, Patty Erickson asked our speaker, Erik Jorgensen, to draw a name from the holding vessel...and Mike Fortunato got to try his luck at this week’s $850 raffle pot. Unfortunately for Mike, he chose the wrong queen....finding the Queen of Clubs and leaving the elusive Queen of Hearts safely embedded until next week.
Past President Russ Burleigh requested our continued support for his wife, Joan Steinberg’s ninth year making woolen mittens to be given to needy local children for the winter months. Contact Russ with donations of wool or money in support of Joan’s worthy endeavor at: primeribgraphics@icloud.com or 838-6129.
Nan Heald announced two events in support of her organization Pine Tree Legal Assistance. A silent Art Auction to be held on Friday and Saturday September 29-30. For more information, contact Nan at: nheald@ptla.org. Nan also suggested we put the following in our calendars: Senator Angus King will be speaking at USM’s Hannaford Hall, Friday, October 6, 5-7PM. For more information and to RSVP, go to: ptla.org/Celebrate50.
Past President John Marr gave the club an update on our involvement in support of the youth at the Long Creek Youth Development Center. Contact John (marrjf@gmail.com), Past President Jim Willey (jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com) or Dave Putnam (david.f.putnam@mercer.com), if you would like to participate in this volunteer opportunity at Long Creek.
Charlie Frair reminded us of our Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch to be held at the Italian Heritage Center. US House Rep. Shellie Pingree will be the keynote speaker. Registration is now open. Please go to Portland Rotary's website (portlandrotary.org) to register and be sure to invite local Veterans to join us.....their meal is on us! Please be sure to register any guests and veterans you want to bring. (See flyer below and on our club website: portlandrotary.org
09/15/17 Phil Walsh, Maine Initiatives
Our guest speaker this week, Philip Walsh, Executive Director of Maine Initiatives, helped us better understand how the current social media dynamic is being embraced and assisting the newer philanthropy to make fundamental decisions.
Mr. Walsh reaffirmed that we are in an ever-changing world and Maine, and greater Portland, in particular, is in a vibrant period of transition and adjustment is essential. It is surprising to few that grant giving, in order to be effective and of greatest impact, has to adjust. The old model of the formulaic filing of a request for grant funds is going the way of the typewriter and carbon paper. Maine Initiatives has naturally evolved and is in sync with the social dynamics we now experience. The fundamental function of every philanthropy is to make positive change by offering support for organizations that fit the givers mission statement. Maine Initiatives concentrates their support on those organizations involved in fostering “racial justice and racial equity” in Maine. Since Maine is a relatively monochrome society, the challenge is to find the best cohorts to further the mission of justice and inclusion.
Phil was impressed with the number of Portland Rotarians who have experience with the grant giving process. Most of us are familiar with the objective of grant giving, but not aware of the vetting and decision-making process. Currently, Maine Initiatives is awarding 10 grants of $25,000 every year. There are many well-intended, hard-working initiatives in Maine with a mission to assist an under-privileged, little-recognized segments of our society. In order to assure that the grant investments of Maine Initiatives provides the expected yield, they have developed a process of collaborative selection to provide “transformative community philanthropy”.
Phil has been involved with causes focused on societal justice throughout the Americas, and while working with the poor in Central and Southern America, he realized that poverty creates a distinct societal cohort that tends to be self perpetuating. While working in Nicaragua, Phil came to meet the “Watermelon Man,” a subsistence farmer who told him “we are the poor” and helped him to come to a better understanding of the insulating impact it imposes. The poor see themselves as outcasts and merely tolerated as part of the whole. This helped Phil to decide that if one wants to create long-lived, meaningful change, they have to include the intended beneficiaries, i.e. the poor or racially ostracized, in order to succeed. At Maine Initiatives it is realized that the giving of money is only part of the answer. The money, in and of itself, is not the answer….it is how it is going to be used and what the people are going to do with the support. The outreach of Maine Initiatives has made a difference with the grants and by becoming a new model for philanthropic giving.
Maine Initiatives has helped us concentrate on segments of our community that are too often invisible or ignored by the majority. As an overwhelmingly white state, it is easy for minorities to be overlooked. When the economy goes bad, it creates market gaps that can foster racial injustice that need to be tended to and not allowed to degenerate. By understanding that racial justice is a multidimensional process, the community can create a matrix fostering recognition and response. We know we can’t ignore the problem and hope that it will get better. Maine Initiatives is helping us come to terms with injustice by being aspirational in our search for equity and to assure that race and poverty does not become a predictive life outcome.
(Photo L-R: Steve Mortimer, Philip Walsh and President Don Zillman.)
09/15/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 50 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest to the meeting. Past President Alan Nye gave an invocation encouraging everyone to make their day memorable. We pledged our allegiance to the flag and sang a patriot song acapella.
President Don thanked all those responsible for helping out during the meeting. He then noted that in addition to the $500.00 the club donated to the Houston Hurricane Harvey Relief effort, the club would donate an additional $500.00 for the Florida Hurricane Irma Relief.
Paul Tully reminded everyone that the annual Veterans' Appreciation Lunch is exactly 8 weeks away on November 10th at the Italian Heritage Center at noon. Although a full 53 members volunteered last year for the lunch, the need is great and he’s hoping for 60 volunteers this year. This is a wonderful tribute to all our Veterans and everyone is encouraged to volunteer or at least participate in the lunch to honor those who have given so much.
Matt Tassey conducted the weekly raffle draw, with a sizable pot of $825.00, and Past President Loretta Rowe was the winner of the card draw – but alas, she came up with King of Diamonds. Good try, Loretta.
NOTE! Next Friday’s meeting will be at Bayside Bowl, 58 Alder Street, Portland. Mark your calendars and be prepared to have a rollicking good time.
*09/22/17 Erik Jorgensen, Maine Legislature
Erik Jorgensen, a member of Portland Rotary, also sits in the Maine Legislature representing Maine House District 41, which includes Deering Center and some of the Portland neighborhoods near USM. Elected to the Legislature in 2012, he has served on the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, the legislative body responsible for developing and overseeing the state budget. He has been particularly focused on working to make sure that urban issues, especially Portland’s unique needs, are not forgotten in Augusta.
Erik’s professional career includes more than 25 years working in Maine educational and cultural organizations. He served as director of the Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick for ten years, and from 1999-2012 worked for the Maine Humanities Council where he served as the Executive Director for five and a half of those. When the Legislature is not in session, he works on various consulting assignments.
Erik earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, and an MPA from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he received the Henry Brooks Public Service Fellowship.
He has served on a number of boards and community groups, at the local, state-wide and national levels, including over 20 years as an active member of Rotary. He has served on the board of directors of the Maine Center for Economic Policy; the board of Good Will-Hinckley, and two charitable foundations. A former chair of the MPBN Community Advisory Board, his activities outside of Maine has included the board of the Project on Civic Reflection, a Chicago-based program that uses literature and history to help provide insight into civic and community issues; and, the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
Erik has lived in Greater Portland since the 1980’s, and been a Deering neighborhood resident since 2000, along with his wife, Tamara Risser, and their son, Will, a student in the Portland Public schools.
09/08/17 David Pearce, Former U.S. Ambassador
David Pearce, retired from 35 years in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps, and son of former long-time member and Club Secretary, Duane Pearce, joined us last week and shared his observations from a career in diplomacy. “I wish Dad could be here today,” he said. “Rotary was very important in his life, and he always wanted me to come and speak, but we could never work it out.” David shared the story of his first posting to Iraq when his Dad gave him his Rotary pen to take with him. “At first, I declined it. I knew how important it was to him. It had his name imprinted on it, but he insisted. Just bring it back, he said.”
Pearce said he wanted to address the question of whether we needed diplomats in today’s world. He referred to the story of Mu‘awiya I, the 7th Century Caliph of the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate, who governed a complex array of states across the Mid-East and North Africa, and was asked, “How is it that you can rule this fractious country.” His answer, Pearce said, lay in the technique of being aligned with everyone as if connected by a hair, knowing when to yield and when to pull. “The wise ruler stays engaged,” Mu’awiya is reported to have said. “And avoids rupture.” It is costly not to engage, Pearce said, but the trick is to determine the right balance of engagement.
Pearce presented five general observations from his experiences in the diplomatic corps:
First, “Begin at the beginning.” This stratagem requires you to lay out your strategic purpose. When he was appointed Ambassador to Greece, Pearce said that the goal was to ensure that Greece remained part of the European Union. “The U.S. was interested in Greece remaining strong,” he said. “Part of that was because we wanted to decrease economic risk to the country, but part of it also was tied to the fact the country is important to our military strategy—the port at Souda Bay is the only one in Europe that allows the docking of an aircraft carrier.”
Second, “Mind the Five Ps.” Details matter, he said, reflecting on former Secretary of State James Baker’s admonition, “Poor Prep equals Piss Poor Performance.” Pearce said that not only do details matter, but expertise matters, and language matters. He said that he took the time to learn the language of the country where he was assigned so that he could sit down with native speakers and communicate.
Third, “Tend the Garden.” Pearce said: “We need allies, and they need us. Intel is not expertise, it’s just facts and figures. People who love a region know more. We cannot take friends for granted.”
Four, “Drink the coffee.” This means one must learn to be patient, he said. Pearce shared stories of working in Iraq as part of General Petraeus’s staff and visiting with various chieftains. “There was no specific request from them. We just sat and drank coffee.” But as time passed, trust built, and there came times when that patience resulted in strong cooperation that was important strategically.
Five, “Nothing is good.” Pearce referred again to Mu’awiya describing the current state of Iraq and the factions in, and around, the country, and their different viewpoints on Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which called for a referendum on Kirkuk, a city that lies in the heart of the country’s major oil-producing territory. “The Kurds controlled the city, and wanted a referendum in order to establish sovereignty. But it’s a multi-ethnic population, so there were others who objected to the Kurds being in charge. Since there was no clear agreement on a referendum, and there was pressure to have the UN take charge, I met with the leader of the Kurds alone for an hour and we spoke in Arabic. In the end, nothing happened.” Pearce’s point was that since there was fear, there might be unrest or rebellion....the fact that nothing happened was good. “It takes a lot of work,” he said, “for nothing to happen.”
(Photo L-R: Past President Bob Traill, David Pearce, and President Don Zillman.)
In closing, David Pearce said that “I can’t think of anything else I would rather have done than be a part of the diplomatic corps.”
Questions from the members brought lengthy responses describing the tax issues in Greece: “It’s a myth that Greeks don’t work hard. The issue is that the EU creditors want Greece to do more with economic reform and decrease the number of non-performing loans.” He provided an historical perspective of the issues in Iraq and the “tectonic plates” of culture and history involved. He discussed the changing internal dynamics in Turkey and the lack of choices that the Kurds had within and without Turkey for alliances. “It’s extremely complicated.”
Commenting on North Korea, he said “Ultimatums are not a good idea.” And a long discussion on the issues of Afghanistan, which according to Pearce have deep roots in the U.S. decision not to engage the Afghani officer corps in training after 1989, which resulted in a generation of officers in the Afghan Army who we subsequently decided we needed, but had no effective way of communicating with because we lacked any personal connections with them.
Asked if the State Department understood his rule number one, Pearce responded that he doesn’t understand how you can do business in diplomacy if you cut one-third of your budget and fail to appoint deputies and under-secretaries. “Much work needs to be done on the team side,” he said.
09/08/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman rang in the meeting noting it would be a busy one! 58 members were in attendance, with an exceptionally large guest list of 15 and 1 visiting Rotarian.
Past President Russ Burleigh’s invocation provided a historical recounting of important events on this day in U.S. history. He began by noting that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In 1900, 6,000 people were killed when a hurricane struck Galveston,Texas. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy killed 75 in Louisiana and Florida. Russ ticked off a list of other not-so-great news, however, was able to sprinkle in a few stellar moments in baseball, from Bob Feller – youngest pitcher to win 20 games (1939) to the ’78 game between Red Sox/Yanks, with the Yanks winning 13-2.
Our guest speaker, Ambassador David Pearce, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Kathy Grammer tapped out the Star-Spangled Banner on the keyboard as we sang along.
Returning attention back to the impending hurricanes down south, President Don spoke of the Rotarian relief effort and opportunities to donate. With Houston/Louisiana looking at $100 billion in rebuilding, and with all eyes on what lay ahead for Florida/Georgia, consider a donation to either the Red Cross, or the Rotary Foundation.
With back-up singer Past President Russ Burleigh, song leader Andreea Paine, led us on a vocal expedition of “If I Had A Hammer.” No doubt they did a great job.....however, the rest of the club introduced a variety of rare octaves and awkward tonal qualities to bring the song to its knees.
Past President Kris Rosado updated us on the Veterans’ Lunch set for November 10th at the Italian Heritage Center. Now is the time to reach out to Veterans you know and invite them. There is no charge for Veterans. The hall can hold 350 people – a perfect lunch would be 300 Veterans. Kris also thanked a growing list of sponsors who have already pledged $500, but we certainly need more. To get the information you need to present to a potential sponsor, contact Kris at kris.rosado@morganstanley.com.
David Small introduced our newest member, Eileen Skinner. Eileen was born, raised, educated and spent the first part of her working career in New Orleans. With a Masters in Health Administration from Tulane, Eileen built an impressive resume before coming to Maine in 2002 to be President and CEO of the Mercy Health System of Maine. Eileen has been the recipient of numerous leadership awards from a wide range of organizations, including the American Heart Association, Salvation Army, Girl Scouts of Maine and the Maine Business Hall of Fame, and that’s just the short list. Eileen’s newest adventure is a weekly commute from her home in Falmouth to Boston where she is now at the helm of the internationally renowned Boston Shriner’s Hospital For Children. Her husband John is a board-certified pathologist at Central Maine Medical Center. They have three grown children (youngest 23). Welcome, Eileen, to Portland Rotary!
President Don thanked the club members who handled the meeting’s tasks, and then moved to the all-important raffle draw. With $782 on the line, Matt Wolcott oversaw the name draw by our speaker, who drew the name of Past President Tom Talbott. Looking confident, Tom proceeded to draw the unforgiving Two of Spades, leaving the pot safe for at least another week.
Gus Karlsen announced that the MS Regatta trophy won last week in a show of superior skill and seamanship should be back in the club’s possession next week. There was no direct specific mention that our competition failed to show up, but hey, it’s our trophy now!
Alex St.Hilaire was in Berlin recently to visit friends and made his way to a local Rotary club for a lunch meeting. With 84 members and similar demographics as our club, Alex remarked that he was welcomed with open arms, even though they were not expecting any guests. “Where ever you go, when you meet other Rotarians, there are immediate friendships.” Alex presented President Don with their club banner, a fine memento from his visit.
*09/15/17 Phil Walsh, Exec. Director of Maine Initiatives
Philip Walsh is the Executive Director of Maine Initiatives, a public, community-based foundation advancing social, economic, and environmental justice in Maine through informed, intentional and collective philanthropy.
Since 1993, Maine Initiatives has made over $3.5 million in grants to grassroots and community-based organizations in Maine. Under Phil Walsh’s leadership, Maine Initiatives is pursuing a radically-participatory approach to community philanthropy, one that seeks to go beyond money. Phil’s talk will focus on how Maine Initiatives understands and approaches the issues of justice and equity in Maine, the role of private philanthropy, and the importance of both individual and collective action.
Phil’s professional background includes over 20 years of experience designing and implementing innovative community development approaches, with a specific focus on initiatives that engage diverse stakeholders; identify the community’s human, financial, and social assets; and leverage those assets for social change.
Prior to coming to Maine with his family in 2011, Phil worked for 15 years in Latin America: as a program officer with the Inter-American Foundation, director of the Mexico Program at The Synergos Institute, and leader of Mercy Corps’ civil society strengthening program in Central America.
Phil is a graduate of James Madison University and earned a masters degree from Georgetown University. He lives in Cape Elizabeth with his wife, three daughters, and a brood of chickens. He serves on the board of directors of the Maine Philanthropy Center and is the co-chair of the Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative. He is also an active supporter of Maine Adaptive and the Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England.
*09/08/17 David D. Pearce, Retired U.S. Diplomat
- Vice Consul and Political Officer in Riyadh
- Watch Officer in the State Department Operations Center
- Country Desk Officer in Greece
- Political Section Chief, U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
- Liaison Officer with the Kuwaiti Government-in-exile, Saudi Arabia
- Special Assistant to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
- Consul General in Dubai
- Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in Damascus
- Director of the State Deparment's Northern Gulf Affairs (Iran/Iraq)
- Served with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad
- Mission Chief/Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General, Jerusalem
- Minister Counselor for Political Affairs U.S. Embassy in Rome.
09/01/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the last of our official summer Friday’s meeting days by welcoming 51 members and 4 guests.
Charlie Frair offered an invocation prayer dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Harvey and the damage caused by flooding. With our thoughts on the storm that brought devastating floods to Houston and the Gulf Coast, President Don reported on Rotary plans to support relief through donations to a special Rotary Foundation fund, as presented in a communication by District 7780 Governor Dave Underhill (FMI, go to: www.rotary.org/en/rotary-districts-collect-emergency-funds-hurricane-harvey-victims) or by donating to the American Red Cross at: www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey.
We pledged our allegiance to the American flag and sang our patriotic song, accompanied by Past President Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Portland Rotary was awarded the Service Club Cup for the sponsorship of a boat in the 36th Multiple Sclerosis Harborfest Regatta 2017 held on August 19th on Casco Bay. It was a perfectly beautiful day for the regatta. Gus Karlsen thanked everyone who helped him to raise $2,000 for this year’s regatta’s two entries in the evente.
“Happy Birthday” was extended and sung to September-born Rotarians, followed by recognition of Rotary-anniversary members who joined our club during the month of September over the years. Special recognition was noted for Austin Harris, who joined Rotary 55 years ago!
President Don announced the opportunity for Rotarians to donate blood on Wednesday, September 6th at Back Cove Financial, 56 Depot Road, Falmouth from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Blood supply is at a dangerous low. Please help! Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise.
Past President Don Lowry led us in our weekly sing-along with "You Are My Sunshine," as PP Russ Burleigh tickled the ivories to keep us in tune with the melody.
Jerry Angier led the weekly raffle drawing for the $752 prize. Although Past President Loretta Rowe won the chance to draw the Queen of Hearts, she missed picking the right queen and drew the Queen of Spades. Nevertheless, thanks to the guest speaker Michael Smith, Development Director of Camp Sunshine, she received a consolation prize of two tickets to the Camp’s “Maine Suitcase Party” on September 22nd from 7-11 p.m. at the MAC Air Group (private hangar), 100 Aviation Drive, So. Portland. If Loretta wins the drawing at the party, she will be packed and ready to fly to New York City for the weekend!
Past President Loretta was back up at the podium (hard to keep past presidents away from the microphone) had the honor of introducing John Thompson as our club’s newest member. John is joining Rotary as a way to be more involved in the local community. John is the CFO of ICON LNG (Liquified Natural Gas). He has over 20 years of experience in finance, investments and management throughout the US and Latin America. He holds a BA degree from Stanford University, and an MA degree in Real Estate Finance and Investment from Cornell University. John enjoys sailing, tennis, hiking and practicing his Spanish language. Join us in welcoming John to Portland Rotary!
09/01/17 Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine
A summer day brought sunshine in the form of Mike Smith, Development Director for Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. Mike, a Paul Harris Fellow from the Lakes Region Rotary Club, duly noted how in 1997 Rotarians from multiple Maine clubs in District 7780 cedar shaked (and stained) a 25,000-square foot building in just 2 days, enabling the camp to open on schedule.
A technical glitch interrupted a video presentation, but Mike deftly switched to manual pilot. He spoke of the Camp’s humble beginnings in 1984 - space donated from the owners of Point Sebago Campground, Anna and Dr. Larry Gould. They had seen a TV program about a summer camp for children with cancer, and decided to offer the same opportunity.
43 children and their families attended the first session in June 1984. Arrangements were made to increase the services to 2 weeks at the beginning and end of summer, but it was soon evident that a permanent facility be established to meet the popular demand. In 2001, using 24 acres of land donated by the Goulds, a year-round facility opened.
Today, 28 sessions are offered annually, with 40 families each session. Camp Sunshine has provided services and support to families from 50 states and 27 countries. Weeks are set up to be specific to particular illnesses, cancers, blood disorders, and so on. This is done to enable people to come together who are sharing and dealing with a common issue. The goal for the families is to regroup, reenergize, and restore.
2500 annual volunteers, ages 16-90, with 80-90 volunteers per session, handle every aspect from maintenance, kitchen/food service, hospitality, and activities. Essentially, it’s a hotel with 90 rooms, and a new staff every Sunday. New volunteers go through several hours of training on Sunday morning, prior to the guests arriving that afternoon.
Over 100 treatment centers across the U.S. refer patients to the camp. In addition, Sunshine is well known for creating special events! They hold two Guinness World Records – the most lit Jack O’Lanterns in one spot (30,128 on Boston Commons) and the World’s Tallest Sandcastle (35 feet). Events like these have landed the camp on the Today Show and Good Morning America. Google picked up the theme by spelling Google in the form of a sand castle – with credit to the camp. That’s world-wide! On Friday, Sept 22, it’s the Maine Suitcase Party! A private hangar at Portland JetPort will turn into a nightclub. One winner and a guest will board a private Lear Jet, fly to NYC, get limo service to a luxury hotel in Times Square, receive $500 in spending cash, an unforgettable weekend and returned to the Portland Jetport the same way pm Sunday! Tix are on sale now at www.mainesuitcaseparty.com.
When asked if the camp had a religious leaning, Mike noted that the Camp has no markers for religious convictions, or economic status. There is no cost for families, including meals, housing, and recreation. There is transportation assistance coming from approx. $125k-$150k donated per year.
There is no transfer of data to track the recovery rate of the visiting children. Bereavement programs are available for families who have lost a child. Some parents return to volunteer, to both remember the good moments they shared, as well as help others who are going through similar circumstances.
Camp Sunshine has earned a 4-star rating on the National Charity Navigator, which grades fiscal responsibility and transparency. This recognition does lead to more donations, such as $1 million per year from the Tropical Smoothie Café’s 600 stores. 56% of donations received are $500 or less, but it all adds up to a $3.8-million-dollar budget.
There are many ways to contribute and to be a part of Camp Sunshine. You’d look good in a yellow volunteer shirt! FMI: www.campsunshine.org/
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Mike Smith and Linda Varrell.)
*09/01/17 Michael Smith, Camp Sunshine
Michael Smith, Development Director at Camp Sunshine, will be speaking at Friday’s lunch. He will provide an overview of their mission and current initiatives....detailing how Rotarians can be supportive. He will also be highlighting the upcoming “Suitcase Party” <campsunshine.org/subdomains/suitcaseparty/index>.
After graduating from Falmouth High School, Mike pursued his ambition to own a restaurant by attending Johnson & Wales University and later purchasing a Maine-based Pat's Pizza franchise. He operated the location in the Lakes Region area for 11 years before changing careers and accepting a position at Camp Sunshine. As the organization’s first Director of Special Events, he incorporated out-of-the-box thinking with extreme attention to detail to produce successful festivals and events throughout the Northeast. Today, as the Camp’s Development Director, Michael is most proud of the team he has put together and their continued success in the highly competitive non-profit sector.
08/25/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened our weekly meeting by welcoming 48 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest.
David Small (at left) offered a comedic invocation in honor of our club’s monthly efforts to hold a social gathering at a different Portland brewery. The invocation, entitled “A Beer Drinker’s Prayer” brought some levity to our meeting. Dave followed it up with a much more brief and solemn prayer.
George Crockett led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Kathy Grammer played the keyboard to a nice rendition of “America,” which the club handled with great aplomb. Such could not be said a few minutes later when Meredith Small (at right) tried to lead us in an effort to sing the lovely ballad “Shanandoah,” which we unfortunately mangled and mutilated, although we gave it a nice Rotary effort!
Dick Giles took to the podium to talk about our club’s efforts out at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, where we have been working with the guests in the Cedar Unit for several years now. Every 3rd Tuesday of the month, we head out after work and spend time with these young men, sharing snacks, sweets and a game. It’s a wonderful program and a great way for Portland Rotarians to be of service. Please contact Mike Fortunato (michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com) or Jim Willey (jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com) if you have questions or are interested in helping.
Charlie Frair asked us all to mark our calendars for Friday, November 10th, when we will be hosting the 3rd annual Veteran’s Day tribute....this year to be held at the Italian Heritage Center. We are looking to increase our club’s participation from 30 to 50 Rotarians and yet will not look to increase the overall scope of the event, which saw 300 guests hosted last year, comprised of veterans and their families joining us gratis. For now, keep your eyes peeled for announcements and block off the noon hour on November 10th.
Marty Peak-Helman, former District 7780 Governor and now the District Foundation Chair, presented President Don Zillman, Past-President Laura Young and Past-President/current Club Foundation Chair Dick Hall with a check for $4,000 to go toward our CHE reading program. In presenting this generous sum, Marty praised our club for being amongst the district leaders in foundational efforts.
Jan Chapman had our speaker pull the name of newest returning Portland Rotarian, Peter Moore, for the weekly raffle drawing, which was worth a cool $736, but Peter pulled the Five of Spades, thus the pot with grow for next week’s effort.
08/25/17 Bob Fowler, Milestone Foundation
Our speaker last Friday was Robert Fowler, Executive Director of the Milestone Foundation. For those unfamiliar with Milestone, it provides emergency shelter, as well as drug and alcohol addiction treatment to adults with chronic substance use disorders. The mission of Milestone is to provide the best services possible to help people with substance use and behavioral health disorders to attain stability, recovery and greater quality of life. (www.MilestoneFoundation.org)
Mr. Fowler focused his talk on the opioid epidemic in Maine. He noted that he’s on the Maine legislative task force to address the opioid crisis. Mr. Fowler made no bones about it: we are a nation suffering with a public health crisis and epidemic.
Some statistics he gave were both tragic and alarming. As a nation, we suffered over 52,000 deaths last year due to overdoses. More people died from overdoses than were killed in automobile accidents – more than the deaths we suffered in Vietnam. Maine’s overdose death rate is more than 1 each day—a 40% increase.
Mr. Fowler emphasized that opioid addiction is a very complicated issue and he offered no simple solutions. He shared that Milestone offers homeless outreach and an overnight shelter, housing placement assistance, medically managed detox, residential treatment and transitional housing.
He described some of the services available at Milestone, including:
• Maine’s only 41-bed overnight substance use disorder emergency shelter;
• A Home Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) Team that provides support to those with substance use disorders and responds to police, merchants, and citizens to provide services to those most vulnerable;
• A detoxification program for men and women struggling with substance use disorders; and
• An extended-care clinically managed 16-bed residential treatment program.
Mr. Fowler ended his remarks early and graciously answered question after question from Rotarians. He noted that addiction services are so lacking that only 1 in 10 people that desire treatment can access it. Unfortunately, overdose deaths are the single highest cause of death for those under 50. Where Milestone used to treat nearly 100% alcohol addiction, it’s now 50/50 with opioids/alcohol and the demographic is for younger and younger individuals.
When asked what we could do to help, Mr. Fowler suggested that we, as a club and as individuals, pressure our lawmakers to fund programs and allocate even greater resources to providers. We are losing a generation of young people to substance use disorders and we can only overcome this epidemic if everyone does their part. So what are you waiting for?
(Photo L-R: Steve Mortimer, Robert Fowler and President Don Zillman.)
08/18/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting welcoming 51 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 2 guests and related remorseful sentiments to the sad events of the riots that took place in Charloteesville, Virginia. Gracie Johnston (photo at left) offered our invocation with the “Serenity Prayer,” Past President Bowen Depke led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag’ and we sang a patriotic song.
President Don recognized and thanked those members who “filled-in” on the weekly duties to keep our meeting running smoothly.
For many years Gus Karlsen has been involved with the Multiple Sclerosis Regatta that takes place in Casco Bay. Gus reminded the Club that in years past we have sponsored at least two beautiful sailboats in this charity competition. With the Regatta happening the very next day, we had only come up with enough funds to sponsor one boat. So the call went out and the bucks came floating his way, so Gus will have additional Rotary dollars to assist in the fight to eliminate the ravages of this disease. Great going, Gus!
With the Crutches4Africa project in full swing, Rotary has collected crutches, wheel chairs, walkers and similar assistance devices to help those impoverished and in desperate need of assistance in Africa. The devices have been gathered and need to be consolidated for shipment. This is a huge undertaking and a little help would go a long way. The packing project will be on Thursday, August 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 20 Gooch Street, Biddeford. For more information, contact Tony Wagner at: tony.wagner163@gmail.com
The Rotary Club of Portland and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine have a long association serving up steaks and burgers at their annual dinner event. This year was well covered and the healthy kids were offering sirloin served by Rotarians, if that was their choice. Observers report that the children showed a distinct preference for the simplicity of an abundant hamburger. Thank you to all the volunteers.
If you haven’t heard, Portland is somewhat a craft brew capital with local beer breweries popping up all over the city. Ben Millick is determined to get new and seasoned members, along with friends, to experience some fellowship at a new place each month. He assures us that the list is long and he will keep us hopping to a new spot, so get ready to "meet and greet" and belly up to the bar!
We are known as the “singing club,” and we do a fine job on most of the songs....thanks to our talented song leaders and keyboard accompaniment. Past President Bill Blount and 2nd Vice President Amy Chipman observed that this was the 40th anniversary of the passing of the ‘King of Rock and Roll,’ Elvis Presley, and suggested that we offer up “Love Me Tender” as a tribute. We made a sincere effort.
The Queen of Hearts seems to be hiding in the dwindling deck of cards, because the raffle is up to over $700 and growing. Thanks to Julie Chase, showing pluck with no luck, she left the pot to grow and entice us to continue to buy tickets next week. (Photo L-R: Elise Hodgkin and Julie Chase)
*08/25/17 Bob Fowler, LCSW, CCS, Milestone Foundation
Bob Fowler became the Executive Director of the Milestone Foundation in 2014.
The opioid epidemic in Maine is worsening, with daily deaths being reported in the newspapers. Fortunately, the Milestone Foundation is at the forefront of the battle with critical programs for those at risk at their Portland and Old Orchard sites. Milestone operates Maine’s only specialized substance use disorder emergency shelter. Their Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) Team is who the police departments call first, as profiled by the Portland Press Herald (pressherald.com/media/gallery/milestone-foundation-home-team/).
The mission of the Milestone Foundation is to provide the best quality of services to empower individuals with substance use and behavioral health disorders to attain stability, dignity, recovery and an enhanced quality of life. The organization offers emergency shelter, medically managed detoxification, and long-term treatment in Portland and Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Their detox program is staffed by nurses and CNAs 24/7 and is overseen by a physician.
Bob has over 25 years of experience in behavioral health treatment and administration. He earned his MSW degree from the University at Albany. He earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration, with a concentration in Financial Management, from the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Vermont. Bob’s professional experience includes various clinical positions, directing a mobile crisis team, and leading a number of nonprofit behavioral health programs throughout the northeast. He served on the Treatment Task Force of the Maine Opiate Collaborative, and was appointed to the Maine legislature’s Task Force to Address the Opiate Crisis in the State. Bob believes that Milestone serves a critical need in the community by providing compassionate, competent care to individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction, and he feels honored to work with Milestone’s staff and clients.
This discussion is not to be missed. The opioid crisis affects every Portland neighborhood and resident, and Bob is perhaps Maine’s leading authority on what is happening, what the future holds, and what we can do to help.
In his spare time, Bob is a guitar player, a master gardener, a beekeeper, and an adjunct professor at USM.
08/18/17 Liz Fagan, SLPD, Speech Pathologist
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Fagan, is a Speech Pathologist. Liz has been an Honorary Member of Portland Rotary since 2004. Her presentation described the 30-Million-Word project, and how Rotarians support the important efforts for providing books to children and reading to them. We know that reading proficiency is encouraged by trained special education staffs in the schools. Yet, volunteers like the Rotarians, address reading with children who are without identified disabilities. Research has shown how the capacity for children to learn is correlated with their early exposure to books and reading during their first three years.
Dr. Fagan spoke and provided video information about the “30-Million-Word Gap” at every age in their childhood development. Cognitive development is not a function of “what we are born with.” Rather, a language-rich environment sets the stage for optimal brain development and improves how children perform in the world.
Portland Rotarians support literacy programs by reading to children in the city’s public schools and during a summer reading/lieracy program. Each child who attends the summer reading programs are given a book of their choice from the selection provided. These books are donated through funds contributed by Portland Rotary.
Studies have shown it has been determined that a 30-million-word gap exists between what children who live in poor families hear in their first years of life, compared to the same population of children who live with economically advantaged families. Donating books and reading to children are the way we can help to erode the gap.
Nevertheless, many thousands more books are needed for the world’s children. Our goal must be to give all children a book to hold in their hands. We can read aloud to children, sing songs, and recite rhymes, and encourage them to learn big works and talk about big ideas. What matters most is to talk with children and increase their learning opportunities. Language affirmation is a focus on teaching children about how the type of words they learn are important. Words like, “We are happy to see you.”
Every parent has the chance to improve their child’s cognitive development by exposing them to books and reading.
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Dr. Liz Fagan, and President Don Zillman.)
Cost of Lunch
at our weekly meetings
08/11/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened our Friday meeting by welcoming 51 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests. Past President Cy Hagge offered us an invocation, we pledged our allegiance to the American Flag and sang a patriotic song.
President Don reported that the Morgan Stanley Foundation sent a check for $1,500 as a match to Kris Rosado’s gift of last week. (Leverage matching funds!). He also reported that while he started last in the Beach to Beacon, he did not finish last.
He pointed to an advertisement by Roger and Liz Fagan that promoted a two-for-one hearing aid opportunity, with one unit going to the purchaser, and the other to the 3H project.
He then drew everyone’s attention to a Forecaster article reporting that Tom Saturley has been elected to the National Auctioneer Hall of Fame.
Alan Levenson rose to note that Harry Sawyer is no longer listed in the current Club roster. Due to Harry’s progressive illness and not being able to attend any club meetings, his family decided to end his membership in the Club. Alan pointed out that Harry was instrumental in bringing a number of new members into our Club, and was always a joyous participant in club activities. Alan moved that an Honorary Membership be extended to Harry, so that he remained a part of us. Without objection, it was adopted.
Observing the 40th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley, Eric Lusk led us in an acapella rendition of “Blue Suede Shoes,” which was truly not one for the money.
Rusty Atwood led the weekly raffle, giving Paul Gore a shot at winning the $675 pot, but Paul’s Three of Diamonds fell short of qualification.
Gus Karlsen reminded us of the annual “MS Regatta” that will happen on Friday, August 18, and was requesting our support with a contribution to fund one or two of the sailing boats in the event. If you would like to send a donation to the cause, please make checks payable to the MS Society and put “MS Regatta” in the memo line of the check, which can be mailed to him at: 640 Seashore Avenue, Peaks Island, ME 04108. Fun time on the water for a good cause! Contact Gus for further questions: capngus8@aol.com or by clicking on the following link: main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?fr_id=29109&pg=informational&sid=13760
Erik Greven announced a new project to assist the Preble Street community by asking everyone to gather their gently-worn shoes and hold them for collection and further distribution to those in need. He added that if we had any winter/warm clothing we would like to include in our collection, there was also a need to share them with the community. Further announcements of pickup dates to follow.
Amy Chipman, representing the Foundation Committee, presented 2 Paul Harris Awards: first-time recipient Justin Lamontagne and multiple-recipient (PHF +8) to Past President Cyrus Hagge. CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH!!
Alex St. Hilaire announced that the Boys & Girls Club was having their annual 'Burgers & Steak' dinner for the children and their families on Thursday, August 17th at the Sullivan Gym Complex at USM's Portland Campus from 5:30-7:00 pm. Alex said they could use the help of a few more volunteers to help. Hands went up and names were taken down. If you have any questions, please contact Alex at: alexander.st.hilaire@bangor.com or at 689-8185.
08/11/17 Pam Leo, Founder Fairy Book Project
Past President Paul Gore introduced Pam Leo by referring to Buckminster Fuller’s use of the metaphor of the trim tab on a rudder for understanding how to leverage personal power. The force exerted by the tiny trim tab on a large rudder can literally turn a ship around. The same applies to people, Paul said, in that one person can be the force to change society. He pointed to Pam Leo, founder of the "Book Fairy Pantry Project," as someone who exhibited the characteristics of a trim tab, as she tries to address the issues of illiteracy. Pam said she was persuaded to start her project after learning that two-thirds of the 15.5 million children living in poverty did not have a book to call their own. “I grew up in poverty without books or a college degree in Aroostook County,” she said. “I know what it’s like to be one in four children in this country who don't know how to read.”
Pam pointed to a quotation from Denis Waitley as a driver for starting her project: “There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” She said that learning to read is a human right. “It’s not like there’s a shortage of books. We have more than enough to give to children in poverty.” Pam said that the issue for her was how to distribute books to children in families who struggle. Her moment of epiphany came when she realized the link between food pantries and families in poverty. “Food pantries distribute food—every community has one—so why not use them to distribute books to parents.
Pam said that the process she wanted was to distribute books to parents who would, in turn, give them to their children. “All parents want to do things for their children,” she said. “This gives them that chance.” Bootstrapping her nonprofit from small gifts, she was able to raise sufficient funds to buy used books from Goodwill, and secured a $2,000 grant from Families for Conscious Living to create a logo, establish a website, and recruit volunteers to help sort and clean books. Food pantries are delighted to participate in the project. Pam also told us that the Portland Public Library is a huge supporter and has been working to help parents by teaching literacy. She said that her goal is to help children develop their own libraries.
She said that funding was not as much of an issue, but she was still looking for more sources for used books that would be appropriate for children. Donations of new and gently-used books are accepted at the nonprofit, Birth Roots, at 101 State Street in Portland. There is a dropbox in the lobby.
Pam closed her presentation by reading to us from the book, “Everything I Know, I Learned From Golden Books.”
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Past President Paul Gore and Pam Leo.)
Multi-district Rotary Red Sox Day at Fenway
Red Sox and Rotary together on September 13!
Game date: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 @ 7:10 PM
Deadline to purchase: August 18, 2017 @ 11:59
Seat block location: left field grandstand, Sections 29-31
Reserve/purchase tickets by contacting Mike ASAP!
COST: $38.00 PER TICKET + TRANSPORTATION COSTS (depending on how many go, add approx. $40-50 PP for bus transportation)
*08/18/17 Liz Fagan, SLPD, Speech Pathologist
08/04/17 A Day at the Ball Park - Hadlock Field
Past President Ben Lowry, a recent inductee into the Maine Baseball of Fame, fittingly introduced our two speakers to the Club on Friday. Mike Antonellis is the radio announcer for the U.S. cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network, as well as the media relations manager. Greg Levinski is a former bat boy and the assistant clubhouse manager, which basically means he helps out with anything players need in the clubhouse.
The topics regarding all things baseball seemed numerous Friday. Our speakers talked about a broad range of topics, such as: traveling with the team over a 140-game schedule, Twitter feeds from the players’ relatives, the 25 jerseys hanging behind home plate, which designate the Sea Dog players who made the big league, the superstitions and traditions, as well as the daily effort needed to make the players feel as if they were playing for the Red Sox.
Mike talked a little Sea Dogs history, and he let us know that the team was originally started as a Florida Marlins franchise. Obviously, the better team won out here. Mike said that the players ask him not to say certain things when announcing: a run has not been scored in X number of innings; or the pitcher is on the way to a no-hitter. The discussion led to whether radio versus television announcers have a tougher job. He indicated that the talent for radio announcing is typically stronger than for television because the announcer has to recreate the game and surroundings in a person’s mind using only words.
Mike also talked about how from a marketing perspective, the theme nights (e.g., Star Wars, Harry Potter) seem to be doing very well recently compared to the give-aways (bobble heads, t-shirts).
The discussion eventually led to the new pitch clock and its effect on the game, and interestingly, the effect on between inning promotions. The games and commercial breaks are now shorter due to the pitch clock. So while the pitch clock may speed up the game a little, it will not help speed up a 200-pitch game.
Greg said being the assistant club house manager means that he cooks or arranges food for the players, including breakfast and the pre-game, and he generally assists players in whatever they need to make their day go smoother; plus he helps with the coaching. He cleans some of their shoes, can translate for some of the Spanish-speaking players, and generally helps them feel comfortable. The main thing is that the players should be treated like they are in Boston, so that when that player makes the big leagues, it is not a tough transition and they know the routine.
Because Greg is so close to the players in the club house, he shared some funny anecdotes about the tradition the big leaguers have when they are rehabbing with the Sea Dogs. An on-going tradition is for the major leaguer to buy the team dinner during their stay in Portland. So when a player says he wants to treat the team to steaks and lobsters, Greg turns on the grill and helps fill them up.
Mike finished up by saying that Slugger is still as popular as any other promotion.
(Photo L-R: Sea Dog Greg Levinski, Past President Ben Lowry, Sea Dog Mike Antonellis, and President Don Zillman.
08/04/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 40 members, 3 visiting Rotarians and 8 guests to a beautiful day at the ballpark. Julie L’Heureux provided an invocation. In honor of the baseball-themed day at Hadlock Field with the Sea Dogs, Julie read the “Luckiest Man Alive” speech given by Lou Gehrig that he recited on July 4, 1939. The intro starts with, “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Ending with, ”So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”
Mike Reed led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Ben Lowry led us in singing the appropriate song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
President Don thanked those responsible for setting up and helping run the meeting.
Visiting Rotarians, Claudia Frost and Carolyn Bulliner, who were part of the 3H team that went on the Spring trip to the Dominican Republic, gave us their account of the trip and to present to the club a photo/scrap album in memory of the trip. The Portland Rotary 3H team, included Dick Giles, Rob Chatfield, Dick Hall, Bill Blount, David Small, Jan Chapman, Bruce Moore and Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan. To round out the 3H team that went to the DR, there were other people from Alaska, Oregon, Georgia, Florida, and Maine.
Ellen Neiwoehner led the raffle this week and asked President Don to select a name out of the bucket. He pulled Mike Reed’s name, to which Mike selected the 8 of Clubs, allowing the Queen of Hearts to rest for another week. The pot is getting bigger, so join us next week for a shot at close to $700.
Speaker Request
Editorial Correction
*08/11/17 Pam Leo, Founder of Book Fairy Project
Pam Leo is an early literacy activist, the author of Connection Parenting, the forthcoming children’s book, “Please Read To Me,” and writes the ‘Recipes For Reading’ column in the local Parent and Family paper.
Pam has worked with parents and children for over forty years in the roles of family child care provider, parent educator, childbirth educator, and birth doula. Pam has worked with parents in the workplace, teen parents programs, parents in rehab, and parents in prison. Pam’s enduring love of children’s books, her passion for literacy, and her commitment to empowering parents are combined in her new role as the founder of the Book Fairy Pantry Project.
Pam Leo is a member of Kindred’s International Editorial Advisory Board and a member of the board of directors for Kindred’s parent nonprofit, Families for Conscious Living.
The Book Fairy Pantry Project is a grassroots early literacy project whose mission is: “No child with no books.” Upon discovering the unbelievable statistic that 2/3 of the 15.5 million children living in poverty in the U.S. do not have even one book to call their own, Pam felt compelled to do something about it.
The number one indicator that children will arrive at school ready to learn to read is growing up with books in their homes and being read to daily from birth. Pam’s focus is providing a pipeline of books for families living in challenged conditions.
To learn more about this project, go to their website or click on the following link: bookfairypantryproject.com
Nominations Requested for District Finance Committee
This seat is currently held by Ron Bennett of our Portland Rotary. The next member will take office July 1, 2018 and serve a three-year term. The duties are described in bylaw section 303. The finance committee usually meets in person four or five times per year, and members have duties between those meetings.
This position is not appointed by the district governor. Instead, the clubs must nominate candidates from within their club and the candidate gets selected by the District nominating committee. The deadline is October 15 to apply, and an interview follows, with the selection to be made before December 1.
Bylaw 303.1 states there is preference given to candidates who have served either as club president or club treasurer, and/or who have accounting or finance as a part of their vocation or profession.
Clubs are encouraged to submit applications to the District Nominating Committee. Chair Marty Helman will be happy to answer any questions about the process and requirements. You can contact her at: martyrotary@gmail.com or 233-8741
Please find further information here: rotary7780.org/SitePage/finance-committe-member-nomination
Memorial Service - William Leavitt
On August 12th at 3 p.m., a small memorial service will be held at Oceanview (in the Hilltop Community Room), 20 Blueberry Lane, Falmouth, for former Portland Rotarian William (Bill) Leavitt, who passed away in 2015.
Vietnam Veterans "Welcome Home" Ceremony
When: Thursday, August 17, 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Description: Please join the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services and the University of Maine at Augusta for a "Welcome Home" ceremony honoring Vietnam Veterans. Through the State of Maine's "Honoring a Veteran from a Grateful State" program, veterans participating in the Ceremony will receive a personalized Certificate of Appreciation, a Vietnam Coin, and a lapel pin from the Department of Defense's 50th Vietnam War Commemoration.
To RSVP for the Ceremony, please contact Laura Allen at the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services: 207-430-5816; laura.e.allen@m
*08/04/17 Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field
Our annual visit to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, will take place this Friday. Since this ball team came to town 24 years ago, we have had a summer meeting almost every year at Hadlock. We are always warmly welcomed and have a wonderful outing in the picnic area of the ball park.
07/28/17 Michael Bourque, Incoming CEO MEMIC
On Friday our guest speaker was Michael Bourque, the current Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC Group). Earlier this year MEMIC’s founding CEO, John Leonard, announced his intention to retire. With the announcement, the Board of Directors commenced a nationwide search to find his successor, but after months of reviews and interviews, they decided the best candidate resided within the home office on Commercial Street and named Mike Bourque as the next CEO of MEMIC.
Mr. Bourque took us through a brief history of the advent of workers’ compensation insurance in Maine and the creation of MEMIC. He recalled that Maine formulated the state’s initial workers’ compensation (WC) law in 1916, in an effort to protect employees and employers from the vagaries of the legal system. The early law was quite limited in terms of the types of workplace injuries covered and the benefits offered. Mike told us that the old laws were forced to be reconsidered and brought up to the modern work world by the Federal government during the administration of President Richard Nixon. The early seventies saw WC laws nationwide liberally reformed under the guidance of a conservative President, underscoring just how inadequate the laws had been. Maine took to the reform with gusto and adopted almost all of the federal recommendations and created a very generous protection system for the workers employed within the state, but an untenable burden for employers. By the end of the 1980’s, the system was starting to show signs of impending collapse.
The collapse was imminent by 1991 and it was down to but a handful of carriers when Governor McKernan looked to a Blue Ribbon Commission of stake holders to formulate a turnaround plan for the system. The number of work related injuries in the state far exceeded the national average and the benefit payout was staggering in comparison. The need for reform was obvious, but not easy. By the time McKernan become Governor, the squabbling was incessant with resolution remote so he took bold action and refused to sign the state budget unless a solution to the Maine WC debacle was found and endorsed. When the second week of shut down hit, including the state liquor stores and parks, the pain was intense and a determined effort at reform took place. The reforms of 1992 had 3 major principals offering relief: A reduction of benefits, a reduction of the friction cost of the legal system, and the creation of a “not for profit,” independent, mutual insurance company called Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC).
The creation of MEMIC was a great idea, but it came without any state funding, which required the new company go begging for a loan from the banking community. On January 1, 1993 the company began to write policies and was known as the “guaranteed market,” (aka assigned risk) for the employers having business within the state. In order to gain the capital needed to pay claims over the long run, MEMIC was allowed to collect a surcharge of 15% from every policy written and was offered to do so for the next 10 years in order to pay claims. The company decided that in order to survive it had to help employees avoid getting hurt at work and concentrated on offering loss control and safety services to policy holders. The commitment to workplace safety paid off and the system began to turn around.
Much to the amazement of the employer and carrier community, the company not only stopped collecting the surcharge in five years, but began to repay the money to policyholders of record. The success of the system by 1999 brought with it new competition of embolden carriers and the market share that MEMIC enjoyed had evaporated by virtue of their success. MEMIC decided to move into other states and has become a nationwide WC carrier with numerous offices east of the Mississippi.
According to Mike, the company has assets in excess of 1 billion dollars! The company that had to beg for a loan and hit every policyholder with a surcharge has repaid all the debt. MEMIC is now the writer of more than 2/3 of the premiums in Maine and is growing outside its borders. The Maine experiment has proven to be a success and the growth is the ongoing challenge for Mike and his team, which has grown to 400 employees, with the concentration on Commercial Street and growing. Mike is proud to be the new CEO of this “Maine Miracle” and ready to keep the company moving forward.
(Photo L-R: Mike Bourque, Past President John Marr and President Don Zillman.)
07/28/17 Bits & Pieces
On this bright summer day at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, President Don Zillman opened the meeting by welcoming 55 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 6 guests. Kathy Grammer (at left) offered us the invocation by recommending that we accomplish our mission by helping others meet their goals. Bob Martin led us in the pledge to the flag and we sang “America The Beautiful,” with Kathy Grammer accompanying us on the keyboard.
President Don acknowledged the service of the Rotarians who made the weekly meeting happen and greeted our guests and visiting Rotarians. After the meeting last week, our speaker, Rotary District 7780 Governor Dave Underhill approached a couple of Portland Rotarians concerning two of his concerns for tree planting and the opioid crisis. Dave was amazed at the suggestions he received and very impressed with the resources available in our membership.
Talking about our Club’s resources, Dick Giles announced that when he previously called upon the membership to help with solar lights for the Dominican Republic, members contributed over $1200, including a generous $500 donation from member, Mark Millar. Thanks to Mark and all who are helping on this worthy project.
President Don called upon Amy Chipman to lead our song, who was assisted by Gracie Johnston, accompanied on the keyboard by Kathy Grammer. We sang “Side by Side” and absolutely nailed the key change. Way to go!
Past President Kris Rosado appealed for bequests and for employer-matching grants for the Rotary Foundation. Kris gave us a history of the “Happy Dollars” segment that really never developed in our Club because of time constraints. Kris proposed a new initiative.....”Happy Hundred Dollars.” If you have a reason why you’re overjoyed, then ask President Don for a moment at the podium, share your joy and donate to the Portland Rotary Charitable Fund, RI Foundation or Polio Plus. Kris then provided us with exemplary modeling behavior. Since the college education for both of his sons will be largely paid by the US government, with one son at West Point and the other a Navy ROTC, Kris then pledged $1000....$500 to our charitable fund, $400 to the RI Foundation and $100 to Polio Plus. Kris concluded by asking, “Why do we give?......to feel good and know that our donations are definitely going to a worthy cause."
President Don, speaking on behalf of Past President Bob Traill, encourages us to remember and attend a Vietnam Veterans’ remembrance in Augusta on August 17, 2017 (see separate story this issue).
Bruce Jones, conducting the weekly raffle with $611.00 in the pot, asked our speaker to draw a name from our holding vessel of all the tickets purchased that day. Mike Fortunato’s name was drawn, but alas, he drew the King of Spades. The pot thickens for next week’s drawing.
2017-18 Club Rosters
07/21/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman welcomed 55 members, 3 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian, then congratulated Ben Lowry who was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame at the 47th annual Induction Ceremony and Banquet held on Sunday, July 16, at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. Ben was recognized for his three-time all-state selection at Falmouth High School and he compiled a .426 career batting average at Colby College in Waterville. Past President Russ Burleigh provided our invocation; we pledged our Allegiance to the American Flag; and sang a patriotic song, accompanied on the keyboard by Russ.
President Don relayed a message from Mary Finnegan, a former Portland Rotarian now living in Apache Junction, Arizona, where summer heat has reached 104 degrees F!
There was a request for volunteers to help at Preble Street Soup Kitchen on Wednesday, July 26th....please contact Gracie Johnston at gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com. Gracie recently returned from a humanitarian mission to help children in Cambodia, where she worked with the Sharing Foundation, an international aid organization with headquarters in Massachusetts. The Sharing Foundation’s mission is to help meet the physical, emotional, educational and medical needs of orphaned and seriously disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
Among the guests of Portland Rotarians was Eli Small, who was introduced by his father Rotarian Dave Small. They accompanied two visitors from Montagu South Africa, who were helping to teach dance and music at the Center Day Camp on the shores of Big Sebago Lake.
A Rotary banner exchange was conducted between Portland Rotary and the Montagu South Africa Club that helped to sponsor the 2 international guests.
Peter Goffin introduced Peter Moore, who was returning as a Portland Rotarian. Peter Goffin has now brought 20 members into Rotary.
Mike Fortunato spoke about the successful outdoor hamburger and hot dog cookout the Rotarian volunteers helped to host at the Cedar Unit at Long Creek Youth Development Center in Portland. Volunteers are welcome to help with this program by contacting Mike at michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com (a short orientation and background check are all the Rotarian volunteers need, after contacting Mike).
Dr. Roger Fagan gave a reminder to Rotarians to continue helping to collect used hearing aids for the 3H (Hearing, Hands and H2O) international project in the Dominican Republic. Dick Giles also told us of a slide presentation that was created by another 3-H participant about the project. To view the presentation, visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxgkpb1Et6wVUkV1QzlWdTFreTg/view
For more information, visit: http://www.portlandrotary.org/Stories/light-up-their-lives
Jennifer Frederick conducted the weekly raffle, where the pot was over $500, but Julie L’Heureux, whose name was drawn by our District Governor, drew the 5 of Hearts. The Queen remains waiting in the dwindling deck of cards.
07/21/17 District Governor Dave Underhill
District Governor Dave Underhill, referring to his background in broadcasting, started by telling us he would be using the District Governor’s timing module to track time as he recognizes that Rotarians' time is valuable.
Dave used a simple banner, showing the Rotary International six areas of focus, all forming a pyramid, telling us that the pyramid supports world peace.
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation.
• Maternal and child health.
• Basic education and literacy.
• Economic and community development.
• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
Rotary is a peace organization. Rotary was part of the founding of the United Nations, and has continued working for world peace ever since.
There were only 7 polio cases in the world last year. This has been a tremendous achievement by Rotary and others, and the efforts will continue until the work is done.
Clean water represents a challenge for people who live away from us, but Dave gave several examples of where clean water has been a challenge in several areas of New England. Rotary International and Portland Rotary continue to work on this challenge.
Maternal and child health affects many people in our district, as well as around the world. Portland Rotary, through its Childhood Health and Education (CHE) program, is working locally to address this challenge. Our program also supports the basic education and literacy focus.
District 7780 had an excellent speaker, Bob McKenzie, at the last District Conference, who talked about the devastating effect of drug addiction. Bob spoke of the impact of substance misuse disorder, now a recognized medical condition. The District decided that we need to tackle this issue. Bob will chair a new committee (Recovery Initiative), with a mandate to make things better. Each club is invited to take on one piece of the problem. Dave gave the example that Portland could extend its high school mentoring to someone in a program of recovery. The task force comprised of this committee will be collecting best practices and getting new ideas. We are invited to join the task force...we can make a difference to someone.
Dave outlined a second challenge to the club, to build our own Pyramid of Peace. Dave says that Portland Rotary is already working in most areas and asked us to do one more thing, keep track of hours and funds raised. Dave wants to report on work and dollars at the five-district conference to be held next spring and says that telling the story of hours contributed is a powerful message to the public.
The District has a variation on Public relations this year. Clubs are partnering to tell stories together to increase the effectiveness. Dave encouraged us to participate directly or through our Assistant Governor, Bill Anderson.
Portland Rotary, through President Don Zillman, has committed to a net addition of 15 members to our club. Dave encouraged us to not only invite people to meetings, but also invite them to come help with service projects.
DG Dave asked our members to consider joining him and others, by adding a bequest to Rotary Foundation, saying it’s a way to have our good work continue after we are gone. Anyone interested can contact Dick Hall, Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman, the retiring Foundation Chair, or President Don Zillman.
Dave has asked Portland Rotary to plant 150 trees in the next year supplied by District 7780. Rotary is tied together as a social network to take action and make a difference. Rotarians see problems as opportunities and challenges, which we can overcome together.
Q&A: Gracie Johnston shared that the Portland Rotary Community Service Committee is already planning to work on the substance abuse issues. President Don asked how we can help other clubs, and Dave suggested we could offer partnering, offer talents in water projects, and invite other clubs to work together on common projects. When goaded by the audience on the membership competition between Portland and Portsmouth during 2016-17, Dave committed to staying neutral, like Switzerland, this year. Joking aside, he said that Past President Bowen Depke’s challenge was good for both clubs and he appreciated the continued growth.
(Photo L-R: Assistant Governor Bill Anderson, President Don Zillman, District Governor Dave Underhill and Linda Underhill.)
*07/28/17 Michael Bourque, Incoming CEO MEMIC
Longtime MEMIC Group executive Michael Bourque will take the helm of the Portland-based workers’ compensation insurance provider when its current chief executive retires later this year. Bourque, a former newspaper reporter from Maine who has worked at MEMIC for 22 years, is senior vice president of external affairs. He will replace retiring President and CEO John Leonard, a founding leader of the company.
Mike is a graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He is Accredited in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America and an accredited Workers’ Compensation Professional (WCP) as recognized by AMCOMP. He is also a graduate of the Maine Development Foundation’s Leadership Maine program. In 2004, he was named winner of the Edward L. Bernays Award, the top honor from the Maine Public Relations Council for career achievement in public relations. He has been named winner of the 2016 Community Leadership Award by DayOne.Before joining MEMIC, Mike was senior editor for the American Association of Community Colleges, based in Washington, DC. Previously, he spent five years as a journalist, working for daily newspapers in Maine and Alaska. He won writing awards from the Maine Press Association during his stint at the Journal Tribune in Biddeford, Maine.
Mike serves on numerous boards and committees. He is the chair of the 2016 United Way of Greater Portland’s Campaign Committee and the immediate past chair of the Board of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is immediate past-chair of the Board of Directors of the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine and the Southern Maine Community College Foundation. He is a former chair of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Chamber. He has served as president of the Maine Public Relations Council, and Youth and Family Outreach, a social service agency that provides low cost childcare. He is a former member of the Communications Committee of the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds and an industry planning committee for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).
*07/21/17 District Governor Dave Underhill
Dave Underhill is a media and business consultant in Portsmouth NH, Past President of the Portsmouth NH Rotary Club (2013-2014) and of the Brattleboro VT Rotary Club (District 7870, 1989-1990).
His broadcasting and publishing career started in Boston (WGBH, WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV). He and his wife Linda met while working at WBZ, and later moved to Vermont, where they owned and operated community-service radio stations WKVT AM & FM from 1983-1994. After joining the Brattleboro Rotary Club in 1984, he served on the board, as club Secretary and club President, then chaired the club’s Gateway Foundation. In 1994, he was part of a pilot team that traveled to El Salvador to develop clean-water projects.
Dave’s Rotary service was interrupted when his career took him to Tribune Company in Chicago as a senior executive in broadcasting, cable and internet publishing. He and Linda returned to New England, settling in Portsmouth in 2006; their son and daughter-in-law live in nearby Raymond NH.
Dave has chaired Portsmouth Rotary’s Interact, Finance and Foundation committees, as well as the board of directors. He is a member of Rotary’s Bequest Society and a Major Donor member of the Paul Harris Society.
In addition to his Rotary service, he does non-profit fundraising work and serves as a volunteer small-business mentor for SCORE.
Dave was born in upstate New York, and is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) and Boston University, with a B.S. in Broadcasting and Film. When he’s not immersed in Rotary, you may find him with his chef’s hat on, or perhaps driving golf balls into the boulders and trees of New Hampshire, Maine or Prince Edward Island.
Reading to the Children at North Deering Gardens
07/14/17 Bits & Pieces
President Don Zillman opened the meeting, welcoming 48 members and 2 guests.
Peggy Westcott led us in reflection with the invocation and Kathy Grammer helped us sing our patriotic song.
Roger Asch shared the purpose of the Good Cheer Committee and requested that everyone share with the committee any news about Rotarians, or their family members, who are sick, in the hospital, or dealing with a challenge, so that we can help comfort or provide encouragement. Committee members are listed in the Club roster.
Speaking of Club rosters.....THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE THIS COMING FRIDAY AT OUR MEETING! DON'T FORGET TO PICK YOURS UP (Your name will be on the back cover).
Dick Giles shared the results of the 3H Project’s effort with solar lights and water filters. So far, the team has installed 145 water filters, sufficient to serve almost 2,000 people. Last year, the team provided 50 solar lights. This year, the 3H Project has a goal of providing 70 lights. These cost $15 each. Dick encouraged donations, and within minutes had received over $1,000 from members in attendance, including $500 from an anonymous donor. PLUS YOU CAN make a donation by contacting Loretta or Dick at a meeting....or email Dick at maragiles@yahoo.com.
Steve Mortimer, conducting the weekly raffle, tried to give away the $546 in the pot to lucky opportunist, Julie Chase, who could only find the Jack of Diamonds in the mix. The pot thickens.
07/14/17 Bruce Robert Coffin, Retired Portland Police Officer/Author
Last Friday, Bob Martin, in introducing our speaker, Bruce Coffin, made note that 47% of all book sales in the United States are in the “mystery/crime” genre. But, one would speculate, very few of these authors had spent 30 years in police work, much less in Portland, Maine, as Mr. Coffin had done as the detective sergeant in charge of homicide and violent crimes with the Portland Police Department.
After a graduating from USM, his dreams of becoming an author dashed by a less than encouraging professor, Bruce Coffin decided to follow the lead of his mentor and uncle, who was a longtime police officer in Gorham. After a long and illustrious career in crime prevention, Bruce retired five years ago and merely dabbled in writing, working full-time in bathroom and kitchen remodeling. With his first book “shelved,” he decided to get to work hiring an agent, which he managed to do in New York City just as Harper Collins Publishing became interested in his second effort at a crime novel. Within weeks, Bruce had hit the big-time, signing a three-book deal and having a short story honored as one of the twenty “best of the year” and published in a very prestigious analogy.
Initially titled “The Reaping,” the first in the three-book series following young Portland detective John Byron was a smash hit....at one point landing the book, now re-titled “Among the Shadows,” on many best seller lists, including a run as #1 in Maine and, for a fleeting moment this past January, as the #25 bestselling book on earth. Bruce’s lifelong ambition has seemingly come to pass with plans for the next two books (at 100,000 words apiece!) set for immediate follow-up to the highly successful first effort.
Bruce offered the Portland Rotary Club a unique perspective into the world of publishing, law enforcement and following one’s dreams. We were fortunate to have him join us and wish him well as he hits “the big time” as police officer-turned-author.
(Photo L-R: President Don Zillman, Bob Martin and Bruce Robert Coffin.)
*07/14/17 Bruce Robert Coffin, Retired Portland Police Officer/Author
Bruce Robert Coffin retired from the Portland, Maine police department as a detective sergeant with almost thirty years of experience in law enforcement. At the time of his retirement, he supervised all homicide and violent crime investigations for Maine’s largest city. Bruce also had four years of experience with the counter-terrorism group of the FBI, where he earned the Director’s Award, the highest honor a non-agent can receive. What do you do with all of that experience and exposure to crime? Well, you write crime novels. Bruce’s first novel, “Among the Shadows,” was hailed by critics, with Paul Doiron, author of “Widowmaker,” calling it the “best debut I’ve read in ages.” The novel is the first of a series featuring the character John Byron, with the second installment, “Beneath the Depths,” is due to be released on August 8. Bruce’s short story, “Fool Proof,” was named one of the twenty best mystery stories published in North American during 2015, and is included in Houghton Miflin Harcourt’s Best American Mystery Stories, 2016. Bruce is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime New England, and the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, and is a regular contributor to the Maine Crime Writers blog. He lives and writes in Maine. |
07/07/17 Bits & Pieces
A beautiful July day was the backdrop for newly-minted President Don Zillman to ring the meeting bell, welcoming 59 members, 3 visiting Rotarians and 3 guests. Past-President Peggy Wescott served our invocation, we pledged our allegiance to the American flag, and our voices filled the New Hampshire room of the Holiday Inn as we sang our patriotic song, with Past President Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Appetites quenched, President Don began the “rich agenda” of news and highlights for the week.
Don proceeded to thank all those responsible for meeting day responsibilities.
5 of the 13 July “Birthday Rotarians” were in attendance and were honored in song, followed by Don’s recognition and tribute to Rotarians celebrating anniversaries of club membership.
Duly noted was Freem Etheridge – 47 Years as a Rotarian!
The “fascinating happenings” segment began with a note from Gracie Johnston, who is currently in Cambodia with her daughter and “The Sharing Foundation.” This organization operates an orphanage in Roteang village and is home to 75 or so children. The focus is on care, hygiene, nutrition and medical care. Gracie will return on July 18, and we look forward to hearing about her trip.
Don thanked Bob Traill for his 4th of July segment of “America The Beautiful” with photos. Nicely done, Bob! You can watch the video here >> Independence Day 2017
Past President Kris Rosado, with an analogy of two Beatles’ songs, presented a check to President Don from the proceeds of Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC). “Imagine” is a song of hope; “Revolution” is a song about making it a better world. Moving to the MOC, our check of $25,546.67 will certainly help us to do things in our community that strive for both goals. “Remarkable!” stated Kris. Kris reminded us that there will be a meeting on July 12th at the Boys and Girls Club to review this year’s event. He mentioned something about prime rib being served, but that seemed a tad suspicious.
Good news! We will receive the full amount requested on a District grant: $4,000 for our reading program. Thank you to Past-President Laura for launching the program. This project involves Rotarians taking time to read to K-4th graders at area schools, plus providing books from which we read. For many of these children, this will be their first book of their own.
Happy News! You may have heard that Slugger Ben Lowry will be inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame (MBHOF) on July 23rd at the Holiday Inn. President Don recalled playing Rotary softball many moons ago and was assigned to play first base. Unsure of his ability to flash the leather, Don asked Ben for some advice on catching. “Just hold your glove out,” said Ben. “The ball will come to your glove.” No word on how that worked out. The MBHOF has not been in touch with Don.
With Jerry Angier conducting the weekly raffle, Charlie Whittier had a chance to win the pot of $518, but no such luck. Sorry, Charlie! The pot continues to grow for next week.
Meredith Small led us in song, “Rotary My Rotary” with Past President Russ Burleigh on keyboard. Two verses! Surely we sounded in top form.
Brian McDonough asked us to keep Ben Delcourt in our thoughts and prayers as his 72-year old father, Michael, was involved in a serious car accident on Rte 114 on July 6. We wish both of them well and his dad a speedy recovery.
07/07/17 Mike Vail, President of Hannaford
(Photo L-R: Past President Roxane Cole, Mike Vail, Charlie Whittier, and President Don Zillman.)
Roxane Cole introduced our speaker Mike Vail, President of Hannaford Brothers. Among those who welcomed Mr. Vail was Portland Rotarian Charles Whittier, who retired as the Treasurer of Hannaford.
Mr. Vail spoke about Hannaford’s “Customer-Centric Innovation,” beginning with the company’s legacy of being founded in 1883 in Portland, Maine. Hannaford is headquartered in Scarborough and is Maine’s second largest employer, after Maine Medical Center. Today, the Hannaford supermarkets, selling food and groceries, are part of the Ahold Delhaize group, based in the Netherlands. Hannaford operates 181 stores in the U.S. Eastern market, with stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. With 64 stores in Maine accounting for 40 percent of the company’s business. In 2016, Hannaford reported $5.8 billion in sales. The operating strategy was started by the founding Hannaford Brothers, who built the company’s reputation for supplying outstanding quality fresh produce.
Summer is the busiest time of year for Hannaford, with sales increases of 20 percent. May of 2017 was a challenging month for Hannaford in Scarborough, when a fire in a refrigerated tractor-trailer partially loaded with food was destroyed, causing extensive smoke damage to fresh products in the adjacent buildings.
Before joining Hannaford, Mike worked in Tampa, Florida and in North Carolina. When he came to Maine, he realized how Hannaford made a significant connection to the local market. Hannaford’s local program was previously called “Close to Home,” dedicated to working and supporting local food vendors in Maine. In 2008, the local program began working with farms and food producers around New England. Their marketing focus is to provide “fresh, local value to people.”
Hannaford and its employees are proud to support and reflect community programs. They efficiently distribute day-old and dented merchandise to food recovery organizations. The company is a strong supporter of the United Way, youth development programs and children’s sports. “Wreaths Across America” is a very special program supported by Hannaford, where the company provides a few trailer trucks and drivers to help transport the commemorative Maine-made holiday wreaths to be placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Nature’s Place is a private Hannaford brand, trending toward cleaner products, pulling unhealthy ingredients out of the produce. These items were needed to keep current with market trends. Consumers are educated about the use of pesticides in foods and organically-grown produce is popular.
A current challenge is the e-commerce and grocery merger between Amazon and Whole Foods. This merger will support opportunities for Hannaford to grow it’s e-commerce grocery program.
Other Hannaford innovations being offered are their “kitchen” test sites with one located in Bath, where food stations and in-store Wi-Fi makes the location accessible for meetings and informal gatherings.
On-line ordering with pre-arranged pickup windows is becoming more popular, with a small service charge of $3 on an order up to $100 and slightly more for larger orders. There are 39 Hannaford stores where “Hannaford To Go” is offered.
During the Q&A, several complimentary comments were made about Hannaford’s dedication to working with youth and for helping community programs where employees with disabilities are hired.
06/30/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young opened the meeting by welcoming 59 members, 3 visiting Rotarians and 7 guests. Dave Small gave a creative invocation where he used puns from a garden plot to promote action in our society, such as: squash the...., lettuce (let us....), turnip (turn up to....), and thyme (time to....). Meredith Small led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and we all sang the National Anthem with Kathy Grammer on the keyboard.
President Laura thanked those responsible for setting up and helping run the meeting smoothly. She gave thanks to more chairs and board members for their efforts throughout the year, including: Kris Rosado, Rusty Atwood, Roger Fagan, Tom Nickerson, Janelle LoSciuto, Linda Varrell, Jan Chapman, Bruce Moore, Kathy Grammer, Scott Blakeslee, Bowen Depke, and George Carr. Laura also thanked Elise Hodgkins for helping her get through the year.
2nd VP John Curran introduced International guests at the meeting with consideration of expanding the Portland Rotary International outreach to Kosovo. John brought a member from the Kosovo Rotary Club, a 3D printer designer, and a representative of the Yarmouth Rotary Club to foster additional discussion.
A visiting Rotarian from Allen, Texas also attended the meeting, and exchanged club banners.
Charlie Frair provided us with an entertaining Rotary moment. He started by saying he was part of the West Bay Club in Camden for 12 years, and now Portland Rotary for 12 years. So why is Charlie a Rotarian? Three main reasons:
1) Because of each of us and the lasting relationships that are built at Rotary.
2) The environment, culture and atmosphere that he and the Club are committed to. No matter your political leaning, race, color, or heritage, Rotary welcomes you to participate, and Charlie is proud to be a part of it.
3) He believes Rotary is like a trim tab. When one looks at the diagram of a ship from bow to stern, ending with the rudder, it is often the rudder that can be so big that it does not actually turn the ship, but rather keeps it going in a straight line. But, if you put a trim tab on the tip of the rudder, the trim tab can start the ship turning in the right direction. Charlie believes Rotary is like the trim tab. which turns our us in a better direction.
Lionel Nima, a relatively new member, was to be married this very Friday afternoon at City Hall. President-elect Don Zillman and President Laura were planning to attend the wedding on behalf of the Club. The Club donated a gift certificate and signed a wedding card for the happy couple. Congratulations to the happy couple! (Ed update: photo at left of the newlyweds - Pistis Yombe and Lionel Nima!)
Patty Erickson ran the weekly raffle that had a pot of $484. The speaker drew Jack Carr’s name from the holding vessel, but Jack’s luck ran out soon after being picked, as the Queen stayed hidden in the deck. Better luck next week.
Reminding us of the two contests she initiated when she took office in July 2016.....Who could bring the most guests to our meetings and who could bring in the most new members to our Club.....President Laura announced the winners: “most guests” goes to Rusty Atwood with 11, followed by Andreea Paine with 10. Tied for bringing in the “most new members” were Jim Willey and President Laura Young. Congratulations on those notable accomplishments!
Russ Burleigh noted that when he asked for 5 minutes to be set aside at the meeting for the “Musical Moment,” he jokingly told President Laura impeachment was not on the table. The musical moment was more of a tribute and thank you to President Laura for her accomplished year as president of the Portland Rotary. Russ had a Power Point presentation and thanked President Laura for being the 103rd President of Portland Rotary. Some of her accomplishments included hosting speakers such as Janet Mills, Governor Paul LePage, Bill Green (WCSH6), and Stu Kestenbaum (MECA). Her tenacity really showed in her continued support of childhood hunger and education (CHE), including time spent reading to children and helping with food service.
Russ completed the presentation noting that he gave President Laura a nickname during her tenure: PrezLY – at which point Russ flicked to a picture of Elvis Presley with President Laura’s head on it. The musical moment and tribute ended with everyone singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” Congratulations and a hardy “Thank You, President Laura, for all you have done for Portland Rotary!”
What better way to end the Rotary year then with a celebratory toast to a good 2016-17 and looking forward to an even-better 2017-18, toasted with the great beer samplings of Russell Voss' new business venture: NU Brewery. Yum!
(The question was raised, can we do this every meeting?)
06/30/17 Charlie Therrien, President Mercy Hospital
(L-R: Charlie Therrien, President Laura Young and Dave Small.)
Dave Small introduced Charlie Therrien, President of Mercy Hospital in Portland. Dave was on the search committee that helped interview the candidates who applied last year for the Mercy Hospital leadership position. Therrien came to the forefront because of his experience in Maine and his work in both the non-profit and for-profit healthcare sectors. During his talk, Charlie provided an update on the hospital and spoke about current federal and state-level issues impacting healthcare.
Mercy Hospital is a community hospital in Portland, founded in 1918 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Sisters of Mercy. There are 1600 employees who work in the system. The hospital is part of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS). Next year marks the 100th anniversary of Mercy Hospital.
“Mercy Hospital is recognized by our patients as having cared for generations of families, who have strong ties to the hospital,” he said, “It’s no secret that healthcare today is changing at the state and national levels. Mercy has seen its share of changes in recent years. Thankfully, these changes have allowed Mercy to reorganize into a more efficient hospital that continues to put the patients first.”
The hospital has gone through a remarkable turnaround and is now projected to break even financially—a sharp contrast from the financial losses of the previous couple of fiscal years. This puts Mercy in a positive position to initiate a capital campaign for the purpose of consolidating operations at their Fore River waterfront campus within the next 3-5 years. Mercy’s goal is to efficiently maintain and increase service offerings while placing a greater emphasis on healthy communities through the promotion of preventative services and primary care.
Despite the recent news on EMHS’s bond rating, Mercy’s care delivery and ability to implement its goals is not impacted. In fact, Mercy is among the hospitals that are changing how health care is delivered through moving from episodic care for treatment and reimbursement, to a modern care model where patients are assigned to the right providers to receive a full continuum of care. The goal is to keep people healthier.
Mr. Therrien stated that healthcare costs are tough on small businesses. While the implementation of the Affordable Care Act allowed hospitals and other healthcare providers to innovate and make strides in promoting healthier outcomes and reducing some costs, premiums and deductibles remain a challenge from the patient and provider perspective. In some case, even patients who have insurance are unable to pay for their care. This causes costs to be shifted to other payers, adding to the increasing health care costs overall.
During Q&A, one question was asked about single-payer healthcare systems like those in Canada? Charlie explained that healthcare consumers in the U.S expect to receive the services they request right away, while the Canadian system regulates the volume of procedures, which can mean significant waiting times for elective procedures. Also, much of the cost of healthcare is picked up by the government/tax payers in a single-payer system. Significant differences must be considered when comparing one system to the other.
*07/07/17 Mike Vail, President of Hannaford
Mike Vail became the President of Hannaford Supermarkets in 2015 and is responsible for all company operations, including strategy, financial performance, product assortment, pricing, customer service, marketing and people. In his role, he serves as a member of the Delhaize America Leadership Team.
Mr. Vail has more than 30 years of experience in retail, beginning his career at Hannaford as a high school student in Maine. Since, he has assumed positions of increasing responsibility and scope.
Prior to leading Hannaford, Mr. Vail served as chief merchant and supply chain officer for Delhaize America, responsible for the delivery of best-in-class supply chain and merchandising, developing private brand strategies and managing national vendor relationships. He previously held leadership roles, including President, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and Chief Diversity Officer, and Vice President at Sweetbay (previously Kash ‘n Karry), a Florida-based Delhaize America supermarket retailer.
Mr. Vail began his professional career at Hannaford as a retail management trainee in 1985, going on to become a Store Manager, District Operations Manager, Category Manager and Director of Deli Merchandising.
Mr. Vail currently serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater Portland; as an ambassador for the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine; as member of the Advisory Board of Directors for the University of Tampa School of Entrepreneurship; and on the Leadership Committee of “Let’s Go!”
Mr. Vail earned his BS degree from Colby College. He currently resides in Maine with his wife. He has three grown girls.
*06/30/17 Charlie Therrien, President, Mercy Hospital
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.
06/23/17 Jeanne Hey, Ph.D., Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, UNE
(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.”
06/23/17 Bits & Pieces
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.
EDITORIAL UPDATE/CORRECTIONS
(Photo: Our own Ben Delcourt, on left, holding the trophy with Mike Varney.)
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WINNERS AND TO ALL THE CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS!
SOLAR LIGHTS FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
For more information, please contact Dick Giles at: maragiles@yahoo.com
06/16/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young welcomed a full house of 70 members, 3 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest to our meeting. Tom Nickerson presented our meeting’s invocation. (Tom remarked how much he looked forward to sharing a meal with friends and to recharge in honest fellowship, particularly after another week of political pettiness and gun violence that has been prevalent in our daily news.) For the invocations, Tom chose words from President Teddy Roosevelt on putting life and duty in perspective. “Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and the true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” Tom added that as we gather, we recognize our diversity, and honor our unity in gratitude. Let us rejoice in fellowship.
Roger Fagan led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Kathy Grammer accompanied us on piano, as we sang “America The Beautiful.” Laura introduced two visiting Rotarians, one from nearby Bridgeton Lake, the other from Argentina, as well as, one visitor who joined us from Los Angeles. Laura thanked all those who were part of the meeting’s set up and implementation.
Laura reminded us that the tour of Fort Gorges set for June 24th. As of press time the seats on the boat have been sold out. If you are still interested in joining the tour on this trip, please email Laura at: lyoung@mainecf.org to be put on a waiting list in case tickets become available.
David Smith offered us a “Rotary Moment.” In a galaxy far, far away (New York City), David toiled as a lawyer, growing bald in the process. Moving to Maine, David found the Southern Maine Agency On Aging (SMAA) where he worked on Medicare Seminars. He’s still doing it! Meeting Larry Gross, (CEO of SMAA) they agreed to have David join Portland Rotary just as soon as he lost his NY accent. David recalls his first meeting – the warmth in the room. “Never underestimate the value of friendship,” says David. “Whether it is serving a meal at the soup kitchen, or the Veteran’s Day Lunch, we’re always a team. I am so proud to be a Rotarian.” David, we are very proud you’re on our team!
(Photo L-R: President Laura Young, Erik Greven, Amy Chipman, David Smith, Alan Levenson, and Charlie Frair.)
Does the Rotary Foundation know how hard Amy Chipman works on its behalf? They should! She always has good news. First, our club reached its goal of $15,000 for the RI Foundation Annual Fund (we raised $15,700). We’re a little shy on the Polio Plus Fund – at $1400 and we want to hit $2k – please “chip in” by adding your donations to the cans on the tables each week. Next, Amy introduced 4 new Paul Harris Fellows - Al Levenson, Charlie Frair, David Smith, and Erik Greven – all four receiving their 2nd PHF Award. We thank you all for your generous contributions. Amy has four more to award next week!
Kathy Grammer, President Laura, with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard, helped us raise our voices for “Home on the Range.” Beautiful!
Tiel Duncan conducted the weekly raffle, Erik Greven getting the nod to pull a card for a possible $420 payoff. Unfortunately, the King of Hearts was drawn, which pays zippo.....sorry Erik.
Back from the RI Convention in Atlanta, Laura admitted “I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid.” (Emphasized by some real Kool-Aid at the podium!) Those who’ve been to an RI Convention know what she’s talking about. Seeing 30,000 Rotarians from 175 countries is a powerful and motivating experience....hopefully all Rotarians can attend a convention for Rotary at least once. Laura described the scenes, one marked with all attendees at the massive Plenary Session, waving brightly colored wrist bands in the air. Emphasis was placed on Polio Plus, and the attendees were told that the effort that had begun in 1984 facing 350,000 cases world-wide, was now down to 5. Five! But it will still take a tremendous effort to close the door. There needs to be 3 clear years before eradication can be considered, and that has a projected cost of 1.2 billion dollars. Bill Gates, speaking to the audience, pledged another matching grant to the $50 million pledged by the Rotary Foundation (of which, we helped). Laura also told us of another scourge on the planet – sex trafficking. The facts are mind-boggling – it goes on everywhere, including right here in Portland. Laura said (but it wasn't stated at the convention) that it seemed like this may be the next big project for Rotary International.
Laura also described some of the interesting educational sessions. For example, as a club we use the term “recruiting” new members. Better, let us instead say we want to “attract” them. Instead of “retention,” think “member engagement.”
Other ideas included some clubs forgoing a guest speaker at their weekly meeting, and instead doing a club project, such as putting “care” bags together, depending on an identified need. Overall, Rotary is looking at new ways to brand itself, from new signage, videos, and other digital programs. It was summed up well with this phrase: “Rotary joins leaders from all continents, cultures and occupations to exchange ideas and take action for communities around the world.”
The next RI Convention is in Toronto, Canada on June 23-27, 2018. Not too far away....date wise and location wise! Will you plan on going to show support of our Rotary Club and to get the powerful experience of this great organization?
Laura read us an email from Habitat For Humanity looking for some assistance at their upcoming “Old Port Half Marathon” on July 8th (see separate article in this edition). She also read a quick note from Catholic Charities thanking us for a $100 donation.
We had such a crowd at our meeting, that we had an overflow of members seated at the dessert table. (Photo L-R: Scott Blakeslee, Ron Bennett, Eric Lusk, Bill Ross, Bruce Nelson and 2nd Vice President John Curran.)
06/16/17 Tom Rainey, Ex. Director, Maine Ctr Entrepreneurial Development
Tom Rainey - Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED)
Tom started by telling us he was casually dressed in red and orange because next week is Lobster Appreciation week, which started his casual conversation with Portland Rotary. Tom is newly arrived from Arizona, where he spent the last 10 years. He joins MCED during its 20th anniversary year. Tom has a love of working with entrepreneurs, helping them avoid critical errors. Tom landed in Portland when he and his wife, a French Canadian, wanted to get to New England to be closer to his wife’s family. Portland is a great place because Tom says that there has never been a better time to be entrepreneurs in Maine. Next week is ‘Startup and Create Week,’ with a new food festival coming to Thompson’s Point on June 22nd.
MCED is planning a 20th anniversary gala event in fall, with details to follow. The Top Gun program is a hallmark of MCED, where 144 companies have completed it, with 121 still in business and going strong. This compares with a typical 50% failure rate. These companies enjoy $25 million revenue and have secured $9 million in outside funding. 5% are food, beverage or agriculture ventures.
The Top Gun is a 15-week intensive training program that matches companies with mentors and service providers. In this process, it is critically important to get chemistry right between companies and mentors/providers. MCED is planning a new pilot program to help $1-15 million companies scale up to $20 million plus. Six companies have been targeted, and are in the assessment and roadmap phase. It is planned to use fractional executives, experienced people who work 1-2 days per week for a company to manage areas where needed to allow the companies to step up to the next level.
New federal funding has allowed Top Gun to expand from Portland to Rockland, Lewiston, and UMaine locations. The next program has 32 companies, 44 entrepreneurs, and 48 guest speakers, with significant economic diversification. The program is designed to plant seedlings and nurture them to grow. Companies are taught how to pitch their company to investors. There is a pitching competition, where 8 finalists deliver pitches to 220 people, with 2 prizes, $10K cash and $120K of Microsoft services. The Top Gun program de-risks a company in the eyes of investors.
The goal of MCED is to come alongside other strategic organizations, Coastal Enterprises (CEI), the Defense Adjustment Program for ME, the Ship Building industry and others to diversify businesses and prepare for change or growth. There are several co-working spaces popping up, such as Cloudport on Federal Street. MCED has relocated to Cloudport to be near a target rich environment. Other co-working spaces are the ThinkTank on Congress Street and the business incubator, TechSpace in Brunswick. MCED works with several partner organizations including Maine Technology (MTI), Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and the University of Maine.
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Tom Rainey and President Laura Young.)
Volunteer - Old Port Half Marathon & 5K to Support Habitat for Humanity
Volunteer at the Old Port Half Marathon & 5K on Saturday, July 8! Hours are 6:00am-10:00am.
This is a great opportunity to sign up with a group of friends, family members, colleagues, or on your own to support Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland.This year’s race boasts a great course that runs through the heart of the Old Port district in Portland. Habitat volunteers will supply water stop support in groups of about 8 people serving water and Gatorade drink mix to runners.
All volunteers will receive an Old Port Half “Deck Hand” shirt and be invited to join the festivities and live music at the Ocean Gateway Terminal after the race. Additional volunteer perks include access to the post-race food tent and complimentary Shipyard beer.
Questions? Contact (207) 772-2151 / volunteer@habitatme.org.
Want to run in the half marathon or 5K? Register here!
*06/23/17 Jeanne Hey, Ph.D., Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, UNE
Our scheduled speaker for June 23 was Dr. Danielle Ripich, the retiring President of the University of New England. Dr. Ripich regrets that a change in her schedule results in her not being able to speak to Portland Rotary. Dr. Jeanne Hey, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, UNE, will join us instead.
Jeanne Hey, Ph.D., Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, University of New England
Jeanne Hey earned a B.A. in international relations and Spanish from Bucknell University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the Ohio State University. Her teaching and research interests lie in the areas of international politics, comparative foreign policy, the developing world, Latin America, and small states. She was a faculty member in Miami University’s (Ohio) department of political science and program in international studies from 1992-2011, serving as the director of international studies for nine years. She also served as interim dean of Miami University’s Middletown campus in 2009-10. She lives in Saco, ME, with her husband Thomas Klak and their two sons.
06/09/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young welcomed 60 members and 4 guests to our meeting at our second home, The Clarion Hotel. Julie L’Heureux offered the invocation reminding us that one of the most critical battles of World War II took place about 70 years ago this week. On June 6, 1944, under daunting conditions, the United States and the Allied Forces stormed the beaches at Normandy, France. As the troops prepared the assault, under the leadership of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, they needed words of inspiration. Eisenhower's message to the troops recalled the historic nature and formidable odds of this offensive push, which was the turning point of the war in Europe.
We pledged our Allegiance to the Flag and sang a patriotic song acapella, since our keyboard was back at our “other home.”
Last year, President Laura arranged for a group to visit, explore and learn about Fort Gorges, which sits in the middle of Casco Bay, but seldom visited and little understood by most of the locals. The tour last year was very popular and many expressed regrets to have missed out on this unique opportunity. So Laura has arranged another visit on June 24th. Now is the time to sign up for the limited seating on the boat over/back. Any seats that are not reserved by our club members will be offered to other local clubs. If you are interested and for more information, go to our "Home Page" and click on: EXCLUSIVE TOUR OF FORT GORGES, under "Club Events." To be sure you get in on this adventure, register NOW by clicking on: portlandrotary.org/event/copy-of-exclusive-tour-of-fort-gorges/ A word of caution, the walking on the Island is on well-maintained paths, but there may be some ladder climbing involved. Again, for more information, click on the link above.
Linda Varrell provided us with the latest "Rotary Moment." She may be relatively new to this club, but has been involved with Rotary for many years and a previous member of four different clubs. Linda has a great sense of humor and has a welcoming countenance. Yet, she likes to refer to herself as a “recovering banker,” who found herself in rural Bethel, Maine and in need of some friends and something to do other than work. As you would guess, she found her way to the Bethel Rotary Club and became part of the Rotary family, which was important since none of her family was local. Best of all she got involved in the Rotary Exchange program and developed an intimate understanding of the worldwide scope of Rotary.
[Photo L-R: Katie Brown, President Laura Young, Matt Suslovic, Jennifer Southard (mom) and Ed Suslovic (dad).]
The newest of the Portland schools is the Casco Bay High School, a non-traditional public school. It seems that the school develops students that are also far from the traditional model. The school selected an amazing young man, Matt Suslovic, to receive our recognition with the Youth Service Award. Casco Bay High School Principal, Dereck Pearce, described Matt as a “listener” who finds ways of bringing people together. Matt has been involved in the internationally lauded “Seeds of Peace” program as part of his many outreach projects to help his contemporaries. Matt is an Honors Student who graduated this week and will be attending Bates College this fall. Congratulations to Matt and his proud parents, Jennifer Southard and Ed Suslovic (former member of Portland Rotary).
The Rotary Club of Portland is often referred to as the “singing club,” because of our passion for song. Since we were on a roll singing acapella, Andreea Paine, was courageous and had us belt out, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
Over more recent weeks, we’ve gotten used to seeing a big pot for the weekly raffle, so when this week's pot was $385, it seemed like chicken feed. (Paul Gore recently won the huge pot.) Consequently, with an almost-full deck of cards, Past President Loretta Rowe asked our speaker to pull a name out of the holding vessel of purchased tickets, then she read the name of Past President Peggy "Queenie" Wescott to invite her to try and pluck her namesake, the Queen (of Hearts), from the scattered deck......Queenie pulled the Ace of Spades, allowing the pot to build.
Past President Kris Rosado took to the podium to announce the results of the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) event. Kris extended his sincere thanks to the following people for their responsibilities with MOC:
Mike Fortunato (lobster bake and daily event volunteers)
Cyrus Hagge (all aspects of the live auction)
Alex St. Hilaire and Travis Parker (all aspects of the silent auction)
Gracie Johnston & helpers (raffle ticket sales)
Bob Clark and Lauren Farina (huge effort from the BGCSM)
along with huge thanks for all the other volunteers, donors, team participants, solicitors, raffle ticket buyers, bidders and lobster eaters.
This is our largest fund raiser and funds most of our programs and efforts both locally and internationally. As with last year, we had deep involvement in the club, but we need EVERYONE to do something for the 2018 MOC, if we want to grow. We understand that no one can do everything, but we also expect that no one can do nothing! Get involved! There is a way for everyone to help out and make the 2018 MOC a huge success!
Kris announced that the winner of the Top Team Fundraisers was led by Bruce Moore.
The team winners of the L.L. Bean Boot Trophy for overall points was the Varney team: Mike Varney, Ben Delcourt, Damon Vogell, Jared Gordon, and Kendrick Ballantyne.
(Photo: Our own Ben Delcourt holding the trophy on left, with Mike Varney.)
THEN....THE RESULTS (drum roll please)
2015 we raised $51,002
2016 ............. $54,130
2017 ...... $56,478!!
Solar Lights for the Dominican Republic
06/09/17 Dmitry Bam, Maine Law, Exec. Privilege and the Supreme Court
(Photo: President Laura Young, Bob Martin, and Dmitry Bam.)
President Laura Young had the great pleasure of having Bob Martin introduce Dmitry Bam, an associate professor at Maine Law who specializes in, among other things, constitutional law and the judiciary. Bob’s excellent introduction briefly touched on the “rule of law” theory of having judicial power restricted to following established laws so that judges are generally accountable.
Professor Bam followed up on Bob’s introduction by focusing his talk on how judges – both federal and state – are chosen in the U.S. He indicated that according to Article III of the U.S. Constitution, federal judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. These judges are appointed for life. He noted how in recent years the appointment and confirmation process for judges to the U.S. Supreme Court has become quite political.
The state judicial system is often much different than the federal system. In some states (often the New England states), judges are appointed by the governor with approval of the legislature. However, 39 states elect their judges and statistics show that about 85% of all state judges must run for election.
Some would argue that we’re facing a system where at the federal level with judicial appointments and tenure for life, we have a system with very little accountability. The state system of elections, however, may be one where there is too much accountability due to expensive elections where studies have shown that elected judges tend to favor those who contributed to their campaigns.
Professor Bam explained that in Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton wrote about judicial independence and noted that the role of the judicial branch was to:
1) be independent and neutral to protect minority rights; and
2) protect the majority from abuses of power from elected officials.
There are various proposals for ways to limit too little accountability in the federal system and ways to limit too much accountability in the state system – but no ideal methods have been agreed upon.
Professor Bam then took timely questions from the audience about the Senate’s refusal during the Obama administration to confirm a Supreme Court judicial appointment; a discussion of the use by the President of Executive Orders; and how the Supreme Court might rule on the President’s travel ban.
*06/16/17 Tom Rainey, Exec. Director Maine Center Entrepreneurial Development
Tom Rainey joined the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED) as the Director in 2016 as the result of a nationwide search. He has wasted no time in propelling MCED forward as the key resource to Maine’s entrepreneurial community.
Prior to MCED, Tom was President of Rainey & Associates; a consultancy specialized in planning and implementing innovation-based development initiatives. Mr. Rainey brings 25 years of experience in building and managing successful business incubators and accelerators for start-up companies in seven states. Mr. Rainey’s experience in rural business development, international trade, aerospace, defense and life sciences combined with a broad national and international business network provides unique capabilities.
Since 1990, Mr. Rainey has been involved in a number of pioneering Defense Adjustment programs, including the decommissioning of a military port in a rural area of California, launching new export assistance programs through the World Trade Center he managed in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and serving as Director of Business Development for the Defense Adjustment Program in St. Louis in 1993. In 1998 Mr. Rainey was recruited by the State of Florida and Kennedy Space Center to establish a network of six NASA-funded incubators to assist laid-off aerospace workers in the wake of the Challenger disaster. From 2001-2012 Mr. Rainey developed a biotechnology strategy for New Hampshire; plans for a Health Care Institute for Wisconsin; and award-winning incubators at the University of Vermont, Dartmouth College, Northern Arizona University, and the BioInspire accelerator in Phoenix. Mr. Rainey developed business accelerator plans for the cities of Goodyear and Sierra Vista, two rural communities in Arizona affected by major defense industry downsizing.
Mr. Rainey holds a Master’s Degree in Science and Technology Policy from Lund University, Sweden; a Graduate Degree in Social Sciences, from the University of Stockholm, Sweden; and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Portland Rotary Meet & Greet Happy Hour
Portland Rotary's "Meet & Greet Happy Hour" is next Wednesday, June 14th at Foundation Brewery located at 1 Industrial Way #5, Portland, ME, 04103. Foundation Brewery was established in 2012 and focuses on creating world-class beers that use classic styles as the inspiration for brewing exciting beers that push conventional boundaries. The happy hour starts at 5:30pm and will end no later the 7pm. For all Rotarians that appreciate quality brew, please attend and bring a guest. The more the merrier!
See you then!!
Ben Millick
Exclusive Tour of Fort Gorges
exclusive tour of Fort Gorges!
(arrive at the dock by 10:45 a.m.)
(friends and family are welcome)
http://portlandrotary.org/evet/copy-of-exclusive-tour-of-fort-gorges/
Veterans' Thank You to Portland Rotary
Thanks so much for your part in making the donation of a recumbent cycle by Tammy Steeves to our VAST Cycling program happen in November 2016.
This photo shows one of the Veterans using the cycle last week. He loved it!
Best wishes ~
Kristina Sabasteanski, OTR/L
Director, Veterans Adaptive Sports
VAST Program, Pineland Farms, Inc.
*06/09/17 Dmitry Bam, Maine Law, Executive Privilege and the Supreme Court
Dmitry Bam is an associate professor at Maine Law where he writes and teaches in the fields of constitutional law, professional responsibility, employment law, and the judiciary. He is recognized as a scholar and media commentator on judicial ethics, judicial selection, and constitutional interpretation.
From 2005 to 2009, Professor Bam practiced with the law firms of Morrison & Foerster and Jones Day. His practice focused on employment law, securities law, and appellate litigation. His extensive pro bono work has ranged from ensuring indigent civil litigants the right to counsel in Colorado to litigating cases involving discrimination claims and constitutional issues. From 2009 to 2011, Professor Bam served as a Research Fellow at the Stanford Center on the Legal Profession and taught at Stanford Law School.
Professor Bam graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University and earned a law degree with distinction from Stanford Law School. He served as Articles Editor of the Stanford Law Review and on the editorial board of the Stanford Technology and Law Review. He clerked with the Honorable Barry G. Silverman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Phoenix, Arizona.
06/02/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young welcomed 61 members, then introduced 5 guests and 3 visiting Rotarians to the first week of June’s meeting. The invocation was led by Bruce Jones; we pledged our Allegiance to the American Flag and sung a patriotic song.
“Happy Birthday” was sung to the many Rotarians who celebrate June birthdays. (See listing in this edition.)
President Laura thanked the many members whose volunteer service helps with our weekly meeting.
Juliana L’Heureux presented President Laura with the Rotary District 7780 Literacy Award, which she received as a proxy for our club from District Governor Marge Barker at the District Conference on May 20, 2017. Portland Rotary was awarded this honor for all of our literacy service reading to children.
Meredith Small was welcomed back to Maine after enjoying the winter in St. John, Virgin Islands.
David Clough offered his “Rotary Moment,” telling us how he reconnected with Rotary when he joined our club in 1993. He enjoys the people who are in Rotary, describing members as “grounded” in our service. Not a day goes by when he doesn’t hear about how Rotarians are involved in the community, to serve the club or to support international service. Coming to our weekly meetings offers him an escape from the State House in Augusta, where there can be some intense business issues. Fellowship at Rotary meetings is a great way to meet people, and especially when given the opportunities to visit other clubs and experience the “life blood” of other communities. Rotary meetings are “very special,” particularly because of the good people who are grounded in our community service.
(Photo L-R: President Laura Young, Lili Brown, Seham Salah and Pamela Rawson.)
Chair of the Youth Services Committee, Lili Brown introduced the visitors attending from the Portland Baxter Academy for Technology and Science. Mathematics Teacher Pamela Rawson gave a tribute to graduating senior, Seham Salah, who was recognized by the Youth Services Committee to receive a Portland Rotary scholarship. Seham has demonstrated her dedication to the community during the “Flex Friday” projects supported by Baxter Academy, where she volunteers time to prepare care packages for children who were patients at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. She also helps Catholic Charities to educate newly-arrived immigrants and assists at Preble Street Resource Center. Seham is a volunteer at her Mosque and volunteers with children to teach culture to Somali immigrants. Congratulations, Seham!
Andrew Cook led the weekly raffle for the chance to win the pot of $348.00. Ellen Niewoehner was given a chance to find the red queen, but drew the wrong red card. Better luck next week, as the jackpot grows again.
An enthusiastic Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) report, led by Past President Kris Rosado, was given by all who are leading the club’s major annual fundraiser. Past President Cyrus Hagge read an impressive list of live auction items to be offered at the June 7th Lobster Dinner, at the AmVets, 148 North Road, Yarmouth. Included in the items were two tickets to see the New England Patriots play Buffalo NY, at Gillette Stadium.
Alex St. Hilaire reminded us it was not too late to donate an item for the silent auction. Please contact him if you have an item(s) at: alexander.st.hilaire@bangor.com
Gracie Johnston then reminded us that there were raffle tickets still available to buy and sell for the $500 gift card to L.L. Bean's and the Fly Rod package worth over $1500. If you take or have taken tickets to sell and you have some left over, please contact her, so we can sell them at the Lobster Bake on Wednesday. You will need to get the ticket stubs to her to submit for the drawing, too! Contact Gracie at: gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com
The Lobster Bake on June 7th starts at 5:00 p.m. with a social hour, then "let the feast begin"! The "LIVE" auction will start after the meal, with our own member, Past President Tom Saturley, as auctioneer-extraordinnaire!
Directions from Portland:
Take I-295 heading North....Take exit 17 onto US Rte 1 South to North Road on right
Follow North Road until you see the AmVets Hall.
06/02/17 James Page, Chancellor University of Maine System
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Chancellor Jim Page and President Laura Young.)
On Friday, University of Maine System Chancellor Jim Page said that the “State of Maine cannot be successful without a successful university system, and a successful University of Southern Maine is needed by the system.” He acknowledged that things have been difficult at USM, but the turnaround started by David Flanagan and continued by Glenn Cummings and his team has reshaped the school. “I think we’re there; with the changes inculcated, we’ve turned the corner.”
Chancellor Page reported that applications to USM were up 14 percent over the previous year. “We’re seeing the same kind of growth at Orono,” he added.
One of the key concerns faced by the university system is workforce development. Page pointed to dismal statistics predicting decreases in the number of people available to work. “Economic forecasts indicate that between now and 2012, we will lose 15 percent of our workforce, and our population is not growing fast enough to provide replacements.” Moreover, he added, “sixty to sixty-five percent of jobs now require a two-year, or increasingly, a four-year degree.”
“We need to provide an education to everyone sixteen to sixty who wants one,” he said. “Nothing is more important.” Page pointed to one employment area that is critical to Maine’s older population, nursing. “The Maine Nursing Action Coalition predicts that there will be 3,200 vacancies in nursing jobs by 2025, so we’re working hard to create a plan to fill those jobs.”
Page said that the system needs a clear view of what employers need and want in employees. “If you own or work for a business, what are your workforce needs? How can we help?” He said that the creation of the “One University for All of Maine,” was an effort to break down silos within the system so it could become more responsive. “For example, we discovered that we were not turning out as many computer science and information technology grads as business needed, and we were requiring courses that businesses said weren’t necessary. So, we changed the requirement for calculus and substituted statistics, which was a change employers wanted to get them the graduates they needed.” As a result, Page said that the completion rates for matriculating students increased. “We will be responsive to those kinds of needs.”
In response to questions, Page indicated that USM was embarking on an $80-million fund raising effort, which would be more obvious in the months ahead. He also acknowledged the growth in transfers from the state’s community college system to the four-year schools and the success of easing requirements to allow students to start their degree in the community colleges and then attend the system’s universities. “The key is advising students to make sure they are satisfying prerequisites, but it saves them a lot of money in tuition.”
Maine Cancer Foundation Walk
In honor of her accomplishments (and recognizing they have more work), Justin is participating in the Maine Cancer Foundation’s Twilight 5K. The race is Thursday June 8th, 7PM at Bug Light Park in South Portland. To donate to Justin's team or register to run yourself, visit this link: https://mainecancer.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=10150
0529/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura opened the meeting welcoming 55 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 4 guests.
Russ Burleigh shared poems for our invocation, and Amy Chipman led our Pledge of Allegiance. President Laura welcomed Robert Duquette, a visiting Rotarian, and we greeted our summer resident Kirk Duffy, from Georgia.
President Laura extended thanks to the day’s support team, the Preble Street volunteers, and the Deering Locker Project volunteers.
She then noted that Dick Hall’s father was honored with the first District 7910 "Ed Hall Foundation Award" for his Rotary service, especially in Haiti. She also asked us to keep new member Andy Stone in our thoughts, as he recovers at Maine Med from a heart attack.
David Small shared a 'Rotary Moment' with a reminiscence of his memories since joining in 1981 at the suggestion of Harold Nelson who told him that Rotary was a “place to do good, while doing well.” He said he was delighted to have been in Rotary for “half my life.” “Thank you for wonderful opportunities to grow, break bread, and getting to know you.”
We welcomed a new member, Deborah Lavoie, introduced to us by Loretta Rowe. She is currently Executive Director of Gary’s House, a respite provided by Mercy Hospital to assist families whose loved ones are undergoing treatment at Mercy. Be sure to introduce yourself to Deb at the next Rotary meeting and welcome her as our newest member.
(Photo L-R: Dave Putnam, Kevin Stilphen (PATH Director), Kevin Siegel, and President Laura Young.)
Dave Putnam introduced Kevin Stilphen, Director of the Portland Area Technical High School (PATH), who shared the school’s selection of Kevin Siegel as the recipient of the Rotary Youth Service Award. Stilphen commented that “every year I look forward to this day more than any other” and thanked the club for the Youth Service Award program. He shared that Kevin Siegel had demonstrated superior citizenship and commitment to the idea of "Service Above Self" by volunteering to be the student representative on the Portland School Board for two years, representing the interests of students in 19 schools. Siegel will be attending the University of Vermont next year.
Amy Chipman brought us up-to-date on our Rotary Foundation goal: we have contributed $14,200 of our $15,000 objective. She introduced Bruce Moore who presented a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) award to his wife and fellow Rotarian, Jan Chapman, her first PHF. Amy acknowledged Bruce’s gift with his second PHF. Congratulations to both Jan and Bruce!
Amy should have stuck to the Rotary Foundation, but no, she led us, or attempted to lead us, in the singing of “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here,” proving, once again, that we have no penchant, or ability, for songs. We continue to demonstrate our capacity to sing as no one has sung before.
Conducting the weekly raffle, Nick Lotfey asked our speaker pull a name out of the holding vessel and he pulled President Laura’s name for a chance to play in our new raffle for $320. She found the Ace of Hearts in the 52 cards. Paul Gore had better odds last week, and a much bigger pot. So once more....the pot starts to grow.
(Photo left: PP Kris Rosado.)
(Photo right: Alex St. Hilaire.)
Alex St. Hilaire and Past President Kris Rosado brought us up to date on the progress of the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) planning. We are on track for a record year with close to $60,000 in commitments so far. We need Silent Auction contributions from local businesses. Connect with Alex to get involved at: alexander.st.hilaire@bangor.com
Contact Loretta Rowe (lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432) to reserve your ticket(s) and register for the Lobster Bake on June 7th starting at 5:00 p.m. with social hour:
AmVets
148 North Rd, Yarmouth, ME 04096
Directions from Portland:
Take I-295 heading North....Take exit 17 onto US Rte 1 South to North Road on right
Follow this road until you see AmVets Hall.
05/2617 Stuart Kestenbaum, President MECA, Poet Laureate
Stuart Kestenbaum is Maine’s poet laureate, which is a position in Maine that lasts for 5 years. Mr. Kestenbaum is also the former director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and he currently works for Maine College of Art (MECA). On Friday, he told numerous anecdotes and read numerous poems from various poets that included topics such as: saying a prayer to the Maine Legislature; taking a long car ride; preparing maple syrup; walking and falling along a wet rocky coastline; and even about a poem based upon unrelated words that his students provided to him in class one day.
To start his discussions he looked at the 'Four Way Test' banner and told us that poetry, as its essence, passes the 'Four Way Test.' He considers how language is used in culture and the dialogue of poetry becomes more important in its meaning to each individual.
After many of the poems that he read, Mr. Kestenbaum provided us his opinions and insights as it relates to poetry. For him to prepare a successful poem, he lets his brain reign free on a topic, and then edits the poem later. He does not think a successful poem can be made if the editing process is completed during the initial flow of information to the page. One might not be sure where a successful poem is leading when it is initially written. He made the comparison of dropping an ice cube on a warm stove: the melted water moves in many directions.
Mr. Kestenbaum stressed his opinions on preparing poems, and he feels many of the good poems have had limitations placed on the process. The limitations could be restriction like time, the word choice, the rhythm of the poem, or a specific topic. For instance, time is finite and an ultimate restriction. Basically without that restriction, the poem could go on forever. He told us a quote about comparing limitations in poetry to a football game: what makes the last two minutes of a football game so exciting? If you know, why wait through 58-minutes of the game to get there: the limitations provide an interesting framework.
After stating an opinion that the National Endowment for the Arts should be maintained, Mr. Kestenbaum told us an anecdote about a teacher who was helping his students to write poetry. The teacher told the 5th grade students that is was okay to lie in class that day. The students really latched on to the concept and moved beyond what they knew to be true in the physical world. The concept allowed them to push creative concepts outside the box along the lines of dream or fantasy. For instance, do humans fly, or can they fly down the highway? The truth can be stretched a little to promote creativity or a point.
For more information on Stuart Kestenbaum, go to: poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/stuart-kestenbaum
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, Stuart Kestenbaum and President Laura Young.)
*06/02/17 James Page, Chancellor University of Maine System
Dr. James H. Page was appointed Chancellor by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees in March 2012 to lead their repositioning of the University System to meet Maine’s 21st century higher education needs.
Prior to becoming Chancellor, Dr. Page was principal and CEO of the James W. Sewall Company, a national consulting organization founded in 1880 and headquartered in Old Town, Maine, specializing in forestry, natural resources, civil and spatial engineering.
Page is the first University of Maine System Chancellor to be born in Maine or to have been educated at one of the System’s universities. He was born and raised in Caribou, and obtained his BA in History from the University of Maine at Ft. Kent. Subsequently he completed Master’s work in the philosophy of physics from St. Andrews University, Scotland, and obtained his Ph.D. in the philosophical foundations of mathematics from MIT. He taught at several universities before joining the private sector and has served on a number of Boards in the public, private, and NGO sectors.
Chancellor Page lives in Old Town with his family.
MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE
PLUS....don't forget to get your registrations in for tickets to the lobster bake on June 7th, starting at 5:00 p.m. at the AmVets, 148 North Rd, Yarmouth. Contact Loretta Rowe at: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432 to reserve your tickets: $32 lobster, $28 steak or $26 chicken.....with all the fixins!
Directions from Portland:
Take I-295 heading North....Take exit 17 onto US Rte 1 South to North Road on right
Follow this Road until you see AmVets hall.
PLUS PLUS.....there are still raffle tickets to buy! Contact Gracie Johnston to get yours at gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com.
*05/26/17 Stuart Kestenbaum, Interim President MECA
Stuart Kestenbaum is the Interim President of the Maine College of Art. Previously, he served as the director of the Haystack, a crafts school in Deer Isle, Maine, where he established innovative programs for 27 years that combined craft, writing, and new technologies. Prior to that he worked at the Maine Arts Commission and the Children’s Museum of Maine. He remains active in the field of craft as an honorary fellow of the American Craft Council and a recipient of the Distinguished Educator’s Award from the James Renwick Alliance. He is also Maine’s fifth poet laureate, a five-year post created by Maine’s Legislature in 1995, which he was awarded in March of 2016.
He is the author of four collections of poems: Pilgrimage (Coyote Love Press), House of Thanksgiving (Deerbrook Editions), Prayers and Run-on Sentences (Deerbrook Editions), and Only Now (Deerbrook Editions), as well as a collection of essays entitled "The View From Here" (Brynmorgen Press). He has written and spoken widely on craft making and creativity, and his poems and writing have appeared in numerous small press publications and magazines, including Tikkun, the Sun, the Beloit Poetry Journal, and Northeast Corridor and on Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac.
Former United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser said, “Stuart Kestenbaum writes the kind of poems I love to read, heartfelt responses to the privilege of having been given a life. No hidden agendas here, no theories to espouse, nothing but life, pure life, set down with craft and love.”
05/19/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young opened the meeting by welcoming 53 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 1 guest. Kathy Grammer provided the invocation by sharing the deeper meanings of the word, “Aloha,” shaped no doubt by her recent visit to Hawaii. President Laura introduced Tom Broadaway, a visiting Rotarian from Florida, and Kent Peterson, guest of Rob Chatfield, and CEO of Fluid Imaging Technologies.
President Laura recognized and thanked the participants in the Lyseth School Reading Program, which included: Rusty Atwood, George Crockett, Mike Fortunato, Michael Greer, Michel Kanyambo, Eric Lusk, Jean Murachanian, Lionel Nima, David Small, Dave Smith, Matt Wolcott, and Laura Young.
Tom Ranello shared a 'Rotary Moment' and reflected on the activities and people who have touched and inspired him over his 19 years of membership. He gave special recognition to John Houghton and George Crockett.
Janelle LoSciuto led us in singing “In the Good Old Summertime,” which drove many of us to go home and Google “tootsie wootsie.” This writer thought it was a code name for Russian spies.
Mike Fortunato, Sergeant-Major of the 'Maine Outdoor Challenge' rounded up volunteers to help with registration, and other assorted tasks. He also encouraged everyone to buy their tickets to the lobster bake on Wednesday, June 7th by contacting Loretta Rowe at a Rotary meeting or email at: lrowe@maine.rr.com.
Kris Rosado shared a challenge from the team at Verrill Dana to other law firms to form a team for the event. For more information or to register a team, contact Kris at: kris.rosado@morganstanley.com
Gracie Johnston invited everyone to buy raffle tickets. Contact her at: gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com
The BIGGEST news of the day?
Paul Gore won the weekly raffle and took home a whopping $2,347. Of course, it took skill for him to choose the right card from his choice of only four cards being left in the deck, offered by Raffle Meister Ellen Niewoehner, so it wasn’t just dumb luck. There were many sad faces in the audience who had been hopeful. A new deck of cards and a new pot begin starting next Friday.
05/19/17 Ambassador Laurence Pope
Bob Martin introduced our speaker, Ambassador Laurence Pope, using material from his favorite source, Ambrose Bierce’s, 'The Devil’s Dictionary.'
The last time Laurence spoke to Rotary, it was a club in San Angelo, Texas. Ambassador Pope, who is a retired American diplomat and author, told us he was not speaking of diplomacy, but rather a story close to his heart. Starting out, the ambassador acknowledged the contributions to World War II by members Bob Trail and Earl Leavitt.
Laurence began the story about his father by telling us he grew up listening to dramatized recorded stories about all the Medal of Honor winners, and his dad’s story was one of them. Everett Pope, nicknamed "Two Ton," died at 90-years old in 2009 on his birthday. He would describe his life as happy and successful, but Laurence would not describe his father as happy.
The battle on Peleliu Island is described as the forgotten battle. The 2015 documentaries "Revisiting a Forgotten Battlefield - Peleliu Island," and the book "Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan" by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard have informed many people about that battle.Lawrence gave us practically a minute-by-minute account of the action at Peleliu. It was a depiction that helped us all understand more about the horrors of war and the bravery of our fighting men. Peleliu Island, an island in the Pacific, was needed to secure the US Navy flank. It was predicted to be a 3-day battle (short shot battle), but the aerial photography did not show the mountains and caves. These caves were expertly used by Japanese, who dug a highly developed cave system. The Japanese on Peleliu were untouched by pre-invasion Navy bombardment.
Landing on Sept 15, 1944, the Marines proceeded slowly and on Sept 19 were pinned down in a swamp. Charlie Company was assigned Hill 100 as its target and they took it, but of the 230 assaulting Marines, only 95 were left after 3 days. The following day all 95 returned to the hill, held it overnight, then were ordered down, as the position could not be supported. Only 25 made it back down. Then they were ordered back into the assault again, but before they could start, the attack order was rescinded. The Marines experienced a 79% loss rate on the island’s assaults. 69 Navy Crosses and 8 Medals of Honor were awarded, 5 of which were for soldiers who fell on explosives to protect others.
The Japanese defense was so hardened that in March 1947, 33 Japanese soldiers surrendered, 2 ½ years after the battle.
Laurence told us that his experience as a diplomat was based on understanding what his father had done. He has a profound reverence for those who bear the battle on our behalf. Ambassador Pope has travelled extensively with armed forces, and each time has developed more respect for the military.
For more information on the Medal of Honor citation for Captain Everett P. Pope, United States Marine Corps. to to: www.marinemedals.com/popeeverett.htm
(Photo L-R: Bob Martin, President Laura Young, Ambassador Laurence Pope, Earle Leavitt, and Bob Traill.)
Maine Outdoor Challenge
*05/19/17 Ambassador Laurence Pope
Ambassador Laurence Pope is a retired American diplomat and is the author of several books, including François de Callieres: A Political Life (2010), a biography of the first proponent of professional diplomacy. He was previously the U.S. Ambassador to Chad from 1993 to 1996.
In the wake of the tragic murder of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens during a terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned to Ambassador Pope to serve as Washington’s man in Tripoli, an appointment that did not require Senate confirmation.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton nominated Pope as ambassador to Kuwait, but his nomination was derailed by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-North Carolina), Sen. Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) and other conservative Republicans because Gen. Zinni had criticized their support of Ahmed Chalabi, an Iraqi politician opposed to dictator Saddam Hussein. According to Pope, Helms’s aide Danielle Pletka told him he would not even get a hearing unless he agreed to testify on his advice to Zinni regarding Chalabi. Pope retired from the State Department on October 2, 2000, after 31 years of service rather than expose his confidential advice.
Two years later, during the ramp-up to the U.S. War on Iraq, Chalabi was responsible for supplying the George W. Bush administration much of the false information alleging that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Ambassador Laurence Pope served in the foreign service and diplomatic corps for thirty-one years, in one the most important, and difficult, regions in the world – the Middle East, as well as North Africa, and did so during some of more challenging periods of contemporary history.
He is considered a top expert in the region. After retirement, he served for several months as the Staff Director in Jerusalem for the International Committee on Middle East Peace, led by former Senator George Mitchell, and after 9/11, he was appointed Senior Advisor for Arab Affairs to the United Nations.
A graduate of Bowdoin College, Pope also had advanced studies at Princeton University and is a graduate of the U.S. Department of State Senior Seminar, a Senior Fellow at the Armed Forces Staff College. He speaks Arabic and French, and resides in Portland, with his wife Betsy. Laurence Pope is the eldest son of Major Everett P. Pope, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944 for his conspicuous courage at Pelelieu.
05/12/17 Club Assembly - What's Happening at Portland Rotary
President Laura Young extended particular thanks to Club Service volunteers, including Past President Cyrus Hagge and his team who provide video coverage of meetings for broadcast on local CTN channel 5. Past President Loretta Rowe leads the reporters who write for the Club's weekly newsletter - The Windjammer - and thanks to Past President Russ Burleigh as the club photographer.
Programs. Program speakers have been fabulous with credit to the leadership of Rusty Atwood and his team, including Bob Martin, David Clough, Past President Roxane Cole, Dave Putnam and others.
Membership. During this 2016-2017 Rotary year, we brought in 17 new members, soon to be 18 and our membership now stands at 138. It was a goal to build a diversified club membership and has been an ongoing achievement with new members reflecting the diversity in the Portland community. 2017-18 Membership Co-Chairs Tom Ranello (at right) and Leisa Collins will continue with this goal in mind.
Fund Raising was reported by Past President Kris Rosado. Sponsorship donations for the “Veterans Appreciation Lunch” was successful in 2016, with $2,000 already dedicated to the November 2017 event. This annual program to recognize and host veterans is intended to be a bank-sponsored event. If every bank contributed $500 for a table, the effort would easily achieve $8,000 to support the event's costs.
(Photo L-R MOC announcers: Travis Parker, Mike Fortunato, Jim Willey, Kris Rosado and Gracie Johnston.)
Fund raising for the 6th Annual “Maine Outdoor Challenge” (MOC) to be held on June 5-7, 2017, raises in excess of $37,000 to support the Club’s community service projects, Portland’s Boys and Girls Club and the international 3-H programs. Support for MOC is a total Club effort! Past President Jim Willey is creating an additional team he has dubbed the “Silver Foxes” and several members raised their hands to be included on it.
Travis Parker requested items for the silent auction and volunteers to help solicit more items from restaurants and local businesses. Large donation items can be held at the Boys and Girls Club and smaller items can be brought to our meetings and given to Travis - contact Travis at: travisparker@gmail.com. Two types of raffle tickets are for sale: only 300 will be sold at $20 per ticket or 6 for $100 for some major prizes to be drawn at the lobster bake; a second type of raffle ticket is offered for a $500 L.L. Bean gift certificate selling at $10 a ticket or 5 for $40. Meal tickets are also available for the lobster bake from Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com. Don't wait until the last minute....get your tickets NOW!
International Service Chair, Dr. Roger Fagan reported on the 3-H hearing aid program. He hopes to receive many more donated hearing aids in addition to those contributed by distributors. Continued ongoing training of those who are providing “hands on” hearing assistance at the Dominican Republic clinics are planned via video conferencing. Jan Chapman (photo right) reported on the progress with the new 3-D prosthetic hands.
David Small (photo left) reported on the installation of the water filters and solar lights in the Bateyes.
Over the past year, Public Relations Chair Linda Varrell provided the assistance of an intern at her business to help with marketing, press releases and on-line posts in social media. Her successful efforts allowed the club to receive over $8,000 in valuable media through the publication of press releases covering Portland Rotary stories.
(Photo L-R: Dick Hall and Amy Chipman)
Foundation Chair Amy Chipman thanked those who contributed to the Rotary Foundation through donations, Sustaining Memberships and bequests. The Club goal for 2016-2017 was $15,000 and it should be achieved by June 30. Year-to-date Foundation contributions are $13,790, three outstanding members will contribute another $600 and 15 Sustaining Members have contributed $1,500. Annual contributions to the Rotary Foundation can be made in four ways: (a) EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) - any level of contribution and 62 Portland Rotarians are in this group; (b) Sustaining Members - contribute $100 annually and there are 22 members in this group; (c) Circle of Five - Each member contributes $200 annually, there are currently 8 circles with 40 members and a 9th circle is being organized; and (d) the Paul Harris Society, where contributors donate $1,000 annually, there are three members in this group. Additionally, Major Donors achieve contributions to reach $10,000 and there is one member in this category. Benefactors include those who donate endowment funds - remembering Rotary as a beneficiary in their estate or when a member donates $1,000 or more to the fund outright- there are seven members in this group. A Bequest Society member Level 1, is when a member donates $10,000 or more via an estate plan and there are 2 members in this group. One Portland Rotarian is in the group of new direct or bequest contributions of $10,000. A 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation was celebrated in 2017. In 2017-2018 the Foundation Chair is Past President Dick Hall, who told us next year’s goal is to raise $20,000.
(Photo L-R: Janelle LoSciuto and Lili Brown.)
Youth Services Chair Janelle LoSciuto reported that Youth Services supported 7 students for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program and scholarships were given to local-area school seniors. Portland High School Interact is recruiting for more members. There is $1,000 in the budget for a youth exchange program, which unfortunately did not happen this year, but the efforts continue towards a successful program in the near future. $250 has been donated to the volunteer efforts at Long Creek Youth Development Center. Lili Brown thanked everyone who participated in the Lyseth Reading program, where 13 people from the USM Law School and 13 Rotarians donated time to read to students. This program is extended into the summer at North Deering Gardens, scheduled from July 6 to August 10.
It’s been a busy, but productive, year for Portland Rotarians!
05/12/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young welcomed 53 members, 6 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian to the meeting. Alan Nye gave a Mothers’ Day invocation honoring mothers and quoting from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Erma Bombeck, Abraham Lincoln and others.
Queen Peggy Wescott led us in the pledge to the flag; Kathy Grammer led us in singing the national anthem; President Laura introduced the visiting Rotarian and guests; and she thanked all those that assisted with today’s meeting.
We sang “Happy Birthday" and wished "Happy Rotary Anniversary" to those Rotarians celebrating their important dates for the month of May.
Past President Roxane Cole shared a ‘Rotary Moment’ and reflected on some of her proudest achievements during her year as Club President in 1999-2000. Roxane discussed going to the Rotary International Convention in Singapore and hearing a Rotarian discuss giving a tree to speakers at their club. She brought the idea back to Portland Rotary and, working with the City of Portland arborist, established Rotary Grove on the Eastern Prom Trail. She is also proud of our contribution to the Armillary in front of Casco Bay Lines on the waterfront, depicting Portland Rotary in the sphere.
Ben Millick conducted the raffle for $2,223. Bruce Moore’s name was picked out of the vessel, but he picked the wrong card – to the relief of all those Rotarians still hoping for this huge Rotary prize. Better luck next week to those entering the jackpot! The cards are down to 4!
President Laura announced that we raised $932 from our event at the Allagash Brewing Tour. The proceeds go to the United Way of Greater Portland’s Summer Feed and Read Program to help purchase books for the program. Accepting a check from President Laura is Katie Camplin from the United Way.
Past President Bill Blount thanked all those who participated in the 2017 Spring Rotary Tennis League and encouraged those interested to consider joining the fun. For more information or interests, please contact: Eric Jorgensen at ejorgensen@maine.rr.com or Bill Blount at wblount1@gmail.com.
05/05/17 Bits & Pieces
After welcoming 46 Rotarian members and 1 visiting Rotarian, President Laura Young asked Past President Russ Burleigh to give the invocation. Russ read the “Horse’s Prayer” in honor of the upcoming weekend’s Kentucky Derby, which is reportedly the longest running sporting event in the USA. Scott Blakeslee led us in the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ and we sang the National Anthem.
President Laura thanked those responsible for setting up and helping run the meeting smoothly
Mike Robinson provided us with a “Rotary Moment.” Mike (formerly of the Wells Rotary Club) shared the reasons for initially joining Rotary (reminds him of the Eagle Scouts); why he thinks he was the right person for Rotary (similar volunteering opportunities as at his church and positive memories over the years); and what he enjoys about being a Rotarian (great relationships built working on the committees and helping people).
(Photo L-R: Alex St. Hilaire, Gracie Johnston, and PP Cyrus Hagge.)
Several people discussed the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) and asked for volunteers, not only on the day of the event, but also to start a team for our biggest fund raiser, which raises money for our local causes and in the Dominican Republic. The MOC is five (5) weeks away, we have 30 teams, and we’re looking for about 15 more. Alex St. Hilaire spoke for a moment and asked for more volunteers and auction items. Contact Alex at: alex.st.hilaire@bangor.com
Past President Cyrus Hagge discussed the live auction items, which so far include: a sail boat race on a 42-foot sail boat; a cruise on Paul Tully’s motor boat; a 14-ft kayak; a harbor cruise for four with lobster bake; a 3-night weekend stay at Sunday River/Bethel Inn; two Patriots’ tickets; passes to Maine Indoor Go-Karting; a weekend at Ripple Effect; and a hunting trip with Kris Rosado. Contact Cyrus at: chagge@mac.com
Gracie Johnston let us know that volunteers are needed to help sell 400 tickets for the fly fishing package, a kayak or paddle board. Tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. Contact Gracie at: gracie.johnston@wcsh6.com
Past President Loretta Rowe ran the raffle and as her luck would have it, her name was picked out of the vessel by our speaker for a shot at finding the winning card in the remaining 6 cards in the deck. Her luck ran just short that day, as she did not pull the Queen of Hearts, and the pot continues to grow with only 5 cards left.
Past President Ben Lowry let us know that the Falmouth Rotary Club is having an Electronics Recycling Collection Day on Saturday, May 13th from 9 am-1:00 pm in the Falmouth Shopping Center. They could use your electronic products, along with a few volunteers to help them at the event. For more information, contact: Anne Payson at: annepayson10@gmail.com
Again in recognition of the upcoming Kentucky Derby, Amy Chipman and Gracie Johnston led us in the song “My Old Kentucky Home,” accompanied on the keyboard by Past President Russ Burleigh.
05/05/17 Lucas St. Clair, Elliotsville Plantation
In 2016, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, President Barack Obama accepted the gift of 89,000 acres of land from EPI and created the newest unit of the National Park Service - Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Mr. St. Clair spent hours in Washington, DC before the legislative committee and National Park Service explaining why he and his family wanted to donate this land to the Park Service. Whereas, appearing before the same committees, Governor Paul LePage, on behalf of his constituents, was telling them why the state did not want this part of Maine as a national monument, saying that too many parcels of land and water front are needlessly taken from production.
The land in question was first obtained by Roxanne Quimby, of Burt’s Bees fame. She asked her son, Lucas to return to Maine and manage the property with an eye toward preparing it to be gifted to the people as a protected trust that would enhance the beauty of the majestic Katahdin region and Baxter State Park. Supporters cheered the gift that they predicted could revitalize the region’s struggling towns, while opponents warned that providing a foothold to the federal government would inhibit economic development in the North Woods, as well as restrict hunting, snowmobiling and forestry on some of the land.
According to Lucas the land was given without any denial of such access. Furthermore, the land comes with a fund of $40,000,000 to help maintain it. Mr. St. Clair and many others saw this as a business opportunity with a perpetual future that preserved the beauty of the state and enhanced the local community by providing sustainable jobs and a way of life people loved. The paper mills are now gone and the region is struggling to recover as the economy shifts from one based on manufacturing and forest products to one increasingly reliant on tourism-related jobs. Local businesses are benefiting from the changes that are happening.
Long before President Obama was given the opportunity to make the designation, Lucas had the members of the Park Authority come and visit Maine to learn what they had in mind. While they were winning over some of those from “away,” they weren’t convincing all the local politicians and the battle lines were better defined.
Lucas and the Friends of Katahdin Woods & Water continue to reach out and let the idea naturally germinate. For the time being, we have a wonderful gift to use and it seems that we may see the truth of “if you build it, they will come.” It may be the perfect time for each of us to put on our hiking shoes, apply an ample spray of bug repellent and take a walk in the woods.
News From the DR 3-H Team
*05/05/17 Lucas St. Clair, Elliotsville Plantation
Lucas St. Clair was born and raised into a subsistence living family in the North Woods of Maine, with no running water or electricity for most of his childhood. He left that lifestyle to attend a boarding school in the Western Mountains of Maine and went on to study abroad, pursuing a Culinary Arts degree at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Lucas worked in the beginning of his career in the restaurant and wine industry in New York City, Maine, and Seattle, WA.
In 2011, Lucas took over his family’s operating foundation, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. (EPI). EPI owns 125,000 acres of timberland in Northern and central Maine that they have been purchasing since 1998. They have been managing the land and adding infrastructure for recreation over the last several years. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, President Barack Obama accepted the gift of 89,000 acres of land from EPI and created the newest unit of the National Park Service, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument on Aug 24th, 2016. Lucas and EPI continue to play a role in the development of the region and enhancing the community’s ability to capitalize on the newly realized asset.
Beyond the restaurant industry and land conservation, Lucas has a strong interest in outdoor pursuits. He has hiked the Appalachian Trail, paddled the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, taken a NOLS semester in Patagonia and has climbed peaks in Alaska, Washington, Peru, Chile and Argentina. He has also worked as a fly fishing guide and helped Eddie Bauer with designing fishing apparel. He has had the great fortune to fish in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.
Lucas lives in Portland, Maine with his wife and two children.
04/28/17 Owen McCarthy, CEO MED Rhythms
(Photo: Rusty Atwood, Owen McCarthy and President Laura Young.)
Owen McCarthy, President of MedRhythms, Inc, was introduced by Rusty Atwood. In his “pre-speaker quiz,” Rusty asked how many Rotarians knew the answer to, “In what Maine county is the town of Patten located?” In fact, it’s located near the border with Aroostook County, but situated in Penobscot County. Patten is the home town of the speaker Owen McCarthy, who spoke about his company, MedRhythms.
MedRhythms is a digital medicine company building digital products using sensors, music, and machine learning to help people recover their walking abilities and reduce falls. They believe they will launch the first product for people who have had strokes, though they could also work with anyone who has neurologic injury or disease. The company started initially using techniques in the field of neurologic music therapy with one-on-one therapists to help people recover language, movement, and cognition. It is the mission of the company to help others by improving their ability to heal with the use of music.
There are two aspects to the company’s work. First, the physical therapy with music has demonstrated improved walking and neuro-motor capabilities. Patients who received this therapy have improved their walking tempo, symmetry, speed and balance. Eventually, many are able to walk without the use of canes. Second, is the neuroscience of music and its effect on the brain. Music activates the brain and aids in “neuro-plasticity,” by stimulating auditory and motor receptors at the same time. Therapists who provide the research and development for the rehabilitation are working with the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, a Partners HealthCare company.
MedRhythms’ launch is timely, because the cost of rehabilitation is increasing, the cost of portable technologies is dropping, and it’s possible to make the investment to make therapy more affordable. Moreover, increased research is demonstrating how the impact of music on recovery is a potential for patients who are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, to improve fall prevention and to improve the support for achieving high-functioning individuals. Additionally, the research is continuing to support that music can help recover language for aphasia or improve memory.
Owen explained that financing for MedRhythms, Inc, includes major investors, but the fiscal projections are looking good to attract another round of funding. He explained that there is little preference for using instrumental versus vocal music in the therapies, except the vocals should be removed at lower cognitive levels (the strong beat is important). There is no direct correlation to determine if music therapy might improve bringing a patient out of a coma, but can help people in the full range of disorders of consciousness. As for licensing of music and copyright, the music used in the therapy is already purchased.
04/28/17 Bits & Pieces
With President Laura Young back at the helm, she welcomed 59 members, 2 honorary members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 4 guests. Charle Frair read an E.E. Cummings poem of prayer entitled “I Thank You God For Most This Amazing.” Bruce Moore led us in the Pledge, and Russ Burleigh kept us in tune with “God Bless America.”
Laura then thanked the multitude of members who contributed their effort towards making the day’s meeting possible.
(Photo L-R: 3-H team headed to the DR - Jan Chapman, Bruce Moore, Dave Small, Bill Blount, Dick Hall, Drs. Liz and Roger Fagan.)
Portland Rotarians are out in force again serving our community and around the world. This past week a Rotary team worked at Preble Street Resource Center serving dinner – next week 10 Rotarians head to Deering HS to provide students with interview prep – on Saturday (April 29) 10 Rotarians head down to the Dominican Republic with Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan for more humanitarian work. More on that later!
Our thoughts and prayers for Justin Lamontagne and family. Justin’s wife, Marycelina had surgery for breast cancer, and we wish her a speed recovery. Lili Brown’s husband just had surgery for Parkinson’s, so reach out to them both with your support.
Terri St. Angelo took the podium for a “Rotary Moment.” Terri started out by asking us "Have you ever felt yourself wandering, asking whether what you’re doing is making an impact – is there something more?" Terri said she was involved – PTO, school boards, ‘Tri For a Cure’ – but felt something missing. That would soon change, after an invitation from Linda Varrell to come to lunch at Rotary, which brought Terri to the club. Governor LePage spoke that day to a large audience. We recited the Pledge, we sang a song. “All good,” thought Terri. Then a request went out for volunteers for our Veterans Day Appreciation Lunch. Though she was not a member yet, she volunteered. Arriving at the event, knowing barely a soul, she was asked to welcome the arriving vets and guests with a big smile. Turns out she knew more people than she imagined, and when told by many “hope you come back,” that was the moment she knew she wanted to be a part of us. She said she now recognizes that being a part of Rotary is to be a part of something much bigger. She then asked us all to take a moment, look around at the people seated at the table with us, and give them a big smile. Thank you, Terri!
Aforementioned Dr. Roger Fagan provided more details on the upcoming Dominican Republic trip. 18 people, hailing from ME, Alaska, Oregon, S. Carolina and Florida will be working out of the 3H Good Samaritan Hospital. Project goals include 140 new and improved water filtration systems, 200 hearing aids, prosthetic hands, and solar powered lighting. They have no hurricane to deal with this trip! We wish you all safe travels!
Mike Fortunato updated us on the “Maine Outdoor Challenge.” This is our #1 fundraiser, and the majority of the money we are able to donate to organizations and programs during the year stems from the success of this event. We have 31 teams so far, and the goal is 45. Are you looking for a team to be on? We’ll get you matched up on a team. Also – tickets for the Lobster Bake are now on sale - $32 Lobster, $28 Steak, and $26 Chicken - and you can get them starting this Friday – available from Loretta Rowe at our regular meetings over the next four weeks - and at: lrowe@maine.rr.com. Rotarians get these special rates, so be sure to contact Loretta with your request. If you go online to purchase your tickets, the rates will be different. Please make your check payable to the "Boys and Girls Club." Volunteers are needed for the days of the event and sign-up sheets will be on the tables starting Friday, May 5th!
With the weekly raffle being up to $2,050, Charlie Frair shuffled the deck of 7 cards, as John Houghton was called upon to find the Queen of Hearts. With hearts racing – breaths held – there was no payoff. Odds of winning improve next week!
(Photo L-R: President Laura Young, Jan Chapman, Emma Spies and Kathryn Barr.)
Jan Chapman, introduced Catherine Barr from Maine Girls Academy (formerly Kathryn McAuley High School), who in turn introduced Emma Spies, class of 2017, as our newest Youth Service Award recipient. Describing Emma as quiet but enthusiastic, she told us of Emma’s engagement at the age of 10 with ‘Angel Flight,’ a non-profit group that provides plane rides for children and adults who need hospitalization for cancer and debilitating chronic diseases. Since that time, Emma’s lemonade stand has earned $15,000 for the program. Addressing the Rotarians, Emma said that “service is something you live,” and thanked us for the $1,000 donation for her future schooling, plus the additional $100 donation to ‘Angel Flight.’
(Photo L-R: Dave Small, Amy Chipman and Loretta Rowe.)
Amy Chipman reminded us that for each dollar we donate to the Rotary Foundation, 50% comes back to us in district grants after 3 years. It can add up – nearly $103,000 is coming back into our District this Rotary year. Right in sync, Amy called upon Loretta Rowe and David Small to award them with Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Awards. This is Loretta’s 5th, David’s 2nd, each award representing $1,000 in contributions to the Foundation.
(Photo L-R: Abdullahi Ali, Andreea Paine and President Laura Young.)
Andreea Paine welcomed new member Abdullahi Ali, currently the founder and CEO for Gateway Community Services. Abdullahi was born in Somalia, raised in Kenya, and resettled in Maine in 2009. He studied at SMCC, USM, and earned a Masters In Science and Justice Studies from So. NH University. He currently lives in Portland, and is an avid soccer player. Welcome, Abdullahi!
*04/28/17 Owen McCarthy, CEO MED Rhythms
Owen McCarthy loves to solve problems, find a challenge, and help people. He is President of MedRhythms, a firm he co-founded, and serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including the University of Maine Board of Visitors. MedRhythms is a software as a system (SAAS) based digital medicine solution that personalizes recovery by leveraging neuroscience, machine learning, music, biomarker sensing, and other therapies to aid patients suffering from neurologic injury or disease.
Owen has built a career positioned to tackle challenging world problems, in hopes to positively influence many lives. He has experience in water treatment, additive manufacturing, tissue regeneration, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. He is the co-founder of the UMaine Business Challenge, an annual business competition in partnership with the Maine Business School and the Foster Center for Student Innovation. He served as a member of the initial program team that created the plans for the Maine Center for Graduate Professional Studies.
Mr. McCarthy is a native of Patten, Maine, where he graduated from Katahdin High School. He completed his undergraduate degree in biological engineering at the University of Maine in Orono, where he was also student body president, and CEO of the UMO student government association. He started his career as a technical sales representative in the paper and water treatment chemistry business, and then returned to school at Harvard Business School where he earned his MBA.
He and his wife Holly, a Doctor of Optometry at the Maine Eye Center, live in Cape Elizabeth.
04/21/17 Deanna Sherman, President & CEO Dead River Company
The Rotary ties run deep with Deanna Sherman, the President and CEO of Dead River Company, a Maine company that traces its roots back 107 years. Deanna’s father is a lifelong Rotarian who, 50 years ago, started up a new club on Mount Desert Island. Today, Deanna brings many of Rotary’s values to her management of the energy company, which employs over 1,000 men and women in four New England states.
Ms. Sherman chose to steer clear of energy issues in her talk, but preferred to discuss workforce development and education in her presentation. With an unemployment rate at an impressive 3.2% in Maine, but ranking lower than other New England states in educational levels, Dead River has needed to get creative in filling positions within the region. With the average age of drivers and technicians in the mid-50’s, the company has been working with the Maine Department of Labor and the community college system in an effort to attract younger folks to these high paying jobs. Dead River has offered to pay the college tuition of four new college students who have given a commitment to transition into work with the energy company. The state revenue board is steering federal dollars toward similar initiatives and “Educate Maine” has entered into a program with Dead River for tuition reimbursement and paid internships. And, with company loans for educational purposes, there has been a longstanding tradition of promoting higher education within the company, as witnessed by Ms. Sherman’s own story of obtaining her master’s degree at USM.
With just five woman employed in the 468 driver and technician spots within Dead River, there has been a serious push to train and employ young women, as well as new citizens and veterans, in the energy field. For a lifelong Mainer, Deanna Sherman is steering this century-old family company into the next hundred years with a mantra of education and workforce development, which she proudly equates to the work performed by Rotary International.
(Photo L-R: President-elect Don Zillman, Deanna Sherman and Rusty Atwood.)
04/21/17 Bits & Pieces
President-elect (PE) Don Zillman, standing in for President Laura Young while she was away, greeted 52 members and 5 guests. Paul Tully’s invocation included three quotes, one from Mother Teresa (now St. Teresa), one from Theodore Roosevelt, and one from Paul Harris. Past President Kris Rosado led the pledge. Past President Russ Burleigh was on the keyboard as we sang, “My Country 'Tis of Thee.”
Don thanked all the members responsible for making the day’s meeting possible.
Our ‘Rotary Moment’ was offered by Roger Fagan. After being a practicing audiologist for 20 years, Roger had acquired a big box of old hearing aids. He'd read that a hospital in India needed medical supplies, so he contacted them to see if they wanted the hearing aids, which they said they did, so he sent them. They contacted Roger to ask how to fit them, so Roger went to India to show them and had a blast....but he need more hearing aids. He joined Portland Rotary in 1992 in hopes of collecting used hearing aids to be refurbished.....it worked! After 9/11 the political situation changed in Europe, and the US State Dept advised Americans not to travel to India. Roger’s focus changed from India to the Dominican Republic (DR). After his and Liz's (his wife) first trip to the DR, they were disappointed by the corruption, but someone recommended he contact Moises Silfren, the director of the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana in the DR. He was very impressed with Moises’ honesty, which was in sharp contrast to the corruption they observed in the schools for the deaf and motivated them to practice at that hospital. Roger told us that when he went into the Bateyes (slum villages in the sugar cane fields), he realized he represented the good deeds of all the Rotarians who had preceded him......just because he was wearing his Rotary hat. They see Rotary as a chance for making their lives better. Roger told us that when the team is in the DR for service, we are all there (collectively) with them, because we are Rotarians. When you read to disadvantaged children, visit troubled youth at the Long Creek Youth Center, serve meals at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen, load crutches into containers destined for Africa....feel proud....we are Rotarians making the world a better place. Wear your Rotary pin with pride!
PE Don Zillman was asked by the Distict to report the number of projects being done by Portland Rotary. With Loretta’s help, they counted 17 different Porland Rotary projects going on right now. Quite impressive!
Our song of the day was led by Gracie Johnston, singing an old favorite, “If You Are Happy and You Know It,” with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Matt Tassey managed the raffle this week with $1,974 in the jackpot. Russell Voss’s name was drawn, but everyone held their collective breaths as he pulled the Two of Spades, not the Queen of Hearts. Bummer for Russell, but now the pot grows even more for next week.
Dave Small told us that his son started a mentoring program at Deering High School. Now every year, the junior class learns interview preparations and making positive first impressions from adults volunteering to run mock sessions with them at the annual job fair. They are preparing for this year’s “Job Readiness and Interview Prep Day” at Deering High School on May 3rd. Volunteering requires only one hour of time from 10:00-10:55am. Several Portland Rotarians who have done this in the past will be in the DR then, so Pam Bessey needs more help to fill the 16 spots she needs. Please contact Dave Small at dsmall@nelsonsmall.com, if you can help.
(Photo L-R: President-elect Don Zillman, Past President Kris Rosado and Past President Cyrus Hagge.)
Past President Kris Rosado reported that the “Maine Outdoor Challenge" (MOC)” added three more teams this week: Ellen Niewoehner formed a TD Bank team, Ron Bennett’s accounting team and Amy Chipman’s RBC's second team. If your firm, or the firm you work with, does not have a team, ask them why.
The following companies have committed to teams participating in the event:
Albin, Randall & Bennett; Bath Savings; CorVel Corp; Ed Gosselin & Company; Fidelity; IDEXX; J. Gaudet Associates;Kathy Coster; Maine College of Art (2 teams); Marsh-McLennan; MEMIC; Merrill Lynch; Morgan Stanley (2 teams); E.W. Noyes; Portland Press Herald; Progressive Medical; RBC (2 teams); Five Amigos (2 teams); Sun Media; TD Bank; UBS; Varney Agency; Cyrus' Group; and the Windham Group.
Past President Cyrus Hagge was at the podium to also talk about MOC. He is working on the live auction donations. He needs items that are interesting and exciting, i.e. vacation packages, a stay in a time-share, action activities such as parachuting, river trips or helicopter skiing....these different items bring added interest. He’s looking for $500-900 value, and wants 9-12 items to have in the auction. Proceeds will support the DR trip and other Rotary charitable activities.
Ben Millick jumped up to announce the next Portland Rotary “Happy Hour” event at Rising Tide Brewery, May 3rd, 5:30 pm. Just show up and invite friends.
*04/21/17 Deanna Sherman, President & CEO Dead River Company
As President and CEO of Dead River Company, Deanna Sherman oversees one of the largest energy companies in Northern New England. Founded in 1909, Dead River Company is family-owned with over 1000 employees serving customers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northern Massachusetts. Ms. Sherman joined the company in 1986 and has worked in leadership roles, including District Manager, Region Manager and Vice President of the Energy Division.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Colby College, majoring in Government/Public Policy and French. After attaining her first management position at Dead River Company, Sherman returned to the classroom and received her MBA at the University of Southern Maine.
Ms. Sherman is active in the community through her present and past Board involvement with United Way of Greater Portland, Educate Maine, Junior Achievement of Maine, the Maine Energy Marketers Association and the University of Southern Maine Foundation.
04/14/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young opened the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay by greeting 56 Rotarians, 1 visiting Rotarian and 4 guests.
Dave Small (at left) gave us an invocation explaining the history of Patriots’ Day. Past President Bowen Depke led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Kathy Grammer played the keyboard as we sang "America the Beautiful."
President Laura thanked everyone whose efforts made our meeting possible and welcomed our guests. She thanked the readers at Lyseth Elementary School and participants in the Locker Project, including Lionel Nima and Bruce Moore.
Laura also announced that our opportunity to help Portland’s disadvantaged at the Preble Street Resource Center for this month would be on Wednesday, April 26. Contact Erik Greven for more informataion or if you can help out: egrev95@aol.com.
Past President Jim Willey shared a "Rotary Moment" with us. Jim told us he initially joined Rotary in 1982 to network and find business connections that might help him for his newly-acquired company. He found that the most valuable part of Rotary was the diversity and the value of fellowship that Rotary offered. Where else can you hobnob with the likes of 94-year olds Earle Leavitt and Bob Traill, along with twenty-somethings, like Alex St. Hilaire and Ben Millick.
Andreea Paine offered our song-of-the-day, with a merry band of Russ Burleigh and Bill Blount rounding out the trio to lead us in a rousing rendition of "Getting To Know You," with Kathy Grammer on the keyboard.
Katie Brown led our raffle, which was over $1,800 this week. Our speaker drew guest Steve Dahle’s name, who in turn drew the King of Diamonds, leaving the elusive Queen of Hearts available for next week’s candidate.
Mike Fortunato shared the game plan for us to succeed in making this year’s "Maine Outdoor Challenge" another success. Mike encouraged everyone who is not participating on a team to volunteer for the event and bring a friend to the Lobster Bake on June 7th at the Amvets, North Road, Yarmouth. At the lobster bake, we will also have a silent and live auction, with Auctioneer/Past President Tom Saturley (who recently returned as a club member) officiating over the live auction. Mike announced that we need more high-quality items for the live auction. Please consider donating a cruise on your yacht or some time at your vacation home. Travis Parker and Alex St. Hilaire are also soliciting for the silent auction items, such as gift certificates donated by your favorite restaurant, a new lawn mower (thank you for the inspiration Harry Sawyer), etc. Please be creative in supporting our Club’s biggest fund-raiser. For more information/questions regarding item donations, please contact Travis (travisrparker@gmail.com) or Alex (alex.st.hilaire@td.com).
Rusty Atwood announced that the Maine Historical Society was having a "Mr. Longfellow's Cocktail Party and Magical History Tour" on May 12th and 13th. The cocktail party on May 12th will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and held at the beautiful and historic State Theatre, 609 Congress Street, Portland. The self-guided tour on May 13th will begin at the Maine Historical Society's Brown Library, 485 Congress Street, located next door to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. Rusty encourages everyone to attend the events and said they are looking for volunteers to help with the cocktail party. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Rusty Atwood at: rra1362@me.com or 831-8017. Maine Historical Society website has additional information and tickets: mainehistory.org/support_magicalhistory.shtml
Roger Fagan called our attention to donation boxes (assembled by Russ Burleigh) for the purpose of soliciting used hearing aids to be refurbished and taken taken to the Dominican Republic in May, when the 3-H team makes their next trip to that country. The boxes can be positioned in strategic locations at members' own businesses or other highly-trafficked businesses. Roger asked that if you place a donation box, be sure to check back on it after a week. If the donations are not appearing or the donations are low, you might want to consider re-positioning the box at a different location or business. For more information, contact Roger at: drrogerfagan@gmail.com.
On Wednesday, May 3rd, there will be the annual 'Job Readiness and Interview Prep Day' at Deering High School from 10:15-10:55 a.m. Mock interviews will be held with high school juniors to help prepare them for real-life job interviews and making positive first impressions. For more information or to volunteer help, please contact Dave Small at: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com.
04/14/17 Jon Jennings, Portland City Manager
Jon Jennings, City Manager for Portland, shared stories from his personal life of those people who influenced him in his career, and taught him to find work he not only enjoyed, but made a difference. “You know the movie Hoosiers? Well that’s exactly the way I grew up. Everybody in Indiana grows up with a basketball in their hands,” he said. As a student manager of the Indiana University basketball team, he was taken under the wing of Bobby Knight, who commented on Jon’s aptitude for basketball. That relationship resulted in an internship with the Indiana Pacers, where he met Casey Jones, head coach of the Boston Celtics, who invited him to join the organization. Jones became his mentor, and at the age of 22, Jon received an NBA Championship ring as part of what he called the “greatest basketball team in history.” He also pointed out, “they couldn’t have done it without me.”
When Red Auerbach became coach, he also became a mentor to Jon. “I got to know him so well, it was as if he were my grandfather.” Jon shared his impressions of working with basketball legends Larry Byrd, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Tommy Heinsohn. “I learned lessons of motivation and leadership from all of these men,” he said. “Something a kid from Indiana would never dream of.” Jennings time with the Celtics ended with the arrival of Rick Pitino, who hired his own staff.
(Photo: President Laura Young, Portland City Manager, Jon Jennings and Bob Martin.)
After the Celtics, Jennings went to the Harvard School of Government, secured a White House Fellow appointment, and became a part of the Clinton administration. Conversations with his mentor, Red Auerbach, however, convinced him that “he was an idiot for not getting back into basketball.” He helped the Celtics start an expansion league franchise with the creation of the Red Claws, which brought him and his family to Portland. Building on his education at Harvard’s School of Government, Jon became involved with the complexities and challenges of running a city. “I love it,” he said. “Red and I talked about the importance of doing something that makes a difference, and that’s the blessing. Thank you for making a difference in all that you do to make this a great city. You do amazing things, and they are making a difference.”
He shared some of challenges facing Portland: limited funds; 22 failed streets that need repair; “a homeless shelter that’s an abomination"; and keeping the city affordable. “We haven’t had much investment in infrastructure, but we need to find ways to do it without having costs exceed the rate of growth.” Jon reported that the city now sweeps the streets twice a year, and is improving street lighting. “These are things people pay attention to and like,” he said. He talked about progress with the Portland Company project, and a likely slow pace on the Franklin Arterial project to allow more streets to be repaired that impacted more neighborhoods. He also said that he spends a lot of time listening to people discuss their concerns. Jon said that his job is made easier by the “team of city employees who are passionate about this city, and come to work each day to make the city better.”
04/07/17 Janet Mills, Maine Attorney General
(Photo: President Laura Young, Attorney General Janet Mills, and Bob Martin.)
After a wonderful introduction by Bob Martin – who also explained the common law origin of Attorney General from its roots in England, Attorney General Janet Mills began her discussion by emphasizing her own Rotary heritage. AG Mills was a former Rotarian in Farmington, having inherited the Rotary bug from both her father and grandfather. She even cited the Four-Way Test and lamented that many thorny issues could be more easily be tackled if most public officials believed in the Four-Way Test.
AG Mills stated that her office is the largest law firm in the state and is currently handling over 2,000 child protection matters. She discussed the problem of drug abuse on our population – including children – and noted that the infant mortality rate in Maine is actually increasing.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office also contains the Consumer Protection Division where 28 volunteer consumer complaint mediators work on referred cases dealing with automobile complaints, landlord/tenant matters, fraud and other issues. AG Mills stated with pride that $704,000 was collected by her office as restitution for consumers through lawsuits against some well known companies.
(Photo: Michel Kanyambo and Attorney General Janet Mills.)
AG Mills spent much of her talk focusing on the drug epidemic here in Maine. She praised the Portland Press Herald’s recent 10-part series on drug addiction. She informed us that last year’s drug overdose death toll was 376 – a 40% increase of overdose deaths from the previous year. Many of these deaths were related to opioids (prescription narcotics) – such as oxcycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone and many others.
Proposed solutions include: mental health assistance for teenagers, expanding our health insurance to better cover drug addiction, prescription take-back programs, more public education, including public service announcements and greater drug education in schools. For dealing with prescription painkiller abuse, AG Mills is in favor of limiting how long opioids can be prescribed -- depending on the type of pain.
AG Mills supports making Narcan – a drug that reverses the effect of opioid overdose, more available. She was critical of Gov. Paul LePage’s comments about Narcan that suggest people get what they deserve. She stated that as Maine’s top law enforcement official, she allocated state resources to make Narcan more available to police departments resulting in the saving of 108 lives.
This is a problem that affects everyone in one way or another. If you haven’t been directly impacted, you probably know of a friend, co-worker or other acquaintance that has suffered. The trend is getting worse with no signs of slowing down. We must all do our part to be more informed about this scourge here in Maine and across the nation.
For more facts about opioid addiction, she also suggested the website: DoseofRealtyMaine.org.
04/07/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young welcomed all on a day of the-hint-of-oncoming-Spring-weather to the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay with 72 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 6 guests.
Our invocation was an original poem dedication to Rotary written by Alan Nye:
"The snow is melting, Spring may finally be here;
We're almost finished Laura's Rotary year;
Much has been accomplished by our Rotary Club,
But much work still remains – that's always the rub.
We should each be proud when we do a good deed,
Never forgetting that service to others is part of our creed.
Let's give thanks at this meeting for our friends and this food,
And be glad for the Spring weather to brighten our mood!"
We pledged Allegiance to our Flag and sang our patriotic song, accompanied on the keyboard by Russ Burleigh.
President Laura then thanked all of the committee members responsible for making our weekly meeting possible.
We had fun singing “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover,” led by "The Four-Leaf Clovers" – Gracie Johnston, Amy Chipman, Kathy Grammer and Alan Nye – with Russ Burleigh tickling the keyboard ivories.
The typical Irish luck of Paul Gore did not bring out the Queen of Hearts in the dwindling number of cards (10) for the $1,784 raffle pot. Some lucky winner is expected anytime!
We sang “Happy Birthday!” for all April-born Rotarians! And wished "Congratulations!" to all members who joined Rotary during the month of April throughout the years. (See separate article in this edition.)
Jim Willey thanked Portland Rotarians who serve with him on the Salvation Army Advisory Board: Janet Butland, Leonard Scott, Bill Blount, Bob Traill, and Austin Harris. Jim beamed when telling us of the “Champions for Kids” annual fund-raising event – this year’s event being “Beatlemania Magic” at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay on April 26, 2017. It’s the seventh annual event to support programs and services that create a positive impact on children and their families. Tickets are available by contacting Jim: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com or online at: eventbrite.com/e/beatlemania-magic-an-evening-of-favorite-beatles-music-to-benefit-children-tickets-31358210251?aff=eac2. For more information, check website: nne.salvationarmy.org/portland-me/champions-for-kids-benefit-evening.
Liz Fagan gave a report about the Hearing, Hands and H2O (3-H) project in the Dominican Republic (DR). This year’s International Service Committee volunteers will leave on April 30th and be in the DR during the first week of May. Donations to the program were received from the Rotary Clubs of Brunswick and South Portland-Cape Elizabeth. A donation may also be forthcoming from a Rotary club in Florida. The hearing project part of the "3-H" uses a lot of supplies that were purchased in the past with grant money. Dr. Roger Fagan is working with a second hearing aid manufacturer to obtain a more sustainable supply of hearing aids and this manufacturer is going to donate NEW hearing aids. The manufacturer who repairs and refurbishes the donated used hearing aids is helping to maintain a steady supply. A company that has been used for purchasing additional supplies (for testing and fitting equipment) recently sent a note that said, "In honor of your 20th year of doing this good deed, we are donating everything on your list. Thanks and Good Luck!" WOW!
Joining our project leaders, Dr. Roger & Liz Fagan, will be Portland Rotarians Jan Chapman, Bruce Moore, Dick Hall & his daughter Katherine Hall, Bill Blount, David Small, Dick Giles and our summer-time adopted member, Kirk Duffy.....along with two Rotarians from Brunswick: Carolyn Bulliner and Claudia Frost. This year, four other states are joining the Maine DR contingency.....from Oregon (Rotarian Donna Sheedy), Georgia (Rotarian Kirk Duffy) and Florida (Rotarian Ricardo Boehm)....and four NON-Rotarians: 3 from Alaska and 1 from Florida. For a total team of 18 people heading to the DR! Fantastic group!
Andrew Cook, who joined Portland Rotary in September 2016, presented us with a "“Rotary Moment." He thanked his parents for teaching him about the value of supporting the community. He became involved in his high school Interact Club. His major interest is helping youth. “Rotarians gather throughout the world and wherever we happen to be, there are opportunities to help others in our communities,” he said.
Past President Kris Rosado gave an impressive update about the “Maine Outdoor Challenge” that will be held June 5-7, 2017 at the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School in Freeport. There are 23 teams signed up so far – we are about half-way through the goal of recruiting participating companies. Teams include Bath Savings, Team Fidelity, IDEXX and others. Volunteers to help at the event are needed. Sponsors for participants who may not necessarily be associated with a particular company are encouraged to sign up, because donations to the event allow for some individuals to participate on sponsored teams. For more information, contact Kris: kris.rosado@morganstanley.com.
Amy Chipman announced the new Paul Harris Fellow recipients from seven “Circles of Five” donors, meaning each person in the circle donates $200 a year for 5 years, allowing each circle to contribute $1,000 a year. An eighth “Circle of Five” has recently been formed, meaning all 8 circles of members and Portland Rotary contribute $8,000 a year to the Rotary Foundation.
Recent winners of the drawing:
Circle 1: Julie L'Heureux
Circle 2: Jon Young
Circle 3: David Smith
Circle 4: Justin Lamontagne
Circle 5: Erik Greven
Circle 6: Mark Millar
Circle 7: Russell Voss
Congratulations to our recent PHFs! (See 'Photo Corner' for photos of PHFs present.)
Eighth "Circle of 5": Ellen Niewoehner, Mike Fortunato, Tom Ranello, Bruce JONES, and Kathy Grammer. (Ed: correction from last WJ and apologies to Bruce Jones for not getting his name correct.)
If you would like additional information, please contact Amy: amy.chipman@rbc.com
*04/14/17 Jon Jennings, City of Portland Manager
Jon Jennings was appointed City Manager of Portland in July, 2015, after serving as assistant city manager for the city of South Portland for two years. The city manager’s position, along with the city clerk and city attorney, are appointed by the City Council. The city manager appoints and manages all other city department heads.
As the chief administrative officer of the city, the manager’s primary responsibilities include providing and maintaining the essential city services through the efficient and effective management and operation of the city under the direction of the mayor and City Council. The city manager executes the policy direction set by the Mayor and City Council through the management of 13 city departments and approximately 1,400 employees. Responsibilities include preparing and administering the annual budget, directing day-to-day operations, hiring, supervising, evaluating and disciplining personnel, developing and administering city policies and procedures, and ensuring citizen complaints are resolved.
Jon’s background is diverse. His government experience includes serving as a senior advisor for the Clinton White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, managing Sen. John Kerry’s political operations in Massachusetts. In 2004, he failed in his bid for Indiana’s 8th District congressional seat as a conservative Democrat, losing to incumbent Rep. John Hostettler. As an entrepreneur, he was president and co-owner of the Portland Red Claws, a general partner of the Thompson’s Point Development company, and a partner in the Red Mango Frozen Yogurt store in Maine Mall.
He attended Indiana University where he was a student manager for the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team, and while still in school, was hired by the Indiana Pacers as a scout and video coordinator. His career in basketball culminated in 2010 when he was named as the first NBA D-League Executive of the Year. Jennings has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
*04/07/17Janet Mills, Attorney General of Maine
Attorney General Janet Trafton Mills grew up in Farmington, Maine. She earned a B.A. degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a J.D. degree from the University of Maine School of Law, where she was an editor of the Maine Law Review.
Ms. Mills was an Assistant Attorney General from 1976 to 1980, when she was elected District Attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties, a position to which she was re-elected three times, with the distinction of being the first woman District Attorney in New England.
From 1995 through 2008, Ms. Mills practiced law in Skowhegan with her brother, S. Peter Mills, in the firm Wright and Mills, P.A.. Ms. Mills was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, representing the towns of Farmington and Industry. In 2008 she was elected by the legislature to be Maine’s 55th Attorney General, the first woman Attorney General in Maine.
In December 2012, after a change in party control in the legislature, Ms. Mills was again elected Attorney General, and 2014, re-elected to her second consecutive term. The Attorney General is Maine’s chief law enforcement officer and represents the state in legal matters ranging from child support enforcement, civil rights and consumer protection to the prosecution of homicides, felony drug cases and major frauds. The Attorney General is also a member of the Baxter Park Authority, overseeing the 209,000 wilderness acres of the Baxter State Park. She serves on the Criminal Law, Substance Abuse and the Energy & Environment Committees of the National Association of Attorneys General, and was recently appointed Co-Chair of the NAAG Tobacco Committee.
In years past, Ms. Mills co-founded the Maine Women’s Lobby and was an active member of a number of organizations, including the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation Board. Ms. Mills was married for 29 years to Stanley Kuklinski, who passed away in September 2014. She lives in Farmington and has five stepdaughters and three grandsons.
Rotary's "Friend Raiser" Series
The evening highlights, including our raffle proceeds recipient, was United Way's "Summer Feed and Read Program."
We hope to see everyone at this and other future "Friend Raiser" series events.
District Training Assembly
03/31/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young began the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay welcoming 54 Rotarians and 2 guests. Tom Nickerson offered us the invocation with the ‘Serenity Prayer.’ Andy Stone led us in the ‘Pledge of Allegiance,’ and Kathy Grammer played the keyboard as we sang ‘America the Beautiful.’
President Laura thanked all whose efforts made our meeting possible. Laura mentioned the get well card for Elise Hodgkin, who was off her feet, as one of those feet had foot surgery. Elise is doing fine and will be back with us as soon as she can.
2017-18 Rotary year: Laura reminded us to complete and return the previously emailed “Committee Preference Sheets” to Loretta Rowe by this coming Saturday (4/8) to let the leadership of the Club know where you would like to help out for the coming year.
Laura mentioned that Ben Lowry is in the news as an inductee to Maine’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
Terri St. Angelo conducted the raffle and our speaker drew Bill Blount’s name for a chance to win $1700. Bill drew the eight of diamonds, so the pot will continue to grow until the lucky card drawer finds the elusive Queen of Hearts. Only 10 cards to go!
Gracie Johnston led us in song and seeing that the opening day of major league baseball is upon us, we sang the old standby, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” where Gracie donned a Sea Dogs hat, then switched to a Boston Red Sox hat on the second chorus.
Kathy Grammer accompanied us on the keyboard, wearing a NY Yankees hat.
Ogy Nikolic provided an interesting ‘Rotary Moment,’ focusing on four topics:
1. How he heard about Rotary....in Serbia he thought it was a scam, too good to be true.
2. How he first got involved....as a Rotary Exchange student to Saco, Maine in 1997.
3. Benefits of Rotary....it helped him distinguish himself to college recruiters and enhanced his leadership skills.
4. What he hopes to accomplish....give back and help others.
Standing in for Amy Chipman, Dick Hall announced that an eighth ‘Circle-of-Five’ is forming in our Club for making contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Making up four of the five circle members are Ellen Niewoehner, Bruce Moore, Mike Fortunato and Tom Ranello, with ONE opening remaining to round out the circle. Contact Amy Chipman if you would like to participate or would like additional information: amy.chipman@rbc.com. Excitement for this Friday: a drawing will be made for one member each of the existing seven "Circles of Five" to win a Paul Harris Fellow!
Laura mentioned the District Conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockport on May 19-21, 2017. For more information and/or to register, go to: rotary7780.org/event/e781cb82-1eb8-4188-afc0-0e183a54ce28/
Laura pointed out that we need your help......lately we have not been making our 50-person minimum lunch guarantee at our meetings, despite the fact that attendance has surpassed 50 on many occasions. She appealed to the non-diners to help defer the club’s expenses, as we have to pay the difference and the funds could be better used in our service projects.
03/31/17 Steve Hewins, Maine Innkeepers - Convention Center Proposal
Joining us was one of Portland’s well known business leaders, Steve Hewins. Starting Hewins Travel in his small Portland apartment, Steve grew Hewins Travel into the largest travel agency in the state. “Sending people away is what I did. Now I want to bring them here. Let’s import money, not export it.” Hence his new endeavor: Bring a full-fledged Convention Center (CC) to Portland, Maine.
Talking numbers: Nationally, business conventions account for 130 billion of a 900-billion-dollar travel/tourism industry. Maine’s tourism business topped 6 billion dollars in 2016, but that was primarily tourism, not business. Can we bring the convention business successfully to Maine? Steve thinks we can.
Portland is the 104th Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the U.S. Of these 104 markets, Portland is 1 of 7 MSA’s that do not have a CC. Those other six have plausible reasons. For example, New Haven, CT sits between Boston, Hartford, and NYC. Lakeland, FL sits just outside Orlando, which is ranked #2 in business convention business. Portland has no good excuses!
Steve noted that a CC in Portland is in line with a sound economic strategy. By identifying industry that is already strong in Maine, we are well positioned to bring in convention business. Specifically - Agriculture/ Food Production, Aquaculture/Research, Biopharmaceuticals, and Knowledge Workers, aka Information and Data Technology.
The “big box” CC’s are fading and being replaced with fresh new designs. CC’s today need to be attractive and a vibrant focal point. The setting needs to create interaction. Attendees want to do more than fly in and sit inside a box....they want to get out and see the community. Restaurants, entertainment, and retail stores need to be accessible and contemporary...they also need to be tech and media savvy. Wi-Fi is a must!
Right now, the largest room in Portland holds 600 people. The vision for a Portland CC would be a facility of 150-200,000 square feet, that could host 5,000 people....projected costs, $100 million. A feasibility study will run approx $150k, and take a deep dive into costs and benefits. Steve pointed out that Portland has a busy summer tourist business, but conventions can add significant economic boosts in spring and fall.
Where would it located? Commercial Street is too congested. Not Bayside or Thompson’s Point. Steve feels that the only place is downtown, ideally along the Spring Street corridor. Steve pointed out several opportunities....one, right across from the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, former site of the YWCA. The former Portland Press Herald building is another. The proximity to the newly renovated Cross Arena is an attraction, noting how Cedar Rapids had tied in successfully with its local arena.
In summary, Steve sees a vibrant Portland CC as a “pipeline to the future.” Portland is growing – witness three new hotels presently being built. The opportunity for growth for a year-round economy is with the business community. If we build it, they will come.
(Photo L-R: President Laura Young, Steve Hewins and PP Roxane Cole.)
Last Hoo-rah for Skiers?
03/24/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young opened the meeting by welcoming 46 members and 3 guests. Juliana L’Heureux gave an invocation about how women can be all they want to be, in reading the lyrics of “Who was the Greatest Female Pitcher?” by Bangor song writer and Rotarian, Joe Pickering. (In fact, the pitcher was Jackie Mitchell who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in a 1931 exhibition game in Chattanooga TN).
Gracie Johnston spoke during the "Rotary Moment" about how joining Rotary was influenced by her father, who was a member of the Kiwanis. Fortunately, his dedication to community service was a motivator when she joined the Rotary in Vermont. Moreover, Rotary International programs inspired her, because her children are Cambodian. In fact, she participated in an international project with the help of a group from Switzerland to create 7 water wells in Cambodia. Among her fondest Rotarian memories included seeing the Christmas Season Salvation Army Bell Ringers on Monument Square, when Bill Blount asked her to join the Portland Rotary Club. She fondly remembered being involved in a skit with Portland Rotarians, when they performed a spin-off of the TV quiz show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Gracie added, “In Rotary, I’ve learned how to say hello to everyone, especially to the homeless....to be honest, forthright and to work to the benefit of all.”
Jan Chapman led the chance for a lucky winner to receive over $1,600. Tom Ranello was unable to find the Queen of Hearts in the now very small number remaining in the shrinking deck, meaning more in the next drawing!
[Photo: Kate Putnam (SMAAA), President Laura Young, Erik Greven, and Housie Stewart (SMAAA).]
Erik Greven led the presentation of a $6,000 club donation to the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging (SMAAA) for the Stuart Center, an Adult Day Center for adults living with dementia and for their families. Rotary International is recognizing the growing incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease by establishing support for programs to help ease the impact of this disease. Kate Putnam, the SMAAA Chief Advancement Officer, received the contribution and she thanked the Portland Rotarians for our generosity.
Amy Chipman presented Portland Rotarian Ellen Niewoehner with her second sustaining Paul Harris Award. Standing ovation to Ellen! A drawing will be held on april 7th to select the first of five Paul Harris Fellows in the most recent “Circle of Five” Rotary Foundation contributors.
International Service Chair, Roger Fagan, requested members to “adopt a box” to receive donated hearing aids from volunteers who consider donating their used ones to the 3H project (Hearing, Hands and H2O) in the Dominican Republic.
George Crockett spoke about Rotarians’ programs at the Long Creek Youth Development Center and reading to 3rd graders at the Lyseth School, in Portland.
President-elect Don Zillman discussed two youth education programs that he would like to institute during the upcoming Rotary year. He stated that we would need volunteers to continue the discussions and to potentially become involved in leadership in these areas, as mentioned at previous Friday meetings. The two programs are: a) assisting unaccompanied refugee and immigrant youth as they adjust to a challenging new world in Portland, Maine and b) working with Portland Schools Supt. Xavier Botana in better recognizing outstanding student academic achievement in our young people. PLEASE CONTACT DON, IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP WITH PLANNING ON THESE ACTIVITIES AT 228-8029 or donald.zillman@maine.edu.
PHS Interact Students at New Generations Conference
03/24/17 Paul Drinan, Ex. Dir. Friends of Fort Gorges
Roxanne Cole talked about the Rotary visit to Fort Gorges last year, then she introduced our speaker Paul Drinan, Executive Director of the nonprofit Friends of Fort Gorges (FoFoGo). Their mission is to restore Fort Gorges to make it safe and keep it accessible to future generations. They believe in its historical significance, as well as its educational and cultural potential.
FoFoGo was started in 2000 by local folks. They were able to get the City of Portland to put the flagpole in place and they performed an engineering study....then the group fizzled out. In 2011, Tom Stonehouse tried to resurrect the group, but was not successful. In 2014, the present FoFoGo Group convened, with the original board of directors reformed. In 2015, they received non-profit status. In 2016, programs started including educational, social, and engineering. In 2017, a second engineering study was commissioned, and is due to be completed this summer.
FoFoGo is committed to restoration, preservation, and stewardship of the fort. Goals include keeping the use of the fort appropriate. The Master Plan starts with a preservation plan, and the first step is the contract for the engineering study which has been awarded, and includes a structural assessment. Based on the study, repair and strengthening of temporary shoring and cribbing will be starting this year. Brick archways are crumbling and need to be addressed, very soon. The US Army Corps of Engineers will be implementing safety plans which include railings, grates, and stabilizing.
The Master Plan also includes funding an economic impact study, and training docents. Most people do not realize that 5,000 people visited the fort last year. It is estimated that the fort has a $1,000,000 contribution to the community now, which could be much greater once the plans to increase access are realized. FoFoGo is working on getting people involved, by creating a public forum to accept input. Stakeholder meetings have begun. The structural assessment costing $14,000 was funded with grants and private donations. Volunteers are working on projects.
Fort Gorges has historic significance, as well as excellent economic potential. The fort was built as one of 3....Fort Preble, Fort Scammel and Fort Gorges, in order to triangulate cannon fire to protect the harbor. Ultimately, tours of all three sites are being planned. There are plans to have the Portland Symphony perform a Pops concert at the fort, and a Shakespeare Festival is being planned. Fort Gorges will be a living classroom with historic tours. Maine teachers are already developing curriculum.
Lots of kayak visitors have been to the fort, but the hope is to bring many more people. Portland Rotary’s visit in 2016 was part of that effort, and the visit planned for 2017 will expand it.
Questions:
What can we do to help?
Tell the fort’s story; Visit fort; Provide inspirational to the community, Donate
Immediate budget needs will be determined after engineering study due this year.
Join the mailing list, which currently has 1500 people on it
Are there technology limitations?
First it is necessary to make it safe.
They may need to remove vegetation, to protect the structure, like at Fort Popham.
By show of hands President Laura received support for a return Rotary trip scheduled for Sat. June 24 or Sun. June 25. Save the date!
For more information, go to: www.friendsoffortgorges.org
*03/31/17 Steve Hewins, Maine Innkeepers, Convention Ctr Proposal
Steve Hewins graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in history. In 1982 he started Hewins Travel out of his Munjoy Hill apartment, eventually growing it to the largest travel agency in the state. In 2007 he sold the business to AAA Northern New England and became its Vice President of Branch Operations. Steve left AAA in 2013 to become the Executive Director of Portland Downtown, a business improvement district that incorporates most of the city center, and in 2016 he was selected as President and CEO of the Maine Restaurant and the Maine Innkeepers Associations.
Steve lives in South Portland with his wife Kathy. His daughter Kia is a Junior at the University of Maine, and his outside interests including skiing, golf, reading. and, of course, traveling.
Steve's presentation will be about "Making the Case for a World Class Convention Center in Downtown Portland."
03/17/17 Maine Red Claws - Dajuan Eubanks, President
*03/24/17 Paul Drinan, Executive Director Friends of Fort Gorges
Work on the Hazard Mitigation phase started last October with the repair of a stairway that leads to the second story roof of the Fort. This spring, the Army Corps of Engineers will commence with their portion of the project to install a series of railings and gates throughout the fort to increase safety for the many casual visitors to the Fort. Through making these repairs, the City hopes to bring the structure up to a standard where organized groups will be able to utilize the Fort for historical tours, musical and theater performances, and other public events.
The second phase, the Preservation phase, consists of evaluation and strengthening the structure so that the Fort will be a safer place to visit and remain open to the public for years to come. Right now, when the Fort is not closed, visitors may visit the historic structure and explore it at their own risk. Funding for the Preservation phase will be provided by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Friends of Fort Gorges.
Following the completion of phase two, the City of Portland and Friends of Fort Gorges will commence a more comprehensive Restoration and Improvement phase that will involve public input on future uses and activities at the Fort, which will guide the direction of the restoration work and potential future amenities such as an improved pier, restored indoor spaces, and restrooms.
03/17/17 Bits & Pieces
President Laura Young opened the meeting at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, with 51 Rotarians and 4 guests. Dave Small did a wishful spring-themed invocation after Portland had another significant snow storm on Tuesday, putting us well above the seasonal snow accumulation average. Eric Lusk lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Kathy Grammer played the piano, as we sang our National Anthem.
The vitality of our club was quite evident last week when three new members joined our ranks. President Laura asked the membership to consider being a mentor to the new recruits. Contact Leisa Collins at leisa.g.collins@gmail.com
Matt Tassey gave us a "Rotary Moment." Matt Joined us in 1986. Peter Barnard was Club president and Ronald Regan our nation’s president. The nuclear power plant in USSR’s Chernobyl had a melt down and the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. Matt was asked and was proud to chair a committee to admit women in the club. Why does Matt continue to find value as a Portland Rotarian? He is inspired and humbled by the models of behavior of many Rotarians and what they manage to accomplish.
Matt also conducted the raffle and our speaker drew Paul Gore’s name for a chance to win $1,586. Paul drew the Ace of Clubs, so the pot will continue to grow until the lucky card drawer finds the elusive Queen of Hearts.
(Photo: Peter Hamblin, Sophia Mayone and Ellen Niewoehner.)
Ellen Niewoehner introduced Waynflete advisor Peter Hamblin, who introduced the Youth Service Award recipient, Sophia Mayone. Peter described Sophia’s extensive community service involvement, including starting Waynflete's participation in the Dream Factory. Apparently this apple did not fall far from the tree as Sophia’s mother Kimberly was also awarded the Waynflete Student of the Month scholarship in 1988. Congratulations, Sophia and to your proud parents, Kimberly and Mark Mayone!
Ellen also announced a Rotary Ski Day – Wednesday, March 29th. If you would like to join us, meet us at the Maine Turnpike Gray exit Park N Ride lot at 7:30 AM, or meet us at Southridge Lodge at 9 AM or at the Northpeak Lodge as noon, both at Sunday River. For more information, contact Ellen at: ellen.niewoehner@td.com.
*03/17/17 Dajuan Eubanks, President of Maine Red Claws
Dajuan Eubanks is the President of the Maine Red Claws – a NBA Development Team affiliated with the Boston Celtics and owned by Maine Basketball LLC.
He joined the organization in its inception in 2009 as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. Before joining the team, Dajuan worked in the experiential marketing industry for 13+ years with several leading agencies. During this time his role and responsibilities varied from project management to client services to business development and sales, where he worked with a variety of Fortune 100 clients across the country. Dajuan is a former player and Goodwill Ambassador of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, where he performed extensively around the world with the organization, entertaining thousands of fans.
He is also a co-founder of Blue Wave Basketball – a non-profit youth basketball development program for boys and girls grades K-12 established in Portland in 2011 – and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine and Portland Community Chamber. A graduate of Rice University with a B.A. in Business Management, he grew up in Alabama and Texas, and has resided in Portland, Maine with his daughters since 2005.
03/10/17 Bits & Pieces
Our meeting started off with a warm welcome by President Laura Young to our 55 members and 1 visiting guest, then an eloquent and timely invocation was offered by Gracie Johnston.
We were saddened by the news of previous long-time member, Steve Ryder passing away recently. Among his many beneficial acts to further the club was his introduction of Bill Blount, resulting in the latter becoming a member and going on to be a club President (2009-10).
Every time you get to hear how a Rotarian came into the club and remain an active member, it’s a glimpse into the kismet that guides the good fortune and fellowship of the club. Our 'Rotary Moment' this week was offered up by Rich Campbell, who began by saying our late member, Duane Pearce, influenced him, but it was Dick Hall who was his sponsor. In 1999 Rich pulled off a major contract for his company and they honored him by promoting him to a job that was located outside of the state. Rich had a choice, but his love for Maine was clear, so he stayed here and decided to started his own business. He wanted to remain involved in Rotary because it brought him in contact with the diversity the community offered and be among “can do” people who were guided by the 4-Way Test.
Those of us who have been around for a while have seen Loretta Rowe get stymied when it comes to locating the Queen of Hearts, even when the number of cards are limited and the pot is large. Our guest speaker pulled her lucky ticket, and Michael Greer fanned the cards for her in hopes she might find the hide out of the red lady. The take-home prize was more than $1500, but Loretta's luck was limited and she pulled the Ace of Spades from the skinny deck. And the pot grows on!
Ben Millick thanked everyone who came out in support of our first fellowship opportunity at Oxbow Brewing Company on March 1st. If you’re looking for something to do on March 28th, between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m., come to the Allagash Brewing Company at 50 Industrial Way, Portland and grab a frothy pint of native brew and some company that is the best to be had. Bring your friends and family to the event and help the books-for-kids cause at the same time. To sign up, go to: portlandrotary.org/event/copy-of-allagash-brewery-event/
(Photo: Musical lead group - Russ Burleigh, Bill Blount, and Rusty Atwood.)
The University of Maine has the distinction of being the sole institution of higher learning embracing a drinking song as the school song. The “Maine Stein Song” may have been a favorite of Rudy Vallee, but it’s not a song that rolls off the tip of Rotarian tongues the way beer slides down the throat. Be that as it may, there’s never a song that we won’t give a try. With the woman Black Bear hoopsters winning their game against Binghamton, it was decided we’d sing the school song.
The Club is always hoping to add new members devoted to bettering the community and following the Four-Way Test as they interact. This day we inducted three new members into the club: Bill Blount introduced the club to Andrew Stone, owner of Artisan Angles Custom Carpentry; Ben Delcourt introduced Brian McDonough, Account Executive of Cross Insurance; and Jim Willey introduced us to Mike Robinson, transferring Rotarian from the York Rotary Club, who is the Branch Manager of TD Bank at 1 Portland Square. There’s no doubt that the Club will benefit from this latest infusion of talent. Please go out of your way to introduce yourself and make new friends.
(Photo: Ben Delcourt, Andy Stone, Bill Blount, Brian McDonough, President Laura Young, Mike Robinson, and Jim Willey.)
03/10/17 Gordon Smith, MMC, Opioid Crisis in Maine
Imagine the terrible news of a plane crash. A flight out of Portland went down over Buzzards Bay, MA killing all ninety-two passengers on board. We’d watch the news with sadness. The very next day, the same news network reports yet another plane crash, this time out of Denver. All ninety-two souls aboard were lost. Hmmm. Sad and yet very odd. The same number as the crash out of Portland. The next day, the same news...ninety-two dead. The next day, and the next…and the next. Every day, ninety-two innocent people are dying. The entire nation would erupt and demand reform in airline travel. The FAA would become subject to congressional hearings and fierce scrutiny. This would be the lead story on every media outlet on earth.
Yet, every day in this country, ninety-two people overdose on opioids. That’s 53,000 deaths per year, 378 in Maine in 2016, an average of over one (usually young) person dying per day. When the Ebola virus hit it 2014, the nation suffered just one fatality and yet spent one BILLION dollars on the “battle.” The opioid epidemic had received a fraction of that support, stated Gordon Smith, Esq., Executive Vice President of Maine Medical Association, who stood at our podium last Friday and provided the startling statistics, which continued: in 2016, 1032 babies were born in Maine with neonatal drug dependence; 80% of heroin users began with prescribed medications; the United States represents 6% of the world population, yet uses 80% of the world’s opioids; Maine is the #1 state in the nation (per capita) in medical providers who prescribe opioids. There’s no doubt that the terrifying stats could go on and on. Is there a solution? Is there time and money to fight this raging war? And how do we fight it? By going after drug users? Dealers? Prescribing doctors?
Gordon has made his career in working with doctors, legislators and the public in dealing with health issues. This most recent battle has become a rallying cry for so many entities, from those in the State House to those manning the rehab centers and hospitals around the state. A new law, which took effect at the beginning of this year, is a good start, containing language that delineates opioid prescription use between acute and chronic pain use, requires prescribers and, in many cases, the pharmacy, to check a state-wide database for a history of substance abuse. It also rolls in language from a 2016 law that limits opioid prescriptions to more than 100 MME’s (morphine milligram equivalents) per day. This requires the tapering of drugs, which can certainly be problematic for patients who have grown tolerant of up to 4000 MME’s per day, a level that would instantaneously kill a non-addicted patient.
With just one detox center having just ten beds currently up and running (in Portland), the crisis is still very much a public danger, if not a catastrophe. Gordon, along with 15 other civic leaders and legislators, are delving into the problem and attempting to find expedited solutions, but the opioid crisis continues, with those "planes dropping from the sky," like clockwork, every single day.
(Photo: President Laura Young, Gordon Smith and Rusty Atwood.)
*03/10/17 Gordon Smith, Maine Medical Assn - Opioid Crisis in Maine
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), ninety-one Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, and the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled since 1999. Closer to home, here in Maine, there has been a 265% increase in deaths from prescription opioid overdose in men, and a 400% increase in deaths in women since 1999. Maine has the distinction of leading the nation in the highest rate of prescriptions for long-acting opioids.
These and other statistics have been shared by Gordon H. Smith, Esq., Executive Vice President of Maine Medical Association, as he travels the state meeting with health care providers to explain the opioid law changes that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.
Mr. Smith is a Maine native, graduating from the University of Maine with highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, Magna Cum Laude, in 1976. He practiced law privately before coming to the Maine Medical Association as General Counsel in 1981. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of Medical Association Counsel and the AMA/State Medical Society Litigation Center. Mr. Smith has also served as Chair of the Maine Health Data Organization and of the Executive Committee of the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He is also a former Chair of the Board of Quality Counts, a regional quality improvement collaborative and a former board member of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging. He is a current board member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership. In 2016, he was named by Maine Magazine as one of fifty Mainers influencing public policy and events in the state.
In 2015 Mr. Smith received the President’s Award from the Maine Public Health Association for “exemplary service and commitment to the practice and profession of public health in the State of Maine.” In 2016, he received the President’s Award from the Maine Primary Care Association for “dedication to improving the quality, accessibility and value of health care in Maine.” A frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects, Mr. Smith has served as Executive Vice President of the Maine Medical Association since September 1993 and has had a relationship with the Association dating back to September 1979.
03/03/17 Bits & Pieces
- Build on the foundation Mike Fortunato started the previous year (2015),
- Increase attendance by more than 50%,
- Honor and celebrate veterans in the area.
Bob Trail Introduced Jeremy Kendall, who is the Director of Veterans Services for the Easter Seals. Jeremy discussed the Eastern Seals and how he is indebted to Adria Horn, Director Bureau of Veterans' Services. Mr. Kendall also talked about the wonderful work Easter Seals does for Veterans, saying the donations will be put to good use, to include providing veterans with door-to-door assistance and/or to provide simple things that some of us take for granted. The sponsors of the luncheon were primarily from local banks, so consider asking your local bank or other companies to help sponsor the event next year.
Notices
obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=stephen-c-ryder&pid=184383006&fhid=11167
The Falmouth Food Pantry
271 Foreside Road
Falmouth, ME 04105,
or
St. Mary's Legacy Fund
43 Foreside Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
03/03/17 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
The club gathered in Club Assembly on Friday to hear updates on several key projects. Kris Rosado and Alex St. Hilaire shared the progress of the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) and reported that contributions and pledges are coming in at a faster pace than usual. “We are way ahead of where we normally are at this point,” Kris said, adding that MOC could have a very good year. The team is looking for large items to add to the live auction—vacation retreats, boating opportunities—and contributors should coordinate with Cyrus Hagge. The MOC team will be recruiting teams to solicit contributions from local businesses and will make detailed maps available to speed the process.
First Vice President Don Zillman discussed his approach to planning for next year as he continues the officer tradition in the club. He asked, “What should be our role with the District and International?” He referenced his Law School colleague, Anna Welch, who oversees the Law School’s Refugee and Human Rights Clinic. He reminded us of the Deering High School student, Laura Iteka, who was the recent recipient of the Youth Service Award, and who spent a year on the streets in Portland, “What help can we provide the unaccompanied minors who are coming to Portland as immigrants and need mentors and guardians and connections to the community?” Don asked those who had ideas and suggestions to connect with him directly.
Liz Fagan provided another perspective on the Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) project with a short presentation focused on the importance of literacy and language skills. Liz focused our attention on the landmark research conducted by Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995, which determined that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthday than others. Children who heard more words were significantly better in academic achievement than those who heard fewer. The study noted: “the kids who started out ahead, stayed ahead; the kids who started out behind, stayed behind.” The result is what we know as the “achievement gap.” The impact for us is that what may seem a small act, such as reading aloud to children, has an enormous impact on all of us. Liz reported that 85 percent of a child’s brain is developed in years one to three. “Children are not born smart,” she said. “They are made smart.”
More information about the Thirty-Million-Words project is at: http://thirtymillionwords.org/; and the video featuring the organization’s director, Dr. Dana Suskind, that Liz shared with us, can be found at: https://youtu.be/7qESE2GeZxo
*03/03/17 Club Assembly
In addition, Liz Fagan will provide more context to the importance of our CHE efforts from her perspective as a speech-language pathologist. She will address “The 30-Million Word Gap” which affects language, vocabulary and brain development needed for literacy development.
02/24/17 Bits & Pieces
02/24/17 Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus
*02/24/17 Pihcintu Multicultural Chorus
The power of survival eases, but never erases, the memory of unthinkable atrocities, physical danger and personal tragedy. Portland, Maine, an ever-expanding international resettlement community, was fertile ground to bring together children from diverse backgrounds to sing as one. Con Fullam, award-winning producer, musician, and songwriter, combined his passion for music with a deep concern for the effect of world issues on children - creating "The Chorus" with the help of countless supporting souls from all walks of life. This unique chorus of young women from Cambodia, China, Congo, El Salvador, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Viet Nam, British West Indies, and Zambia, along with children whose families have been here for generations, have formed a powerful and permanent bond. Through the healing power of music, these vulnerable, yet brave, young women have learned to trust, hope and laugh again. The children and their music are transformative. Being in their presence is a life-enhancing experience and they touch the hearts of all who hear them!
For more information, go to: www.confullam.com/
02/17/17 Bits & Pieces
Charlie Frair certainly has many faithful friends. Despite the winter storm last Sunday, Charlie's friends attended a fabulous birthday bash, which he designed to provide fellowship. In lieu of gifts, he requested that guests make a donation to the Rotary Club of Portland. Charlie, who is only 70-years young was flanked by his younger sister and his father, Paul, also a Rotarian. More than $2,000 was raised for Portland Rotary. Nice job, Charlie!
Ben Millick reminded us of a fellowship opportunity. On the first Wednesday of every month, the Portland Rotary Club will host a "Happy Hour" gathering. These events will be open for all Rotarians and is an opportunity for us to get together and have fun. The event will switch each month to a different location in Portland. Please feel free to bring guests! This is a good chance to introduce guests to the members and explain ways they can assist us in our efforts to better the community. We will be hosting our first event at the Oxbow Brewing Company, 49 Washington Ave., Portland, on Wednesday, March 1st, at 5:30 pm. You may register online at: http://portlandrotary.org/event/rotary-club-social-event-at-ox-box-brewing/
For questions or more information, contact Ben at: bmillick@clarkinsurance.com.
02/17/17 Xavier Botana, Superintendent Portland Schools
Mr. Botana was a member of Rotary when he lived and worked as the associate superintendent in the Michigan City, Indiana school system. Extending on his professional biography, he described the immigration history of his family after they left Cuba, where he was born. He prefaced his report with a history about the challenges he and his Cuban family experienced when they left Cuba during the revolution led by Fidel Castro and applied to enter the United States. Mr. Botana'a family were able to send him and his siblings to Spain to live with his grandparents while they applied for US immigration. They were eventually reunited and moved to Chicago, IL and eventually to Lancaster, PA.
(b) Whole student - social and emotional learning will prepare students to have habits of mind to make them well rounded and engaged in the community.
*02/17/17 Xavier Botana, Superintendent Portland Public Schools
He has found Portland to be a very welcoming community where he can make a permanent home with his wife and son.
2/10/17 Bits & Pieces
Peggy “Queenie” Wescott provided a whimsical invocation noting how descriptions of events, places, and people will certainly vary from region to region. With keen foresight into what would become a full-blown blizzard in New England over Sunday/Monday, Peggy noted that our Massachusetts friends would refer to it as “snowing tons.” Here in Maine, we’ll just give it a wave and shrug it off.
Laura asked “Tom Brady,” aka John Marr, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Kathy Grammer led us in “America The Beautiful.” Nicely done!
Laura took a moment to thank the members who prepared and worked on the meeting activities for the day.
Amy Chipman made her first appearance of the day at the podium to deliver a “Rotary Moment.” Rotary runs deep in her family, and many of us remember her father Charlie Barnes, a long time member of our club. It was back in 2001 when Amy moved into Cape Elizabeth and met up with Ellen Niewoehner. Speaking about Rotary, Amy intimated that she was going to look into the Cape Elizabeth club, but Ellen set her straight. Ellen brought Amy as a guest to Portland, and upon seeing so many familiar faces, the deal was sealed. Amy immediately jumped into club service. Working on a St. Vincent DePaul dinner, she admitted to being a little nervous the first time asking for member help from the podium. When a sea of hands went up, it was one of those “Rotary moments.” “Giving back” is in heart, and she proudly chaired the Foundation Committee from 2009-2016. Her goal is to participate in one of our Dominican Republic trips. In closing, Amy informed us, “I’m never going to leave!”
Time to sing: “Oh, When the Patriots, Go Marching In!” Naturally a good buzz off of that, as the Patriots took Super Bowl LI in amazing fashion on February 5th!
(Photo: President Laura, Ira Waltz and Laura Iteka.)
Ira Waltz, Principal at Deering High School, was welcomed to say a few words about our Youth Service Award recipient, Laura Iteka. Ira told the tale of this young girl born in a war-torn Africa, orphaned as a child. Raised by a guardian in Tanzania, she would make her way to the United States with her brother, both in their teens. Living homeless for weeks in Portland, she was saved by Catholic Charities, and then by foster parents, Nate and Nancy Nickerson. Described as engaging, curious, and intellectual, Laura enrolled into Deering High School in her sophomore year, and took off. Speaking four languages, honors and AP classes, and a participant in the Model UN Program, Youth Engagement Partners, and as a writer for “The Telling Youth,” she has inspired others around her. Introducing Laura, she immediately thanked the Nickerson’s, “the family she never had,” Deering High School, their incredible staff, and to Rotary for helping her future educational endeavors. She talked about the power to “give back” – the theme of the day started by Amy Chipman. An incredible story, and a truly remarkable young lady.
(Photo: Amy Chipman, Ron Bennett, Rob Chatfield, !st VP Don Zillman and Past President Dick Hall.)
Amy Chipman came back up to the podium with Dick Hall, to award a slate of Paul Harris Fellows. We paid tribute and respect to six Rotarians earning a PHF pin, and in many cases, not their first. David Small (2), Don Zillman (2), Alan Levenson (2), Loretta Rowe (5), and Ron Bennett (5). We also welcomed our newest Paul Harris Fellow, Rob Chatfield. Thank you all for your incredible service and dedication to our club and Rotary International.
(Photo: Steve Mortimer and Leonard Scott.)
The Jack of Diamonds returns zero on investment, so Steve Mortimer was busted on his draw from the deck of cards arranged by Leonard Scott. However, in the secondary market, Kathy Grammer was able to win a box of Black Dinah Chocolates, courtesy of our guest speakers.
2nd VP John Curran reported on the "Gift of Life" program that saw two children from Panama brought in to the United States for heart surgery. The 12-year old came through without a hitch and returns home this week. The other, a bit younger, had a rougher stretch. At one point it was feared he would not make it and was in neo-natal intensive care for an extended period. Good news to report is that he’s rebounded in great fashion, and is expected return home soon.
Membership - Mentoring Duos
02/10/17 Black Dinah Chocolates - Kate & Steve Shaffer
Rusty Atwood introduced our guest speaker Steve Shaffer, and his chocolate business, Black Dinah Chocolatiers.
(Photo: President Laura Young, Steve Shaffer and Rusty Atwood.)
In the spirit of American ingenuity, Black Dinah Chocolatiers was born to the “mother of invention,” who in this case turns out to be Kate Shaffer. The marriage of Kate and Steve Shaffer is an interesting story on its own. Neither Steve nor Kate are Maine natives, but they found their way to Vacationland and took to it in the adventurous, devil-may-care way as many newcomers do. The couple spent ten years off the coast of Acadia National Park, on Isle au Haut. They didn’t make the move with any expectations, but soon realized that you had to be determined and flexible to survive.
Since they were set up on the island, they needed a way to make some money and Kate decided that everyone needs to eat, so she would get into cooking while Steve continued to work construction. The food business was not what they had hoped, so Kate gave it further thought and found a way to combine her fascination with chemistry, artistry, and food. That spawned the chocolate-making business and a little café to sell it out of. While Kate enjoys the making of chocolate, she doesn’t particularly love the taste and eating of chocolate, so she leaves that to others, especially Steve.
The product quickly gained a following, despite the limits of island life. While the location may have been limiting, it was fortuitous because it is close to Downeast magazine and caught the attention of restauranteur, Sam Hayward, who shouted the chocolate café out to the readers. Soon they got further recognition from Gourmet magazine and more orders came in. The motherload came when they got a call from Martha Stewart magazine telling them they intended to do a piece on the chocolate (pun intended!) and asked if they would be able to keep up with a huge uptick in business. This good fortune forced them to reconsider their location and the limitations imposed, including temp help and the logistics of shipping....so they had to move from Isle au Haut, but keep the spirit of Black Dinah alive.
Their new-found Westbrook location and success brought with it some challenges. They have four employees to help them out. Steve is the marketer, while Kate is the maker. They have a host of regular corporate customers and the café is an attraction for the retail business, but the web-based marketing and logistics are a work in progress. Fluctuations in atmospheric conditions, particularly, temperature, can affect the taste of the confection. It also turns out that chocolate is best eaten at room temperature and in combination with other foods. Black Dinah procures the base chocolate from a couple of family farms located in Venezuela and Peru.
Steve was asked what makes chocolate so popular? It comes as no surprise that the taste, not too sweet, of the Black Dinah chocolate is the premier differentiation. Plus it seems that chocolate is quite social and perfect to give as a gift and to share. If you’re looking for something extra special and unique, try the shaved chocolate and mix up a thick chocolate drink.
If you’ve waited until the last minute to get something for your Valentine, head off to Black Dinah Chocolatiers Café and retail store located at 869 Main Street, Westbrook and pick up some truffles or shavings to save the day and the love of your life.
*02/10/17 Kate & Steve Shaffer - Black Dinah Chocolatiers
Since Steve and Kate Shaffer launched Black Dinah Chocolatiers from Isle au Haut in 2007, their hand-crafted truffles and gourmet confections have earned a raft of national awards for their flavor and artistry, as well as their sustainable and socially-responsible sourcing.
The company, named for a rocky outcropping near their island home, has been featured in magazines like "Martha Stewart Living and Gourmet." Kate Shaffer has been named one of the nation’s top chocolatiers.
The idea of making gourmet truffles on a wind-swept island off the coast of Maine was just random enough to be appealing in 2007, when Kate started studying chocolate. The idea of opening a funky, slightly urbane café in which to sell them at the edge of a quiet island forest was even more random—and therefore even more appealing. With Steve’s talent at business and creative problem solving and Kate’s gift with food and presentation, it sounded like just the business for them.
Two decades in kitchens from California to Maine has taught Kate lots about food and farms and the power of locally supported agriculture and small business. Mostly it’s taught her that things just taste better when they’re fresher....and Steve has learned that he’s happiest working and thinking in smaller communities.
In June of 2015, the Shaffers moved chocolate production from a 500-square-foot barn on Isle au Haut into a 4,255-square-foot space in Westbrook. While still connected to Isle au Haut, the move to Westbrook has brought 'Black Dinah' truffles, and other goodies, right to the doorstep of greater Portland.
So “close your eyes, take a bite, and share a taste that’s sweet as Maine.”
2/03/17 President Abraham Lincoln, The Man - Erin Bishop Cadigan, PhD
During his introduction of Erin Bishop Cadigan, Peter Goffin quoted, “We cannot escape history.”
(Photo: PP Peter Goffin, Erin Bishop Cadigan and President Laura Young.)
Erin Bishop Cadigan, PhD is a Museum Consultant with nearly 20 years of experience. From 2005-2009 she served as the Director of Education for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Her current projects include coordinating the Town of Falmouth’s Tercentennial Commemoration taking place in 2018. She obtained her MA in history as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at University College Dublin, Ireland, where she went on to receive her PhD. Erin’s wealth of information gave us a fascinating look at President Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln was a self-made man and portrayed himself that way. He came from a place where only the three Rs were taught, being self-taught. He lost his mother at a young age. He was a common man, who pulled himself up to each level he achieved. He had extraordinary charisma and women loved him.
Lincoln came from subsistence farming where the self-reliant family unit was crucial to stability and survival. Six generations of Lincolns were in America before Abraham, all with very strong family ties. It was common to have a son work to pay off a father’s debts and the big blended families did that to pay off family debts.
Lincoln lived in a time of change, during a market revolution. With the advent of the factory and improved transportation, it made the country smaller. Families would think beyond survival and raise extra cash crops. At 19 years old, he got a job to take a boat to New Orleans, where he had his first view of slavery.
Lincoln migrated from Kentucky to Indiana, then later to Illinois....ending up in New Salem, a transitional place for him....from backwoods to urban, from old to new, and from agricultural to urban. He embraced the idea that any man could raise his status in life through his own work.
Erin told us some interesting stories about how Abraham Lincoln dealt with his ne'er-do-well half-brother, John D. Johnson and "walked" us through a reading of the Gettysburg Address, asking us to read the parts with her that we held near and dear to our own beliefs today. It was a thought-provoking exercise.
For more on Abraham Lincoln, go to: www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540#synopsis
02/03/17 Bits & Pieces
Paul Tully presented our invocation with facts and figures about the enormous consumption of food and beverage when the country celebrates the last football event of the season, the Super Bowl. (This year our own New England Patriots are in the biggest game of the year.....and with the game on Sunday, we can report that they pulled off the Super Bowl win in fantastic fashion...forcing a first-in-history overtime game!)
Jan Chapman shared her personal 'Rotary Moment.' Jan was born into a Rotary family. Her 95-year old father had 55 years of perfect attendance in Rotary. Her brother and his wife are Rotarians, as of course is Jan’s husband and sponsor, Bruce Moore. Jan held off joining the club until she went with Bruce on the club’s International Service 3-H mission to the Dominican Republic. After that, she was convinced. Jan concluded by pointing out that the 4-Way Test is a great filter for the barrage of information we are all subjected to in our daily lives.
Russ Burleigh led us in singing "Happy Birthday" to our members celebrating February birthdays and then, in tune with our speaker's subject (Abraham Lincoln), led us in a rendition of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory."
President Laura briefly discussed the March 30 Rotary Alzheimers action group coming up. (See separate article in this issue.)
Past President Kris Rosado gave us a call to action for the Maine Outdoor Challenge, our largest annual fund raiser, to be held in June. He recognized the major sponsors and new teams forming to join the fun. Kris called upon the membership for raffle donations, like stays at vacation homes, cruises on yachts, sports packages, etc. For more information, contact Kris at: krisrosado67@gmail.com.
Kris also reminded us that the 2017 District 7780 Conference is coming up on May 19-21 at the luxurious Samoset Resort in Rockland. All Rotarians are invited/encouraged to register and attend. For more information, go to the District website at: rotary7780.org
Ben Millick announced a fellowship opportunity. On the first Wednesday of every month, the Portland Rotary Club will host a "Happy Hour" gathering. These events will be open for all Rotarians and is an opportunity for us to get together and have fun. The event will switch each month to a different location in Portland. Please feel free to bring guests! There are a number of people in this city who have the time and willingness to volunteer, but due to work constraints, don't have the flexibility to make the weekly lunch meetings that are required of Rotarians. This is a good chance to introduce them to the members and explain ways they can assist us in our efforts to better the community. We will be hosting our first event at the Oxbow Brewing Company, 49 Washington Ave., Portland, on Wednesday, March 1st, at 5:30 pm. For questions or more information, contact Ben at: bmillick@clarkinsurance.com.
*02/03/17 Erin Bishop Cadigan, PhD - President Abraham Lincoln
01/27/17 Bits & Pieces
Mike Reed led us in our Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Kathy Grammer led us in singing "America" (My Country Tis of Thee).
President Laura then introduced us to visiting Rotarians and guests, plus thanked all those that assisted with today’s meeting. She also thanked those members who participated in the Lyseth Reading Project to 3rd graders (photo).
Russ Burleigh and Kathy Grammer led us in singing 'Vive La Rotary' – all three stanzas. We sounded great!
Amy Chipman discussed the Rotary Foundation and made Matt Tassey a surprise Paul Harris Fellow for the second time. He received a well-deserved standing ovation for the award. Congratulations, Matt!
Ellen Niewoehner reminded us of the Rotary Ski social on February 8th at Sunday River Resort. She says that Rotarians should plan to meet at the South Ridge Lodge at 9:00 a.m. Grab your boots and skis and get ready for a good time with fellow Rotarians.
01/27/17 Ben Waxman - American Roots
Words of Wisdom (Invocation Contents)
Those who like the new president should pray that he governs so successfully that their hopes are realized. Those who don’t like the new president should pray that, at the end of his term if not before, they are surprised that they were wrong.
This means we should pray for many things, specifically. We should pray for physical safety. Leading a nation is a perilous thing, as we have seen throughout our country’s history. We should pray also for wisdom and discernment.
A president — or any elected official — will have many expert advisers giving counsel, and many of these experts will see things differently. We should pray that Trump would at every turn have the foresight to differentiate between all the competing options in a way that benefits the country and the rest of the world.
We should also pray that the president is able to bring about peace. This means we pray that he would lead the world toward peaceful resolutions of conduct.
We also should pray that God uses him, through the bully pulpit of the presidency, to model what it means for an often-divided nation to live in peace and civility with one another, even when we disagree. A president cannot do that alone, but we should pray that, as in other times in our history, the president is able to make a start.
*01/27/17 Ben Waxman/Whitney Reynolds - American Roots, Made in America
Ben Waxman is a Portland native, third-generation textile worker, and co-founder of Portland, Maine based company American Roots (AR). Founded in 2015 and successfully launched in the fall of 2015, American Roots is a 100% American made textile and apparel company that specializes in direct retail and business to business sales.
Ben left a 16-year career in American politics and organized labor with the national AFL-CIO in 2013 to begin the process of launching a company that would create good paying jobs in his home town. Ben, along with his fiance, Whitney Reynolds, had the idea to provide good jobs and to make a high-quality clothing product made with 100% American-made materials and to keep it at an affordable price.
With an extensive national network of business, labor, and political organizations, Ben has been able to create a significant sales base. With a focus on sales, workforce development, and significant public relations background, Ben along with the American Roots team, has worked tirelessly to expand the American Roots name in its first year.
Ben is a Portland, Maine native, who attended Portland High School and some college time. Ben was inspired by his mother, Dory Waxman of Old Port Wool and his father Dan to pursue building American Roots and continuing a family tradition of textiles. He is an avid fly fisherman, Red Sox fan and family man.
Whitney left a twenty-year career in the hospitality industry in the spring of 2015 to join Ben in the launching of AR. With a background in finance, customer service and management, Whitney made the adjustment to manufacturing with a set of solid workforce skills. She has a primary focus as the Chief Financial Officer, as well as oversight on production, R&D, product line, vendor relations, and staff development. Whitney is originally from Rochester, New York, and graduated from Fordham University. She is an outdoors enthusiast and used to ski competitively.
American Roots had over 10,000 individual units sold in year one with estimated sales in 2017 of 25,000 units to customers across the country. Ben continues to work to broaden the AR brand and network through his personal connections and targeted marketing tactics along with some affinity marketing models.
Ben and Whitney reside in Westbrook, Maine and are expecting their first child in March.
02/20/17 Bits & Pieces
(Photo: District Governor Marge Barker.)
Glenn Nerbak shared a Rotary Moment, which focused on his appreciation for the Club’s dedication to service that appealed to him, and the examples set by Jack Carr, John Marr, and Kris Rosado. Glenn provided a few slides showing Interact Club members engaged in a variety of service projects focused on hunger and Crutches4Africa. President Laura thanked Glenn for his critical role in establishing an Interact Club at Portland High School.
02/20/17 Daniel Sonenberg, USM Composer, Opera Made in Maine
For more information, go to: www.danielsonenberg.org
Storm-Related Meeting Cancellation
Our club policy regarding storm-related
cancellations of Rotary meetings:
IF PORTLAND SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED,
PORTLAND ROTARY DOES NOT MEET.
Please watch your TV news/weather
broadcasts on Friday mornings.
*01/20/17 Dan Sonenberg - Made In Maine - Opera
Daniel Sonenberg is a composer, performer and educator living in Portland, Maine. He is best known as the composer of The Summer King, a two-act opera on the life of Negro League baseball great Josh Gibson. With the support of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, the opera received its concert world premier at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium in a concert presented by Portland Ovations and co-sponsored by the University of Southern Maine. The opera has been in development for over ten years with the Brooklyn-based company American Opera Projects. In February, 2016, Pittsburgh Opera announced that it would present the staged World Premier of a revised Summer King in five performances at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center, beginning on April 29, 2017.
For the past several years, Mr. Sonenberg has divided his creative energy between works of concert music and recording and producing albums of his original rock music. In each domain, Mr. Sonenberg has allowed his involvement in the other to infiltrate his music making. His Machine Shop (2015) for marimba and recorded electric guitar was commissioned by the Utah-based percussionist Lynn Vartan, with the support of the Maine Arts Commission and premiered at the University of Southern Maine in April, 2015.
Since 2013, Mr. Sonenberg has released new rock music each year. His band Lovers of Fiction released a debut E.P. The Bear in 2013 and a full-length album, Long Overdue in 2015. In between those two efforts, and immediately following the premier of his opera, Dan released a solo album, Peaks Island Ferry, for which he played all of the instruments. He was the principal mixer and recording engineer on all of the albums as well.
Dan is an Associate Professor of Music and Resident Composer at the University of Southern Maine, where he has taught since 2004. He is willing to admit that as a native New Yorker and he grew up as a Yankee fan. Ironically, his arrival at USM was followed quickly by a Red Sox World Series championship - more baseball history and perhaps a future opera?
01/13/17 Bits & Pieces
We were also given the sad news that Mary Jean Pearce, wife of the late Duane Pearce (previous member), passed away. Her services are being coordinated by Conroy-Tully Funeral Services. For more details, go to: www.conroytullywalker.com/notices/MaryJean-Pearce.
History of Portland Rotary Club
01/13/17 Greg Powell, Executive Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation Board of Trustees
You're Invited....
our new members this Friday at 11:00 a.m.
of joining the Portland Rotary Club...
and what we can do to make it better.
01/06/17 Bits & Pieces
*01/13/17 Greg Powell, President Dexter Enterprises/Alfond Foundation
Gregory W. Powell is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Dexter Enterprises, Inc., a wealth management firm owned by the Alfond family and is Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in Maine.
Since childhood, Powell has personally known Harold Alfond, the founder of Dexter Shoe Company, as a family friend and philanthropist. Working together, Powell and Alfond, created Dexter Enterprises, Inc. in 1996 to manage the Alfond family’s investments, philanthropy and business affairs and to administer the Foundation’s charitable projects in Maine and other states. For over a decade Alfond and Powell worked closely to build the wealth management business of Dexter Enterprises and to design and award charitable grants for education, health care and youth development in Maine and elsewhere. Alfond and Powell deployed Alfond’s business philosophy and acumen to develop a model of philanthropic grant making, emphasizing entrepreneurial solutions, creativity, community engagement and partnership. In 2005, Alfond selected Powell to succeed him as Chairman of the Foundation. At his death in 2007, Alfond ensured that his philanthropy would live on by donating all of his wealth to the Foundation.
In almost ten years since Alfond’s passing, under Powell’s leadership, Dexter Enterprises has built and managed a fourteen-company investment platform providing access to high quality investment funds world wide.
During the same period, the Foundation has become the largest foundation in the State of Maine, awarding grants of over $270 million, with an annual grant-awarding budget at $37 million in 2016.
Before founding Dexter Enterprises, Inc., Powell practiced law in Maine for 15 years, concentrating his practice on trial law. Prior to private practice, he served as a clerk to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He is a 1977 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wesleyan University and a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Maine Law Review. Powell was named to Maine magazine’s 2014 list of “50 People Who Have Made a Difference in Maine in Deep and Lasting Ways.”
Greg lives in Cape Elizabeth with his wife, Amy. They have two grown daughters, Molly and Catherine.
For more information on the Harold Alfond Foundation, visit: www.haroldalfondfoundation.org
01/06/17 John Gallagher, MSHA - Affordable Housing Issues/Solutions
Mr. Gallagher explained that the Maine State Housing Authority doesn’t actually build affordable housing in Maine – they make much of their money from loans to others (who knew?), as well as other programs.
Open House - Transformation Project
OPEN HOUSE for LCYDC supporters
venue, the future home of DJ’s Café and our supportive living apartments.
Enjoy desserts, coffee and talk with our staff.
*01/06/17 John Gallagher, MSHA - Affordable Housing Issues
John Gallagher is director of Maine State Housing Authority, a position he’s held since his appointment by Governor Paul LePage in fall 2012. Previously, John served as Executive Director of Westbrook Housing Authority for more than 12 years, President of Westbrook Development Corporation, as a Program Manager for the Development Department at MaineHousing, and as a residential real estate agent for more than 20 years.
John is currently a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Advisory Council.
He served on the boards of the Maine Association of Public Housing Directors, Residential Initiatives for Maine, the Southern Maine Affordable Rental Housing Coalition, the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, the Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, Avesta Housing, the Genesis Foundation, and the New England Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
The mission of MaineHousing is to assist Maine people to obtain and maintain decent, safe, affordable housing and services suitable to their unique housing needs. For more information, go to their web site at www.mainehousing.org.
Crutches4Africa - David Talbot
"Happy New Year.....that’s what we are looking forward to.
God is surely in control and has work for David to do yet to come. One lesson learned, and message we want to pass along to all of you is to love one another deeply without reservation. You do not know when things will change forever. David was able to appreciate a living eulogy, so to speak.
So many people wrote and told him how much he meant to them and so many others. Why not let people know while they are living what you might want to say at their funeral. Rejoice in all your relationships, forgive those who have not been kind, bless those who do not bless you. Try reaching out to virtual strangers, they might become your best friends.
We gave away over 12,000 mobility devices this year already. We have about 3,000 on the high seas right now, and plan to ship two more before March is over. Other team members with some experience will be jumping in with both feet to keep C4A running smoothly.
David, Candice and Jazz, the dog (and two parakeets Sunshine and Snow)”
12/23/16 Bits & Pieces
Laura thanked all who helped make the weekly meeting possible, including the members from the: Meeting Day Committee, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Windjammer reporters; and the hard-working staff at the Holiday Inn.
President Laura thanked Linda Varrell, chair of the Public Relations Committee, for helping prepare and send press releases to the media in order to spread the word about our club.
Elise Hodgkin (left in photo at right), our club's Administrative Coordinator, was presented with a 'thank you' gift from President Laura.
Special thanks also went out to our recent Salvation Army bell-ringing Rotarians: Ralph Hendrix, Paul Tully, Roger Asch, Ron Bennett, Tom Ranello, George Crockett, Mike Fortunato, Jerry Angier, Travis Parker, Rusty Atwood, Tom Talbott, Dick Giles, Leonard Scott, Bowen Depke, Bruce Jones, Andreea Paine, Rob Chatfield, Jim Willey, Tom Nickerson, and Cyrus Hagge.
Portland High School Rotary Interact Club
12/23/16 Our Special Holiday Program
The theme of the program was “The Bells of Christmas” and we were provided with a combination of history lesson and sing-along that got the large crowd into the Christmas spirit, with an acknowledgement to other celebrations within our club, the nation and the larger planet. It was interesting that the bells of Christmas were originally used to ward off evil spirits, but became intertwined with the Christian holiday in the many, many songs that have become part of the lexicon of Christmas.
“Ding Dong Merrily on High,” first published in 1589 as a dance instruction tune, was updated in the 1800’s and has become a holiday favorite. After warming the room with our voices on that piece, Kathy tried to get us to join her in singing “Kling Glockchen Kling,” a German holiday song. Our effort was strong, but the results were lacking. “Sliver Bells” was a vast improvement. Written for the movie, “The Lemondrop Kid,” starring Bob Hope, the song became an instant hit…but not as big as “Jingle Bell Rock,” which has become one of the most popular songs in history. Our Rotary chorus nailed each of these and felt increasingly confident as Russ continued on. When he began discussing “Campana Sobre Compana,” a Spanish tune, we were brought back to the reality that all of us need to maintain our day jobs.
Russ introduced us to the controversy that has swirled around “Jingle Bells” since 1857, when James Lord Piermont wrote the popular tune. Both Medford, Massachusetts and Savannah, Georgia claim to have been the “birthplace” of the song, which interestingly was the first song played in space, in 1965. There has been no resolution to the dispute, but we New Englanders adopt the “snowier” explanation of Medford.
“The Bells of Finland” was followed by a fascinating description of how “I heard The Bells on Christmas Day” was written by Portland’s own Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Kathy gave us a warm rendition of the song and we concluded our meeting with a sign-a-long of “Silver Bells,” which allowed us all to leave the meeting and head out into the cold with the warmth of Christmas bells chiming in our heads.
Many thanks to Russ and Kathy….and a very happy holiday season to us all!
*12/23/16 Special Holiday Program
This coming Friday, the final Friday Rotary meeting of 2016, a program in tribute to the holiday season will be presented. Christmas StoryTeller, Russ Burleigh, will be joined by Kathy Grammer as they sing, talk and play piano in a program they’re calling “The Bells of Christmas.”
Russ has been storytelling for the past 25 years. He got his start when he wrote and recorded stories about Christmas carols and traditions for the radio. That led to his developing Christmas StoryCards which are greeting cards that contain the history and origin of whatever subject was depicted on the front of the card. His cards have been sold at the Smithsonian Museum Shops and Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, at L. L. Bean, Toronto’s largest department store, Bronner’s Christmas World in Michigan and many other stores around the country. For several years, while running his printing business, he used to ship between 10,000 and 15,000 custom-designed StoryCards to a radio station in Massachusetts.
StoryTelling began as a result of the success of the cards. Russ does these “gigs” every December from four to eight times, visiting various Rotary Clubs in the district, Kiwanis clubs, churches, retirement homes, etc.
Friday's message is concerned with providing details about the history and origin of Christmas music that contains “bells.” You will hear about “Silver Bells,” “Jingle Bells,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and several more, including a few surprises, not to mention a number of invitations to the members to join in on the singing.
You will definitely enjoy this program and come away feeling an extra helping of the Christmas spirit!
12/16/16 Getting To Know New Mainers, Reza Jalali, USM
12/16/16 Bits & Pieces
President Laura began the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, with 48 Rotarians, 2 visiting Rotarians and 6 guests. George Crockett was asked to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Russ Burleigh presented an invocation with an Irish blessing and Kathy Grammer played the keyboard, as we sang a patriotic song.
Lionel Nima was called upon to give us a 'Rotary Moment.' Lionel came to us originally from the Congo, first coming to Denver where he studied English and successfully worked in sales. He is currently working in Portland as a caregiver and seeks to continue his studies in legal training at USM School of Law. A friend of Lionel’s suggested that Rotary would be a good way of connecting with his community, so Lionel checked out the Portland club, deciding to join us as a member. We are sure that the Dean of USM School of Law in attendance took note of Lionel’s worthy legal ambitions.
Russ Burleigh led us in singing, "Winter Wonderland," again accompanied on the keyboard by Kathy Grammer.
Russ remained at the podium and told us about the good works of his wife, Joan Steinberg. Joan has knitted another 100 pairs of mittens for the children at the Lyseth School. For the past 8 years, she has knitted colorful and warm mittens for various local charities and has found Lyseth to be a good fit for being the recipient of her love of knitting and good will back to the community.
Russ, honoring his wife for all the work she has put into this project, presented Joan with a Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations, Joan......and "Thank You" from all of us.
Jennifer Frederick led our weekly raffle draw, asking our speaker to pull a name from the bucket, so they could try their luck at finding the Queen of Hearts and win the $1,085 pot. Patty Erickson, in a colorful Christmas sweater, had her name drawn, but she drew the wrong queen, leaving the elusive Queen of Hearts in the deck for the next lucky contestant.
President Laura spoke of the recent well-attended "Holiday Beverage Bazaar" that raised $800 for our Lyseth School student reading project. Laura explained that we have 5 slots left in the reading project...if you would like to help, please contact Lili Brown at: lilinbrown@gmail.com Laura also thanked Cyrus Hagge, Youth Services Committee, PR Committee, Rusty Atwood and Kris Rosado for helping to secure the funds so the books can be purchased for the first round of readings in 2017.
President Laura announced the slate of proposed club officers for 2017-2018 Rotary year. All were voted in unanimously. (See separate article listing the slate of officers in this issue.)
President Laura then asked for a vote on the proposed change to our Club's Bylaws, dissolving the Service and Memorial Fund and adding the creation of the Rotary Club of Portland's Endowment Fund. It was approved by the attending Club Members. (The Club's governing documents are available on our website.)
Tom Nickerson requested volunteers for 'CASH.' He was not deluged by a throng of 'cash' seekers, but the attentive audience learned of a volunteer opportunity for "Creating Asset Savings and Hope," a Goodwill initiative to be held on Saturday, February 19, 2017 9am-4pm. Volunteers will provide free tax preparation for low-to-moderate income families and individuals. Free training and no tax experience necessary, just a willingness to help. For more details, call 699-0753 or go to: cash@goodwilllnne.org
Danielle Conway introduced us to Portland’s newest member, Michel Kanyambo, a Rwanda refugee, married with two sons. Welcome to Portland Rotary, Michel!
12/09/16 Bits & Pieces
President Laura convened the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, welcoming 62 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests. She asked Pearl Harbor survivor, Earle Leavitt, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Kathy Grammer presented us an invocation with an Irish Blessing:
May your past be a pleasant memory,
Your future filled with delight and mystery,
Your now, a glorious moment
That fills your life with deep contentment.
Russ Burleigh played the keyboard, as we sang our patriotic song, "God Bless America."
President Laura thanked the members who contributed to the smooth operation of our weekly meeting. Steve Stromsky and Justin Lamontagne are in our thoughts for their speedy return to good health.
Elizabeth Banwell presented a "Rotary Moment," recalling her first days in the club and a fortunate encounter with Peter Ingram, which developed into a career opportunity for Elizabeth. She credits the openness of our club members as she said, and we include the “development of acquaintance and an opportunity for service” as a core mission of Rotary that has won Elizabeth to our membership and continues to be the mainstay of our organization.
Kathy Grammer and Russ Burleigh led us in singing a rousing rendition of “Jingle Bells,” as it filled the hall with a joyful noise.
Jean Murchanian led the weekly raffle, with our speaker Dean Rock, selecting Tom Ranello’s name for the opportunity to draw the Queen of Hearts for a $1,039 prize. Alas, Tom came close, but drew the Jack of Hearts. Better luck next week.
Amy Chipman spoke to us with a Foundation Moment. "Circle of Five" members were reminded to send or bring their checks to Rotary before the end of the year. Sustaining foundation member Don Lowry was recognized for his ninth Paul Harris Fellow, who is an inspiration for his Rotary giving and Rotary friendship.....regularly bringing our good pal, Harry Sawyer to our meetings. Way to go, Don!!
Dick Giles requested membership support for our Dominican Republic 3-H projects. The Dominicans working in the Batees have little access to electricity and after-dark lighting. $20 will cover the cost of a solar-powered light and the 3-H team is hoping to bring 200 lights with them to the DR on their April 2017 trip. George Crockett donated 23 lights. Dick has another 20 lined up. Gracie Johnston moved through those in attendance and garnered another $220 in contributions. Send your contribution to Elise at the Rotary mailing address or bring your donation to the next Rotary meeting. If submitting a check, please mark the memo line: DR solar light.
President Laura retold of the Club's initiative for our reading partnership with USM School of Law. Are you fluent in Spanish? If so, you could be so much help, as there are three Spanish immersion classrooms. If you would like to volunteer or need additional information, please contact Lili Brown at: lilinbrown@gmail.com.
Rob Chatfield reminded us of a friend-raising opportunity with our "Holiday Beverage Bazaar" at Maine Craft Distilling, Dec. 14th, 5-7:30 p.m. at 101 Fox Street....we are hosting a spirits tasting for a $20 donation....light fare provided by the Cheese Iron. Bring a friend to show them the fellowship side of our club.
Past President Bowen Depke, Chair of this year's Nominating Committee presented the nominations for the 2017-18 slate of Club Officers (separate article follows).
12/09/16 Making & Impact of 3D Printed Hands
Dean noted that even though the hand design is simple, the process does create a significant amount of plastic waste caused by variations in temperature during the extruding process. Despite the number of hands, or other parts, he has created on his 3D printer, Dean still finds the process fascinating. “I have spent many hours just staring,” he said.
*12/16/16 Reza Jalali, USM Director Multicultural Student Affairs
12/02/16 Bits & Pieces
Not many survivors remain of that “day of infamy,” but we have one right here in Portland Rotary – our own hero and Pearl Harbor survivor, Earle Leavitt. (Photo: Earle Leavitt and Jim Willey.)
12/2/16 State of the Club at Portland Rotary
President Laura Young began by briefly explaining all the major line items in the Club Operating budget....pointing out that the Operating Budget is how we run Portland Rotary. She then went on to talk about the Charitable budget, again with a discussion on the sources and uses of funds. The Charitable budget has now been expanded to include an Endowment Fund.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge is our largest fundraiser for the Charitable budget. Expenditures from this budget include International service in the Dominican Republic, youth services (primarily directed to education/literacy), and community services (primarily directed to feeding hunger programs).
The Club Assembly concluded with Leisa Collins explaining our mentoring program with new members within our club and then having a new member at each table conduct a "getting to know you" Q&A for their table. Very informative!
*12/09/16 John Curran and Dean Rock - 3-D Prosthetic Hands
Portland Rotary’s John Curran knew what he wanted – more realistic prosthetics for people in the Dominican Republic who were missing a hand or arm – but he needed someone with the knowhow and technology to make the vision a reality. That someone, Dean Rock, who is retired and lives in Cumberland, owns a 3-D printer and is part of a global group of volunteers (e-NABLE) who literally “print prosthetics.”
e-NABLE describes itself as a global network of “passionate volunteers” who are using 3-D printing to “Give The World A Helping Hand.”
There were challenges along the way, such as getting accurate measurements and making designs specific to the user’s purpose, which John and Dean can describe more fully this Friday.
Dean accompanied the Rotary team that went to the Dominican Republic in October and fitted 15 men with their new prosthetics. He said in a 'Forecaster' article this past August, “What I’m really looking forward to with this trip is the look on one man’s face of the difference this will make in his life. That will be my reward.”
Sounds simple. Looks easy. But, wait, as we will learn this Friday, there’s more to the story.
*12/02/16 Club Assembly
11/23/16 Thanks to Rotarians, Friends and Family
The Portland Rotary Club made a difference this Thanksgiving.
More than 130 people were served an early Thanksgiving feast at the St Vincent DePaul Food Kitchen on Wednesday, Nov. 23rd.
This is at least the 30th straight year the Portland Rotary Club has been serving up a tasty Thanksgiving meal.
Wednesday’s menu featured many of the traditional favorites like roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
"We're giving people a good hot meal and we're also passing out boxes of food that they can take home for celebrating Thanksgiving,” Jesse Senore, president, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, said.
(Photo: Jesse Senore, St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen)
"This is a nice way to receive table-side service, making it feel a little bit like a restaurant,” Eric Greven, Community Service Chair, said.
All the food was donated by local businesses, with the Portland Rotary Club members, friends and family preparing and serving the meals.
To watch a video on the event produced by WGME 13 News, please go to: http://wgme.com/news/local/portland-rotary-club-serves-up-an-early-thanksgiving-feast
11/18/16 Bits & Pieces
Dave Small offered an invocation to celebrate the coming Thanksgiving. Filling in for Queenie, Dave was able to find a wonderful poem entitled, “Be Thankful,” which set a fine tone for our luncheon meeting. John Marr led us in the pledge, and Russ Burleigh tickled the ivories while the club belted out a spirited version of “God Bless America.” While not quite as rousing, later in the meeting Janelle LoSciuto provided us an opportunity to sing a slow, slow version of “Bless this House,” with a video musical accompaniment to go along with the lyrics, which again focused on the upcoming day of thanks. Janelle was thankful that Roger Fagan kept her toddler busy while she spearheaded our efforts.
Bill Green pulled visitor By West’s name for the raffle draw but the Queen of Hearts, which would have been worth $980, remained elusive.
Several Rotarians have been in the news of late: Max Chikuta was quoted in the Portland Press Herald, Danielle Conway was featured in Maine Biz, and President Laura was interviewed for the Channel 8 news coverage at our Veteran’s Appreciation luncheon.
Speaking of the luncheon, Charlie Frair gave us a quick rundown on how our second annual event fared. With the help of 53 Portland Rotarian volunteers, Paul Tully and Charlie had the support they needed to make this year’s event a rousing success. Last year, we had 53 veterans attend...this year, that number almost tripled to 143! The financial goal of raising $5000 was exceeded, with $6750 being raised from 15 donors. Add to that the door receipts, and over $8000 was raised.... leaving us, after costs, with a $2000+ donation to be made to a yet-to-be-determined veteran’s cause. This event has been a huge success with the goal of “honoring, appreciating, acknowledging and thanking” veterans being more than reached. Thanks go out to all in the club who helped make this a very special luncheon. A “de-briefing” will be held on December 2nd at 11:15, for any and all who want to offer input for next year’s event to be an even bigger success.
Ron Bennett offered a “Rotary Moment,” running briefly through his background as a child from Orono, where his father taught at the university....to his degree from Brown and his MBA from Dartmouth....to his work career as a partner in a local accounting firm. It was in 2000 when he was first introduced to Portland Rotary by a “competitor” in the biz, Naj Lotfey. After attending a meeting at The Portland Club, Ron was hooked. He joined in early 2001 and has served as our club treasurer, has prepared our tax returns for years, and is currently active at the district level, serving a three-year term on the finance committee. He has also volunteered at the Preble Street soup kitchen, served meals at St. Vincent DePaul, and has rung the Salvation Army bell at Monument Square. Ron has clearly enjoyed his 15 years in the club and he gave thanks to Naj for offering him this opportunity to serve.
Erik Greven, Community Service Chair, reminded us of two upcoming opportunities to volunteer: on Wednesday, Nov. 23rd, we will once again be prepping and serving meals at St. Vincent DePaul’s Soup Kitchen....then beginning on December 5th and running through the 23rd, we will once again be monitoring the kettle and bell at Monument Square. Sign up at meetings or contact Erik at: egrev95@aol.com
11/18/16 WCSH6 - Bill Green's Maine
Over the course of his career he has had the privilege of interviewing some of Maine’s most prominent citizens....some under weird circumstances....such as Governor John Reed at his potato farm in 'The County,' where Reed showed up in his usual gray suit and spectacles.....to Joe Brennan who was totally without any pretense. Regardless of where he is or who he is talking to, his goal is to give you the sense that you are there and part of what’s going on.
11/10/16 Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
THANKS For Giving To Those In Need
Wednesday November 23rd, Portland Rotary will supply, cook and serve dinner for the patrons of the St Vincent DePaul food kitchen.
We need more - and your - help! The serving team, who volunteers their time for just one hour, 12:30 till 1:30 p.m., needs your help to assist with this great cause - helping those citizens who otherwise won't have access to a Thanksgiving dinner .
Please click on the following email address: egrev95@aol.com to send an email to Erik Greven and sign up. You will feel so good that you helped.
Thank you,
Erik Greven
Chair, Community Service
Portland Rotary Club
Crutches4Africa
Packing will take place at the warehouse where the crutches are being stored at 20 Gooch Street in Biddeford.
We’re still accepting crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs for this or future shipments.
FMI, please contact Jan Chapman at: janchapman1966@gmail.com or Bruce Moore at: brucevmoore@gmail.com.
We recently learned some sad news about Dave Talbot, the founder of Crutches 4 Africa. He suffered a mild heart attack and is recovering well. We send our wishes to Dave for a quick and complete recovery.
Photo Corner / Rotarians in the News
*11/18/16 Bill Green, WCSH6
11/04/16 Bits & Pieces
*11/10/16 Special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
This Thursday, Portland Rotary will host a
special Veterans' Appreciation Lunch
at the Italian Heritage Center.
The cost for all other attendees is $20....please pay at the door...cash and checks only.
11/04/16 Governor Paul LePage
*11/04/16 Maine Governor Paul LePage
Governor LePage has spent most of his life tackling one challenge after another, the kinds of challenges that defeat most people.
The oldest son of eighteen children in an impoverished, dysfunctional family, he left home at the age of eleven to escape domestic violence and lived on the streets of Lewiston for two years, making a meager living shining shoes.
At age thirteen, two families jointly “adopted” Governor LePage. Eddy and Pauline Collins kept him busy washing dishes at the Theriault’s Cafe. Bruce and Joan Myrick kept him busy hauling boxes. Bruce was a Pepsi-Cola truck driver. Later the Governor worked at the Antoine Rubber Company and at a meat packing company.
While attending Husson, he supported himself as a short order cook and bartender, while making time to be the editor of the college newspaper.
Getting into Husson presented a challenge in itself. Governor LePage was brought up speaking French. With the help of U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe’s first husband, Peter, he was able to take an admissions exam in French to demonstrate his strong comprehension abilities and earn admittance.
In college, Governor LePage excelled academically and graduated with a BS in Business Administration in Finance/Accounting. He then went on to earn an advanced college degree – an MBA from the University of Maine.
We need a headcount for the hotel. Please email Elise by 4 PM today/Wednesday, if you wish to attend and the number of guests you will be bringing. Email at: portlandrotary@maine.rr.com
10/28/16 Bits & Pieces
Charlie Frair reminded everyone to sign up for the Veterans Appreciation Luncheon, Nov 10th, at the Italian Heritage Center, encouraging everyone to arrive by 11:30 a.m. to be checked in. It will be a full program that will run from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Please register online: http://portlandrotary.org/event/celebration-lunch-for-veterans/ or call Elise at the Rotary office: 899-6342. Sign up deadline is by Friday Nov 4th.
Nine Rotarians were invited to remove their red dots that indicated they were new Rotarians in the club for their initial six months.
District 7780 Centennial Celebration - 100 for 100
Register at: http://rotary7780.org/event/million-dollar-journey-dinner-kickoff/
- Meet and be inspired by our 2018-19 R.I. President John Germ.
- Because our Foundation is 100 years strong - Not many foundations can boast 100 years of success.
- Share fellowship with Rotarians from around the district.
- Because our work to support peace and end conflict is making our world a better place, one person at a time.
- Celebrate the lives changed by humanitarian projects brought about by you and our club.
- Enjoy an Around-the-World station dinner - selections from Morocco, India, Thailand and our own New England.
- Because Rotary's future is bright and your participation makes it even brighter!
John Gallagher, Director MSHA
John Gallagher is director of Maine State Housing Authority, a position he’s held since his appointment by Governor Paul LePage in fall 2012. Previously, John served as Executive Director of Westbrook Housing Authority for more than 12 years, President of Westbrook Development Corporation, as a Program Manager for the Development Department at MaineHousing, and as a residential real estate agent for more than 20 years.
John is currently a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Advisory Council.
He served on the boards of the Maine Association of Public Housing Directors, Residential Initiatives for Maine, the Southern Maine Affordable Rental Housing Coalition, the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, the Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, Avesta Housing, the Genesis Foundation, and the New England Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.
The mission of MaineHousing is to assist Maine people to obtain and maintain decent, safe, affordable housing and services suitable to their unique housing needs. For more information, go to their web site at www.mainehousing.org.
10/28/16 Sandy Maisel, Colby College
Light Up Their Lives!
The Batays in the Dominican Republic are located some 15-20 miles outside of the city, where night darkness is intense. Access to electricity is very limited and without light, the safety of the inhabitants is an issue. The 3-H team would like to take 70-100 collapsible portable lights with them on their upcoming trip and are looking for volunteer donations of $15 per light to help fund this important project.
(Photo: Dick Giles demonstrating a portable solar light.)
Daylight Savings Time Ends
Centennial Photo - June 2016
10/21/16 Bits & Pieces
Andreea Paine provided us with a Rotary Moment and skillfully blended Adam Smith’s invisible hand theory of supply and demand in a free market to what she has learned in Rotary by using the 4-Way Test. Her message could be interpreted to mean that she likes our way of volunteering and doing good in the community.
Dave Putnam gave an update about the volunteers who mentor troubled youth at Long Creek Youth Center on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. He discussed a recent pumpkin decorating visit where – as usual – volunteering for a couple of hours seems to provide him with more than what he gives.
10/21/16 Richard Fallon Harvard School of Law
Our guest speaker, Law Professor Richard Fallon Jr., was introduced by Rotarian David Clough.
He emphasized, however, that the Court's role is limited to ruling on only a few of the most important issues that the nation confronts. For example, the Supreme Court has almost nothing to do with the nation's economy or "to build, or not to build, a wall." Moreover, the Supreme Court justices vastly agree more than they disagree on the issues. Because the justices generally agree that the lower courts have applied the proper legal frameworks to decide cases, they normally agree to review only about 70 cases per year, out of about 8,000 in which their review is sought. Even in those cases that the court agrees to hear, they rule unanimously 40 percent of the time. Moreover, the justices tend to reach consensus over time on issues that once divided them.
Professor Fallon sought to explain some of the issues where the justices disagree, like they do about women's access to abortion and about gun rights. He said that disagreement is not always between justices who try to rule based on original intent and those who believe in a living constitution. An example comes from the Second Amendment, which guarantees a right "to keep and bear arms." In interpreting the Second Amendment, all of the justices agree that history matters, but, they disagree about what history shows. Five of the justices have concluded that the Second Amendment was originally understood to protect a private right to keep guns for self-defense. By contrast, the four dissenting justices in the Court's most important case thought that the history showed that the right to bear arms is connected with service in a "well-regulated militia," to which the Second Amendment specifically refers.
The justices tend to conclude that historical evidence supports conclusions that they think wise, sound, or desirable. Yet, while all of the justices try to decide some cases in accord with the Constitution's original meaning, all of the justices also believe it is sometimes important to follow prior rulings, or what some lawyers call "precedents." Nevertheless, all of the justices think that some precedents should be overruled. Although lower courts are supposed to follow Supreme Court precedents, the court sometimes uses test cases to reverse its own prior conclusions.
In a response to a question about the Senate approval to seat a replacement for Justice Scalia, Professor Fallon said it is possible for the Senate to withhold voting on future nominations, although doing so would not be in the spirit of cooperation intended in the Constitution.
*10/28/16 Sandy Maisel, Colby College - Election Year 2016
"From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary" chronicled Maisel’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress from Maine. His published articles have appeared in many political science journals and anthologies, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the Legislative Studies Quarterly. Maisel has served as president of the New England Political Science Association, twice a member of the Council of the American Political Science Association, and chair of the APSA’s research sections that focus on Political Organizations and Parties and on Legislative Studies. He has twice been awarded Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer grants (to The Philippines in 1998 and to Brazil in 2012, has been a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia, at Harvard University, and at Stanford University.
Maisel and his wife, Patrice Franko, who is the Grossman Professor of Economics and professor of global studies at Colby, live in Rome, ME.
10/14/16 Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber
10/14/16 Bits & Pieces
Our Rotary moment was presented by one of our newer members, Nick Lotfey, who impressed us with tales of his late grandfather and former member, Naj Lotfey. He told us how Naj would recant stories of Rotary to him and their family through the years and how proud Naj had been to be a member. Out of respect for Naj and wanting to follow in his footsteps, Nick knew he wanted to become a member of Portland Rotary. (Those who knew Naj, loved and respected him, as well.)
*10/21/16 Richard Fallon - Harvard Law School - SCOTUS
Only two groups of people at the U.S. Supreme Court – justices and their law clerks – have insiders’ knowledge of how the Court chooses which cases to hear and what opinions to issue on those cases after oral arguments. Dick Fallon has that perspective as a law clerk to Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., from 1981-1982.
Dick joined the Harvard Law School faculty in 1982, was promoted to full professor in 1987, and is currently the Ralph S. Tyler, Jr., professor of constitutional law. He has written extensively about U.S. constitutional law and federal courts law, and he ranks 9th on a list of the 20 most-cited constitutional and public law faculty in the United States (2010-2014).
Dick is a two-time winner of the Harvard Law School’s Sacks-Freund Award (2001 and 2006), which is voted annually by the School’s graduating class to honor excellence in teaching. Comments from former students include: “[H]e does a great job of explaining difficult and complex topics” and “If you get a chance to take a class of his while at the College, do it! You won't regret it!”
An Augusta native and graduate of Cony High School, Dick attended Yale University (History, 1975) and Yale Law School (1980). He served as press secretary to then-Congressman Bill Cohen from 1974-1975 (Nixon impeachment years) and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, B.A., 1977).
When he wants to escape to Maine, Dick and his family heads to their seasonal home in Bar Harbor.
10/07/16 Bits & Pieces
President Laura convened the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay with 50 Portland Rotarians, 2 visiting Rotarians and 2 guests. Bruce Jones provided the invocation with a different Irish blessing that makes no mention of wind. Dave Putnam led the Pledge, then Russ Burleigh played 'God Bless America' and we dined on Tex-Mex fare.
(Photo: President Laura Young and Jodie Boutilier of Flower Mound, TX.)
Laura welcomed our visitors, as noted above, exchanging a banner with visiting Rotarian Jody Boutilier of FlowerMound, TX and the Cross Timbers Rotary Club. Kirk Duffy, visiting Savannah, GA Rotarian has a few more weeks to spend with us. Laura read two thank you notes - one from Bob Clark for Rotarian volunteers to the Boys and Girls Club 'Steak and Burger Dinner' - the second from Rotary Youth Leadership scholarship recipient Keegan Gunther, who hopes to return next year as a counselor volunteer. Laura thanked the Meeting Day helpers, then Bill Blount was called up for our song 'Viva Le Rotary' accompanied by Russ.
President Laura announced a luncheon sponsored by the Maine Community Foundation on November 1, about "Privilege, Power and Difference." For more information and to sign up, go to: http://www.mainecf.org/AboutUs/MaineCFInauguralSummit.aspx
As previously reported, for those of you concerned about our 3-H Team in the Dominican Republic exposed to Hurricane Matthew’s wrath, be at ease as the storm ravaged the western portions of Hispaniola, the area where they are doing their good works for H2O, hearing and hands received mostly heavy rains and minimal flooding.
Bruce Moore provided the Rotary Moment, making us aware of his involvement in Rotary since 1963. (This prompted a member to question his age!) Bruce participated in his high school’s Interact Club. Then in his professional career at Mark Stimson Real Estate, office manager Meredith Small correctly assessed the content of Bruce’s character, telling him “You are a natural Rotarian,” invited Bruce to a meeting and he’s enjoyed every minute of his involvement ever - since convincing his wife, Jan Chapman, to join in the fun also.
It being the first meeting of the month, October Birthdays were celebrated with the rousing Happy Birthday song (listed in last week's WJ issue). Tom Nickerson ran the Raffle, with Jerry Angier being called to draw a card for the $830 jackpot, but the wrong heart (10) was chosen and the Queen resides for a future drawing.
Paul Tully encouraged members to attend and invite a veteran to Rotary’s Veterans' Lunch on November 10, 2016 noon at the Italian Heritage Center. Senator Susan Collins is our keynote speaker and the Don Campbell Band will be entertaining us with their music. Please register online at: portlandrotary.org or call 899-6342 to sign up.
Membership Co-Vice-chair Leisa Collins spoke of a focus on membership. Leisa explained the life cycle of membership. Rotarians give their time and expertise and are rewarded with fellowship and a satisfying sense of engagement for new and veteran members alike. Last year, our 100th anniversary, was a banner year for our club’s growth. Keep the enthusiasm rolling! The aging demographics of our club is challenging to promote growth. Your recruitment efforts might be directed within your generation demographic. Generations tend to bond over events, WWII, Vietnam, or 911. Club members with 0-5 year tenure value networking; 5-20 years - service opportunities; 20+ years - fellowship. Leisa announced a new twist on mentoring to promote membership retention - Mentoring Duos - and asked for volunteers to mentor newer members. To help mentor your favorite newer Rotarian, contact her: leisa.g.collins@gmail.com.
President Laura brought our attention to the current year’s new member tally. Laura has brought in three new members, whereas, Don Zillman, Jan Chapman, and Janelle LoSciutto each brought in a new member.
Visiting Rotarian, Kirk Duffy, from Savannah, GA, cited an example of 'Service above Self' where Rotarian displacement evacuees from Hurricane Matthew were offered temporary lodging, courtesy of his own Club and district.
*10/14/16 Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber
Kevin Hancock is the President of Hancock Lumber Company. Established in 1848, Hancock Lumber operates ten retail stores and three sawmills that are led by 475 employees. The company also grows trees on 12,000 acres of timberland in Southern Maine.
Hancock Lumber is a multi-year recipient of the ‘Best Places to Work in Maine’ award. The company is also a past recipient of the Maine Family Business of the Year Award, the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, and the MITC ‘Exporter of the Year’ award.
Kevin is a past chairman of the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association as well as the Bridgton Academy Board of Trustees. Kevin is a recipient of the Ed Muskie ‘Access to Justice’ Award, the Habitat For Humanity ‘Spirit of Humanity’ Award, the Boy Scouts of America ‘Distinguished Citizen’ Award, and Timber Processing Magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’ Award. Kevin also spent 20 years coaching middle school basketball for the Lake Region school district.
Kevin is a graduate of Lake Region High School and Bowdoin College. He is also a frequent visitor to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In 2015, Kevin published a book about his experiences with the Oglala Sioux Tribe titled, "Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse." The book won the 2015 National Indie Excellence Award, the 2016 Independent Authors Network Award and the 2016 New York Book Festival Award.
Kevin is an advocate of strengthening the voices of all individuals—within a company or a community such as Pine Ridge—through listening, empowering, and shared leadership.
10/07/16 Dana Totman, Avesta
Founded in 1972, Avesta has 125 employees, an annual budget of $30 million, $250 million in assets (held mostly in their 82 properties) and provides housing for 3200 people in 35 cities and towns in Maine and New Hampshire. With mottos of “good housing equals good health” and “improving lives and strengthening communities through affordable housing,” Avesta works within a variety of areas in helping those in need to obtain not only housing but information regarding both rentals and home ownership.
In working with governmental agencies and municipalities, developing new properties, managing their existing locations, running a home ownership center and advocating for the elderly, Avesta is continually working to come to the aid of those in need…and there are many in need. As recent media reports have outlined, there is a major housing shortage in Maine in general and in Portland, in particular. Rentals average $1426 for a two-bedroom apartment in Portland, which means (using the standard “30% rule”) that a renter should earn about $57,000 per year to afford that rental. However, the average income is just $33,000, which means that the average renter can only afford $827 per month. So, the question is: should rents be dropped or should income rise? Dana feels that the answer is not black and white but a cooperative effort is needed.
With homelessness up 18% in the past few years and 10,000 seniors on waiting lists for housing in the state, there is certainly a need for new, affordable housing in all areas of the region. Dana ran through a long list of new construction projects that are attempting to address some of this glaring need. But Avesta alone cannot provide the relief needed. Towns and cities need to donate properties, housing Tax Increment Financing (TIF’s) need to be implemented, the $15 million senior citizen housing bond that was voted in two years ago needs to be released by the governor, and the mortgage interest deduction bill that sits in committee in Washington needs to be passed, the result of which would free up 20 billion dollars to help with the housing crunch.
There are no easy fixes, for sure, but we should be proud to have an advocate like Dana Totman looking out for those seeking what we all take for granted: a place to call home. As Jane Austen said, “there is nothing like staying home for real comfort.”
09/30/16 Tae Chong, CEI / StartSmart
http://www.ceimaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CEI-Immigration-Report-2016-WEB-PAGES.pdf
09/30/16 Bits & Pieces
Larry Gross discussed the upcoming second annual Veteran’s Appreciation Day Luncheon, which has currently raised over $5,000 through local companies and financial institutions. A flyer about the event is available to share with potential attendees is on the Portland Rotary web page for download. The luncheon will be held on November 10th at the Italian Heritage Center. All veterans and active service members are welcome to attend and have their lunch sponsored by the donors and Portland Rotary. For other attendees the cost is $20. Susan Collins is expected to be the speaker and space is limited to 300. Please ask your known veterans to lunch and register to attend online now at our website: portlandrotary.org.
Hurricane Matthew Hits the Dominican Republic
If you have been following the news/weather, you know that hurricane Matthew hit the Bahamas, including the Dominican Republic, where members of our 3-H team are now visiting. We have heard from the team and they are on the East coast, whereas the brunt of the hurricane hit the West coast. The area they are in is experiencing torrential rains and flooding, but they are all doing fine. We thought you would like to know they are safe. If we hear of further updates, we will let everyone know. |
Portland Sunrise Rotary 5K Run
The 1st Annual Back Cove Sunrise 5K raises funds for the community service projects of the Portland Sunrise Rotary club. To mark World Polio Day on October 24th, this year's flagship cause is Rotary's Polio Plus program.
Date of Race: October 23rd
Registration: 7:15am to 7:45am, race begins promptly at 8:00am.
Start and Finish are in the vicinity of the Back Cove parking lot.
T-shirt with early registration ONLY—registration must be received by October 6th!!
Prizes will be awarded to the top overall male and female finishers.
All funds raised will go to the Polio Plus program and our other projects that benefit our community and the world
Registration now open!
*10/07/16 Dana Totman, Avesta - Affordable Housing Issue
Dana's career has focused on nonprofit and government management and leadership, specializing in leading organizations through significant change. Mr. Totman has a BA in Public Management from the University of Maine and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. He attended Duke University's Government Leadership Program and participated in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
09/23/16 Bits & Pieces
09/23/16 Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine
2. How many of us had been in a club when it was open and busy with the youth membership? Estimate 85-90% in the room.
3. How many of us were members in their youth? About 5 alumni present!
Bob pointed to the banner behind him that noted Portland Rotary as a “Proud Partner” and added that it’s always been that way.
*09/30/16 Tae Chong, CEI / StartSmart
PSA Link for Reading Program
09/16/16 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
- High-Impact local Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) efforts
- Life-changing Hearing, Hands, and H2O (3H) international service projects
- Active mentoring and career guidance program for high school students in Portland
- Diverse and inclusive membership
- Effective system to attract and retain members
- Annual signature event
- Thought-provoking and relevant speakers.
*09/23/16 Bob Clark, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
Since its founding in 1909, BGCSM’s mission has been to enable young people, especially those who need the Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Bob Clark and a team of staff and volunteers will share a series of “Boys & Girls Club minutes” (in the spirit of Portland Rotary) to reflect how the past, present and future come together at 5 Boys & Girls Club sites in Southern Maine, to serve 2,850 members and put them on the pathway to reaching their full potential.
09/16/16 Bits & Pieces
Peggy Wescott, with her usual style, offered a humorous invocation and Kathy Grammar, who we welcomed back after a short absence, led us in the pledge to the flag, with President Laura following up in leading us in a pleasantly competent rendition of our national anthem.
Don Lowry, just back from a sales convention in Austin, Texas, shared a banner he picked up at an intimate gathering of 36 “guys” at a Rotary meeting in The Lone Star State’s capitol. Judy Cavalero laughingly wondered aloud about the old school slip of "guys" by Don, or perhaps it was indeed an all-men’s meeting. Don also led us in our a capella song of the week.
Tom Talbott shared a very warm “Rotary Moment” in looking back at his presidency and the year just prior, 1999, when then-District Governor Elias Thomas undertook a sociological experiment just prior to speaking with our club. As folks entered the Portland Club for our noon meeting, they had to walk by a homeless man, apparently passed out on the sidewalk, just outside the front door. There were many offers of help and calls to the police and the man was obtaining assistance when our program began. As it came time for our keynote speaker, Governor Thomas walked up to the podium, removed his disguise as the homeless man and began his talk on helping others. Inspired by the message, when Tom became president a few months later, he took a chance and asked a local homeless man to speak to our club. The results were astounding and eye-opening. The spirit of helping the homeless lives on today in our club, as we gather to feed the homeless at the Preble Street shelter next Wednesday, Sep. 28th. Our own Erik Greven is spearheading the effort and needs volunteers. Please think about all of the blessings that you have in your life…..and think about giving up just a few hours to help those who have so little and then contact Erik at : egrev95@aol.com
Paul Tully reminded us that our second annual Veteran’s Day luncheon is less than 8 weeks away, on Thursday, November 10th at noon at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. This meeting will replace our Friday meeting that week and we are hoping for a huge turnout to honor many of our local veterans. There is no charge for veterans and others can pay $20 to help defray the costs of the event. Any excess monies raised will go directly to veterans' services.
With Ellen Niewoehner handling the weekly raffle, Loretta Rowe's name was called to pull a card from the deck…and she drew a red queen, but not the correct red queen! The pot thickens!
(Photo: Sandy Markwood, CEO of the National Assn of Agencies on Aging, Rani Snyder, the Hartford Foundation and Kathy Greenlee, U.S. Asst Secretary on Aging receiving the first John A. Hartford Foundation Business Innovation Award.)
Congrats to you both!
*09/16/16 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
• Literacy Public Service Announcement video the Youth Services Committee funded through the United Way of Greater Portland
• CHE projects in the Youth Services area
• Special outreach efforts to diversify the club
• Increased public relations focus
• Special campaigns for Portland Rotary’s charitable endowment fund and 100th anniversary of Rotary Foundation
This is a great opportunity to bring guests to learn more about Portland Rotary!
9/09/16 Bits & Pieces
The weekly raffle was led by Matt Tassey, who became embarrassed when the speaker drew his name from the pot to try and pull the right card from the remaining cards in the deck. Erik Jorgensen came to his rescue to fan out the cards, so he could try to find that Queen of Hearts. Much to the joy of the audience (investors), he did not find the right one.....and so, the pot continues to grow larger.
The singing was led by Gracie Johnston, with Russ Burleigh accompanying on the keyboard. We may need some practice, but we have a good time singing.
Jim Willey reported on the development of a much-needed Long Creek Youth Center transition center being formed with help from Portland Rotary, to provide critical work experience and other transition services for former Long Creek residents. It will likely be in Westbrook.
John Marr provided a Rotary Minute on his own origins as a Rotarian – how, in the absence of an invitation to join Rotary, “talked himself into the club,” which for him has been about inspiration. John said that Rotary’s purpose for its members is “to give, to know how to give, and to have friends to do it with.”
Sylvie Montello of the Portland School Department spoke briefly about the “Starting Strong Reading Partners” program, to get kids “reading to learn, rather than learning to read.”. The school department is looking for volunteers who wish to work with kids at one of Portland’s elementary schools. Last year the program was piloted at Ocean Avenue with great results. Four or five volunteers are needed each day, and “the only thing you need to bring is a smile, positive attitude, and patience.” If you think you might be interested, contact her at montes@portlandschools.org or at 874-8175.
Last, though certainly not least, Russell Voss introduced new member Andrew Cook, a Westbrook-based lender with Peoples’ United bank. Welcome, Andrew!
09/09/16 Margo Walsh, MaineWorks
(Photo: Dave Putnam, Margo Walsh, and 1st VP Don Zillman.)
Margo began her presentation with an apology for her casual attire. However, her attire, in reality, was what is often referred to as work clothes. When you start your day at 4:30 in the morning in order to get one of your clients to a construction site, one’s apparel is inconsequential and most appropriate. No sooner did Margo get the client to work and she had to turn around and get back to the 7/11 parking lot in Portland to transport other clients to jobs.
09/02/16 Chase Hagaman, Concord Coalition
09/02/16 Bits & Pieces
Paul Tully presented an invocation about the importance of Labor Day from Amy Freedman (AmyFreedman.net):
as we do not rush headlong into our usual labors.
The sacred is found not only in houses of worship, but in time set apart.
Let us turn our attention to what is sacred in our daily living.
For the rewards of work and all those ancestors
who boldly advocated for safety, fair wages, and better working conditions,
we lift our hearts in gratitude.
May this time of recreation energize us to bring forth
an even more just and sustainable world.
A 'Rotary Moment' was presented by Bob Martin. His earliest experience with Rotary was through the dedication of his grandfather, Charles Robert Martin, who lived in Brunswick, Maryland, where he worked for 48 years for the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad and was a Rotary member who attended Thursday dinner meetings that "were not to be missed." He was a member in Brunswick, Maryland, where Rotary was a way to help people and to make a difference in his community. When Bob was serving in the military in Germany, his grandfather sent him a banner to exchange with clubs visited, because he could speak German, so he was often asked to be a guest speaker. Bob has been a member of several Rotary Clubs. "For me, Portland Rotary is not just about the 4-Way Test, but about the 4 corners of the world and connectedness. Rotary is about family and the values I learned from my grandfather and how I share these experiences with others," he said.
Being given a chance to try and win the $688 raffle, Julie L'Heureux's name was picked out of the pot by our speaker, but the King of Spades was the card she drew. Better luck to the next person to win a chance at the growing jackpot. Matt Wolcott conducted the raffle.
*09/09/16 Margo Walsh, MaineWorks
Around the same time, she attended a talk in Portland by attorney F. Lee Bailey about the need to provide employment for felons. With a professional background in recruiting, she thought that if companies wouldn’t hire felons, she would. “I was motivated by the needs of my family and what I saw as an incredible opportunity to help change and build lives for people who were ready to work hard and support themselves,” Margo says. “I would say the operative and guiding principle of this company is empathy.”
Construction companies hire MaineWorks to provide workers for projects across the state. It’s a for-profit company, but it also has a social mission. One of her proudest success stories is the recent hiring of one of the company’s first-year temporary employee as crew leader for MaineWorks’s new Property Services Division. In March, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Margo with the Small Business Person of the Year award for Maine.
08/26/16 Portland Police Chief Mike Sauschuck
08/26/16 Bits & Pieces
On Friday, August 26, 2016, we met at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, where Past President Kris Rosado took over for President Laura, who was dropping her eldest daughter off at the University of Maine at Orono. Kris welcomed a full house of Portland Rotarians, as well as three non-Rotarian guests.
A wonderful end of summer invocation was offered by David Small, while Russ Burleigh led us in a rousing rendition of “God Bless America.” Amy Chipman and Bill Blount spearheaded our singing of the classic, “Side By Side.” Bill, by the way, is recovering nicely from double knee replacement and is looking forward to leading the tennis group again this autumn, with the season beginning on September 15th.
Jake Bordeau tried to give away $650 in the raffle, but Linda Varrell drew the 4 of diamonds, leaving the winning queen to be drawn another time.
Forty-five folks shuttled out to Fort Gorges in Casco Bay for an evening tour of the relic on August 25th. The tour was led by Paul Drinan, executive director of the Friends of Fort Gorges. Our group, joined by guests, as well as members of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth and the Portland Sunrise Rotary Clubs, was given a lectured tour of the ancient monument that stands at the mouth of Portland Harbor.
Gus Karlsen thanked the 17 Rotarians who donated to help support our ongoing efforts in the MS Regatta on Casco Bay. Together, we raised $1300 from our club in the effort to eradicate multiple sclerosis, which affects over 3000 Mainers. Our sailing vessel, crewed by Gus, Erik Greven and Rob Chatfield (and others), finished second in the regatta.
Jerry Angier provided a “Rotary Moment” and discussed his enjoyment in our club after three years of membership. He commented that, after retirement, he was thankful to be given an opportunity to give back to the Portland community and learn so much about what makes our city thrive.
Past President Kris read a nice thank you note from District Governor Marge Barker, who recently visited us.
The International Service Committee is spearheading an effort to obtain mobility devices from club members, Jan Chapman reported from the podium. If you have any unused crutches, canes or other devices, please contact Jan and she will help you get them to our storage facilities where, in turn, they will be sent to Saco where they will eventually end up in a container to Africa.
Paul Tully and Charlie Frair are spearheading our Veteran’s Luncheon this November 10th (Thursday). Mark your calendars for for this special date and think about who you may know who would be willing to help us underwrite this special event. There will not be a meeting on Friday, November 11th.
The Forecaster newspaper featured our own John Curran in a recent article about our “3H Project” in the Dominican Republic (DR). John has been working closely with Dean Rock, a Cumberland resident who has been printing prosthetic hands on his 3D printer in an effort to help us with our ongoing efforts to provide hands to those in need in the DR.
*09/02/16 Chase Hagaman, The Concord Coalition
Chase, a resident of New Hampshire, works with community leaders, student groups, business organizations, Concord volunteers, and elected officials across New England and upstate New York. He organizes public education events, performs media outreach and engages volunteers.
He is a member of the New Hampshire Bar. He received his law degree from the University of New Hampshire and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of South Florida. Mr. Hagaman’s work with law firms, the court system and state and municipal agencies helped shape his passion for public policy. He invests his personal time in his community, including coaching for a high school rowing program.
Chase joined Concord to champion the mission of its founders, the late Senators Warren Rudman and Paul Tsongas. As part of the next generation of leaders, he has become an ardent advocate for lasting reform who works to bridge generational gaps as he brings awareness to fiscal issues.
SPECIAL OUTING! FORT GORGES - AUGUST 25, 2016!
Tour of Fort Gorges
Rain or shine!
(friends and family are welcome)
PRE-PAY EITHER WITH A CREDIT CARD
OR
BRING YOUR CHECK TO THE BOAT!
(made payable to Portland Rotary)
.
Click this link to sign up and purchase tickets.
08/19/16 Bits & Pieces
A "Get Well" card was passed around to sign for Loretta Rowe encouraging her to recover quickly from her hand/wrist surgery. Get Well Soon, Loretta!
The raffle ($617) was conducted by Tiel Duncan, with Jim Willey trying his luck – with disappointing results. Better luck next time, Jim!
*08/26/16 Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck
Police Chief Michael Sauschuck has served the City of Portland since 1997, when he began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer. Chief Sauschuck was appointed Chief of Police in January 2012. He leads a team of highly-trained, professional men and women committed to the department's core values of leadership, integrity and service.
After graduating from high school, Sauschuck joined the U.S. Marines where he was sent to Camp Pendleton, San Mateo, California. During his five-year tenure, he served as Corporal, then Sergeant with the Marine Security Guards in San Salvador, El Salvador and Moscow, Russia. After four years as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, Sauschuck joined the Portland Police Department, where he worked in a variety of specialties, including eh crisis intervention team, special reaction team and as a field training officer. He was also a special agent and supervisor assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, investigating and suppressing illegal narcotic activity in Cumberland County.
In March 2011, Lieutenant Sauschuck was selected as the department's Assistant Chief, where he served as Chief James Craig's second in command and directly oversaw criminal investigations, uniformed operations and emergency communications. Upon Chief Craig's departure in August 2011, Sauschuck led the Police Department as Acting Police Chief, overseeing a department of more than two hundred employees and an annual budget of $13.4 million. He was selected as the department's permanent Chief in January of 2012.
In addition to his public service in municipal government in Portland, Mike serves on several boards including the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, Milestone Board, United Way of Greater Portland Community-Wide Goal Setting Committee, Maine Opiate Collaborative, Greater Portland Addiction Collaborative, Portland Mayor’s Substance Use Disorder Committee and is an active supporter of Maine Behavioral Healthcare’s Trauma Intervention Program.
Over the past decade, Sauschuck has received a number of awards for his commitment to the department, including the "Sergeant Michael J. Wallace Award," the "Enrique Camarena Memorial Award" from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the "Heroes With a Heart Award."
Chief Sauschuck was born in Port Jervis, New York, but moved to Madrid, Maine in the third grade and has been in Maine ever since. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Criminology from the University of Maine in 1998 and is a graduate of the FBI's 251st National Academy for Law Enforcement Leaders class. He is married to Portland Police Detective Mary Sauschuck.
We have asked the Chief to provide his perspective of the recent demonstration in Portland and similar demonstrations in other cities that have included negative views of police officers, and violence against police officers. In addition, we have asked for his suggestions of how our community can ensure that additional demonstrations are managed in a peaceful and civil manner. Other topics may include the challenge of opioid trafficking and how policing has changed since he joined the force.
08/19/16 Rotary District 7780 Governor Marge Barker
08/12/16 Bits & Pieces
The club should be proud of this program and remember that it is but one facet of our multi-pronged outreach effort which includes mentoring at Portland High School (thanks, Glenn Nerbak) and at the Long Creek Youth Development Center (thanks, Jim Willey), as well as our RYLA, Youth Service Awards, and Vocational assistance programs. Too often we forget just how many programs our club is able to assist here in our backyard, and let’s not forget that the 'Maine Outdoor Challenge' gives thousands to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (thanks, Commander Kris Rosado).
*08/19/16 District Governor Marge Barker - Rotary District 7780
Marjorie (Marge) Barker joined Rotary in November of 2005. She is Past President of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Club, served three years as Assistant Governor and two years as past District Rotary Leadership Institute Chair. Marge has been on the faculty of RLI since 2013. She currently serves on several District Committees. Marge is a Paul Harris recipient and a member of the Bequest Society. Prior to serving as Club President, Marge traveled twice to Honduras to work with youth from Cape Elizabeth High School and Rotarians from her club on a water project. She has helped deliver polio vaccinations to the much-needed areas of Ethiopia.
After serving as President, Marge participated in the Friendship Exchange to New Orleans in 2013 and traveled to Guatemala with other Rotarians as part of a service project in 2013. She retired from TD Bank as a Vice President in January 2014 where she had been for over 25 years. She started her career with Junior Achievement as a banker when she was 12.
Marge has been a SCORE-certified mentor since early 2015. SCORE offers the nation’s largest network of free, expert business mentors. SCORE volunteers help thousands of entrepreneurs start small businesses and achieve new levels of success in their existing businesses. Volunteering at SCORE is a way to give back to your community, connect with fellow business owners, and pass on knowledge and expertise to entrepreneurs in your community.
She is the Past President of a non-profit organization she started – Friends of Kayanet Education Center, where she helped build a preschool in Kesses, Kenya.
Marge received both a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with honors (2011) and MBA (Dec 2013) from Husson University.
She is a widow with two grown children and six grandchildren and has lived in Maine since 1988.
08/12/16 Bob Aduchi - Bay Ferries "The Cat"
MS Regatta - August 20th
08/05/16 A Perfect Day at the Hadlock Field
Mike and Danny spoke about how they focus on playing the game when there are often many distractions from field noise and public announcements. They explained how they learn to "flip the switch" from being aware of what's going on around them to the time when they must focus their minds on the game. They learn by hard work about when to "flip the switch." They both think baseball with women on the team is a good idea and this is already happening in Australia. As for technology replacing the home plate umpire at the plate, they disagree with this idea because, in their opinions, one of the interesting challenges in baseball is to overcome human error. "It's part of the game," they agreed. They explained the differences between types of pitches, like the curve ball, the "drop curve" and the knuckle ball.
08/05/16 Bits & Pieces
At opening invocation, Juliana L'Heureux read Lou Gherig's famous "Luckiest Man" speech, in a tribute to the occasion of our Club's visit at Hadlock Field, with this year's two team guests Mike McCarthy and Dan Bethea.
*08/12/16 Don Cormier, VP Ops & Safety Mgmt - Bay Ferries Ltd
Bay Ferries Limited was formed in 1997 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northumberland Ferries Limited. The companies of Northumberland Ferries were founded on the principles of safety, efficiency, quality, community and innovation. Bay Ferries has been involved in the delivery of ferry services in other locations, including Interprovincial Ferry Service in Atlantic Canada, Florida and the Bahamas, Rochester, New York, Toronto, Trinidad and Tobago.
*08/05/16 Take Me Out to the Ball Park - Hadlock Field - Portland Sea Dogs
Our annual visit to Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs, will take place this Friday. Since this ball team came to town 23 years ago, we have had a summer meeting every year at Hadlock. We are always warmly welcomed and have a wonderful outing in the picnic area of the ball park. Our host will be Bill Blount.
07/29/16 George Smith, Maine Outdoor Life - Then & Now
07/29/16 Bits & Pieces
*07/29/16 George Smith - Maine Outdoor Life: Then and Now
He is a Winthrop, Maine native, a graduate of the University of Maine, and has lived in Mount Vernon for 37 years. He and his wife, Linda, have three children and three grandchildren.
07/22/16 PORTopera - Caroline Koelker and Maestro Stephen Lord
07/22/16 Bits & Pieces
Bruce Jones, as a last-minute replacement, filled in admirably with a meaningful invocation. Alex St. Hilaire led the pledge of allegiance, and Russ Burleigh tickled the ivories for our spirited rendition of “God Bless America.”
Leisa Collins ran the raffle and Chris Thomas’ name was called. Alas, the Queen of Hearts remained elusive, so the pot, at $510 last week, will continue to grow.
The Club offered its version of “Rotary My Rotary” for our weekly song. We may need some lessons from Kathy Grammer, if we are going to continue with our lyrical efforts.
First Vice-President Don Zillman took the podium to give his unique view of the political parties as the nominating conventions take place. Don wondered aloud whether the Republicans and Democrats could adhere to our “Four-Way Test,” with the obvious answer that they most likely could not. As the summer heats up and the eyes of the nation turn to Trump and Clinton, we should be proud to live our business and personal lives each day with these questions in mind:
1) Is it the truth?
2) Is it fair to all concerned?
3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Speaking of the conventions, our own Eric Lusk was a delegate from Maine at the recently completed Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
Mike Fortunato is spearheading our club’s efforts at Longcreek Youth Development Center, where we will have about eight Portland Rotarians volunteering on Tuesday for a summer party featuring banana splits, outdoor games and mentoring.
Both Don Lowry and Bill Blount are recovering from major surgeries....Don with a shoulder and Bill with both knees. Our Club’s heartfelt best wishes go out to both of these fellows. While Don was not able to make our meeting, Bill was sporting a very fashionable post-surgery beard at our Friday meeting.
President Laura, in thanking 1st quarter Program Chair Dave Putnam, as well as overall Program Chair Rusty Atwood, said, “the key to happiness is gratitude.” Thanks for all of your efforts!
Amy Chipman took the podium and asked Gus Karlsen to join her for his EIGHTH Paul Harris Fellow! Thanks for your support, Gus!
PP Kris Rosado will be hosting a de-briefing session for our recently completed 'Maine Outdoor Challenge' in the comfort of a luxury suite at Hadlock Field on Wednesday. The event, our major fundraiser for the year, continues to grow by leaps and bounds with the help of so many wonderful Rotary volunteers. We look forward to an even bigger and more successful event next spring. Thanks, Kris, for leading us!
07/15/16 Bits & Pieces
*07/22/16 PORTopera - Caroline Musica Koelker & Stephen Lord
Koelker most recently served as event coordinator and development manager for Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, MA, where she earned her Master of Music in Opera Performance. A native of Maine, she earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Maine in Orono. Koelker is a resident of Westbrook and is a member of The Choral Art Society and Vox Nova.
Board President Ann Elderkin cited Koelker’s in-depth knowledge of opera and fundraising experience as part of the reason for appointing her. “This position requires a great deal of organization, planning, communication and of course, a love of opera. Caroline has all of this, plus energy and enthusiasm.”
Stephen Lord has been chosen by Opera News as one of the "25 Most Powerful Names in U.S. Opera" and is continually praised for conducting both traditional and contemporary operatic works. For his debut with San Francisco Opera, conducting Rigoletto, one critic observed, "He partnered his singers perfectly and gave everything its proper weight - he was master of the score's details and the orchestra played superbly for him."
He made his debut with PORTopera conducting Lucia di Lammermoor in 2003, then returned in 2005 for Carmen, 2011 for Daughter of the Regiment, 2014 for Rigoletto and 2015 for Tosca. He will conduct Carmen this upcoming July 27 and 29.
He is currently music director for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and formerly was music director of Boston Lyric Opera. He was recently named artistic director of opera studies at New England Conservatory, overseeing all aspects of the opera training program and conducting one main stage production a year.
In 2015-16 he was re-engaged by English National Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, and a concert for Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. His 2013-14 engagements included the Seoul Arts Center (South Korea), the Canadian Opera Company, a gala concert with the San Francisco Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Santa Fe Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Juilliard School opera program.
Stephen Lord made his New York City Opera debut in 2004. Other career highlights included appearances at Wolf Trap Opera in Vienna, Virginia, the Canadian Opera, Opera Colorado, Michigan Opera Theatre, Florentine Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Pacific, Cleveland Opera and Arizona Opera. He has also been a guest with the Boston Pops.
07/15/16 Tessy Seward, Maine Inside Out
The group’s goal is to break boundaries – both physical and psychological– using theater. According to Seward, “Incarceration isolates people and silences their voices” and theater helps to increase connection and collaboration. The program is based on collaborative working though game playing, improvisation, writing, poetry, and music. It builds trust and relationship skills as the kids come together to perform for their peers and, sometimes, the public. The approach is based on the “Theatre of the Oppressed” model conceived by Brazilian director Augusto Boal in the 1960’s, and their work at Long Creek has now been seen by more than 4000 people since the program started.
An important element of the program is that after they are released, former Long Creek residents can continue to work together under the auspices of Maine Inside Out, finding continuity and support as they navigate the challenges of life outside. The process of being reintegrated after incarceration is a significant challenge for every Long Creek kid. “You are better equipped to handle the difficulty of this transition if you have a group of adults and peers you can trust” said Seward. “The weekly sessions for these young people are a refuge.” These sessions include some creative work as well as discussion, a meal, and more.
Funding comes from a school contract with the Long Creek, a “bunch of foundation grants,” and from individual donors. Audiences often include judges, probation officers, parents and the public. The key to success, says Tessy, is including an element of non-judgmental “loving presence” where “people’s gifts are noticed and reflected.”
Portland High Interact Club Project
07/08/16 Bits & Pieces
Our meeting was visited by several people, including President Laura’s daughters: Katie and Megan.
President Laura also thanked those responsible for the meeting, including the Meeting Day Committee, Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Windjammer reporters.
Passing....
07/08/16 President Laura Young, Inaugural Address
*07/15/16 Tessy Seward - Maine Inside Out
*07/08/16 Rotary Year 2016-17, President Laura Young
06/24/16 Bits & Pieces
06/24/16 2015-16 Year in Review, Bowen Depke
Here is President Bowen's farewell message, that he posted on our club social media page, reprinted with his permission:
*06/24/16 Bowen Depke, President Portland Rotary - Year in Review
06/17/16 Bits & Pieces
Welcome Elizabeth and Janet!
06/17/16 Mark Bessire, Portland Museum of Art
Clay Bessire, Mark’s daughter, spoke next about when the Portland high student traveled to Tanzania in April 2016. She watched students, in a lab, using chemicals. (Later when she shared these photos of her immigrant classmates at Portland High, they were amazed that the school had real labs for girls.) Education for girls is more difficult than for boys. Clay is setting up social media for the school now, and stays in contact with the girls she met. She went to a 2nd school, where there were only 7 girls in the class of 36. Most girls have to stay home and help out. Boys have more time for homework and for playing, as girls do all the work. Empowering girls is so important. Most mothers and fathers have not gone to school. Portland High, Africa Studies Group, has paid all the fees and supplies for three students. Secondary schools are free, but students still have to pay for uniforms, fees, and supplies.
The microphone went back to Mark, who told us the first school has 500 students, and the whole cost of the project was $750,000. "AfricaSchoolhouse" has a new focus.....girls empowerment. Pamela Hawkes and Scott Tees, from Portland, donated their time to design the newest school project to support this focus. It has been shown that the longer kids stay in school, the better the opportunities. School prepares them for the better jobs in the cities. Mark’s wife, Aimee, then told us how some girls walk up to 2.5 hours, one way, to get to school. "AfricaSchoolhouse" is planning to build a boarding school to address this need. She told us that some families are happy that their daughters can go to boarding school. Some are very concerned about losing the labor at home. She told us that girls have been assaulted on the way to school. They need a safe place to be at school.
*06/17/16 Mark Bessire, Director PMA
Portland High School Interact Club
for the "Crutches4Africa" project.
06/10/16 Danielle Conway, Dean of Maine Law at USM
- Defending the Constitution
- Defending the rule of law
- Defend the impoverished and needy
06/10/16 Bits & Pieces
The top Portland Rotarians in the Maine Outdoor Challenge were Bowen Depke, who scored a 20 in archery; Adam Shepherd, who managed a 17 in fly casting; and a tie between Peter Ingram and Kris Rosado in shooting, where each earned an 18. Overall, Peter Ingram came in 3rd out of 205 competitors, with a 52 of 75 possible points. He was only 3 points behind the competition winner.
Amy Chipman reported that she was “housecleaning” the Rotary Foundation files and had a bunch of previously announced Paul Harris Fellowships (PHF) to award as her term as Foundation chair was coming to an end. These were presented to Julie L’Heureux (her 6th); Jon Young (his 3rd); Mark Millar and Erik Jorgensen (their 2nd each); Amy Chipman (her 4th); President Bowen (for his service as president); Gus Karlsen (his 7th); Victoria Millar (wife of Mark Millar) and Elise Hodgkin (her 2nd) from Amy. She announced that overall, 22 PHFs were awarded this year.
*06/10/16 Danielle Conway, USM Dean of Maine Law
2016 Maine Outdoor Challenge
Fly Fishing Package or Hunting Package.
Hunting Raffle ticket: <http://www.bgcmaine.org/hunting>
06/03/16 Club Photo Session
06/03/16 Portland Rotary Celebrates 100 Years With Photo
100-Year Celebration of Portland Rotary Club
1915-2015
(Portland Rotary Members, June 3, 2016)
The Rotary Club of Portland is celebrating its centennial....in one way, by taking a formal group photo of its present club members.
The Club was founded in late 1915 by a group of professional men seeking fellowship and business connections. At its first official meeting as a chartered club on Sept. 10, 1915 at Mitchell’s in Scarborough, there was a clambake, followed by a lively baseball game between the “farmers and the city guys.” Farmers won, 18-14, according to the club’s website.
(Portland Rotary Club, 1915)
Since then, the organization has grown to include women (admitted in 1987) and to embrace community service, which remains a cornerstone of the club. In 1948, when post-war Europe was suffering from severe poverty and food shortages, the club loaded a fishing trawler built at Bath Iron Works with tons of food and clothing. In coordination with the Rotary Club of Nantes, France, the cargo left Portland bound for France where it was distributed to fishing families who had lost their boats, jobs and livelihood as a result of World War II. Later that fall, a second boat carried cargo of baby food and toys to the children of the area.
More recently, the Rotarians have focused efforts to help senior citizens, youth, the poor and the community in general. Testaments to those efforts include Rotary Grove on the Eastern Prom Trail, “The Armillary” statue on the waterfront, the Rotary Clock in Monument Square, the elevator in Merrill Auditorium, and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, which received a major contribution from the club during the club’s 75th anniversary year.
06/03/16 Bits & Pieces
Long-time Club Secretary Ruth Fletcher retired. “Cocktails with the Queen” aka Peggy Wescott, fetched over $1000 at our fundraising auction. Winterfest, an ambitious holiday fundraiser, began in earnest, partnering with the Narrow Gauge Railroad (NGRR). Over the next three years, Winterfest would go on to raise close to $300k in revenue shared between the NGRR and Rotary. Following on the heels of Winterfest, however, came the fearsome "1998 Ice Storm," affecting millions. Internationally, the club connected with visiting students from Ireland through "Friends Forever." Then member Sarah Luck went on a District Grant to Romania. Hearing aids were collected for a special “Listen Up” program focused on villages in India.
Programs included Governor Angus King, with program topics that included interesting tech topics, such as the benefits of cell phones! Jim Willey was honored with a Rotary International “Four Avenues of Service” Award. Alas, Jim didn’t hear this golden memory moment as he was off attending his Bowdoin College 50th Reunion!
*06/03/16 Club 100th Anniversary Photo Session
Argentinean Exchange Group
Our Rotary District is looking for help to host the inbound Argentinean District Vocational Training Team. This Group Study Exchange Team (GSE) of four (2 men, 2 women) will be coming to our area on Monday and Tuesday, June 6 and 7.
They are looking for 4 host families to house the team members overnight on Monday, plus volunteer to chauffeur the team members around for those two days, and to provide breakfast, lunch & dinner for the two days.
The GSE between District 7780 and Argentina will focus on collegial sharing between the mental health professionals of the outbound team and inbound team, as well as interfacing with other mental health professionals (particularly Rotarians) in each country. A particular emphasis will be on youth/adolescent mental health. The teams will visit a representative sampling of mental health/social service agencies in each country.
If you can volunteer or want additional information, please contact Assistant Governor Ann Schieber at:
annschieber@gmail.com
or at: 603-770-2744
05/27/16 Bits & Pieces
President Bowen opened the meeting by welcoming 60 members and 6 guests in the Casco Bay Hall of the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay.
Juliana L’Heureux presented our invocation, quoting from President Dwight Eisenhower’s speech designating May 30, 1954 as a U.S. holiday: A proclamation for peace and a call for amity between nations.
Dave Putnam led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, then we sang the National Anthem with Kathy Grammer playing the piano.
Jim Willey promised that the history moment being presented at today's meeting was to share the good and bad. Jim reminded us that from Portland Rotary’s beginning in 1915 to 1987, membership was restricted to only males. Even in this day and age, some Rotary clubs on this earth still restrict their members to males only. Jim apologized for his several years of biased membership before 1987, when the first woman to be admitted to our club was Jane Schurz.
Then the second and third women to join our club, Judy Cavalero ('87) and Loretta Rowe ('88) followed shortly after. As women were allowed to join, two Rotarians actually quit. It is undeniable that our club is immeasurably blessed with the contributions of our diverse female members. Loretta Rowe, who was our first woman president of Portland Rotary (1998-99), gave a warm presentation and admitted that Rotary has been a positive turning point in her life and the members became like a second family.
The weekly raffle, which was up to $285, was led by Jim Willey. Katie Brown was chosen, but she picked the three of diamonds. Her charity did better (The Locker Project) receiving a $500 donation from Rotary’s Charitable Fund.
(Photo: Jennifer Burns and member, Lili Brown)
The giving continued as Jennifer Burns, Director of Education accepted a $5000 check for the United Way of Greater Portland, to be used in making a video to help teach parents how to actively read to their children and offer encouragement for them to continue reading on their own. Another $877 check was presented to Feeding Bodies and Minds, an initiative of our CHE program. Long Creek Youth Center was not left out and Jim Willey accepted a $5000 check on their behalf of the former Long Creek residents to assist with their transition back into the communities.
Mike Fortunato encouraged members to register online by Friday afternoon (5/27), as to whether they will attend our Club's group photograph session next Friday, June 3, 2015 on the steps of City Hall. Mike also made an appeal for members to attend the lobster bake on Wednesday, June 8, which concludes the Maine Outdoor Challenge. You can contact Loretta Rowe to signup for this event: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432.
Our Foundation Chairperson-extraordinnaire, Amy Chipman came up to the podium requesting that Dick Giles join her. Dick awarded George Crockett with a Paul Harris Fellow and in turn, Amy awarded Dick with his fifth PHF.
(Photo: Kevin Stilphen, Caleb Southwick and Dave Putnam.)
Dave Putnam introduced PATHS Student Director, Kevin Stilphen, who introduced the Club to our newest Youth Service Award recipient, Caleb Southwick. Caleb received a scholarship award to further his education and a check to go to his charity of choice - West Buxton Baptist Church.
Editorial Correction
Please accept our apologies for any misunderstandings.
05/27/16 Earle Shettleworth, Jr. - Maine State Historian
For Portland, previously known as Falmouth Neck, there was already a long history of devastation followed by rebuilding, with the city being destroyed in 1675 and 1690 by fires and then again in 1775, when an angry British naval captain named Henry Mowatt attacked and plundered the city after being briefly held captive the previous year.
On the afternoon of July 4th, 1866, with the city’s residents celebrating the nation’s birthday, a small fire broke out at a boat shop near the rail lines off Commercial Street. Whether from a firecracker or, more likely, a spark from a passing freight car, the fire spread quickly during the afternoon and early evening, with a strong wind fanning the flames. Because of the city’s reliance on water from Portland Harbor to douse flames, a low tide proved very unlucky as the fire tore through the Old Port and up toward the city center near where our current city hall now sits. With mostly wooden structures tightly built in the city’s center, there was no shortage of fuel as the 4th turned to the 5th, with the city losing one-third of its buildings and 12,000 Portlanders were left homeless.
On the morning of July 5th, residents arose to the charred ruins of their beloved Forest City. Earle showed us photos from various angles, with the ravaged city still smoldering, the six-year old city hall gutted, the Old Port area leveled. The photos were eerily reminiscent of those we have seen from Nagasaki and Hiroshima, with block after block of nothing but stone chimneys remaining upright.
Within 24 hours, the US Army was setting up a “tent city” on the common land at the base of Munjoy Hill. 1500 tents were erected to house those who had lost everything. A food pantry opened at the old city hall and was inundated within hours. Harper’s Weekly, the nation’s largest magazine, published a story on the tragedy.
And, as Portland had done three times before, she rose from the ashes and once again earned the city motto of “Resurgam,” which translates to “I will rise again.” City Hall was built using the still-standing brick façade, Lincoln Park was built as a “fire break” for any future infernos. The Custom House and a new post office went up....and, perhaps most importantly, zoning changes were quickly enacted to allay some of the fears of Portlanders as they moved quickly back into the Old Port. Within ten years, the city looked anew, anchored by the grand Falmouth Hotel, which was built by local realtor J.B. Brown to entice others to move forward without trepidation, a strategy that proved quite successful. Many of the beautiful buildings of Portland sprung up in the wake of the Great Fire of 1866.
With the 150th anniversary of the fire quickly approaching, we can look back, with the help of one of Maine’s gems, Earle Shettleworth, and appreciate all that has gone into making Portland one our country’s most beloved little cities.
*05/27/16 Earle Shettleworth, Jr., Maine State Historian
05/20/16 Glenn Cummings, USM President
05/20/16 Bits & Pieces
05/13/16 Bits & Pieces
BBQ Crawl and Poker Run Raffle
It's a fundraiser to support "The Locker Project."
$20 Poker Run Raffle Tickets may be purchased at any location below or by clicking HERE.
Show your ticket and draw a card at each location you visit.
IT ALL STARTS AT 1:30 p.m. THIS SATURDAY!
START ANYWHERE AT ONE OF THE LOCATIONS BELOW – ENJOY IN ANY ORDER!
Special $4 BBQ sampler items available at participating locations:
- Salvage BBQ - 919 Congress St., Portland
- Elsmere BBQ - 448 Cottage Rd., S. Portland
- Terlingua - 52 Washington Ave., Portland
- Buck’s Naked BBQ - 50 Wharf St., Portland location only
- Binga's Stadium - 77 Free St., Portland
Special 50/50 raffle....door prizes and final raffle results at 5:30 p.m. at Binga's Stadium, 77 Free St., Portland
For additional information or questions, contact Rob Chatfield: robchat@exitstage.com
The Locker Project, in partnership with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, helps ensure food security for all Maine children through local schools. The Locker Project works with schools to create programs for providing students with healthy class-time snacks and take-home food for the times they are most likely to experience hunger. For more information: mainelockerproject.org/
05/13/16 Dana Eidsness, Maine's Growing Role as an Arctic State
*05/20/16 Glenn Cummings, USM President
05/06/16 Bits & Pieces
With Mother’s Day falling on Sunday, Invocator Rusty Atwood graced us with a poem written by Elizabeth Chase Akers Allen, titled “Rock Me To Sleep.” Born in Strong, ME in 1832, she would become best known for this passage:
Rusty Atwood proudly announced the birth of his first grandson last Wednesday!
For a Fly Fishing Raffle ticket: <http://www.bgcmaine.org/fishing>
For a Hunting Raffle ticket: <http://www.bgcmaine.org/hunting>
We need more items for the auction, so please seek out area businesses and ask for their participation. From the floor, gauntlets were being thrown down left and right. Bruce Moore and Dick Hall separately issued challenges to anyone who dared think they could be beaten. Never underestimate realtors, surveyors, and engineers. They know the lay of the land.
05/06/16 Dr. Eileen Eagan, Maine Women's History Trail
Dr. Eagan told us there are lots of people we should pay more attention to. There are women in communities who have done lots of interesting things. The Sisters of Mercy provided social services to domestics in the East End......nurses, teachers, doctors, and mothers. All need to be acknowledged. She told us we need to get people outdoors. She recommended taking walks around Portland; there are Portland Women's History Trails in the West End, Munjoy Hill, Congress Street, Gorham Corner, State Street, Stevens Avenue and Stroudwater. Her team created a mobile app and website. The free app is available from ITunes stores or Google play store- " Portland Women's History Trails." Pick your neighborhood and walk around. Many in the audience did not know that there are only three statues of women in Maine - Joan Benoit, Samantha Smith, and Edna St Vincent Millay. Women's history and the role of women included many immigrant groups.
The Portland Star Match factory was where Irish girls worked. At the match factory, the phosphorus on matches transferred to their hands and got absorbed into their systems, causing Phosi-jaw, a degradation of teeth. State law was changed to protect them. Down the street was the Houston Hat factory where the Polish community worked. The Sister of Mercy opened schools and orphanages. History records that mothers sometimes put some of their children in orphanages, for a short term, to get through a time desperate need.
At this time in history, tough men died at work, women had too many children, and the economy was tough. Women did their best, but they sometimes needed help. Eileen told us that as we walk down State Street looking at buildings, we should also think of the working women who were there, and are part of the history of the buildings. She encouraged us all to check out their website: http://pmwht.org. She told us all to install the smartphone app from either Apple or Android App store to make the stories more accessible, and available during a walk.
*05/13/16 Dana Eidsness, Dir. Maine North Atlantic Dev. Office
04/29/16 State of the Club - Club Assembly
*05/06/16 Dr. Eileen Eagan
04/29/16 Bits & Pieces
04/22/16 Clayton Rose, President of Bowdoin College
04/22/16 Bits & Pieces
*04/29/16 Club Assembly
We will also hear this week about several of our service projects. How is the money we raised spent? We will largely focus on our long-term 3H project: our Dominican Republic (DR) project for Hearing, Hands and H2O. We'll hear from members of this year’s team on their most recent efforts in the DR. We'll also hear from the Community Service and Youth Service committees on where the most recent grant monies have been allocated.
Be sure to attend this week, it will be a report on the core of why you joined Portland Rotary: to give back.
04/15/16 Andrew Rudalevige, Prof. Bowdoin College
04/15/16 Bits & Pieces
Mark Stimson led us in the pledge and Kathy Grammer led us in a rousing version of “America the Beautiful.”
Our “History Moments” have now entered the 1970’s, with Dick Hall recalling the country and world in 1971 and 1972. Tensions were high between India and the USSR; the "troubles” in Northern Ireland continued to blaze; The Democratic Republic of Congo became Zaire; at home, Richard Nixon won the 1972 election and traveled to China; the Academy Award for best picture went to “Patton” and “All the Family” debuted on TV. In our own club, the major fundraiser, the Sidewalk Art Show, led by Bob Patten, raised over $20,000 for Junior Achievement and we showed a rebel bent by canceling the meetings on December 24 and 31 in direct violation of Rotary International Bylaws.
The weekly raffle was conducted by Lester Evans, who called up Mike Fortunato to draw the card and try to find the Queen of Hearts for $1388. Alas, Mike pulled the ten of clubs. The pot thickens!
Julie L’Heureux has co-authored a new book sharing insights from her career in the nursing field, proceeds to benefit the American Nursing Foundation. Both Rusty Atwood and Paul Gore are expecting grandchildren within the next few months.
All Member Social
*04/22/16 Clayton Rose, Pres. Bowdoin College
04/08/16 Michael Greer, Portland Ballet
- the geographic size is similar
- the population densities are along the coast
- both are monolingual
- for both, a large part of the population is not aware of things outside their country
- neither country is required to learn a new language
- both feel their country is center of all
04/08/16 Bits & Pieces
(Photo: Mark and Connie Stimson.)
The Club’s speakers touched on many subjects that reflected the current national mood. Clearly the club was trying to make sense of what must have seemed like puzzling and upsetting social upheavals during this period. We heard from Judge Edward Thaxter Gignoux (after whom our Federal courthouse was later named) speaking about courts, immigrants’ rights, and the “unwarranted dissidence” rampant across the country. A group of Boston college students spoke to the club about the science behind drugs and addiction (this was one of three programs about drugs and delinquency that year – one speaker noted there were 49 heroin addicts in Maine, and was very worried about marijuana); the regional director of the FBI spoke to the club about “anarchy masquerading as peaceful demonstrations"; and we heard from Graham Watt, city manager of Dayton Ohio, who spoke about the wealth divide in the country, social justice and the plight of America’s urban areas.
Rotary notes that year showed that the Club had around 220 members, and that the price of lunch was increasing to $2.75 including tip, something that suggested that Rotarians then were as concerned as they are now about how to keep costs affordable. Records showed that the Club contributed to a number of local causes that year, from the YMCA to the Catherine Morrell Day Nursery; and familiar names were showing up on our programs: Don Lowry made an initial appearance having provided a classification talk, and Mark Stimson was elected Second Vice president.
Our Rotary District is looking for help to host the inbound Argentinean District Vocational Training Team. This Group Study Exchange Team (GSE) of four (2 men, 2 women) will be coming to our area on Monday and Tuesday, June 6th and 7th.
They are looking for 2-4 host families to house the team members overnight on Monday, plus volunteer(s) to chauffeur the team members around for those two days, and to provide breakfast, lunch & dinner.
The GSE between District 7780 and Argentina will focus on collegial sharing between the mental health professionals of the outbound team and inbound team, as well as interfacing with other mental health professionals (particularly Rotarians) in each country. A particular emphasis will be on youth/adolescent mental health. The teams will visit a representative sampling of mental health/social service agencies in each country.
If you can volunteer or want additional information, please contact Ann Schieber at: annschieber@hotmail.com
or at: 603-770-2744
*04/15/16 Andrew Rudalevige, Bowdoin College, Presidential Power
Receiving his PhD in 2000, he taught at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2012 he joined the faculty of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he is Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government.
Andy was a fellow at Princeton University's Center for the Study of Democratic Politics in 2004-05. From 2007 to 2009, he served as the director of Dickinson's humanities study abroad program in London and Norwich, England, and as a visiting professor at the University of East Anglia. In fall 2011 he taught at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques at the University of Lyon, France.
His current research & writing projects address questions of policy implementation and the president's ability to direct it. Book projects on various aspects of the president's role as "chief executive," as well as the presidency of Ronald Reagan, are in progress.
Trip to Boston Rotary Club
*04/08/16 Michael Greer, Portland Ballet
Michael Romy Greer is the current Executive Director at Portland Ballet and previously General Manager at Sino-European Recycling Resources in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
A native of St. Charles, Missouri, Michael spent the early part of his life at some of the world's most prestigious dance institutions. Graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy as a dance major. Michael also studied at the Joffrey Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet school, and The Royal Ballet School in London, England. Upon completing his training, Michael continued on to dance professionally with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah, for six seasons under the direction of Jonas Kage. During this time with the company, he danced many soloist roles.
After retiring from performing, Michael went on to complete a degree in economics with a focus in industrial organization as an Arturo Schomburg Scholar at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He also received an opportunity to continue his economics studies at Stanford University, but chose to gain experience in international business in India as a Gilman Scholar (US State Department). Michael continued to work with companies in both India and China over a nine-year span, managing teams and operations at several multinational corporations.
Michael will give a brief overview of his time spent in mainland China and some of his personal perspectives on doing business and investing in the region. In particular, the relationship between cultural expectations, regulations, real estate, and the stock market. While Michael is not by any means a China scholar, his eight years living and working in the region allow a unique perspective on the country.
04/01/16 Steve Rowe, Maine Community Foundation
04/01/16 Bits & Pieces
Laughter's Corner.....
With a Side of Argument
We were in a restaurant, perusing the menu, when I let my husband know that he rarely paid attention to me when I spoke. Well, of course he disagreed, so we went back to reading our menus in chilly silence. After a few uncomfortable minutes, I said, “I think I’m getting a headache.”
He responded, “Go ahead, sweetheart; get whatever you want.”
Couple of Wandering Rotarians
*04/01/16 Steve Rowe, Pres./CEO, Maine Community Foundation
RETURNING HOME TO OUR PARENT....CLUB, THAT IS!
The Boston club meets from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM at Fisher College, 118 Beacon Street. We will go there on Wednesday, April 6th for an exceptional program about one of Boston's treasures, the Old North Church, presented by Rev. Stephen Ayres.
District Training Assembly
03/18/16 Bits & Pieces
03/18/16 Yellow Light Breen, Maine Development Foundation
*03/25/16 Mary Allen Lindemann, Coffee By Design
03/11/16 Bits & Pieces
(Photo: John Curran, David Small and Erik Greven....part of the team heading to the DR.)
03/11/16 Mayor Ethan Strimling, City of Portland
Reciting a bit of his State of the City address, Ethan outlined several of the key areas of focus for his office, the most pressing of which is the housing crisis which has seen the eviction of dozens of tenants recently in what seems to be a push closer to the model of Boston, with an upper class parlayed against those in need of services, with the middle class forced to seek housing elsewhere. The Mayor acknowledged that there is a plethora of new housing going up in Portland, but admits that the vast majority is for upscale residences. The need for moderately-priced housing may force the council to look to zoning changes or to identify public lands suitable for construction. While there is a plan in place to build five new low-income housing developments over the next year, the “housing crisis,” as recently outlined in a Portland Press Herald series, remains of major concern in City Hall.
Another area of grave concern is the status of the city’s elementary schools (Hall, Reiche, Presumpscot and Longfellow), all of which have been designated for state funding, but await a freeze to be lifted before funds are released. Mayor Strimling looks to present a bond question to the electorate in November which will, admittedly, raise taxes by a small percentage, but which could allow the city to begin with the much-needed renovations.
Other areas that need to be addressed include the limited use of the beautiful Ocean Gateway facility, granting aid and education to our immigrants, and seeing the implementation of universal high speed broad-band to the city. Mr. Mayor also defending his request for an administrative assistant, saying he sees himself as a business owner with 65,000 customers, far fewer than the typical state legislator, who does have an assistant assigned to his or her office.
Ethan brought a levity and charm to his remarks, even taking the high road when asked about his relationship with Governor Lepage. While stating that they “don’t agree on the time of day,” he has dined with and made peace with the governor and has agreed to “not do battle in the newspaper,” which, thus far, has been a successful effort.
With Jon Jennings as our city manager and Ethan Strimling as our mayor, Portland seems aptly served as we push toward a new era for “The Forest City.”
Taste & Tour with a PHF, March 29, 2016
*03/18/16 Yellow Light Breen, Pres. Maine Development Foundation
*03/11/16 Ethan Strimling, Mayor City of Portland
As the city’s top elected official, the mayor provides community leadership and develops policies to guide the city by setting strategic goals and priorities for the city with the council. He also represents the city’s interests in Augusta and Washington D.C., where he advocates for the city, its residents, and businesses. Mr. Strimling also served in the State Senate for six years representing Portland as Chair of the Labor and Criminal Justice Committees, while also serving on Taxation. He also Chaired Maine’s Homeland Security Task Force.
03/04/16 The Grand Kotzschmar Organ
EDITORIAL CORRECTION
03/04/16 Bits & Pieces
While at the podium, Emily again thanked all of the club members for their participation in last’s week auction, which raised over $1000 for our operating fund.
March birthdays were announced by President Bowen and the club members and guests sang an enthusiastic version of “Happy Birthday,” the most sung song on earth.
Peter Ingram encouraged us all to mark our calendars for Tuesday, March 29th, from 5:30 to 7:30, for our annual fund raiser/fellowship event at Allagash Brewery on Industrial Way in Portland. Peter and his committee hope that we can all help celebrate Rob Tod’s (owner of Allagash) recognition of a Paul Harris Fellow, as Rob will be honored with the recognition for his service to the community and continued support of Rotary. Join us to honor Rob, share in fellowship, and enjoy Allagash’s award-winning premium Belgium inspired beverages. To compliment the fine beer, fine cheeses, cured meat plates and assorted appetizers will be served. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 or can be purchased at the door for $20. The event recipient will be our Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) initiative and allow us to purchase books to distribute and read to young children at food sites this summer.
02/26/16 Bits & Pieces
Our annual re-gifting silent auction was taking place during our meeting, with many fine items donated. Special thanks go to those that made the donations and to those winners with the highest bids. (Someone I know went home with at least 5 items.)
02/26/16 Bank of America: Re-emerging
The half hour went fast for Bill and there wasn’t any time left for Q&As, but he remained on hand to answer our members' questions.
Rotary Interact Club at Portland High School
*03/04/16 SPECIAL Rotary Meeting at Merrill Auditorium
Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ (FOKO) will host the meeting!
The mighty Kotzschmar Organ, in its 103rd year, is a national icon and is an integral part of the cultural history of Portland. Portland’s municipal organist, Ray Cornils, assisted by FOKO docents, will give a demonstration and offer tours of the newly-renovated Kotzschmar Organ. Tours will start at 1:20 and last between 10-20 minutes to go through the organ. Yes! You can actually walk inside the windchest of the organ!
We hope you will join us!
*02/26/16 Bill Williamson, President, Bank of America Maine
Since May 15, 2012, Bill Williamson has been Maine State President for Bank of America. A native who has called Maine home for most of his life, Williamson has been with the company since joining a predecessor institution in 1981.
As state president, Williamson helps integrate Bank of America business lines throughout Maine, allowing the company to reach more individuals, families and businesses while deepening relationships with existing customers. He also oversees corporate social responsibility activities including philanthropic giving, community development lending and investing, environmental initiatives, diversity efforts, arts and culture projects, and employee volunteerism.
In addition to his responsibilities as state president, Williamson is a senior client manager in Bank of America’s Global Commercial Bank. In that capacity, he serves a diverse group of public and private companies in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Williamson, a Colby College alumnus, resides in Falmouth with his wife and the youngest of his three daughters. He is active in the community, having served on the boards of the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce and the Susan Curtis Foundation. He currently serves on the board of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
02/19/16 Bits & Pieces
After partaking of our fellowship and lunch, President Bowen introduced the visiting Rotarians and guests.
President Bowen confessed that if, in presiding, he seemed a bit off kilter, we might exhibit some charity, as he just arrived back in Portland two hours earlier after sleeping the night at the Newark, NJ airport.
President Bowen announced that Erik Greven, Community Service Chair, still needed a few more volunteers for our volunteer night at Preble Street Soup Kitchen on Wednesday, Feb. 24th. Erik will be away, so please contact President Bowen if you and/or a friend can plan to help, contact Bowen at: bowen.depke@spireexpress.com or call him at 749-3728.
On March 4th our meeting will be in the Merrill Auditorium for a program and tour of the Kotzschmar Organ. If you plan to attend please email Loretta Rowe at: lrowe@maine.rr.com and tell her you will be coming and hopefully bringing a guest. (See separate article in this edition for more details.)
Juliana L’Heureux has a book out called "Maine Nursing: Interviews and History on Caring and Competence." Click on the title to find out more about it.
We know of a particular snow bird that is returning early this year. Harry Sawyer misses Maine and his Rotary friends so much, we hear from his daughter that he will return this coming week and hopes to be at Friday's meeting. Be sure to say "hi" to him
02/19/16 Andrea Maker - Focus Maine
- Agriculture – Maine has abundant water and available land and the potential for producing high quality food. Young farmers are coming to Maine. In fact, food processing is a profitable business. For example, Crown of Maine Organic Cooperative (COMAC) is processing root vegetables as is Pineland Farms with potatoes.
- Aquaculture – A 3,200-mile coastline and plenty of cold water can support aquaculture and recruit acquaculturists to grow salmon and mollusks, because natural free-range seafood is rare. Fish protein demand is growing.
- Biopharmaceuticals – a little higher risk sector, but an emerging business where mammalian rather than synthetic additives are used to make pharmaceuticals efficiently. Boston pharmaceutical companies will be recruited to support this sector, because they will be close to the manufacturing producers in Maine. Also, Maine’s good quality of life will attract pharma manufacturing professionals while providing for an easy commute to the Boston companies. There is no bio-pharma culture in Maine at this time.
Leap Into Auction!
Policy for Meeting Cancellation
IF PORTLAND SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED, PORTLAND ROTARY DOES NOT MEET.
Please watch your local TV news/weather broadcasts on Friday mornings.
02/12/16 Bits & Pieces
02/12/16 Hildy Ginsberg, March of Dimes
*02/19/16 Andrea Cianchette-Maker, Atty Pierce Atwood, Focus Maine
As the leader of Pierce Atwood’s Government Relations practice, Andrea provides governmental relations services in Maine and in Washington, DC with Maine's Congressional delegation. Her practice includes lobbying, government contracts, and strategic positioning of organizations to achieve desired outcomes. Her advocacy focus includes issues in economic development, workforce development, and real estate.
Andrea is adept at building coalitions and developing effective stakeholder relations. She operates in a manner that enhances the credibility and reputation of her clients. Her sensible and proactive approach is refreshing and empowering in the complex and sometimes perplexing public policy arena. Committed to creating a strong and vibrant state of Maine, Andrea enjoys working with clients and as a volunteer to strengthen Maine's economy.
Andrea has developed strong and personal relationships with countless policy makers, business people, and association leaders during her lifetime in Maine. She has served on nonprofit boards including the Susan L. Curtis Foundation and the Maine Community Foundation. She and her husband, Scott, hope that their four children always feel they have an opportunity to live and work in Maine.
It Was a Cold & Blustery Night....
*02/12/16 Hildy Ginsberg, State Director March of Dimes
Hildy will be joined in her presentation by Eileen Delaney, Director of Maternity at Mid Coast Hospital and March of Dimes board member, and Aubrey Martin, March of Dimes Family Teams Specialist and Family Ambassador.
01/29/16 Bits & Pieces
Jim Willey told us about how the 'Friends of Long Creek' and many of our members recently threw a banana split party for residents of the Cedar Unit (the toughest kids in the place). Then, the kids made Valentines Day cards for senior citizens receiving 'Meals on Wheels,' an activity that Jim described as a huge and surprising success.
01/29/16 Past District Governor Ann Lee Hussey - Polio Eradication
Solar-Powered Lights for Dominican Republic - LAST REQUEST
HELP ERADICATE POLIO WORLDWIDE
*02/05/16 Michael Greer, Portland Ballet
Michael Romy Greer is the current Executive Director at Portland Ballet and previously General Manager at Sino-European Recycling Resources in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
A native of St. Charles, Missouri, Michael spent the early part of his life at some of the world's most prestigious dance institutions. Graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy as a dance major. Michael also studied at the Joffrey Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet school, and The Royal Ballet School in London, England. Upon completing his training, Michael continued on to dance professionally with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah, for six seasons under the direction of Jonas Kage. During this time with the company, he danced many soloist roles.
After retiring from performing, Michael went on to complete a degree in economics with a focus in industrial organization as an Arturo Schomburg Scholar at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He also received an opportunity to continue his economics studies at Stanford University, but chose to gain experience in international business in India as a Gilman Scholar (US State Department). Michael continued to work with companies in both India and China over a nine-year span, managing teams and operations at several multinational corporations.
Michael will give a brief overview of his time spent in mainland China and some of his personal perspectives on doing business and investing in the region. In particular, the relationship between cultural expectations, regulations, real estate, and the stock market. While Michael is not by any means a China scholar, his eight years living and working in the region allow a unique perspective on the country.
*01/29/16 PDG Ann Lee Hussey - Rotary Foundation
Ann Lee Hussey of South Berwick, Maine has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work. Over the past several years she has actively participated in 26 volunteer NID (National Immunization Days) teams organizing and leading the last 23 teams herself, choosing to take those NIDs to places that do not often see westerners – Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Niger, Nigeria, Madagascar, as well as less “touristy” destinations in Egypt and India – where the need is greatest and where the publicity and goodwill surrounding the trip are as critical as the immunizations themselves to help communicate the need for eradication.
She has shared her story and passion hundreds of times at numerous Zone Institutes, District Conferences, PETS and Foundation events, carrying the message of PolioPlus around the Rotary world and beyond, raising money and creating new converts to the fight. She is determined that no child will needlessly have to suffer what she herself, a polio survivor, has been through. Her concern for polio survivors includes working to ensure mobility and dignity for those who survived the disease, but did not have access to the kinds of surgeries and treatments that she was able to receive. And has led many RI grants to this end.
Ann Lee has put a face on the subject of polio eradication, winning hearts and minds and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. Being a polio survivo, the story Ann Lee tells is personal, and so is her fight to eradicate polio.
But for all the immunizations Ann Lee has herself made possible through NIDs, she considers fundraising and public awareness her most critical accomplishments. Ann Lee’s work has earned her the International Service Award for a Polio-Free World and the Rotary Service Above Self Award and most recently was honored as a White House Champion of Change for her humanitarianism and contributions to public service, aimed at improving people’s lives and making a better future around the globe. She was also honored at the Maine State Senate chamber for her remarkable achievements.
Outside Rotary, Ann Lee currently serves as a trustee of York Hospital for a third term and previously on the board of Port Resources, an organization that supports developmentally challenged adults in Portland, Maine.
Ann Lee is a member of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise in Maine and served District 7780 as Governor in 2010-2011. Previously she served on the Reach Out to Africa Initiative, as Zone 32 Coordinator for Health and Hunger and as a member of the RI Rotarian Action Groups Committee. Ann Lee has also served as Presidents’ Representative at several district conferences.
Ann Lee currently serves as Adviser to the International PolioPlus Committee for 2015-2016 and Chairs the Polio Survivors Rotarian Action Group. For 2015-2016 she also serves as her district’s Major Gifts officer and remains a member of the District Visioning Team, having introduced the Visioning program to her district during her governor year.
Ann Lee and her husband are Rotary Foundation Major Donors. She is a Veterinary Technician who with her Rotarian husband, Michael Nazemetz, DVM, own Village Veterinary Clinic in Rollinsford, NH. They reside in South Berwick, Maine.
01/22/16 Bits & Pieces
First 2016 Winter Ski Trip
01/22/16 What's Happening at Portland Rotary - Club Assembly
30 Rotarians, volunteered to give up 4 hours one evening at the Clarion Hotel. The group was a very diverse cross section of the club. It included young & old, seasoned Rotarians and new members, Officers and those who are not, active in service and those who are not, male and female, etc, etc. All were very engaged, and everyone made a valuable contribution.
What the Club “stands for," Club size, attributes of the Club, Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service Projects, Youth Service, International Service, Fundraising, Foundation success, Public Image & Public Relations, and Leadership Development.
Comments from the audience followed: PP Cyrus Hagge said that when he did a 'Survey Monkey,' the results did not track with the visioning done previously. PP Kris Rosado noted that many of the things which rated high in the last visioning were accomplished. PP Dick Hall added a couple more that were accomplished. PP Larry Gross said it will be important to create a dashboard, to keep visioning in front of the club. Don Zillman said that each person can find their passion and sign up for the area they want to contribute.
In Focus Spotlight - The Portland Rotary Club
WHEN: Thursday, January 28th, 2015 | 5:30PM – 8:00PM
WHERE: Rising Tide Tasting Room | 103 Fox Street, Portland
Admission is free, but a suggested $5 donation is requested to be made at the door in support of The Portland Rotary Club and PROPEL will then match up to $700 of your donations, wow!
Register below!
For more information, contact PROPEL at 772-1811 or by email: contact@propelportland.org
*01/22/16 Club Assembly
The Club has been very busy with numerous projects, events and strategic planning. The strength of Portland Rotary has always been, and will always be, its engaged membership. This Friday, we will hear updates on what we have accomplished and what is planned moving forward.
The club completed it’s initial Visioning 5 years ago. We started Re-Visioning earlier this Rotary year and with the input of over 20 members, laid the foundation for our next Vision. This Friday will be the opportunity for all members to have their input and opine on the existing foundational work. Please be sure to come and help lay the groundwork for our next 100 years.
This is a great opportunity to invite guests. They will receive an overview of our activities locally and internationally.....across a variety of avenues of service.
There couldn’t be a better advertisement for joining our club!!
Please make every effort to attend.
01/15/16 Bits & Pieces
(Photo: IPP Kris Rosado and PDG Lawrence Furbish)
Malamulo Hospital and Clinic is now working in health care in Limbe, Africa hoping to form a partnership with our club and perhaps have our International Service Committee consider a project in Africa. He shared information about the Rotary Club of Limbe and exchanged banners with us.
01/15/16 Phil Coupe, ReVision Energy - Solar Power
- Maine has the highest per capita carbon footprint in New England, heated by oil at an average cost of about $800 per year and generating approximately 18,400 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.
- Maine is the only state in New England without solar incentives.
- Maine has strong solar resource with the same intensity as the French Mediterranean or Houston Texas, and it is only 10% lower than Jacksonville, FL.
- The new Casco Ice Bay Arena in Falmouth is largely powered by solar power.
- Windham’s Fire Department provides 75% of their power needs with solar power.
- Falmouth has one of the first office buildings in Maine to be net energy positive, meaning the extra energy generated by the building components are sold back to the power grid.
- Residential solar panel installation in Maine currently has a monetary payback of about 9 years, but the panels have a 25-year warranty and a useful life of 30-40 years of production.
Ball of Hairs Pillow
Three weeks ago at our December 18th meeting, we thanked Joan Steinberg (Russ Burleigh's better half) for knitting more than 150 pairs of mittens over the past year for children in need of them from wool that was donated by our club Rotarians. The mittens were transported that afternoon and given to two ladies at the Lyseth Elementary School in Portland. Two of our members, Jim Willey and Dave Small, brought in more yarn last week and Joan is already hard at work knitting mittens for next December's delivery to help keep the children warm.
*01/15/16 Phil Coupe, ReVision Energy
*01/08/16 Michael Norton, Hannaford Brothers
Michael Norton is Director of External Communications and Community Relations for Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough. He has been with Hannaford for 10 years and worked early in his career as a daily newspaper journalist.
As a founding partner of the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Maine, Hannaford has been involved in efforts to relieve food insecurity for decades. In recent years this effort has become bigger and more sophisticated. Hannaford stores have doubled the volume of fresh food donated directly from its stores to local affiliates of Good Shepherd. In addition, the stores have funded Cooking Matters – a collaborative of Good Shepherd, SNAP education and Healthy Maine partnerships – that reaches both families and young people with learning about how to prepare nutritious foods affordably. The challenges of hunger relief are solvable and critical to unlocking the potential of Maine's next generation.
Mr. Norton lives in Yarmouth with his wife, Tori, two boys, and an over-eager dog.
Special Christmas Angels
12/18/15 Caroling with the Choral Arts Society
The Choral Arts Society http://www.choralart.org/ has three groups:
- Masterworks Chorus: An ensemble of about 100, "Masterworks Chorus" presents one to two performances of symphonic repertoire each season including an annual appearance with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
- Singers: The original Choral Art Society ensemble with about 50 voices. "Singers" presents two to three concerts each season, including Christmas at the Cathedral.
- Camerata: A chamber ensemble of approximately 15 voices specializes in a cappella music from the Renaissance through the 21st Century. "Camerata’s" annual “Epiphany Celebration” has become a choral tradition for each holiday season.
They treated us with: The Wassail Song - (Feed Us and We Will Sing for You - this was a Longfellow's carol); I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day; O Tannenbaum (Christmas Tree); and Good King Wenceslas.
The group then lead our group to sing many Holiday songs, including:
White Christmas, A Merry Little Christmas, The Christmas Song, Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells, Rudolph - The Red-Nosed Reindeer and finally ended with The 12 Days of Christmas.
It was a fun meeting and a great way to send the club off to celebrate the holidays.
Special Christmas Deliveries!
12/18/15 Bits & Pieces
WWII was the backdrop to this Rotary year. These were some of the highlights internationally that year.
During WW2, more than 6 million women joined the American work force. Although most received equal pay in many industries, 20% of female workers received less than their male counterparts. In the September 1943 Rotarian magazine, 50 Rotarians argued for equal pay for women workers.
Sumner Johnson was the President of Portland Rotary that year. At nearly all meetings, members of the armed services attended as guests. The war was brought home to our club by many speakers. For example:
In the fall, Arthur Hauck, the president of the U of Maine, back from touring England, reported 2,750,000 homes and 1400 schools destroyed. Carlton Sturdy of the American Can Co spoke of the need for workers to process food to feed our fighters and starving people in Nazi occupied countries.
Other interesting speakers…
PP Kris Rosado, this year's nominating committee chair, re-announced the nominees for the slate of 2016-17 Club officers, as follows:
*12/18/15 Special Holiday Program
Robert Russell, Director
Dawn Anderson
Andrea Graichen
Stuart Bailey
Jim Bucknam
Patrick Martin
Peter Plumb
It's sure to be a delightful program that will put us in the holiday spirit. You won't want to miss it!
12/04/15 Bits & Pieces
Peggy Wescott on Invocation; Bob Martin led us in the Pledge of Allegiance; and Bill Blount led us in song. President Bowen introduced 4 visiting Rotarians, and 6, no make that 5 guests. One had to leave early.
Recognizing the 74th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day coming up this coming Monday, President Bowen welcomed Jim Willey to the podium. Jim was pinch-hitting for Earle Leavitt, our Navy veteran who witnessed the event first hand. We’ve always appreciated hearing Earle tell us of that fateful day, and respect him for telling Jim, who had gone over to pick Earle up, “not today.” In his place, Jim respectfully told Earle’s story of being at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th, 1941. Earle was stationed at Hickam Field, and like so many others, scrambled out from his barracks in his skivvies. As a Japanese fighter plane came in low, Earle was so close he locked eyes with the pilot, who incredibly had a strange smile on his face. Undoubtedly the sight of Earle in boxers on the tarmac was amusing to the pilot. Earle didn’t stick around for the punch line...too close for comfort. Earle, we missed you at the meeting, hope you’re feeling better.
Bob Traill provided us with a 'History Moment' circa 1941-42. There was a connection between the growth of the club against the national backdrop of war. Prior to those years, the club was adept in attendance and club functions, but rather staid in its efforts of service towards local and international needs. Good thoughts, but not much action – garnered “low marks” from Bob. No women in the club – earned a “Z” rating from him. Doesn’t get any lower! But the onset of WWII brought transformation in service activity. For starters, the club was very active in selling Defense Bonds in the community. They provided training to businesses and merchants in the event of Portland ever seeing enemy attacks, which was certainly possible. The club was known for entertaining Veterans, donating to the Red Cross, and providing aid to families that had lost loved ones. On the international side, the club donated dollars for air-raid shelters abroad. Many of the guest speakers who had first-hand war experiences shared their stories, including a British ship captain who had been captured by the Germans. One interesting highlight was when the club listened to a live radio broadcast of Winston Churchill addressing the U.S. Congress. Debates were held at the meetings, for example Bowdoin students vs. Portland HS students.
After closing his comments, Bowen noted that our Bob is the oldest Marine living in Maine. Jim Willey added that Bob had seen a lot of action and served bravely in the war, eliciting a rousing cheer of appreciation from the audience.
You may register and pay online by clicking HERE
For questions or further information, contact Rob Chatfield: robchat@exitstage.com
12/04/15 Lonnie Hackett - Healthy Kids, Brighter Future, Lusaka, Zambia
Last Friday, we heard a truly inspirational tale from an amazing young man named Lonnie Hackett. Lonnie grew up in Bangor and fell in love with sports, eventually heading off to Bowdoin, where he began to feel that he was “doing everything for himself." He went to football practice, he studied and he worked out, but eventually he was introduced to Dr. Richard Bale, who worked with the impoverished people of Zambia, in southern Africa. Dr. Bale asked his listeners to “get inspired” so, after some consideration, Lonnie applied for one of five scholarships and, just like that, he found himself on a plane to Lusaka, the capital, with only one instruction: “get inspired!”
After spending time with some of the poorest children in Africa, and understanding that 95% of the young girls on the streets were HIV-positive, Lonnie’s life was altered. Now, at the tender age of 24, Lonnie finds himself as the founder and president of 'Healthy Kids/Brighter Future,' a fledgling non-profit that has found its footing through grants and aid from local Rotary Clubs like ours.
With over two billion people in Africa with no basic health care, education and hands-on training at schools and hospitals in Zambia, they have begun to help with these near-forgotten children, one of seven of which will not see the age of seven. But, with 86% of the children attending schools, Lonnie and his crew have been able to transform the teachers into much more than just educators. With an increased ability to provide much-needed health screenings, as well as improved sanitation and hygiene, the schools have become a gateway in allowing the educators to become entrusted with more of the health concerns that have torn apart entire communities.
Lonnie started in five schools, then 35, and now his agency is providing assistance in 55 schools for 11,000 young Africans, with government promises to replicate the programs and provide help to 25,000 more children over the next two years. Lonnie and his team have made a difference in the world, and Portland Rotary should be proud to have provided assistance. As Lonnie’s motto states: “if not us, then who? If not now, when?”
*12/11/15 Tips of the Trade - Member Panel
Jerry Angier - Insurance
John Marr – Insurance - Worker’s Comp
*12/04/15 Lonnie Hackett - Lusaka, Zambia Project
When Lonnie Hackett graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Bowdoin college in 2014, he knew he would be spending the next few years of his life establishing a model of health care for poor children in the emerging democracy of Zambia. Lonnie founded Healthy Kids/Brighter Future and gathered a supportive board of directors. He then took his plan to the Rotary Club of Brunswick, Maine and received a standing ovation, as well as a promise of a Global Grant. Lonnie's clear vision for school-based health care for vulnerable children became a reality as a local healthcare clinic and other Zambian healthcare workers trained classroom teachers to recognize and treat common childhood illnesses. A Global Grant for $35,770 was approved in October of 2014. In one year, 90 teachers have been trained and close to 12,000 poor children have been evaluated and/or treated. The program is sustainable and has received the attention of the Zambian Ministry of Health.
It is the time to begin this program in another compound in Lusaka, using all the lessons of the first program and continuing Lonnie's dream of healthcare for all children.
12/11/15 Bits & Pieces
11/20/15 Mark McAuliffe, Apothecary by Design
Mark McAuliffe, a seasoned clinical operations executive at Apothecary By Design (ABD), says their mission is to help people get – and stay – healthy, by coordinating care among healthcare providers, patients, and their pharmacists; advocating on patients’ behalf; and by integrating conventional and alternative pharmacy services supported by their dedicated, highly-trained clinical team.
A portfolio company of BelHealth Investment Partners, they’re an independent pharmacy offering a range of integrated pharmacy services that include retail prescription services, disease management, pharmaceutical compounding, and nutritional health and well-being.
From your first experience with ABD, you’ll see the difference of how they are changing the face of pharmacy. They offer:
- Experienced staff members with advanced training in specialty areas such as women's health and nutrition
- A private consultation room where you can share your questions with a pharmacist
- Special pharmacy services
- State-of-the-art technology that seamlessly coordinates care among the patient, the healthcare provider, and the pharmacist
- Prescription compounding for customized needs
The pharmacy is conveniently located on the ground floor of the InterMed Building in downtown Portland. Their skilled staff of pharmacists, nurses, and patient coordinators work closely with healthcare providers to promote overall health and well-being – and to empower patients to be active participants in their own healthcare.
11/20/15 Bits & Pieces
The club was still meeting at the Falmouth Hotel. We had 120 members. All new members had to wear “baby doll” pins to highlight their status and encourage conversation with members. One featured speaker was Hans Schneider, who founded the ski school at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH, to discuss the growth of the skiing industry.
Jerry Angier ran this week's raffle, having our speaker pull a member's name out of the bucket.....PTG (aka Paul Gore) was again the lucky person to try and find the elusive Queen of Hearts, but could not find her, so the pot continues to build.
You may register and pay online by clicking HERE
For questions or further information, contact Rob Chatfield: robchat@exitstage.com
Container Filled with Crutches 4 Uganda!
Thanks to Roger and Liz Fagan for lending their hands to this effort! We packed 2300 pairs of crutches, 65 wheelchairs, more than 550 canes and over 400 walkers.
Dave Talbot, founder of 'Crutches4Africa,' drove the forklift and his wife, Candace, tracked the number of pieces loaded.
The container is expected to arrive in Uganda in January, where Dave and his team will distribute them with the help of local Rotary clubs.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered!
Jan Chapman
*11/20/15 Mark McAuliffe, Apothecary By Design
Active in many local and professional organizations, Mark is past president of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce. In 2014 he received the Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to the Chamber and Portland community. He is also a trustee of the Tilton School. He has also served on the board of directors of the Maine Health Management Coalition and served on the Bayside Trail capital campaign committee.
Portland Rotary Holiday Beverage Bazaar
Special Event
Portland Rotary Holiday Beverage Bazaar
Tuesday, December 8th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Where:
Urban Farm Fermentory
200 Anderson Street, Portland
(Bayside District)
$20 admission includes unlimited samples of
16 rotating taps that will include
naturally fermented cider, komboucha and honey mead,
as well as fine food from The Cheese Iron and Mainely Wraps
Link for the farm:
You NEED TO register and pay online by clicking
For questions or further information, contact Rob Chatfield: robchat@exitstage.com
Help Needed Packing Container For Africa
All are welcome to come and help!
We’ll meet at the warehouse at 20 Gooch Street in Biddeford. Directions: Make a hard left turn onto Gooch Street just after crossing the bridge from Saco into Biddeford on Route One.
Please contact Bruce or Jan if you have questions or need more info: chapmoore@myfairpoint.net or 318-9424.
11/11/15 Special Tribute to Veterans
- When he sees someone in uniform, he tries to make that simple gesture of personally thanking him or her. A simple handshake means a lot.
- He spoke of the impact of the greeters who welcome home Veterans at the Bangor Airport. To date, over 7000 flights have been greeted, at all times of day or night. Bangor has a reputation right down to the halls of Washington, DC for the great job they do to show Veterans their appreciation.
- Taking in a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium, he told how everyone was given a piece of cardboard, and at a designated time asked to hold it up. All together, the boards turned into a mosaic of the American flag with “Thank You Troops” spelled out, which was both beautiful and moving.
- Give Veterans the support they have earned. King drew from Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address, March 1865. The speech ends a prescription for the recovery of the nation after the Civil War, and included in that passage are the words that in 1959 would become the motto for the Veterans Administration.
- King spoke about the need to be sure that the current VA delivers the benefits vets are entitled to receive. It had reached crisis situation three years ago, with the bookkeeping a wretched mess. One year ago, funding was passed to substantially rebuild the program, and legislation is still moving forward. King said that it was moving in a positive direction, but there is much work that still needs to be done.
- The last point, the Senator said, it all came down to simple respect for what Vets have done for us, our way of life, and what they bring to society.
- Is there a vital national interest at stake?
- Is there a clear mission?
- Is there an alternative to sending troops?
- Is there a way out, an exit strategy?
11/11/15 Bits & Pieces
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
11/11/15 Rededication of Andrews Monument
*11/11/15 Special Veterans' Day Breakfast
In 1919 Portland Rotary donated $3,500 to create a monument and flagpole paying tribute to Harold Andrews, the first soldier killed in WWI from Maine. The monument is in Andrews Square, right next to the Butler School on Pine Street in the West End. We have been working with the Harold Andrews American Legion Post and the City of Portland to have it refurbished in time for this Veterans' Day. It looks great!
This Wednesday, November 11th is Veterans' Day and we have a special Rotary breakfast meeting planned for members, guests and veterans. After the breakfast program, we will walk/ride up to re-dedicate the monument and then on to the parade at 10:30 a.m.
Senator Angus King will be our featured speaker!
Help support our Veterans this Veterans' Day!
Thank you.
11/06/15 Bits & Pieces
After lunch, President Bowen reconvened the meeting by introducing visiting Rotarians and guests, then called upon Dave Smith, who recounted highlights from our Club during the years 1938-1939. Those years were marked by growing turbulence in Europe and in the East, and in the States, there was a deadly 1938 hurricane that took the lives of 300 New Yorkers. Torpor inducing might be a description of the meeting programs as Dave explained that, while our Club’s membership was increasing, attendance suffered from the perceived lack of interesting topics.
We then took a moment to enjoy a delicious seasonal dessert of pumpkin whoopie pies and apple crisp, again prepared by the students of the culinary arts department of LCYDC.
President Bowen reported that our member, Gene Story, has lung cancer. Jim Willey informed us that he has visited with him, stating that Gene is grateful for visitations by close friends, but tires easily. Please call his wife, Ruth to see if Gene is up for a visit before stopping by.
President Bowen recognized Bruce Moore, Jan Chapman and John Marr for bringing in new members. Bowen also told us that the Portsmouth Club exceeds us in new members, for the moment (we hope). Our attention remained on Jan Chapman, who announced that volunteers are needed on the November 21st date in Biddeford for packing a container headed to the "Crutches4Africa" project. For more details, please contact Jan at: chapmoore@myfairpoint.net.
President Bowen told us of our Deering High School Interact Club's plans to send a delegation to the UN. President Bowen also reported that the Club Visioning Workshop II held on November 5th was well attended. The results are being compiled and will be presented at the Club Assembly in January. We are also looking for everyone's input as to where you see the Club going in the next five years.
November being Rotary's Foundation Month, Amy Chipman announced that we have two new sustaining members and five 'Circles of Five.' Amy encouraged us to make this a banner year for our Club’s support of the Foundation. With Amy’s cheerleading leadership style, we are already the envy of District 7780.
Erik Greven, Chair of our Community Service Committee, announced he is seeking volunteers for our annual Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving provision of dinner at St. Vincent DePaul’s Soup Kitchen on Nov. 25th, pointing out the sign-up sheets on the tables. For further information and to sign up directly with Erik for the different times volunteers are needed, contact him at: egrev95@aol.com.
Peter Goffin announced our next regular weekly meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay for breakfast, 7:00 a.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 11th, Veterans' Day. We will be hosting Veterans who want to dine with us and then walk (or drive) up to Andrews Square to re-dedicate the monument in honor of the first Mainer who died in World War I, Harold Andrews.
11/06/15 Long Creek Youth Development Center
10/30/15 Bits & Pieces
FDR starting his 2nd term in office;
- Give Elise a check made out to the Rotary Foundation;
- Sign a pledge card; or
- Donate online.
Additional Information Link: ROTARY FOUNDATION REFERENCE GUIDE
10/30/15 Texas Instruments, Chris Joyce
The tour took us to the third floor of the Maine Fab manufacturing building. As we crossed a walking bridge, we were given a view of TI, as well as the Fairchild facility next door. Across the bridge, we did a window tour where the equipment was explained... about the wet benches where chemical etching and cleaning occurs. Then the photolithography process was explained, pointing out that each of the dozen photo tools cost 2-3 million dollars. Several questions came from the group and it seemed clear that most were getting a glimpse of another world. The light is yellow to protect the photo process; everyone is dressed in clean room "bunny suits." Pods containing the wafers were traversing from station to station in an overhead transfer system. Technicians were doing what appeared to be very low skilled repetitive jobs, but it was explained how highly trained they all were to ensure the job was done accurately and correctly. Some eyes were getting a little glazed over when the use of gases in the thin films process were explained.
After the Fab tour, we visited the design center for a look at how designers take ideas, create circuit designs, then proto-type the semiconductor in the Fab. We saw a .1 x .1 inch device photo, magnified 500x to be able see the circuit lines. We saw several 200 mm (8 inch) wafers with anywhere from 100 to 5000 devices on the wafer.
*11/06/15 Long Creek Youth Development Center
The Long Creek Youth Development Center (LCYDC), 675 Westbrook Street, South Portland, is committed to creating and providing opportunity for success through personal growth in a safe and secure environment.
LCYDC houses both male and female clients. Originally called the Boys Training Center, it was established in 1853 by an Act of the Legislature. After careful investigation by a legislative committee appointed to select a site, a farm was purchased in South Portland for $9,000. The training center was established for the education and rehabilitation of youthful male offenders. In 1976, the Stevens School was closed, and the juvenile females were transferred to the (renamed) Maine Youth Center.
Recently renamed again as Long Creek Youth Development Center, it continues to redefine many of its program functions to enable a total multi-disciplined team approach in working with those committed and held within the facility. Long Creek Youth Development Center functions as a total educational rehabilitative resource within the state-wide correctional setting. In this area, the Center provides care, custody and security for its residents, holds for court evaluations/diagnostic services, education, physical education and recreation through the A.R. Gould School, volunteer services, social services, worship services, as well as medical services to its juvenile offender population.
Portland High School First Interact Club
10/23/15 Mike O'Reilly, President MEREDA
MEREDA’s non-profit mission is to promote an environment for responsible development and ownership throughout the State of Maine. The organization was founded in 1985, as a result of Portland’s Waterfront Zoning regulations. Our own club member, George Crockett was a founding member. Its mission is delivered through advocacy, education and networking. Over 300 members are in MEREDA, including accountants, architects, appraisers, attorneys, bankers, brokers, consultants, contractors, engineers, economic development authorities, property managers and real estate developers.
In a nutshell, Cumberland County, particularly Portland, receives good publicity in many magazines around the world. Great restaurants and the craft beer industry are among the attractions. Visitors arrive by bus, air, on cruise ships and by car. There appears to be a hotel or condo on nearly every corner of the city.
MEREDA’s advocacy includes a list of public policy wins related to the organization’s mission. Members of MEREDA engage in a spectrum of networking activities throughout the year.
Two major annual educational conferences attract hundreds of attendees. On January 21, 2016, MEREDA will host the Annual Forecast Conference at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. Check mereda.org for upcoming events, breakfast seminars and conference schedules. A 2016 Spring Conference will present a topic about how Maine’s Growing Food Economy, including craft brewing, will have an impact on real estate.
A MEREDA Index report was circulated to Rotarians. It's published to measure the pulse of the commercial real estate (CRE) economy in Maine. It’s a report developed in conjunction with Dr. Charlie Colgan of the Muskie Institute. On the bottom of the report’s cover are pictures of notable 2015 projects including the Hampton Inn in Lewiston, the Bay House Condominiums Portland, Ocean View at Falmouth, Brookside Village Farmington, Seaport Village Ellsworth, Courtyard Marriott Portland and Hyatt Place Portland. These particular projects were chosen in part by their economic impact, environmental sustainability, social impact and job creation.
Every spring MEREDA holds a fund raising bowling event to help support students at Maine’s Community Colleges and at the University of Southern Maine who are heading into real estate related fields. MEREDA donates $1,500 to one student at each of the 7 community college campuses and to one USM student. A goal is to increase this contribution each year.
Trends in commercial real estate financing show a downward demand like what is happening all over the northeast. Nevertheless, interest rates remain historically low. The capitalization (CAP) rates of return on real estate investment is historically low. Banks are healthy, and very liquid and looking for opportunities to put money on the streets. Many real estate investors are willing to invest. Demand is growing in the hospitality industry and with senior care/housing.
In conclusion, regarding the CRE sector, the heavy bank competition, coupled with low interest rates, low cap rates and strong demand in certain sectors provides opportunities for both owners and developers.
10/23/15 BITS & PIECES
*10/30/15 Chris Joyce, Texas Instruments
Special Veterans' Day Program
We will have a special Rotary breakfast meeting for members and Veterans from 7-9 a.m. on November 11th at the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay. After breakfast, we will walk up to rededicate the monument at Andrews Square* (see below) and then on to the parade at 10:30 a.m.
There is the customary meal fee of $15.00 for members and can be paid at the door. You need to register online (click HERE) if you plan to attend or contact Elise at: portlandrotary@maine.rr.com. We need to provide the hotel with an attendance count by the deadline of 11/2/15.
To further honor the Veterans, we'd like to treat them to a free breakfast at that meeting and are looking for sponsors to help subsidize the cost.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
Platinum Sponsor ($2500) - includes 10 reserved seats and recognition at event, in media and print.
Gold Sponsor ($1,000) - Recognition at event, in media and print.
Silver Sponsor ($500) - Recognition at event.
Table Sponsor ($250) - Printed table card.
If you are unable to attend the event, but would still like to support our local Veterans with a donation, you can click HERE, or you may send your check to: Rotary Club of Portland, Maine, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104 and indicate it is for the Special Veterans' Day Breakfast.
*In 1919 Portland Rotary donated $3,500 to create a monument and flagpole paying tribute to Harold Andrews, the first soldier killed in WWI from Maine. The monument is in Andrews Square, right next to the Butler School on Pine Street in the West End. The monument is in rough shape and we are working with the Harold Andrews American Legion Post and the City of Portland to have it refurbished in time for this Veterans' Day.
Thank you.
*10/23/15 Mike O'Reilly, MEREDA Board President
10/16/15 BITS & PIECES
Our history lesson was provided by Dick Hall, reporting on the year 1935-36:
The “New Deal” responds in Maine....agencies sponsored hundreds of construction projects. Maine gained 122 new schools, along with improvements in sewers, bridges, airport runways, roads, sidewalks, municipal buildings, wading pools, playgrounds and parks.
Other happenings of note during 1935-36:
• The largest fish hatchery in the world was built in Gray, Maine...being federally funded.
• A referendum raised the cost of hunting licenses from $.50 to $1.00.
• The first Warden Academy was held at Orono, ME.
• The Social Security Act passed as part of the “New Deal” and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• The Historic Sites Act signed into law a national policy to preserve historic sites, including National Historic Landmarks.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded.
• The Monopoly board game was released by Parker Brothers.
• The F.B.I. is established with J. Edgar Hoover as its first director.
• Baseball Hall of Fame was established at Cooperstown, NY.
• “Gone With the Wind” is published by Margaret Mitchell.
Club meeting notes during that time stated that the attendance of members ranged from 84-123 members, averaging 97; 15 people were honored for 100% attendance; one was awarded for 13 years of perfect attendance. The club meetings included several “most interesting” talks....the “cleverest people” made presentations.
10/16/15 MMCRI, Dr. Don St. Germain
- As investigators, they are driven by curiosity and a passion for improving health care to conduct world-class research, as fostered by a uniquely collaborative and collegial environment that emphasizes respect, trust and personal growth.
- As educators, they are committed to mentor and help train the next generation of investigators, physicians, nurses and other health professionals.
- As a community of scientists, clinicians, staff and administrators, they work together to promote an open, inclusive, diverse and supportive workplace that stresses the value of the individual while celebrating the accomplishments of the whole.
WORLD POLIO DAY - Bridgewalk Kittery-Portsmouth
10/09/15 Native Americans in Maine, Kaign Smith
*10/16/15 Dr. Don St. Germaine, Dir./VP MMCRI
Dr. St. Germain was appointed Director of MMCRI and VP for Research at Maine Medical Center in 2009. He received a B.S. degree (magna cum laude) in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1972 and subsequently attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he received the M.D. degree in 1976. He completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at University Hospitals of Cleveland in 1980, and subsequently served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).
In 1981, he undertook a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Departments of Medicine and Physiology at Dartmouth Medical School where he trained with Dr. Valerie Anne Galton and Dr. Robert Adler. He was appointed to the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School in 1984.
Dr. St. Germain’s research program has centered on investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in the metabolism and action of thyroid hormones, with a particular focus on the developmental and neurological effects of these native compounds. In this regard, Dr. St. Germain and his colleagues have developed and are studying a number of transgenic mouse lines with altered expression of the deiodinase enzymes, which regulate thyroid hormone levels during fetal and neonatal life.
In addition to his research efforts, Dr. St. Germain was actively involved in teaching and organizing several basic science and clinical courses at Dartmouth Medical School, and was the Director of the Dartmouth Community Medical School public education initiative. He is a former and current ad hoc member of the NIH Endocrinology Study Section, and maintains a consultative practice in general endocrinology with an emphasis on evaluating patients with thyroid disorders.
Dr. St. Germain served as Interim Chair of the Department of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School from 2001 – 2003 and was a member of the DHMC Board of Governors from 2008 – 2009. He is the recipient of the Dean’s Award from Dartmouth Medical School in 2003 for “contributions to our missions of excellence in scholarship, clinical care, education and service” and was awarded the Clinical Sciences Teaching Award from the Dartmouth Medical School Class of 2005.
Since being recruited to Maine Medical Center, Dr. St. Germain has overseen an expansion of research activities across the organization, including the institution of novel programs to support and foster translational and clinical research programs that are benefiting the patients of Maine and strengthening the academic stature and the national visibility of the institution.
This Week's Duty Assignments
Invocator: Kathy Grammer
Program Reporter: Jake Bourdeau
Bits & Pieces Reporter: Erik Jorgensen
Registration/Greeter: Dick Giles
Sell Meal Tickets: Jake Bourdeau
Raffle: Erik Greven
Badge Box: None
Collect Meal Tickets: Larry Gross
Rotary Moments in History: Dick Hall
Song Leader: Gracie Johnston
Pianist: None
Sgt-at-Arms (Early): Charlie Frair
Sgt-at-Arms (Late): Ralph Hendrix
10/10/15 BITS & PIECES
*10/09/15 Kaighn Smith, Drummond Woodsum - Native Americans
Kaighn clerked for Judge Frank M. Coffin at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and for Justice Louis Scolnik at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He has served as Adjunct Professor of American Indian Law at the University of Maine School of Law.
10/02/15 BITS & PIECES
President Bowen reconvened the meeting after lunch and we celebrated October birthdays by singing 'Happy Birthday,' with no fear of copyright infringement, to 14 of our club’s members.
Two new members were introduced to the members of Portland Rotary Club:
10/02/15 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
*10/02/15 CLUB ASSEMBLY
The Club has been very busy with numerous projects, events and strategic planning. The strength of Portland Rotary has always been, and will always be, its engaged membership. This Friday, we will hear updates on what we have accomplished and what is planned moving forward.
This is a great opportunity to invite guests. They will receive an overview of our activities locally and internationally.....across a variety of avenues of service.
There couldn’t be a better advertisement for joining our club!!
Please make every effort to attend.
OVERHEARD IN A DOCTOR'S OFFICE:
09/25/15 Liz Cotter Schlax, Unite Way of Portland
- 2/3 of 4th graders don’t read at grade level (this is important because it is a powerful predictor of a child’s success – children who fit this description are 4 times as likely to drop out of high school).
- 15.7% of children live below the poverty line in Cumberland County.
- 50% of single parent households with children under 5 live below the poverty line.
- 1 in 3 children in Cumberland County go to school hungry.
- 2/3 of Mainers with a mental illness do not receive treatment.
- Preschool for every child;
- A safe community;
- Inclusivity of the immigrant population;
- Free post-secondary education for qualified applicants;
- No student hunger;
- Helping people build stable families;
- Good health and exercise practices for a life time;
- A drug-free community;
- Improved infrastructure with playgrounds for children;
- Make a minimum wage a livable wage;
- Consistent employment opportunities; and
- New parent training – especially for dads.
09/25/15 BITS & PIECES
Centennial Gala celebration memories continued, with a slide show of pictures projected on a large screen as a welcome to Rotarians in the Clarion. Pictures highlighted the people and fun enjoyed during the successful event on September 12. President Bowen read a thank you letter from Senator Angus King, who was the keynote speaker at the Gala. Another thank you note from the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine was read thanking Rotarians for their help during the annual summer "Steak and Burgers" dinner, served at the University of Southern Maine’s gymnasium.
09/18/15 BITS & PIECES
*09/25/15 Liz Cotter Schlax, President/CEO United Way
Liz Cotter Schlax
President & CEO, United Way of Greater Portland
Upon completion of her master’s degree, Liz joined the management training program at Deere & Company, more commonly known as John Deere. During her six years with John Deere, Liz became a trained Examiner for the Iowa affiliate of Baldrige National Quality Program, while she served in marketing and strategic planning roles in Moline, IL; Cary, NC; Zweibruecken, Germany; and Johnston, IA.
Liz returned to United Way in Des Moines, IA in January, 2009 and until December of 2014, led United Way of Central Iowa’s Advancement Division, which included corporate engagement, grants, individual engagement, and marketing staff.
09/18/15 Drs. Berkner and Heinz - Maine Concussion Mgmt
09/11/15 BITS & PIECES
Tom Nickerson led the raffle draw with our speaker drawing a guest's name, Ben Delcourt, to try his hand at finding the Queen of Hearts to win the +$520 pot at stake; alas, he drew the wrong queen. So the pot continues to grow.
The tennis league reports that, with (at least among some of us) a grinding of artificial knees and the cracking of Advil bottles, it is starting out the 2015-16 season, this year without the oversight of tennis commissioner, Bill Blount, who is on disability leave (DL).
A NEW STAR IS BORN!
09/11/15 Brian Corcoran, Shamrock Sports
While these huge name national accounts keep Brian and his Shamrock staff busy, he spent most of the program discussing local events that have become passion projects as they continue to grow in size, impact and awareness. Like The TD Beach-to-Beacon, every local sporting event begins with an idea and sponsorship. Over the past year, Shamrock has introduced southern Maine to at least four events that could eventually become fixtures in the sporting scene. The professional bowling event in Portland last March brought in more than 1.5 million dollars to the local economy, while allowing over 2 million viewers nationwide access to our own Bayside Bowl via ESPN. The “Tough Mudder” event in Westbrook last summer, an obstacle course of sorts, brought in over 10,000 participants! The Division III college hockey championships were held at the Colisee in Lewiston last spring, bringing over $5 million to the region, and the First Annual “Santa Hustle,” held in November of 2014, included almost 7000 runners dressed in holiday garb and showed how “The Power of Me,” as Brian called it, can bring sport and finance together in a Maine-based sporting event.
Maine may be in the forefront as organized sports, and the billion-dollar athlete, begin a slow decline over the next generation. With the natural resources to host the gamut of outdoor recreational sporting events, whether organized or not, whether for big money or not, the diversity of the state and the “lifestyle oriented” attitude of its people give rise to an excitement that may be building. In these local events, Shamrock and Brian have seen that the passion exists to create something truly special right here in Maine.
*09/18/15 Dr. Paul Berkner, DO, FAAP
09/04/15 Lynn Tillotson, President CVB
09/04/15 BITS & PIECES
*09/11/15 Brian Corcoran, President Shamrock Sports & Entertainment
08/28/15 BITS & PIECES
Meredith Small led the singing with a song popular in 1892 – "A Bicycle Built for Two." The unique twist was that she put the words to the song on the tables, then explained how the song was in response to a man asking a lady to marry him and ride off on a bicycle – the song being a parody containing the response to the request. How charming!
The weekly raffle was conducted by Emily McEntee, with Meredith Small's name being drawn to try to find the Queen of Hearts - she came so close .. but not close enough.
08/28/15 BikeMaine - Liz Hall, Bicycle Coalition of Maine
The Bicycle Coalition has 5000 members and focuses on Education, Bike Infrastructure, Advocacy, Enforcement, and general encouragement of bicycling as a viable transportation option. Biking participation is increasing - it is currently the second largest recreational activity in the country. In addition, car mileage is decreasing, and young people are biking more.
The economic benefits of cycling are real. It generates tax revenue in excess of $18 billion nationwide, along with lots of tourism activity. Here in Maine, $40 million is spent each year in 98 bike shops around the state. More locally, the Eastern Trail, which runs from South Portland to Saco, was itself determined to generate more than $900,000 through spending by cyclists, who are famous for their insatiable appetites, she noted.
The flagship event of the Bicycle Coalition’s year is BikeMaine – a 350-mile week long ride that this year will attract 350 people from across the country and even internationally. The ride takes participants all around the southern half of the state, as they camp in public parks, eat local foods, and build community.
The Coalition promotes all forms of human-powered transportation, and while bicycling is front and center, the mission extends to walking and running, both as recreational activities and healthy transportation alternatives.
*09/04/15 Lynn Tillotson, President/CEO Convention & Visitors Bureau
08/21/15 DG Sheila Rollins Visits Portland Rotary
Loretta Rowe received a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for all she does for District 7780, including having done the composition of the District Directory and the details she manages for the District. DG Sheila also presented her with a special 2015-16 R.I. theme pin.
- Peace and conflict resolution
- Disease prevention, including polio eradication
- Economic and community development
- Water and sanitation
- Maternal and child health
- Basic education and literacy
08/21/15 BITS & PIECES
*08/28/15 Liz Hall, Bicycle Coalition of Maine
Liz took charge of the Coalition's event and development programs in January 2014, and loves working as the event director for the Great Maine Bike Swaps in Orono and Portland, the Maine Women's Ride in Freeport, and the Maine Lobster Ride in Rockland. She is the volunteer coordinator for the Coalition's week-long BikeMaine ride, taking place September 12-19, 2015.
What she loves most about bicycling is the community-building and economic impact this beloved pastime has on Maine's towns and cities. She will present to the Portland Rotary Club on the economic benefits of bicycling, as well as the upcoming BikeMaine ride, which infused over $395,000 into Maine's economy in 2014!
08/14/15 Take Me Out To the Ball Park - Hadlock Field
This summer, we were lucky enough to hear from two of the Sea Dogs, Mike McCarthy and Reed Gragnani, who have been with the Sea Dogs for two and one year, respectively. Mike, a tall right-handed pitcher from Bakersfield, California, and Reed, a slight second baseman out of Richmond, gave an overview of their life “living the dream” in Portland, Maine. It was an interesting overview from both, who then took questions from our picnic goers.
The highlights: when asked about the parent club’s 2015 pitching woes, the two players took the high road, citing the need for team chemistry and the uncertainty of any team from season to season. Mike related it to a business model, saying any corporate culture needs a “fire within,” just as is the case with a group of players. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
The players addressed the newly instituted “pitch clock” and “inning clock” as an effort by major league baseball to speed up the game, in an effort to compete with the fast pace of today’s lives. Kids now have instant access to date and stimulation....on TV, on devices, on the internet....and baseball needs to stay ahead of the curve (again, pardon the pun) if they want to maintain the relevance of the sport. That being said, both players agreed that baseball is alive and well world-wide, as evidenced by the overwhelming popularity of The World Baseball Classic and the Little League World Series, to name two examples. Both Mike and Reed teach children in the off-season and are amazed with the technological advancements in learning the sport.
When asked about superstitions, Reed named a few....from waking up on his back, to putting on his left sock first; while Mike acknowledged he is not particularly superstitious, but “licks his fingers a lot,” while pitching a game.....sometimes up to 38 times per batter!
In describing their daily lives, both players thanked their “host families” for allowing them to live in their homes. They also described the dreaded minor league bus rides, which can be up to 12 hours in the Eastern League. Nutrition and fitness obviously play a large role in their daily lives, which include days lasting up to 12 hours at the stadium, often playing games, texting or reading. Mike, clearly a very literate gentleman, is studying for his MBA as he progresses through the minors and closed with a wonderful quote from author Wes Moore, which he used to describe his ambitious climb and dreams: “You’re not a product of your environment, you’re a product of your expectations.”
Thanks to Senior Vice President John Kameisha, Bill Blount, and the Seadogs organization for our wonderful annual visit to Hadlock Field to gain just a bit of insight into the lives of these wonderful young men.
*08/21/15 District 7780 Governor Visit, Sheila Rollins
Sheila has had many different jobs and careers over the last 40 years. She earned her flight instructor’s rating in 1989 and operated an introductory aviation program for women called, “Women With Wings” for three years. She worked as a freight pilot for a UPS subsidiary. Sheila loves flying and still teaches flying (in her spare time!) in Lewiston and Fryeburg, Maine.
At the tender age of 52, she went back to school and earned a Masters Degree in Mental Health and is currently a mental health counselor (LCPC) in private practice in Bethel, Maine. She ran for the Maine House of Representatives and still participates in local politics.
She joined Rotary in 2006, served as Club Interact chair for two years and as President of her Rotary club, Bridgton-Lake Region 2008-2009. She was an Assistant Governor of District 7780 for three years and is also a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. Sheila was the Group Study Exchange Team Leader to Nigeria, 2013. In 2013-14 she was also the District’s New Generations Chair. She is the 2015-16 District Governor of District 7780.
Sheila and her husband, Merrill, who also is a Rotarian, enjoy dancing, flying, skiing, hiking, and travel. They live at Scribners Mills in Harrison, Maine, at the site of an historic water-powered sawmill with two dogs, four cats, and two goats.
08/14/15 BITS & PIECES
8/07/15 BITS & PIECES
President Bowen reminded us of the great work being done by Christine Force, soliciting donors for the Centennial Gala, coming up soon on September 12th. We are shy of our $30,000 sponsorship goal. Please sign up now and ask your local contacts to attend or help sponsor the event. Senator Angus King is our Keynote speaker.
President Bowen asked for volunteers that are needed for the Boys and Girls Club 'Steak and Burger Dinner' on Thursday August 20, 2015 at USM Sullivan Gym. For volunteering, contact Bob Clark at 874-1069 or bclark@bgcmaine.org
08/07/15 Maine Start-up and Create Week, Jess Knox
CHE - Feeding Minds
3-H Team Notice
*08/14/15 Portland Sea Dogs - Hadlock Field
This week we meet at Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs. Since this ball team came to town 22 years ago, we have had a summer meeting every year at Hadlock, all except one. Join us and ask Bill Blount why we go there and why we missed one year at the ball field, if you’re interested.
The home runs and double plays will be provided by the Franks and Burgers; stolen bases by the Ice-Cream sandwiches, aka Sea Biscuits; and the cheers by Club Members. Bring a friend…prospective member…your children...your parents/grandparents...or extended family…smell the fresh-cut grass...smile in the sunshine...and enjoy some time away from the daily grind.
Speaking to us will be pitcher, Mike McCarthy (link www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=t546&player_id=592543#/career/R/pitching/2015/ALL) and first baseman David Chester (link www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=607495#/career/R/hitting/2015/ALL), sharing their experiences of what it's like to work and play for a minor league baseball team.
Directions to meeting site at the ballpark: Go to the main gate and signs or ushers will direct you to the meeting site....the picnic area down the first base line. Go Sea Dogs!
*08/07/15 Jess Knox, Maine Start-up and Create Week
Jess Knox founded Olympico Strategies in July of 2012. Olympico helps companies and organizations create movements, embrace change, and drive innovative processes and solutions. They do this with a system-wide, cross-disciplinary, and relational approach to growth, change and performance. Along with private sector clients, Jess utilizes his diverse background in grassroots community building, government service, legal training and private sector consulting, to build transformational events, initiatives, and programs for public organizations of all kinds.
Since 2013, Jess has assisted Blackstone Accelerates Growth build a movement of intentional communities of innovation across Maine with more than 125 events and more than 6,500 collisions between people, ideas and resources. He also founded Maine’s largest event for innovators and entrepreneurs, Maine Startup & Create Week, that annually brings more than 3000 people from 21 states to Portland, Maine. Beyond helping grow another initiative, StartupPortland, Jess writes a blog for the Bangor Daily News, called Disruptive Growth, focusing on telling the stories of Maine entrepreneurs and innovators.
In 2009, Jess served as a member of the Obama Administration where he was appointed to the Small Business Administration to serve as the Associate Administrator for Field Operations. He managed more than 1000 employees in 119 locations, in every state and US territory, or about half all of the Agency’s employees. During his tenure at the SBA, he also led a ground-breaking effort to re-engineer the Agency’s employee performance system. He built an innovative program that involved and empowered the Agency’s frontline career employees and managers to drive a more informed and sophisticated performance system focused on recruiting, retaining and developing the best employees in the Federal space. By focusing on the end user and the Agency’s ability to deliver tangible on-the-ground value to small business owners, detailed and measurable metrics were developed for the first time in the Agency’s history to properly measure its office’s impact for taxpayers across the country.
Prior to his time in the Federal Government, Jess ran his own grassroots political consulting firm. In that capacity, Jess worked on ballot initiatives and candidate campaigns in more than 30 states.
He has a law degree from the University Maine School of Law. Prior to law school, Jess pursued a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Public Organization Management from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, and received a Bachelors Degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
07/31/15 Libra Foundation, Erik Hayward
07/31/15 BITS & PIECES
*07/31/15 Erik Hayward, The Libra Foundation
Erik K. Hayward is Vice President at Libra Foundation, a major private philanthropic grant-making institution headquartered in Maine whose grants exceed $175 million. Mr. Hayward started at Libra Foundation as a Financial Assistant in 2004. His primary responsibilities include financial and managerial oversight of the Foundation's investment in Pineland Farms, a diverse business and agricultural campus in New Gloucester, Maine. Pineland Farms consists of 5,000 acres devoted to extensive agricultural operations, including 300 acres of vegetable and berry production, an award-winning dairy herd, a world-class equestrian center, and several hundred acres of forage crops.
Erik serves as a Director of Pineland Farms Potato Company, Inc., an innovative company with annual sales of $45 million, supplying Maine-grown refrigerated mashed and cut potatoes to an extensive national customer list. In addition to potatoes, the company produces 850,000 pounds of award-winning cheese, making it the largest producer of cheese in Maine.
He is President and Treasurer of Libra Future Fund, which awards grants to Maine-based business startups. He co-directs the 'Summer in Maine' internship program, which gathers over two hundred undergraduate interns annually from various Maine employers and recruits them to Maine with numerous social and professional opportunities. Mr. Hayward is a Trustee and Vice Chairman of The Park Danforth, a nonprofit senior living facility located in Portland, Maine, and he serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine.
Erik graduated in 2004 with a B.A. in economics from Yale University where he was a four-year member of the Yale Varsity Sailing Team. He is currently a candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, having passed the Level I exam in December 2013 and the Level II exam in June 2014.
He serves as the Yale Alumni Schools Committee Director for Southern Maine, coordinating candidate interviews on behalf of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Since 2006 he has been a member of the Portland Yacht Club, where he serves on the Finance Committee and is an active competitor in the J24 racing fleet.
Erik is married to Carrie A. Duley and resides in Falmouth, Maine.
07/24/15 BITS & PIECES
(Photo: Janelle LoSciuto and Julie L'Heureux - books for kids)
07/24/15 The History of Portland, ME - Herb Adams, Historian
Herb started his presentation with a quote from Henry Ford: “History is more or less bunk.”
Well, bunk or not, Herb then presented in vivid detail many interesting facts about Portland in 1915 – 100 years ago.
He started with a description of a political cartoon in the Eastern Argus, one of two Portland newspapers, that showed on the top half: Europe in the misery of war, while on the bottom half were happy couples in America, smiling brightly. By a quirk in the calendar, 1915 had 53 Fridays, Woodrow Wilson was President, and all eyes were on the “Great War” in Europe. Although the U.S. was a neutral nation, the local papers reported the sinking of the British battleship Formidible at the beginning of the year, and noted the new horror of “air bombs.”
Locally, the city of Portland boasted 8 theatres with one – the Greeley Theatre – actually showing moving pictures. (It was so unique that it caused traffic jams out in the street.)
We were enthralled with the story about the first act of an armed invader on U.S. soil since the War of 1812. February 1915 marks the Vanceboro International Bridge bombing by Werner Horn, a German reserve army lieutenant. This was the bridge that spanned the St. Croix River between New Brunswick, Canada and Vanceboro, Maine. Horn carried a suitcase of dynamite from New York by train, eventually transferring to the Maine Central Railroad in Portland and on to Vanceboro. The explosion blew out a lot of windows but caused relatively minor damage to the bridge and Horn was quickly captured. Maine had no laws against blowing up bridges, but Horn was convicted of transporting explosives on a train.
Other topics covered by Herb included: streetcar conductors in Portland getting a 25-cent raise; winter so cold the harbor froze; few autos and most were steam powered; Buffalo Bill and his traveling show; the Expo was built and dedicated; rodeos riding down Commercial Street driving cattle to ships; the B&M factory opened (beans and sardines); and the Legislature almost giving women the right to vote.
It was a thoroughly-enjoyed presentation by an artful historian. As we as a club get ready to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Portland Rotary, it’s fascinating to reflect on the changes over the last century.
07/17/15 Inaugural Address - President Bowen Depke
Among the President’s goals is to grow the club membership to 150 members. He described many opportunities for Rotarians to work on several projects and club activities. Be sure to check the club website at portlandrotary.org and the club’s Facebook page for updates at facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Portland-Maine-USA.
A membership challenge has been raised with the Rotary Club of Portsmouth, NH, the largest club in District 7780. One of the best ways to recruit members is to ask people to attend a club service project. Also, wear a Rotary pin every day! In fact, President Bowen said if anyone finds him without wearing his Rotary pin, but the discoverer happens to be wearing theirs, then he’ll give a $100 donation to the Portland Rotary.
Centennial Sub-Committee Chairs for 2015-16 are:
Centennial Committee – Kathy Grammar
Gala Committee- Mike Fortunato and Christine Force
History Committee- Jim Willey
A composite of the Rotary membership satisfaction survey was discussed. A report of 78 Portland Rotarians who responded to the District 7780 survey showed how our club compared favorably with other club members that responded to the survey questions.
Portland Rotary exceeded district responses for overall club satisfaction, club welcoming of all non-members and for caring about its members.
Especially high responses on the questions “I feel welcome in my club” (88% agree, 9.33% somewhat agree, 0.0% disagree) and “I am proud of my Rotary Club (84% agree, 12% somewhat agree, 0.0% disagree). One question received attention about how our club membership does not reflect the demographics of the Greater Portland community (30% agree, 28.75% somewhat agree, 17.5% neither agree nor disagree, 13.75% somewhat disagree, 10% disagree).
In preparing for the spirit of the Centennial, President Bowen distributed tent cards on the lunch tables that explained the Roaring 20’s slang. He encouraged us to use some of the slang over the next year, just to feel what it might have been like when our club first started.
Some changes in club operations are planned. On-line payments are now in place on the website. Holiday Inn By-the-Bay has blocked out our meeting day 18 times this coming year; therefore, the club meeting locations will change and may not always be on Fridays. In fact, the Jewell Island cruise was an example of how we can meet on days other than on Friday.
Our Gala celebration will be a time to enjoy a period costume party in the theme of 'The Great Gatsby.' WCSH6 News Anchor Lee Nelson agreed to host as the Master of Ceremonies. Senator Angus King will be the keynote speaker. The band will be 'The Carbines,' a swing dance band. Ticket costs are $100 per person or $2,500 for a Table Sponsor. Recruiting event sponsors are ongoing, see Christine Force for information. Money raised by the Gala will be contributed to the Charitable Fund projects, especially Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE).
Save the date Saturday, September 12th at Holiday Inn By-the-Bay and spread the Gala news!
*07/24/15 A Voice of Experience - Herb Adams, Historian
This Friday, we have the pleasure of welcoming Herb Adams who will paint for us a picture of Portland a century ago.
Herb’s interest and love of Maine history began in a one-room school house in Norway, Maine, and was nurtured by his father, a lumberman and his mother, a schoolteacher. On a visit to the big city of Portland as a 10-year old, Herb and his mother met with Governor Percival Baxter in his penthouse office on the top floor of the Trelawney Building, in Longfellow Square. It was “a most critical experience” and Herb knew that from then on he would devote his life to the study of history, and that he would dedicate himself to a career of public service.
Since settling in Portland many years ago, Herb has fed his appetite for public service with terms on the Portland School Committee, Portland Friends of the Parks Commission, Parkside Neighborhood Association and eight terms as a member of the Maine House of Representatives from Portland’s District 119.
A noted historian, particularly of his adopted hometown but also of the entire state of Maine, Herb remains an active member of the Maine Historical Society and much sought-after speaker at many public occasions, no doubt inspiring other young budding historians to study and to appreciate the “City by the Sea” and the greater landscapes of Maine. He has written about the history of the Portland Park System and contributed to numerous other publications focusing on Maine history.
We are pleased to have Herb Adams speak to us about 1915, the birth-year of Rotary in Portland, Maine.
07/17/15 BITS & PIECES
Editorial Correction
Meriel Longley's father's name was Dr. Andy Longley, Jr.
*07/17/15 Rotary Year 2015-16 – Bowen Depke
The 102nd president of Portland Rotary will take the podium this coming Friday, July 17, 2015: Bowen T. Depke.
Jewell Island Cruise
Jewell Island is located on the outer fringes of Casco Bay. The island offers a sheltered anchorage for boaters of vessels of all sizes. Its one mile long with 221 acres, including several trails leading to sandy beaches, craggy bluffs and remnants of World War I and World War II fortifications. Jewell Island is managed in a partnership between the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA).
Enthusiastic stories about the Jewell Island clean-up project were shared by PP John Tewhey. Karen Stimpson, who was ED of MITA before the time the project began, spoke about Bob Patten’s passion for the clean-up projects with humorous anecdotes. PDG George Rice who was President of Oxford Hills RC gave his recollections of the project. Meriel Longley, daughter of Dr. Andy Longley, spoke about her perspective of her dad and the Jewell Island project when she was a 6-year old.
Centennial Gala Committee
Editorial Correction Liberties
President Kris then asked his committee chairs to stand, as he thanked them for their hard work and support during the year.
MOVING ROTARY FILES
On Friday, July 10th from approx. 2-4p.m. we will be moving our archived files/materials from President Bowen's downtown offices to a dedicated storage area at an E. W. Noyes storage facility. Peter Noyes has graciously offered a huge storage room for our archives, where they will be safe and easily accessed for future reference. The room will be under lock and key with only two keys....for now, both keys will be under the care of our club Secretary.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR 2-3 VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL HELP US WITH THE MOVING PROCESS OF STORAGE TOTES, BOXES AND MISCELLANEOUS ROTARY MATERIALS.
We don't have a Rotary meeting on that day....Jewell Island Cruise is the night before.
Please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432, if you can help.
JEWELL ISLAND CRUISES - July 9th (Thursday)
Our Jewell Island cruise on Casco Bay is set for this Thursday evening, July 9, 2015. (There will be no regular club meeting on July 10th.) We have ordered a good forecast for Thursday's weather: Coastal - a slow clear, balmy evening in the low 70's. For more details, click on the "Jewell Island Cruise" name at left.
From President Bowen:
This is a reminder that our centennial year starts this Thursday with the Jewell Island Cruise. The Bay Mist leaves at 6:00 pm from Casco Bay Lines. They should be boarding the boat around 5:30 pm. The boat returns at 9:00 pm. It's a "three-hour tour"!
If you haven't signed up yet, you can still show up with the price of $40 apiece, but there will be no food for you. If you like, you can bring your own. The cash bar will be available to all. For those that have signed up, thank you! There will be a "box dinner," cash bar available and further details once you are on the boat.
We'll see you on Thursday.....remember.....there is no regular Rotary meeting this Friday.
Kind regards,
Bowen
WINDJAMMER LOOKS DIFFERENT!
We have upgraded our club website to V3 of ClubRunner. Our bulletin (Windjammer) looks different. If you notice anything "off," please notify me (Loretta) immediately.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
06/26/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris welcomed 54 members, three guests and two visiting Rotarians. Lester Evans took a turn at drawing the Queen of Hearts, but luck was not with him. The pot is now up to $380.
President Kris reminded us to sign up for the summer 'Feeding and Reading' program in North Deering and to plan to attend the September 12, 2015 'Centennial Gala,' which now has several sponsors thanks to the efforts of Bob Traill, Jim Willey, and Christine Force. President-elect Bowen Depke announced that the ABSOLUTE sign-up deadline for the Jewel Island Cruise is the JULY 3RD AT NOON. The cruise is on July 9th from 6-9 pm. Contact Loretta Rowe is you need more information.
President Kris asked for volunteers to help with the Tall Ships July 16-20, then provided us an excellent summation of his year as our club President. Among the accomplishments done by our club during his tenure as President were:
- expansion of the Summer Reading Program
- increased Rotary participation at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen
- increased Foundation giving over the prior year
- a record year for the Maine Outdoor Challenge
- a major grant for the Dominican Republic program
President Kris then thanked all his Program Chairs for their hard work and support during the year. He and Bowen Depke exchanged pins and the club welcomed Bowen as our new President, effective July 1, 2015.
06/26/15 President Kris' Wrap-Up and Special Speakers
President Kris will provide us with a brief wrap-up to his time spent at the Rotary helm.
(Photos: President Kris at left; Dee Mystify and Casino Ed at right.)
After which, we will have two soon-to-be well-known casino experts, Casino Ed and Dee Mystify, visit us. They have recently completed filming a consumer education course that will be available on the internet titled "Casino Fun 101: How to go to a casino, have a great time and not lose your shirt.”
Some of the topics aimed at ensuring people get the most for their entertainment dollar are "How casinos work, how to learn casino games, and how to manage your money." Our speakers' goal is to make it possible for anyone to go into any casino, anywhere in the world, and have a great time....win, lose, or draw.
Ed and Dee will be presenting several short segments of their workshop they believe everyone will enjoy and find entertaining, whether or not you ever go to a casino. Segments include: The Reality of Gambling; Albert Einstein’s Thoughts on Roulette; The Four Types of Players You’ll Meet In A Casino; The Three Most Common Mistakes People Make; and more.
Any resemblance to any current Portland Rotarians is purely coincidental.
06/19/15 Bits & Pieces
Tom Nickerson opened the meeting with an invocation, and Russ Burleigh led us in a rendition “God Bless America.”
President Kris welcomed 52 members with 8 non-Rotarian guests.
Incoming President Bowen Depke earned the right to draw a winning card for the $286 raffle, but was unable to pull the Queen. Tough draw with 51 cards in the deck!
Amy Chipman gave us an update on a decision by the Service and Memorial Fund Trustees. With a remaining budget of $2000, the Trustees voted to provide $1250 to Long Creek Youth Development Center. This money will primarily be used to assist individuals who have been in the system transition back into the community. An example would be assistance on first month’s apartment rental. Accepting for Long Creek was Mike Fortunato. A second provision of $750 was given to the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, to support a program named “Teen Cooking On A Budget.” The course provides training on how to shop and cook for yourself and family when funds are tight.
Harold Crabill reminded us that we have to pay attention to our club calendars! There will be no club meeting on July 3rd due to the holiday weekend. The following week, we will not meet on Friday the 10th. Instead, the club meeting will be on Thursday the 9th, aboard Casco Bay Lines! Our Jewell Island Cruise has a 6pm departure time. This is open to everybody – club members, family members, friends. Music, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and lots of fun. The Jewell stop is in part to remember our late friend Bob Patten, who spearheaded the clean up/rehabbing of the island in 1992. Ticket price $40 per person – for reservations, contact Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Glenn Nerbak had news from RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Our club will sponsor 3 Portland High students, and 1 Waynflete student to the upcoming Camp RYLA, at the Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, CA. The students will participate in a wide variety of leadership training that they can bring back to the community. We look forward to hearing their report. |
(Photo: Glenn Nerbak, 3 PHS Students and Laura Young.)
|
2nd VP Laura Young introduced 4 students who had just returned from “Odyssey of the Mind,” an international student program based around creative problem solving held at Michigan State University this past May. Students range from kindergarten through college, believing our students were in 6th-7th grade. They competed in various categories, from building mechanical devices from raw materials, to presenting their interpretations of famous books. Your humble B&P editor tried real hard to follow along with what our 4 students were saying about their experience. With a nod to our guest, “Hey Cutler,” our first student provided a heavily detailed, but somewhat elusive accounting of what he did while at the event. The second student, a young lady, had a sudden case of the giggles, replaced by the third who read from the second student’s notes. (The fourth student, probably mortified, did not speak.) All in all, it seemed like they had a great time. Gotta love that age group!
06/19/15 Elio Cutler, Maine Professional Graduate School
An attorney, an entrepreneur, and a two-time candidate for Governor, Eliot Cutler is the CEO in charge of creating, organizing, and planning for a new Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies which incorporates under one umbrella: the University of Maine School of Law; MBA programs from UMaine and USM; and USM’s Muskie School of Public Service. Mr. Cutler is designing the program, developing the collaborative approach to the Center, and is looking to expand the competitive position in the marketplace using flexibility and innovation while maintaining the rigor to meet Maine’s needs for a productive work force.
When it opens, the Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies should be one of the most productive reforms in graduate level studies in Maine’s history. The Center could make UMaine a leader in graduate and professional education. The Center will be located under a new roof in Portland along with a business incubator accelerator to marry innovation and coursework. The center is expected to strengthen and reform graduate studies, attract entrepreneurs, and help drive economic growth in the state.
Three profound observations are leading to the creation of the Center using a private grant from the Alfond Foundation. These observations include the following:
- With the digital revolution, knowledge is easily accessible. Due to the quick access to information, knowledge provides less of a competitive advantage as technology takes over labor; and employers want to employ those that excel at analytics, innovation, and collaboration.
- The societal changes due to the digital revolution pose immense challenges to graduate schools tied to supply side business models suffering rising costs and declining enrollments. Graduate schools need to move from supply side needs to more align with societal needs to employ their graduates.
- The challenges graduate schools face mirror circumstances throughout state, including those slow to adapt to the economic revolution taking place. Improvement in the graduate programs can retain younger people in Maine, and will help grow Maine’s economy.
Five (5) goals of the Center will include:
- Being sufficient in scale and variety for academic distinction and relative to societal needs.
- The curricula must be flexible to be attractive and responsive to employers, to cross train students with multi-school course work, and also serve as the basis for the necessary accreditations.
- Providing space and proximity of the schools to: each other, employers, government agencies, the accelerator, and applied research applications.
- Providing a capital and incentive structures to make the Center financially sound and encourage cooperation throughout the schools in the Center.
- Integrating the business, legal and other communities to respond to Maine employers and the economy.
WINDJAMMER WILL LOOK DIFFERENT!
On June 25th, we will be upgrading our club website to V3 of ClubRunner. Our bulletin (Windjammer) will look different. This is a positive move and should give us more administrative flexibility.
If you notice anything "off," please notify me (Loretta) immediately.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
06/19/15 Eliot Cutler, Maine Professional Graduate School
An attorney, an entrepreneur, and a two-time candidate for Governor, Eliot Cutler is the CEO in charge of creating, organizing, and planning for a new Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies which incorporates under one umbrella: the University of Maine School of Law; MBA programs from UMaine and USM; and USM’s Muskie School of Public Service. Mr. Cutler is designing the program, developing the collaborative approach to the Center, and is looking to expand the competitive position in the marketplace using flexibility and innovation while maintaining the rigor to meet Maine’s needs for a productive work force.
When it opens, the Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies should be one of the most productive reforms in graduate level studies in Maine’s history. The Center could make UMaine a leader in graduate and professional education. The Center will be located under a new roof in Portland along with a business incubator accelerator to marry innovation and coursework. The center is expected to strengthen and reform graduate studies, attract entrepreneurs, and help drive economic growth in the state.
Three profound observations are leading to the creation of the Center using a private grant from the Alfond Foundation. These observations include the following:
- With the digital revolution, knowledge is easily accessible. Due to the quick access to information, knowledge provides less of a competitive advantage as technology takes over labor; and employers want to employ those that excel at analytics, innovation, and collaboration.
- The societal changes due to the digital revolution pose immense challenges to graduate schools tied to supply side business models suffering rising costs and declining enrollments. Graduate schools need to move from supply side needs to more align with societal needs to employ their graduates.
- The challenges graduate schools face mirror circumstances throughout state, including those slow to adapt to the economic revolution taking place. Improvement in the graduate programs can retain younger people in Maine, and will help grow Maine’s economy.
Five (5) goals of the Center will include:
- Being sufficient in scale and variety for academic distinction and relative to societal needs.
- The curricula must be flexible to be attractive and responsive to employers, to cross train students with multi-school course work, and also serve as the basis for the necessary accreditations.
- Providing space and proximity of the schools to: each other, employers, government agencies, the accelerator, and applied research applications.
- Providing a capital and incentive structures to make the Center financially sound and encourage cooperation throughout the schools in the Center.
- Integrating the business, legal and other communities to respond to Maine employers and the economy.
06/19/15 Bits & Pieces
Tom Nickerson opened the meeting with an invocation, and Russ Burleigh led us in a rendition “God Bless America.”
President Kris welcomed 52 members with 8 non-Rotarian guests.
Incoming President Bowen Depke earned the right to draw a winning card for the $286 raffle, but was unable to pull the Queen. Tough draw with 51 cards in the deck!
Amy Chipman gave us an update on a decision by the Service and Memorial Fund Trustees. With a remaining budget of $2000, the Trustees voted to provide $1250 to Long Creek Youth Development Center. This money will primarily be used to assist individuals who have been in the system transition back into the community. An example would be assistance on first month’s apartment rental. Accepting for Long Creek was Mike Fortunato. A second provision of $750 was given to the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, to support a program named “Teen Cooking On A Budget.” The course provides training on how to shop and cook for yourself and family when funds are tight.
Harold Crabill reminded us that we have to pay attention to our club calendars! There will be no club meeting on July 3rd due to the holiday weekend. The following week, we will not meet on Friday the 10th. Instead, the club meeting will be on Thursday the 9th, aboard Casco Bay Lines! Our Jewell Island Cruise has a 6pm departure time. This is open to everybody – club members, family members, friends. Music, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and lots of fun. The Jewell stop is in part to remember our late friend Bob Patten, who spearheaded the clean up/rehabbing of the island in 1992. Ticket price $40 per person – for reservations, contact Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Glenn Nerbak had news from RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Our club will sponsor 3 Portland High students, and 1 Waynflete student to the upcoming Camp RYLA, at the Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, CA. The students will participate in a wide variety of leadership training that they can bring back to the community. We look forward to hearing their report. |
(Photo: Glenn Nerbak, 3 Portland High students and Laura Young.)
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2nd VP Laura Young introduced 4 students who had just returned from “Odyssey of the Mind,” an international student program based around creative problem solving held at Michigan State University this past May. Students range from kindergarten through college, believing our students were in 6th-7th grade. They competed in various categories, from building mechanical devices from raw materials, to presenting their interpretations of famous books. Your humble B&P editor tried real hard to follow along with what our 4 students were saying about their experience. With a nod to our guest, “Hey Cutler,” our first student provided a heavily detailed, but somewhat elusive accounting of what he did while at the event. The second student, a young lady, had a sudden case of the giggles, replaced by the third who read from the second student’s notes. (The fourth student, probably mortified, did not speak.) All in all, it seemed like they had a great time. Gotta love that age group!
*06/26/15 President Kris' Wrap-Up and Special Speakers
President Kris will provide us with a brief wrap-up to his time spent at the Rotary helm.
(Photos: President Kris at left; Dee Mystify and Casino Ed at right.)
After which, we will have two soon-to-be well-known casino experts, Casino Ed and Dee Mystify, visit us. They have recently completed filming a consumer education course that will be available on the internet titled "Casino Fun 101: How to go to a casino, have a great time and not lose your shirt.”
Some of the topics aimed at ensuring people get the most for their entertainment dollar are "How casinos work, how to learn casino games, and how to manage your money." Our speakers' goal is to make it possible for anyone to go into any casino, anywhere in the world, and have a great time....win, lose, or draw.
Ed and Dee will be presenting several short segments of their workshop they believe everyone will enjoy and find entertaining, whether or not you ever go to a casino. Segments include: The Reality of Gambling; Albert Einstein’s Thoughts on Roulette; The Four Types of Players You’ll Meet In A Casino; The Three Most Common Mistakes People Make; and more.
Any resemblance to any current Portland Rotarians is purely coincidental.
MOVING ROTARY FILES
On Friday, July 10th from approx. 2-4p.m. we will be moving our archived files/materials from Bowen's downtown offices to a dedicated storage area at an E. W. Noyes storage facility. Peter Noyes has graciously offered a huge storage room for our archives, where they will be safe and easily accessed for future references. The room will be under lock and key with only two keys....for now, both keys will be under the care of our club Secretary.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR 2-3 VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL HELP US WITH THE MOVING PROCESS OF STORAGE TOTES, BOXES AND MISCELLANEOUS ROTARY MATERIALS.
We don't have a Rotary meeting on that day....Jewell Island Cruise is the night before.
Please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432, if you can help.
Rotary Meeting This Week
Holiday Inn By-the-Bay WE ARE MEETING IN THE DINING ROOM
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*07/09/15 JEWELL ISLAND CRUISE - July 9th (Thursday)
Our Jewell Island cruise on Casco Bay is set for Thursday evening, July 9, 2015. (There will be no regular club meeting on July 10th.) Bring your family, a friend or three for a fun cruise with light refreshments. A balmy evening and beautiful sunset is guaranteed. For more details, click on the "Jewell Island Cruise" name at left. See club secretary, Loretta Rowe for your ticket reservations: lrowe@maine.rr.com RESERVATION DEADLINE: JUNE 26TH.
This Week's Assignments
Invocator: Carl Spang
Program Reporter: Alan Nye
Bits & Pieces Reporter: Ben Lowry
Registration/Greeter: Leonard Scott
Sell Meal Tickets: Loretta Rowe
Raffle: Anne Fisher
Badge Box: Alex St. Hilaire
Collect Meal Tickets: Russell Voss
Song Leader: Happy Dollars
Pianist: Kathy Grammer
Sgt-at-Arms - Early: Charlie Frair
Sgt-at-Arms - Late: Matt Tassey
*06/19/15 Eliot Cutler, ME Professional Graduate School
Our speaker this Friday is Eliot Cutler; someone with whom everyone is Maine is familiar. An attorney and entrepreneur, and two-time candidate for Governor, Eliot has accepted the responsibility of creating a new professional graduate school at the University of Maine that will include Maine School of Law, graduate business school programs, and other university offerings. The Alfond Foundation has provided a grant to support the initial planning and organizational work. Eliot will discuss this effort and its significance to the state.
Eliot was born and raised in Bangor. He graduated from Harvard College, and earned his J.D. at Georgetown University. He began his career working for Senator Edmund Muskie. He and his wife live in Cape Elizabeth.
06/12/15 Bits & Pieces
Russ Burleigh opened our meeting with an invocation consisting of 2 prayers: the Serenity Prayer and the Senility Prayer. Both were appropriate.
President Kris Rosado called upon President-elect Bowen Depke to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Queen Peggy Wescott tickled the ivories and in no time had us singing the National Anthem.
Bowen then talked to us about the Centennial Gala of Portland Rotary scheduled for Saturday September 12, 2015 at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. He reminded us to get tickets and that the celebration would benefit Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE).
Bob Martin did the raffle (of only $232 – thanks to Roxane Cole's winning $1180 last week). There was no winner this week.
(Photo: President Kris, Bobi Kadrekov, Daniel Ihev, Yordan Tumbev and AG John LoBosco)
There were 46 members in attendance and lots of visiting guests and several special visiting Rotarians from Bulgaria. In addition, there were several Past District Governors, our District Governor Nominee and our Assistant Governor that were with us: PDG Peter Johnson, PDG Carolyn Johnson, PDG Marty Helman, DGN/AG Marge Barker, AG John LoBosco; from Bulgaria - AG Bobi Kadrekov, Daniel Ihev, and Yordan Tumbev. There was an exchange of club banners from the Bulgarian Rotarians with Portland Rotary.
PDG and current Chair of the District Foundation, Peter Johnson, lauded our club for its Foundation contributions. He said that Portland Rotary this year has a record number of contributors who have pledged record-setting funds for the Foundation. He appropriately recognized our own Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman, for her tireless efforts.
(Photo: PDG Peter Johnson)
We were reminded again of the July 9th Jewell Island Cruise. This is a tribute to the late Bob Patten, a former Portland Rotary President and Past District Governor who spearheaded a clean-up effort of Jewell Island when he was DG in 1992. Tickets are $40 and include a Casco Bay Lines cruise, a program and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The time is almost here, so contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com immediately to make your reservations. Detailed information is on our club website home page at left.
Bowen then thanked the club for sending him to the Rotary International Convention and promised a more thorough talk at a later meeting.
06/12/15 Maine Molecular Quality Controls
Our speaker last Friday was Joan Gordon,President and CEO of Maine Molecular Quality Controls (MMQC). She and a partner,Clark Rundell, started the business in 2000 and today it has fifteen employees. It is currently moving into a new and larger facility in Saco. The company sends its product to medical testing laboratories across the United States and around the world. The medical labs are using testing systems which look at and measure DNA molecules. MMQC provides test control kits for specific diseases and disorders which the lab can use to measure the quality of their diagnoses and recommended therapies. The molecular diagnostic field is growing. New tests come out ever day and they all need controls.
“Yes, MMQC has competitors in the United Kingdom, Boston and California.” “Yes, the equipment is expensive and we used grant monies to get started ($300,00).” “Yes, government controls are now in place. They’ve been on the books since 1988. The FDA is now getting the act. A Massachusetts lab's miss-diagnosis was a wake-up call!”
Joan, at the end of her talk, particularly acknowledged the assistance given by Rotarian Bob Trail (her father) to the growth and progress of MMQC.
(Photo: Clark Rundell, Bob Martin, Joan Gordon, Bob Traill and President Kris)
(Photo: Joan Gordon and President-elect Bowen "Vannah" Depke assisting our speaker with her visual aids.)
06/12/15 BITS & PIECES
Russ Burleigh opened our meeting with an invocation consisting of 2 prayers: the Serenity Prayer and the Senility Prayer. Both were appropriate.
President Kris Rosado called upon President-elect Bowen Depke to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Queen Peggy Wescott tickled the ivories and in no time had us singing the National Anthem.
Bowen then talked to us about the Centennial Gala of Portland Rotary scheduled for Saturday September 12, 2015 at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. He reminded us to get tickets and that the celebration would benefit Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE).
Bob Martin did the raffle (of only $232 – thanks to Roxane Cole's winning $1180 last week). There was no winner this week.
(Photo: President Kris, Bobi Kadrekov, Daniel Ihev, Yordan Tumbev and AG John LoBosco)
There were 46 members in attendance and lots of visiting guests and several special visiting Rotarians from Bulgaria. In addition, there were several Past District Governors, our District Governor Nominee and our Assistant Governor that were with us: PDG Peter Johnson, PDG Carolyn Johnson, PDG Marty Helman, DGN/AG Marge Barker, AG John LoBosco; from Bulgaria - AG Bobi Kadrekov, Daniel Ihev, and Yordan Tumbev. There was an exchange of club banners from the Bulgarian Rotarians with Portland Rotary.
PDG and current Chair of the District Foundation, Peter Johnson, lauded our club for its Foundation contributions. He said that Portland Rotary this year has a record number of contributors who have pledged record-setting funds for the Foundation. He appropriately recognized our own Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman, for her tireless efforts.
(Photo: PDG Peter Johnson)
We were reminded again of the July 9th Jewell Island Cruise. This is a tribute to the late Bob Patten, a former Portland Rotary President and Past District Governor who spearheaded a clean-up effort of Jewell Island when he was DG in 1992. Tickets are $40 and include a Casco Bay Lines cruise, a program and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The time is almost here, so contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com immediately to make your reservations. Detailed information is on our club website home page at left.
Bowen thanked the club for sending him to the Rotary International Convention and promised a more thorough talk at a later meeting.
*06/19/15 Eliot Cutler, ME Professional Graduate School
Our speaker this Friday is Eliot Cutler; someone with whom everyone is Maine is familiar. An attorney and entrepreneur, and two-time candidate for Governor, Eliot has accepted the responsibility of creating a new professional graduate school at the University of Maine that will include Maine School of Law, graduate business school programs, and other university offerings. The Alfond Foundation has provided a grant to support the initial planning and organizational work. Eliot will discuss this effort and its significance to the state.
Eliot was born and raised in Bangor. He graduated from Harvard College, and earned his J.D. at Georgetown University. He began his career working for Senator Edmund Muskie. He and his wife live in Cape Elizabeth.
06/12/15 Joan Gordon, President/CEO Maine Molecular Quality Controls
Ms. Gordon co-founded Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. (MMQCI) in 2000 and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. Ms. Gordon was senior technologist at the Maine Medical Center and then Research Associate at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Ms. Gordon’s scientific expertise is in molecular genetic testing and molecular cloning technology. She developed the technical protocols for production and manufacturing the nucleic acid constructs in MMQCI’s products. She is co-inventor on two patents. Ms. Gordon is treasurer of the AACC, Industry Division and a member of the Annual Meeting Organizing Committee for 2006. She received her B.S. in Medical Technology (Suma Cum Laude) from the University of Vermont. She pursued graduate studies in Applied Immunology and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Maine.
06/05/15 Bits & Pieces
(Photo: Roger Fagan, Cy Hagge, Steve Ditmer, Ben Lowry and Queenie Wescott.) |
Steve Ditmer opened our meeting with an invocation. It was a bittersweet moment for Steve as this was his last luncheon with us as a member since he has been reassigned to another Salvation Army post. We will miss him! |
Ellen Niewoehner led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Russ Burleigh struck every note on the keyboard to lead us through "God Bless America."
Jim Thornton offered up the raffle of $1,180, and Roxane Cole now holds the title of Queen, since she found it, and went home a winner. Cheers and groans greeted the good news.
(Photo: Roxane Cole relishing her big win at finding the Queen of Hearts)
Janelle LoSciuto was the conductor to our “I’ve Been Working On the Railroad.”
June birthdays were celebrated, with a special cake in recognition of George Crockett’s ‘80th. George wants to express his sincere appreciation for the greetings and friendship expressed by the members on his birthday, with special thanks to Russ Burleigh for creating such a unique birthday card. He looks forward to his 90th.'
(Photo: Amanda (George's daughter) and George Crockett.)
Christine Force shared Centennial Celebration news of the goal of enlisting Sponsors to raise $100,000 in honor of our Centennial year. Please send nominations and ideas to Christine.
(Photo: Christine Force)
Amy Chipman brought us up to date with news of Foundation contributions, noting that as a result of some undesignated funds, the Club has 100% participation in the Paul Harris Foundation. Amy pointed out that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was matching Paul Harris Foundation dollars on a 2 to 1 basis to eradicate polio.
Amy also recognized Cy Hagge with a Paul Harris Fellow award, and noted his commitment to the Paul Harris Society, which involves an annual $1,000 donation to the Foundation for ten years.
(Photo: Cy Hagge and Amy Chipman.)
Bob Clark shared the banner that hung at the Maine Outdoor Challenge designating the Portland Rotary-Boys and Girls Club Partnership. It will hang permanently at the Boys and Girls Club.
(Photo: Mike Fortunato and Bob Clark.)
President Kris noted that the Sun-Journal carried a story about the 38 teams that participated in the Maine Outdoor Challenge. The event numbers are not completely tallied as of the meeting, but it appears that we raised over $50,000 for the 3-H Project and the Boys and Girls Club.
06/05/15 Corky Ellis, Kepware Technologies
Kepware Technologies Chairman Corson "Corky" Ellis was introduced by Bob Martin. His introduction recalled how COBOL and FORTRAN were the types of computer programing he and others studied when data processing was entered on punch cards. Obviously, data processing and computer driver software has rapidly advanced.
Maine was the location where Ellis and his wife decided to raise their family and where he decided to build the software business.“Maine is a great place to do business,” he said. “It’s a beautiful place to raise a family and develop a business.Corky established the company in 1995, with an office currently located on Congress Street in Portland.
Consider a wind farm in Germany, an oil rig in Canada, and an automotive manufacturer in the United States. Each of these companies have machines and devices that are producing vast amounts of data waiting to be processed and understood. Kepware Technologies develops communication and inter-operability software solutions for these automation industries. Their drivers interface, connect, manage and monitor diverse automation devices and software applications.Kepware Technologies' mission is to be "Your Standard for Connectivity." Soon the company will employ 500 people.Almost all of the customers are outside Maine, because the software is marketed and sold to manufacturing companies.
Organizational challenges put Corky’s business plan at risk during the company’s early years. He described setbacks and successes in developing the specialized computer driver company in Maine. His dedicated investment in the company provided him with-on-the-job training about business development. Until a sustainable business plan was implemented, Kepware Technologies faced fiscal challenges in early 2000, in spite of a growing awareness about how the software could improve manufacturing efficiencies.
Although growth has been steady, the company desperately needs engineers and employees with programming education to continue to meet customer needs. In fact, workforce development is essential to continue the company’s growth. The company supports science and engineering education by giving sizeable donations to Maine’s schools and the University of Maine in Orono. Future engineers begin by learning more “science, technology, math and engineering (STEM)” starting in junior high school. Maine needs to double and triple the numbers of engineers. University of Maine Orono graduated 50 engineers this year; and the University of Southern Maine graduated 12 engineers. “Kepware Technologies is desperate for engineers,” said Corky.
Kepware Technologies gives five scholarships at $12,000 each to the University of Maine. Additionally, the company supports a laptop program for 4th graders to help equip classrooms. Interns are hired and are paid. Ten percent of pre-tax profits are given to charities.
Information about Kepware Technologies is available at the company’s website www.kepware.com; and at www.facebook.com/kepware, and on Twitter.
(Photo: Rusty Atwood and our speaker, Corky Ellis.)
06/05/15 BITS & PIECES
(Photo: Roger Fagan, Cy Hagge, Steve Ditmer, Ben Lowry and Queenie Wescott.) |
Steve Ditmer opened our meeting with an invocation. It was a bittersweet moment for Steve as this was his last luncheon with us as a member since he has been reassigned to another Salvation Army post. We will miss him! |
Ellen Niewoehner led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Russ Burleigh struck every note on the keyboard to lead us through "God Bless America."
Jim Thornton offered up the raffle of $1,180, and Roxane Cole now holds the title of Queen, since she found it, and went home a winner. Cheers and groans greeted the good news.
(Photo: Roxane Cole relishing her big win at finding the Queen of Hearts)
Janelle LoSciuto was the conductor to our “I’ve Been Working On the Railroad.”
June birthdays were celebrated, with a special cake in recognition of George Crockett’s ‘80th. George wants to express his sincere appreciation for the greetings and friendship expressed by the members on his birthday, with special thanks to Russ Burleigh for creating such a unique birthday card. He looks forward to his 90th.'
(Photo: Amanda (George's daughter) and George Crockett.)
Christine Force shared Centennial Celebration news of the goal of enlisting Sponsors to raise $100,000 in honor of our Centennial year. Please send nominations and ideas to Christine.
(Photo: Christine Force)
Amy Chipman brought us up to date with news of Foundation contributions, noting that as a result of some undesignated funds, the Club has 100% participation in the Paul Harris Foundation. Amy pointed out that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was matching Paul Harris Foundation dollars on a 2 to 1 basis to eradicate polio.
Amy also recognized Cy Hagge with a Paul Harris Fellow award, and noted his commitment to the Paul Harris Society, which involves an annual $1,000 donation to the Foundation for ten years.
(Photo: Cy Hagge and Amy Chipman.)
Bob Clark shared the banner that hung at the Maine Outdoor Challenge designating the Portland Rotary-Boys and Girls Club Partnership. It will hang permanently at the Boys and Girls Club.
(Photo: Mike Fortunato and Bob Clark.)
President Kris noted that the Sun-Journal carried a story about the 38 teams that participated in the Maine Outdoor Challenge. The event numbers are not completely tallied as of the meeting, but it appears that we raised over $50,000 for the 3-H Project and the Boys and Girls Club.
06/05/15 Corky Ellis, Kepware Technologies
Kepware Technologies Chairman Corson "Corky" Ellis was introduced by Bob Martin. His introduction recalled how COBOL and FORTRAN were the types of computer programing he and others studied when data processing was entered on punch cards. Obviously, data processing and computer driver software has rapidly advanced.
Maine was the location where Ellis and his wife decided to raise their family and where he decided to build the software business.“Maine is a great place to do business,” he said. “It’s a beautiful place to raise a family and develop a business.Corky established the company in 1995, with an office currently located on Congress Street in Portland.
Consider a wind farm in Germany, an oil rig in Canada, and an automotive manufacturer in the United States. Each of these companies have machines and devices that are producing vast amounts of data waiting to be processed and understood. Kepware Technologies develops communication and inter-operability software solutions for these automation industries. Their drivers interface, connect, manage and monitor diverse automation devices and software applications.Kepware Technologies' mission is to be "Your Standard for Connectivity." Soon the company will employ 500 people.Almost all of the customers are outside Maine, because the software is marketed and sold to manufacturing companies.
Organizational challenges put Corky’s business plan at risk during the company’s early years. He described setbacks and successes in developing the specialized computer driver company in Maine. His dedicated investment in the company provided him with-on-the-job training about business development. Until a sustainable business plan was implemented, Kepware Technologies faced fiscal challenges in early 2000, in spite of a growing awareness about how the software could improve manufacturing efficiencies.
Although growth has been steady, the company desperately needs engineers and employees with programming education to continue to meet customer needs. In fact, workforce development is essential to continue the company’s growth. The company supports science and engineering education by giving sizeable donations to Maine’s schools and the University of Maine in Orono. Future engineers begin by learning more “science, technology, math and engineering (STEM)” starting in junior high school. Maine needs to double and triple the numbers of engineers. University of Maine Orono graduated 50 engineers this year; and the University of Southern Maine graduated 12 engineers. “Kepware Technologies is desperate for engineers,” said Corky.
Kepware Technologies gives five scholarships at $12,000 each to the University of Maine. Additionally, the company supports a laptop program for 4th graders to help equip classrooms. Interns are hired and are paid. Ten percent of pre-tax profits are given to charities.
Information about Kepware Technologies is available at the company’s website www.kepware.com; and at www.facebook.com/kepware, and on Twitter.
(Photo: Rusty Atwood and our speaker, Corky Ellis.)
*06/12/15 Joan Gordon, President/CEO Maine Molecular Quality Controls
Ms. Gordon co-founded Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. (MMQCI) in 2000 and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. Ms. Gordon was senior technologist at the Maine Medical Center and then Research Associate at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Ms. Gordon’s scientific expertise is in molecular genetic testing and molecular cloning technology. She developed the technical protocols for production and manufacturing the nucleic acid constructs in MMQCI’s products. She is co-inventor on two patents. Ms. Gordon is treasurer of the AACC, Industry Division and a member of the Annual Meeting Organizing Committee for 2006. She received her B.S. in Medical Technology (Suma Cum Laude) from the University of Vermont. She pursued graduate studies in Applied Immunology and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Maine.
05/29/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened our meeting by welcoming with 52 members and 5 guests in attendance. He welcomed back our snow birds, including Alan Levenson. Peggy Westcott gave our invocation, recognizing those military veterans who served our country and giving homage to our fallen comrades after Memorial Day last weekend. Dave Putnam led us in the pledge and Russ Burleigh played 'God Bless America' in a baritone key.
President Kris called Emily McEntee to conduct our weekly raffle, which was up to $1173. Our speaker drew Nan Heald’s name to try and find the Queen of Hearts from the remaining cards. But alas, Pine Tree Legal could not benefit, as Nan drew the Ace of Hearts.
Guests that were introduced included Past President John Tewhey, previous members Rich Cantz and Claire Owens, along with guests Andee Payne and Megan Devlin.
Janelle LoSciuto took the podium to promote the "Book Box." The Boys and Girls Club will be the beneficiaries of new or gently-used book donations age-appropriate for their primary and secondary school age children. You may bring in books to our meetings and the Club will ensure they arrive at the "Book Box."
Justin LaMontagne was seeking volunteers for quarterly chairs for the Program Committee. While you are considering that also consider contacting Justin if you have suggestions for a good program for our centennial year 2015-2016.
Peter Ingram promoted our Jewell Island cruise on Casco Bay for Thursday evening, July 9, 2015. (There will be no regular club meeting on July 10th.) Bring a friend or three for a fun cruise with light refreshments. A balmy evening and beautiful sunset is guaranteed. See club secretary, Loretta Rowe for your ticket reservations: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Mike Fortunato is seeking needed volunteers for June 1-3, our largest Club fundraiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge. And don't forget the Lobster Bake on Wednesday, June 3rd, if you have pre-registered....5:00 p.m. at the Am Vets Hall, 148 North Road in Yarmouth.
Ellen Niewoehner announced a new initiative with our long-term involvement at the Long Creek Youth Development Center. We have adopted the Cedar Unit, which constitutes thirteen boys whom we plan to visit for one evening on a monthly basis. Consider participating with us in making a difference in the lives of these young men. You both will benefit from the investment of a few hours of your time.
President Kris asked the irrepressible Jim Willey to come forth and accept the club's donation check to the center of $1000. Jim announced that the contribution would be used to assist repairing musical instruments donated to the Youth Center. Several other musically-gifted altruists donate their talent teaching music to the youths. Jim also told us about the Salvation Army’s "Champion for Kids" event he recently attended where the keynote speaker spoke about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Jim must have said the word "billion" as many times as Carl Sagan did during an episode of his Cosmos show. We love your enthusiasm, Jim!!
Happy Dollars - two members Peter Goffin and Bill Ross were happy for their sons’ graduation from their colleges; John Tewhey was happy to be with us; Jim Willey said, to no one’s surprise, that he is just happy to be here; and Mike Fortunato is happy that this time next week, the Maine Outdoor Challenge will be over.
Dave Putnam introduced principal, Kevin Stilphen , of Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), who introduced our newest recipient of a Youth Service Award, Katie Joseph.
President Kris announced that our Rotary International grant for the 3-H Project (Hearing, Hearts and Hands) in the Dominican Republic has been approved and we are working on another District grant. Your foundation dollars at work.
Amy Chipman, Foundation Chair, came to the podium to announce another Circle of Five ($200/yr Foundation donations), formed by Erik Greven, Erik Jorgensen, Janelle LoSciutto, Rusty Atwood and President-elect Bowen Depke. A drawing was held and Erik Jorgensen’s name was selected to be our newest Paul Harris Fellow from this circle. For more information on how you can become part of a "Circle of Five," contact Amy at: amy.chipman@rbc.com
05/29/15 Maine International Trade Center
Exports are an important and vibrant sector of the Maine economy. Maine companies exported $2.7 billion in 2014. Maine’s top four export partners are Canada , China, Malaysia, and Japan.
The Maine International Trade Center (MITC) in Portland plays an important role in this sector, helping companies develop export markets throughout the world.
Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President of MITC and State Director of International Trade, gave Portland Rotary an overview of Maine’s export economy and the services that MITC provides.
(PHOTO: Bob Martin and Janine Bisaillon-Cary)
Established by Governor Angus King, MITC is a 501c3 non-profit receiving support from both private and public sources. Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) provides state support, while private support comes from over 300 members. MITC provides research on foreign markets, support on trade logistics, and organizes trade missions as well as participation in foreign trade shows. Trade missions enable companies to investigate potential markets through individual meetings with potential partners and customers. MITC arranges most of the details including market briefings, business meetings, translators, and special events. Trade missions in recent years include Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. This October, MITC will be conducting a trade mission to Tokyo, Japan, and Shanghai, China.
By working with MITC, small and medium sized companies can exhibit in world class trade shows through shared booth space and reimbursement grants to offset eligible expenses. MITC also works with companies on how to make the most of their participation before, during, and after the show. Shows include MEDICA, European Seafood Global, and the Winter Fancy Food Show.
MITC also manages Invest in Maine and Study in Maine, two programs designed to bring companies and students into the Maine economy. International students bring $70m to Maine and over 100 foreign-owned companies are doing business in Maine.
There has been a lot of focus in the last three years on the North Atlantic, as temperature change has opened up new shipping routes and access to natural resources. MITC has forged strategic partnerships with Iceland and Eimskip, who has made Portland their US port. Making sure that Maine has a voice in North Atlantic trade negotiations, MITC founded the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) in 2013, with Dana Eidness serving as Director. Until the establishment of MENADO, Alaska has been the only U.S. state to have a voice in current Arctic affairs. MENADO and its Advisory Committee will participate in Arctic geopolitical and economic conversations as they relate to Maine interests.
06/05/15 Corson "Corky" Ellis, Chairman Kepware Technologies, Inc.
Corson “Corky” Ellis is our speaker this Friday, and will share with us his experiences in building an internationally-known software firm in Portland that almost no one in Maine knows about, but whose products are sought out by major global manufacturers. Corky’s firm writes the software drivers that provide instructions to robots at Harley-Davidson, General Electric, Rockwell, and virtually every auto manufacturer.
Corky Ellis is Chairman and Founder of Kepware Technologies. Corky founded the company in Maine in 1995, after moving from New Jersey to Maine in search of a new home to raise his family. He found that Maine perfectly suites its state slogan, "The Way Life Should Be." Today, Kepware is located in historic downtown Portland, employs almost 100 people, and is the world leader in developing communications solutions for the Automation industry.
Corky's main focus is on Kepware's long-term success through strategic acquisitions and organic growth. Outside of Kepware, Corky is deeply involved in statewide efforts to encourage economic growth through a focus on secondary and high school education, and in environmental issues throughout the state. He is Vice Chair of the Maine Small Enterprise Growth Fund, and a board member of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, an organization that combines scientific research on the health of the Gulf of Maine and middle school education on marine science. He has also recently helped start the Robotics Institute of Maine, an organization that encourages and funds high school and middle school robotics teams at schools in Maine. Corky believes that education is critical to the health of Maine's economy—and the nation's—and works hard to spread this message. He also invests heavily in the University of Maine, providing scholarships and aid to engineering students, many of whom he hires upon graduation.
Corky graduated from Amherst College and received an M.D.B.P. degree from Columbia University.
05/29/15 Maine International Trade Center
Exports are an important and vibrant sector of the Maine economy. Maine companies exported $2.7 billion in 2014. Maine’s top four export partners are Canada , China, Malaysia, and Japan.
The Maine International Trade Center (MITC) in Portland plays an important role in this sector, helping companies develop export markets throughout the world.
Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President of MITC and State Director of International Trade, gave Portland Rotary an overview of Maine’s export economy and the services that MITC provides.
(PHOTO: Bob Martin and Janine Bisaillon-Cary)
Established by Governor Angus King, MITC is a 501c3 non-profit receiving support from both private and public sources. Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) provides state support, while private support comes from over 300 members. MITC provides research on foreign markets, support on trade logistics, and organizes trade missions as well as participation in foreign trade shows. Trade missions enable companies to investigate potential markets through individual meetings with potential partners and customers. MITC arranges most of the details including market briefings, business meetings, translators, and special events. Trade missions in recent years include Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. This October, MITC will be conducting a trade mission to Tokyo, Japan, and Shanghai, China.
By working with MITC, small and medium sized companies can exhibit in world class trade shows through shared booth space and reimbursement grants to offset eligible expenses. MITC also works with companies on how to make the most of their participation before, during, and after the show. Shows include MEDICA, European Seafood Global, and the Winter Fancy Food Show.
MITC also manages Invest in Maine and Study in Maine, two programs designed to bring companies and students into the Maine economy. International students bring $70m to Maine and over 100 foreign-owned companies are doing business in Maine.
There has been a lot of focus in the last three years on the North Atlantic, as temperature change has opened up new shipping routes and access to natural resources. MITC has forged strategic partnerships with Iceland and Eimskip, who has made Portland their US port. Making sure that Maine has a voice in North Atlantic trade negotiations, MITC founded the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) in 2013, with Dana Eidness serving as Director. Until the establishment of MENADO, Alaska has been the only U.S. state to have a voice in current Arctic affairs. MENADO and its Advisory Committee will participate in Arctic geopolitical and economic conversations as they relate to Maine interests.
05/29/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened our meeting by welcoming with 52 members and 5 guests in attendance. He welcomed back our snow birds, including Alan Levenson. Peggy Westcott gave our invocation, recognizing those military veterans who served our country and giving homage to our fallen comrades after Memorial Day last weekend. Dave Putnam led us in the pledge and Russ Burleigh played 'God Bless America' in a baritone key.
President Kris called Emily McEntee to conduct our weekly raffle, which was up to $1173. Our speaker drew Nan Heald’s name to try and find the Queen of Hearts from the remaining cards. But alas, Pine Tree Legal could not benefit, as Nan drew the Ace of Hearts.
Guests that were introduced included Past President John Tewhey, previous members Rich Cantz and Claire Owens, along with guests Andee Payne and Megan Devlin.
Janelle LoSciuto took the podium to promote the "Book Box." The Boys and Girls Club will be the beneficiaries of new or gently-used book donations age-appropriate for their primary and secondary school age children. You may bring in books to our meetings and the Club will ensure they arrive at the "Book Box."
Justin LaMontagne was seeking volunteers for quarterly chairs for the Program Committee. While you are considering that also consider contacting Justin if you have suggestions for a good program for our centennial year 2015-2016.
Peter Ingram promoted our Jewell Island cruise on Casco Bay for Thursday evening, July 9, 2015. (There will be no regular club meeting on July 10th.) Bring a friend or three for a fun cruise with light refreshments. A balmy evening and beautiful sunset is guaranteed. See club secretary, Loretta Rowe for your ticket reservations: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Mike Fortunato is seeking needed volunteers for June 1-3, our largest Club fundraiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge. And don't forget the Lobster Bake on Wednesday, June 3rd, if you have pre-registered....5:00 p.m. at the Am Vets Hall, 148 North Road in Yarmouth.
Ellen Niewoehner announced a new initiative with our long-term involvement at the Long Creek Youth Development Center. We have adopted the Cedar Unit, which constitutes thirteen boys whom we plan to visit for one evening on a monthly basis. Consider participating with us in making a difference in the lives of these young men. You both will benefit from the investment of a few hours of your time.
President Kris asked the irrepressible Jim Willey to come forth and accept the club's donation check to the center of $1000. Jim announced that the contribution would be used to assist repairing musical instruments donated to the Youth Center. Several other musically-gifted altruists donate their talent teaching music to the youths. Jim also told us about the Salvation Army’s "Champion for Kids" event he recently attended where the keynote speaker spoke about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Jim must have said the word "billion" as many times as Carl Sagan did during an episode of his Cosmos show. We love your enthusiasm, Jim!!
Happy Dollars - two members Peter Goffin and Bill Ross were happy for their sons’ graduation from their colleges; John Tewhey was happy to be with us; Jim Willey said, to no one’s surprise, that he is just happy to be here; and Mike Fortunato is happy that this time next week, the Maine Outdoor Challenge will be over.
Dave Putnam introduced principal, Kevin Stilphen , of Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS), who introduced our newest recipient of a Youth Service Award, Katie Joseph.
President Kris announced that our Rotary International grant for the 3-H Project (Hearing, Hearts and Hands) in the Dominican Republic has been approved and we are working on another District grant. Your foundation dollars at work.
Amy Chipman, Foundation Chair, came to the podium to announce another Circle of Five ($200/yr Foundation donations), formed by Erik Greven, Erik Jorgensen, Janelle LoSciutto, Rusty Atwood and President-elect Bowen Depke. A drawing was held and Erik Jorgensen’s name was selected to be our newest Paul Harris Fellow from this circle. For more information on how you can become part of a "Circle of Five," contact Amy at: amy.chipman@rbc.com
*06/05/15 Corson "Corky" Ellis, Chairman Kepware Technologies, Inc.
Corson “Corky” Ellis is our speaker this Friday, and will share with us his experiences in building an internationally-known software firm in Portland that almost no one in Maine knows about, but whose products are sought out by major global manufacturers. Corky’s firm writes the software drivers that provide instructions to robots at Harley-Davidson, General Electric, Rockwell, and virtually every auto manufacturer.
Corky Ellis is Chairman and Founder of Kepware Technologies. Corky founded the company in Maine in 1995, after moving from New Jersey to Maine in search of a new home to raise his family. He found that Maine perfectly suites its state slogan, "The Way Life Should Be." Today, Kepware is located in historic downtown Portland, employs almost 100 people, and is the world leader in developing communications solutions for the Automation industry.
Corky's main focus is on Kepware's long-term success through strategic acquisitions and organic growth. Outside of Kepware, Corky is deeply involved in statewide efforts to encourage economic growth through a focus on secondary and high school education, and in environmental issues throughout the state. He is Vice Chair of the Maine Small Enterprise Growth Fund, and a board member of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, an organization that combines scientific research on the health of the Gulf of Maine and middle school education on marine science. He has also recently helped start the Robotics Institute of Maine, an organization that encourages and funds high school and middle school robotics teams at schools in Maine. Corky believes that education is critical to the health of Maine's economy—and the nation's—and works hard to spread this message. He also invests heavily in the University of Maine, providing scholarships and aid to engineering students, many of whom he hires upon graduation.
Corky graduated from Amherst College and received an M.D.B.P. degree from Columbia University.
05/29/15 Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President Maine Int'l Trade Center
The role international trade plays in Maine’s economy is sometimes underrated, or misunderstood. Maine’s geographical position is proving to be more and more of an attraction to both European and Asian exporters. In 2013, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) was created to increase trade and investment between the state and North Atlantic region markets beyond the $400 million of products currently sold to Northern Europe and Nordic countries. Our speaker this week, Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President of the Maine International Trade Center, will discuss this effort, and others designed to increase the flow of global trade in and out of Maine.
Janine was appointed by Governor John Baldacci and assumed her duties as Director of International Trade for the State of Maine in 2006.
In addition to leading MITC and consulting with Maine’s internationally active industries, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary serves on the boards of the Maine Port Authority, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Trade Cooperation Committee, the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Council, and the Eastern Trade Council. Prior to her present position, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary was Vice President of Maine International Trade Center for six years and Vice President of Resource Trading Company of Portland, Maine.
Ms. Bisaillon-Cary has worked for over 25 years in international markets, including the seafood export and consumer goods import markets. Her work has focused mostly on Western Europe and parts of Latin America and Asia. She holds a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a Certificate of French History and Literature from the Sorbonne University, and a Global Leaders Executive Education Certificate from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. She is conversant in French and Italian.
Winter/Spring Tennis League Social Event
The Winter/Spring 2015 Tennis League celebrated the culmination of their efforts with a social gathering at Kathy Grammer's home on May 18th.
(Picture left: Amy Chipman and Jim Barnes.)
(Picture right: Bill Blount, Bruce Moore and Laura Young.)
05/22/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris called the meeting to order and a touching invocation was given by Paul Tully, honoring all veterans, but particularly those who died on D-Day. We sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee," paying particular attention to the lyrics, as we were instructed to do by President Kris. We were accompanied in singing by Kathy Grammer on piano and Steve Ditmer on trumpet. The slow, mournful sound of the trumpet seemed to hold echoes of "Taps."
Our District Governor Lawrence Furbish told us how proud he was of the Club Presidents in this District and how he had come up with the idea of giving each one a momento of their tenure: a Past President's Baseball Cap appropriately labeled.He then presented President Kris with such his cap, but told him he couldn't wear it until his term ended on June 30, 2015. He also said that beginning June 12, the District would be hosting 5 Bulgarians and he was open to suggestions as to what to see and where to go.
Amy Chipman then led us in a rousing medley of military songs honoring the Navy, Army, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines.
Paul Tully returned to the podium, this time to give his wife, Barbara, a Paul Harris Fellow. He prefaced it with a loving biography of his wife who has both overcome and accomplished much. The twist came when Amy then presented Paul with his own Paul Harris Fellow, in which she borrowed the same one he had just given to his wife.
Erik Greven conducted the weekly raffle for a pot of $1136, having our guest speaker pull the name. It was Dave Putnam, but alas, poor Dave...missed the Queen.
There were three quick announcements: Bowen Depke reminded us that Loretta has sent reminder e-mails about both the 100th Anniversary celebration and the July 9th Jewell Island cruise...you need to reserve your space with her for both events. Contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com;
Ellen Niewoehner gave us the results of the Spring auction.....netting $2520; and Christine Force said the Centennial Committee was looking for more sponsors and volunteers.
2nd VP Laura Young spoke on behalf of the Youth Services Committee, telling us that our fund raisers were essential to the work of that Committee. She then listed those grants that had been made possible by either the Maine Outdoor Challenge or the Allagash Brewery event. That list deserves repeating:
- Four students....3 from Portland High School, 1 from Catherine McAuley High School.....
attended Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp in June, 2014; - Provided enrichment programs (dance, artists and music) for the Portland Summer Food Service program at Sagamore Village, Munjoy South Playground and Parkside Community Center;
- Provided a grant to the Portland Public School's Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural Center to build a World Language Fund and to support District diversity in culture and language;
- Support of an English class of 16 students just learning how to read English at Deering High School and a special grant to help them buy a cow through "Heifer International" for a deserving person in a third-world country;
- Sent 7 sixth graders from Lyman Moore Elementary School and 5 sixth graders from Reiche Elementary School to the finals of 'Odyssey of the Mind' at Michigan State; and
- Helping the Friends of Long Creek Youth Center pay for the rehab of musical instruments donated for a new music program.
Great Work, Youth Service Committee!
05/22/15 Edie Smith, Senator Angus King's State Director
Senator Angus King was elected to represent Maine in 2012, as a political Independent. Bob Martin introduced Edie Smith, who spoke about the constituent services provided by the Senator’s staff. Edie introduced two guests, Dan Reardon, the constituent service representative from the Scarborough office and Ben Stanley, a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School, who is an intern taking a credit seminar titled “Senior Transition Project.” Ben will attend Williams College in Williamstown, MA in the fall.
Edie explained how Senator King directs his staff to call him “Angus.” She spoke about the uniqueness of the constituent offices and how they serve Maine people.
There are ten areas where the state constituent operations particularly excel.
10. Partnering with the Washington DC office. State and federal offices work collaboratively to help Maine people to navigate the federal government especially in areas like student loans, the FEMA flood maps, border issues and how to deal with green crabs along the coast, to name a few issues. Three constituents most often helped are (1) veterans (2) senior citizens and (3) low income households.
9. Staff works “more outside than inside.” They are split into two groups that work collaboratively with each other but have different roles. There are 7 Regional Representatives who are the eyes, ears and feet on the ground, for Angus.
8. Workload – there are 2,188 contacts each week with constituents through snail mail, emails or phone calls. A special Your-Government-Your-Neighborhood (YGYN) has hosted 709 outreach visits and are visible in all 16 counties every month.
7. Life experiences. There are three former State Senators and former mayors, city councilmen, and people who enjoy working in politics who help staff the constituent services.
6. Working as closely as possible with other members of the Maine Congressional delegation.
5. Seamless operations between state Constituent offices and the Washington DC staffs.
4. Angus loves technology! His staff being the only ones Edie knows of in the country where every single staff member has a blackberry and a laptop – so they are accessible 24/7.
3. Positive attitude. Although the staff works with people who share challenges and innovations, they go home every day to celebrate success, even when dealing with often difficult situations.
2. Political affiliations don’t matter. Angus does caucus with Democrats because he is required to do so in order to receive committee assignments. He only meets with the caucus once a week, on Tuesdays for lunch.
1. Angus King is a humble individual; he loves being a US Senator. Moreover, he loves the history of Washington DC. He loves channeling Joshua Chamberlain wherever he goes. He is a history geek and he still says when he walks in the Senate Chamber he thinks of how lucky he is to be there.
Edie said the favorite part of each week is the prayer breakfast every Wednesday morning at 8 AM. He has not missed one of them. In fact, Angus is forthcoming about how one hour each week, when the Senators join together in a spiritual, respectful and non-partisan way.
Dan Reardon spoke briefly about how the Scarborough office participates with constituent services.
Packets were made available to the Rotarians with information about how to contact the constituent services. Capitol Coffee invitations were disturbed for those who would like to attend a short meeting with Angus and the staff on Wednesday mornings at 9 AM, in the US Capitol, to enjoy homemade Maine blueberry bread.
(Picture: Ben Stanley, Edie Smith, Bob Martin and Dan Reardon.)
05/22/15 Edie Smith, Senator Angus King's State Director
Senator Angus King was elected to represent Maine in 2012, as a political Independent. Bob Martin introduced Edie Smith, who spoke about the constituent services provided by the Senator’s staff. Edie introduced two guests, Dan Reardon, the constituent service representative from the Scarborough office and Ben Stanley, a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School, who is an intern taking a credit seminar titled “Senior Transition Project.” Ben will attend Williams College in Williamstown, MA in the fall.
Edie explained how Senator King directs his staff to call him “Angus.” She spoke about the uniqueness of the constituent offices and how they serve Maine people.
There are ten areas where the state constituent operations particularly excel.
10. Partnering with the Washington DC office. State and federal offices work collaboratively to help Maine people to navigate the federal government especially in areas like student loans, the FEMA flood maps, border issues and how to deal with green crabs along the coast, to name a few issues. Three constituents most often helped are (1) veterans (2) senior citizens and (3) low income households.
9. Staff works “more outside than inside.” They are split into two groups that work collaboratively with each other but have different roles. There are 7 Regional Representatives who are the eyes, ears and feet on the ground, for Angus.
8. Workload – there are 2,188 contacts each week with constituents through snail mail, emails or phone calls. A special Your-Government-Your-Neighborhood (YGYN) has hosted 709 outreach visits and are visible in all 16 counties every month.
7. Life experiences. There are three former State Senators and former mayors, city councilmen, and people who enjoy working in politics who help staff the constituent services.
6. Working as closely as possible with other members of the Maine Congressional delegation.
5. Seamless operations between state Constituent offices and the Washington DC staffs.
4. Angus loves technology! His staff being the only ones Edie knows of in the country where every single staff member has a blackberry and a laptop – so they are accessible 24/7.
3. Positive attitude. Although the staff works with people who share challenges and innovations, they go home every day to celebrate success, even when dealing with often difficult situations.
2. Political affiliations don’t matter. Angus does caucus with Democrats because he is required to do so in order to receive committee assignments. He only meets with the caucus once a week, on Tuesdays for lunch.
1. Angus King is a humble individual; he loves being a US Senator. Moreover, he loves the history of Washington DC. He loves channeling Joshua Chamberlain wherever he goes. He is a history geek and he still says when he walks in the Senate Chamber he thinks of how lucky he is to be there.
Edie said the favorite part of each week is the prayer breakfast every Wednesday morning at 8 AM. He has not missed one of them. In fact, Angus is forthcoming about how one hour each week, when the Senators join together in a spiritual, respectful and non-partisan way.
Dan Reardon spoke briefly about how the Scarborough office participates with constituent services.
Packets were made available to the Rotarians with information about how to contact the constituent services. Capitol Coffee invitations were disturbed for those who would like to attend a short meeting with Angus and the staff on Wednesday mornings at 9 AM, in the US Capitol, to enjoy homemade Maine blueberry bread.
(Picture: Ben Stanley, Edie Smith, Bob Martin and Dan Reardon.)
Winter/Spring Tennis League Social Event
The Winter/Spring 2015 Tennis League celebrated the culmination of their efforts with a social gathering at Kathy Grammer's home on May 18th.
(Picture left: Amy Chipman and Jim Barnes.)
(Picture right: Bill Blount, Bruce Moore and Laura Young.)
05/22/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris called the meeting to order and a touching invocation was given by Paul Tully, honoring all veterans, but particularly those who died on D-Day. We sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee," paying particular attention to the lyrics, as we were instructed to do by President Kris. We were accompanied in singing by Kathy Grammer on piano and Steve Ditmer on trumpet. The slow, mournful sound of the trumpet seemed to hold echoes of "Taps."
Our District Governor Lawrence Furbish told us how proud he was of the Club Presidents in this District and how he had come up with the idea of giving each one a momento of their tenure: a Past President's Baseball Cap appropriately labeled.He then presented President Kris with such his cap, but told him he couldn't wear it until his term ended on June 30, 2015. He also said that beginning June 12, the District would be hosting 5 Bulgarians and he was open to suggestions as to what to see and where to go.
Amy Chipman then led us in a rousing medley of military songs honoring the Navy, Army, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines.
Paul Tully returned to the podium, this time to give his wife, Barbara, a Paul Harris Fellow. He prefaced it with a loving biography of his wife who has both overcome and accomplished much. The twist came when Amy then presented Paul with his own Paul Harris Fellow, in which she borrowed the same one he had just given to his wife.
Erik Greven conducted the weekly raffle for a pot of $1136, having our guest speaker pull the name. It was Dave Putnam, but alas, poor Dave...missed the Queen.
There were three quick announcements: Bowen Depke reminded us that Loretta has sent reminder e-mails about both the 100th Anniversary celebration and the July 9th Jewell Island cruise...you need to reserve your space with her for both events. Contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com;
Ellen Niewoehner gave us the results of the Spring auction.....netting $2520; and Christine Force said the Centennial Committee was looking for more sponsors and volunteers.
2nd VP Laura Young spoke on behalf of the Youth Services Committee, telling us that our fund raisers were essential to the work of that Committee. She then listed those grants that had been made possible by either the Maine Outdoor Challenge or the Allagash Brewery event. That list deserves repeating:
- Four students....3 from Portland High School, 1 from Catherine McAuley High School.....
attended Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp in June, 2014; - Provided enrichment programs (dance, artists and music) for the Portland Summer Food Service program at Sagamore Village, Munjoy South Playground and Parkside Community Center;
- Provided a grant to the Portland Public School's Multi-lingual and Multi-cultural Center to build a World Language Fund and to support District diversity in culture and language;
- Support of an English class of 16 students just learning how to read English at Deering High School and a special grant to help them buy a cow through "Heifer International" for a deserving person in a third-world country;
- Sent 7 sixth graders from Lyman Moore Elementary School and 5 sixth graders from Reiche Elementary School to the finals of 'Odyssey of the Mind' at Michigan State; and
- Helping the Friends of Long Creek Youth Center pay for the rehab of musical instruments donated for a new music program.
Great Work, Youth Service Committee!
*05/29/15 Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President Maine Int'l Trade Center
The role international trade plays in Maine’s economy is sometimes underrated, or misunderstood. Maine’s geographical position is proving to be more and more of an attraction to both European and Asian exporters. In 2013, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO) was created to increase trade and investment between the state and North Atlantic region markets beyond the $400 million of products currently sold to Northern Europe and Nordic countries. Our speaker this week, Janine Bisaillon-Cary, President of the Maine International Trade Center, will discuss this effort, and others designed to increase the flow of global trade in and out of Maine.
Janine was appointed by Governor John Baldacci and assumed her duties as Director of International Trade for the State of Maine in 2006.
In addition to leading MITC and consulting with Maine’s internationally active industries, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary serves on the boards of the Maine Port Authority, the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Trade Cooperation Committee, the New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Council, and the Eastern Trade Council. Prior to her present position, Ms. Bisaillon-Cary was Vice President of Maine International Trade Center for six years and Vice President of Resource Trading Company of Portland, Maine.
Ms. Bisaillon-Cary has worked for over 25 years in international markets, including the seafood export and consumer goods import markets. Her work has focused mostly on Western Europe and parts of Latin America and Asia. She holds a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a Certificate of French History and Literature from the Sorbonne University, and a Global Leaders Executive Education Certificate from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. She is conversant in French and Italian.
Prospective Rotarians
As we receive applications for prospective members to join our Portland Rotary Club, the names of the applicants will be included in our Windjammer. Any information and/or comments you would like to share will be handled confidentially. Please contact the Club Secretary (Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com). Your input will be appreciated.
PROSPECT BUSINESS SPONSOR
Bill Souter Dawson Smith Purvis & Bassett Loretta Rowe
5/15/15 Cyber Security, Dr. Glenn Wilson
When you hear the term “hacking,” you think of the email you got last week from an “old friend” who asked you to open an attachment that clearly did not feel on the up-and-up. That’s the easy one to spot. Last Friday, we heard from Dr. Glenn Wilson, a USM professor who provided just enough information regarding “phishing,” “hacking” and “exfiltration” to concern and perhaps scare each of us. With worldwide organized crime now making more money on cyber attacks than drug deals, this topic is not going away any time soon. So, rather than ignore it and “hope for the best,” we were warned to expect cyber crimes and, for our own protection, to learn how to recognize them. “Hacking” has been around since folks tried to decipher the Morse code at the turn of the last century. But, in the last decade, since the explosion of the internet and personal computing devices, the efforts to steal personal information (ex-filtration or data extrusion) have grown to the point whereby the largest theft on record involved over one billion emails. With the very public and publicized thefts of data from Home Depot and Anthem in the past year, internet security has become part of the lexicon of daily life in the U.S. In Maine, the government website was hacked just last week.
While much of the early crime was attributed to disgruntled employees looking for “payback” against employers, the current wave of internet criminals are very well educated and fully funded by organized crime or even nation-states throughout the world. Social media and point-of-sale purchases are regular conduits for attacks, which can take many forms. Hundreds of online tools are available online for the individual to protect him/herself and can be found at sectools.org.
The individual is still vulnerable to simple attacks, such as “teasing” information online or even in-person chats and, much more often, the “phishing” emails that we all receive and are still tried and true methods of gleaning data that can be used for fraudulent activity or to produce chaos. State and Federal government offices continuously seek solutions and attempt to offer some protection to companies, individuals and, perhaps most importantly, to our nationwide operating systems. President Obama’s 2012 Executive Order to seek “Critical Infrastructure Protection” aided in the fight but, in reality, we are still vulnerable to a major cyber event. This could come in the form of an electromagnetic pulse released in the outer atmosphere (ominously called an “EMP Cannon”) or some other global event whereby the internet or major system is attacked by the newest form of terrorist, one who simply points and clicks.
Links to Cyber Security information:
Visual Representation of Current Attacks (Now) History of Hacking, ciphers, cracking, and ?
Formal History of computer hacking:
Click Here Hacking from the inside? Big hacking from the outside? Reliable Sources: Snowden, hero or traitor? |
05/15/15 Bits & Pieces
President Kris welcomed 50 members, 1 Visiting Rotarian and 2 guests to our meeting at the Clarion Hotel this week.
Kathy Grammer gave the invocation, and Janelle LoSciuto led us in the Pledge.
Erik Greven tried to let Kathy Grammar win the raffle pot of $1104, but the pot grows bigger, much to the delight of everyone who bought a ticket.
Bill Blount hobbled up to the podium on crutches to share the news of the Spring Champions of the Tennis League—Jake Bourdeau, Peter Ingram, Laura Young, and Bruce Moore, who were congratulated for capturing the trophy. Tennis players, past, present, and wannabe’s will gather at Kathy Grammer’s house for an end-of-season celebration on May 18.
Peter Goffin, incoming Membership Chair, announced a "New Member Social" to be held at the Cumberland Club on June 10th from 5:30 to 7 pm. Invitations are being sent to new members and their sponsors.
Mike Fortunato reminded us of the MOC Lobster Bake and Auction on June 3 at 5pm at the Am Vets Hall, 148 North Road, in Yarmouth. Lobster: $32; Steak: $28; and Chicken, $25. Reserve tickets with Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com, or call 883-5432.
Mike also issued a call for additional volunteers to help with the Maine Outdoor Challenge 3-day events. No heavy lifting, but loads of fun. Contact Mike at michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com or 415-9762.
Amy Chipman shared that the Rotary Foundation finally approved a grant of $55,000 for the International Service Committee's 3-H Project.....thanks to the tireless work of Roger Fagan.
Amy presented Laura Young with her second Paul Harris Fellow award, reminding all of us in her presentation of the extraordinary work in which Laura is engaged with the Maine Community Foundation, as well as our "Childhood Hunger and Education" (CHE) focus of our club.
*05/22/15 EDIE SMITH, Senator Angus King's State Director
Our speaker this week is Edie King, State Director for Senator Angus King. She will share with us what it’s like working for Maine’s Independent Senator in a fractured Congress. She will be accompanied by Dan Reardon, former CEO of Bass Shoe, who works as a Constituent Service Representative for the Senator.
Edie Smith grew up in Winthrop Maine and is a graduate of Bowdoin College. She has served as State Director for U.S. Senator Angus King since December 2012, after serving as Field Director for his statewide campaign to fill Senator Olympia Snowe’s seat. Responsibilities include management of three U.S. Senate offices (Scarborough, Augusta and Presque Isle); management of all duties of 17 employees; consistent communication with the Senator’s D.C. office, including with Senator King, Chief of Staff Kay Rand, and media, policy and scheduling teams; traveling throughout Maine; staffing the Senator when he is in Maine; representing the Senator at meetings and events as his surrogate.
Previous to working full time for Angus King, Edie owned Maine Directions, Inc., a political and public relations consulting firm, specializing in the management of candidate and referendum campaigns, coalition building, grassroots networking, legislative monitoring and lobbying, trade association management, market research (focus groups and polling), PAC management, public relations, media relations and marketing. Through her 30-year tenure with Maine Directions, Edie would often go full time with organizations or with specific projects. She worked for seven years as Executive Director of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group. She is, in her own words, a “professional political junkie.”
05/15/15 Bits & Pieces
President Kris welcomed 50 members, 1 Visiting Rotarian and 2 guests to our meeting at the Clarion Hotel this week.
Kathy Grammer gave the invocation, and Janelle LoSciuto led us in the Pledge.
Erik Greven tried to let Kathy Grammar win the raffle pot of $1104, but the pot grows bigger, much to the delight of everyone who bought a ticket.
Bill Blount hobbled up to the podium on crutches to share the news of the Spring Champions of the Tennis League—Jake Bourdeau, Peter Ingram, Laura Young, and Bruce Moore, who were congratulated for capturing the trophy. Tennis players, past, present, and wannabe’s will gather at Kathy Grammer’s house for an end-of-season celebration on May 18.
Peter Goffin, incoming Membership Chair, announced a "New Member Social" to be held at the Cumberland Club on June 10th from 5:30 to 7 pm. Invitations are being sent to new members and their sponsors.
Mike Fortunato reminded us of the MOC Lobster Bake and Auction on June 3 at 5pm at the Am Vets Hall, 148 North Road, in Yarmouth. Lobster: $32; Steak: $28; and Chicken, $25. Reserve tickets with Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com, or call 883-5432.
Mike also issued a call for additional volunteers to help with the Maine Outdoor Challenge 3-day events. No heavy lifting, but loads of fun. Contact Mike at michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com or 415-9762.
Amy Chipman shared that the Rotary Foundation finally approved a grant of $55,000 for the International Service Committee's 3-H Project.....thanks to the tireless work of Roger Fagan.
Amy presented Laura Young with her second Paul Harris Fellow award, reminding all of us in her presentation of the extraordinary work in which Laura is engaged with the Maine Community Foundation, as well as our "Childhood Hunger and Education" (CHE) focus of our club.
5/15/15 Cyber Security, Dr. Glenn Wilson
When you hear the term “hacking,” you think of the email you got last week from an “old friend” who asked you to open an attachment that clearly did not feel on the up-and-up. That’s the easy one to spot. Last Friday, we heard from Dr. Glenn Wilson, a USM professor who provided just enough information regarding “phishing,” “hacking” and “exfiltration” to concern and perhaps scare each of us. With worldwide organized crime now making more money on cyber attacks than drug deals, this topic is not going away any time soon. So, rather than ignore it and “hope for the best,” we were warned to expect cyber crimes and, for our own protection, to learn how to recognize them. “Hacking” has been around since folks tried to decipher the Morse code at the turn of the last century. But, in the last decade, since the explosion of the internet and personal computing devices, the efforts to steal personal information (ex-filtration or data extrusion) have grown to the point whereby the largest theft on record involved over one billion emails. With the very public and publicized thefts of data from Home Depot and Anthem in the past year, internet security has become part of the lexicon of daily life in the U.S. In Maine, the government website was hacked just last week.
While much of the early crime was attributed to disgruntled employees looking for “payback” against employers, the current wave of internet criminals are very well educated and fully funded by organized crime or even nation-states throughout the world. Social media and point-of-sale purchases are regular conduits for attacks, which can take many forms. Hundreds of online tools are available online for the individual to protect him/herself and can be found at sectools.org.
The individual is still vulnerable to simple attacks, such as “teasing” information online or even in-person chats and, much more often, the “phishing” emails that we all receive and are still tried and true methods of gleaning data that can be used for fraudulent activity or to produce chaos. State and Federal government offices continuously seek solutions and attempt to offer some protection to companies, individuals and, perhaps most importantly, to our nationwide operating systems. President Obama’s 2012 Executive Order to seek “Critical Infrastructure Protection” aided in the fight but, in reality, we are still vulnerable to a major cyber event. This could come in the form of an electromagnetic pulse released in the outer atmosphere (ominously called an “EMP Cannon”) or some other global event whereby the internet or major system is attacked by the newest form of terrorist, one who simply points and clicks.
Links to Cyber Security information:
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/
http://map.ipviking.com/
http://www.otr.com/ciphers.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cryptography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_computer_security_hacker_history
Hacking from the inside?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/sony-hack-was-angry-employee-and-gang-of-hackers-experts-believe-9950449.html
Big hacking from the outside?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Worlds-biggest-cyberattack-detected-360-million-accounts-1-25-billion-email-addresses-hacked/articleshow/31133867.cms
Reliable Sources:
https://www.sans.org/critical-security-controls/
https://www.us-cert.gov/
Snowden, hero or traitor?
http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/01/snowden-assange-and-manning-statues-unveiled-in-berlin/
Smart Phone?????
*05/22/15 EDIE SMITH, Senator Angus King's State Director
Our speaker this week is Edie King, State Director for Senator Angus King. She will share with us what it’s like working for Maine’s Independent Senator in a fractured Congress. She will be accompanied by Dan Reardon, former CEO of Bass Shoe, who works as a Constituent Service Representative for the Senator.
Edie Smith grew up in Winthrop Maine and is a graduate of Bowdoin College. She has served as State Director for U.S. Senator Angus King since December 2012, after serving as Field Director for his statewide campaign to fill Senator Olympia Snowe’s seat. Responsibilities include management of three U.S. Senate offices (Scarborough, Augusta and Presque Isle); management of all duties of 17 employees; consistent communication with the Senator’s D.C. office, including with Senator King, Chief of Staff Kay Rand, and media, policy and scheduling teams; traveling throughout Maine; staffing the Senator when he is in Maine; representing the Senator at meetings and events as his surrogate.
Previous to working full time for Angus King, Edie owned Maine Directions, Inc., a political and public relations consulting firm, specializing in the management of candidate and referendum campaigns, coalition building, grassroots networking, legislative monitoring and lobbying, trade association management, market research (focus groups and polling), PAC management, public relations, media relations and marketing. Through her 30-year tenure with Maine Directions, Edie would often go full time with organizations or with specific projects. She worked for seven years as Executive Director of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group. She is, in her own words, a “professional political junkie.”
05/08/15 Bits & Pieces
President Kris welcomed 45 members, 1 Visiting Rotarian and 1 guest at Friday's meeting and presented our invocation in absence of our scheduled invocator, Julie L'Heureux, who was held up in jury duty selection. President Kris also asked us to remember former member, Al Milliken, who passed away last week.
Bruce Jones led the group in a rousing rendition of "Home on the Range," with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Bob Martin announced that our 'Maine Outdoor Challenge,'.....our club's largest fund-raiser for all the programs our club supports ....... NEEDS EVERYONE in the club on board in some capacity to help....getting a donation for the auction or volunteering on the day of the events. With everyone participating in SOME ACTIVITY, we can surely make the event a success! Right after the meeting, Erik Greven donated a sailboat cruise for 6 to the MOC auction...way to go, Erik. That's the type of activity we need!
President-elect Bowen Depke reminded everyone that the new Rotary year officially starts on the meeting of July 3rd, which has been canceled in recognition of the July 4th holiday. To kick off the new Rotary year, a Casco Bay Lines cruise is planned to Jewell Island on Thursday, July 9th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. In addition to fun, socializing, and relaxation, this will be a tribute to the late, Bob Patten, who spearheaded a cleanup effort of Jewell Island when he was the District Governor in 1992. Tickets are $40 and include the cruise, program and heavy hors d'oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. Payment and reservations must be made in advance. Contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com to make your reservations. Please send check payable to Portland Rotary, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104 and mark it clearly for "Jewell Island Cruise." Start your Rotary year off on Casco Bay and celebrate a fantastic project. Guests are welcome.
Bowen then presented President Kris with the Governor's Award that was presented to the Portland Rotary Club for 2014-15 at the District Conference in April.
The weekly raffle was handled by Jake Bourdeau, who tried to convince us that the raffle wasn't fixed when his name just happened to be pulled out of the bucket for a chance to find the Queen of Hearts and win the $1065....but he didn't find her in the dwindling stack of cards.
Russ Burleigh presented President Kris with a banner from the West Austin Rotary Club, where he attended while visiting Texas.
Harold Crabill read a "Thank You" note from Deering High School for his attendance at the focus group on hunger issues in Portland.
05/08/15 Going with the Grain Proves Beneficial to Maine Economy
With an intro by Bob Martin aptly noting that we gather weekly to break bread, we had the opportunity to hear from a unique and growing industry in Maine – the growing and processing of certified organic grains.
A farmer? A baker? Amber Lambke, President of Maine Grains, is quick to point out that she was neither. Living in Skowhegan, Amber was a speech pathologist, but also one committed to seeing her community pull through some tough economic times. Teaming with friend Albie Barden, a fellow Skowhegan resident, the two developed an event based around reconnecting bakers and farmers, combining growing heritage grains, using colonial style milling, and wood-fired “Russian Style” ovens. The 2007 event was called “The Kneading Conference,” featuring a day for the farmers and bakers to meet and discuss ideas, followed by an artisan bread fair the next day. From humble grassroots, the annual event now gathers 250 professionals with 3000 plus in line for the fair.
With this type of growth, the Maine Grain Alliance was established in 2012. Its stated goal is to preserve the nutritional content of the grain grown in Maine, without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. At the same time, it is providing a growing economic opportunity in the state, from seed suppliers, farmers, mill workers, bakers, distribution outlets, and the like..
During the mid 1800’s, Maine was one of the largest growers and suppliers of grain in the country. At one time there were 13 grist mills in central Maine, but over time they faded away. Today, Maine Grains operates out of the former Skowhegan local jail, renamed the Somerset Grist Mill. Tours are popular and visitors can purchase the wide array of Maine Grains products in the The Pickup Café.
Today, Maine is somewhat limited in being able to produce grain in volume. Due to lack of land; capacity is projected to be approximately 600 tons per year. The difference is obvious, compared to the major industrial suppliers that produce that much in a day. However, what is driving the demand is both the commitment to growing grain organically, combined with bringing back heritage grains that feature unique tastes, textures, and health benefits.
To wit, Maine Grain now sells throughout New England and New York to commercial bakeries such as Standard Bakery, Scratch Bakery, and chains, including Whole Foods. Some of the products include Natural Whole Wheat Flour, Rolled Oats, and Ryes. One audience question asked if the mill makes a white flour. The answer was no, because a white flour is processed on steel rollers that pulverize the grains, whereas Maine Grain uses stones that grind, but keep the germ and bran together, resulting in a more nutritious blend.
Another opportunity for growth lies in exporting products overseas. Amber as it turns out, was born in Iceland and traveled there in 2014 as part of a Maine trade commission. The country has a demand for organic grains, for its people as well as livestock. Iceland’s climate and growing season limits the production of oats, and wheat is nonexistent. They’re importing everything, and desire organic products; a perfect fit for Maine Grains.
"The Kneading Conference" is scheduled for July 30-31, 2015. The Maine Artisan Bread Fair is open to the public on Aug 1, 2015, at the Skowhegan State Fairground.For more information on the event visit www.mainegrainalliance.com
*05/15/15 MAINE CYBER SECURITY CLUSTER, Glenn Wilson, Dr., Director
Hackers, government agents listening to phone calls and reading emails, search engines that record our internet browsing, all part of our digital landscape. What does it mean? How do we cope and protect our individual freedom? Dr. Glenn Wilson will be with us on Friday to talk about hacking and cyber security. Bring your recording devices.
Dr. Wilson is the founding Director of USM’s Research Computing Group initiative, which is designed to create opportunities for students, in collaboration with faculty, to become engaged in research, development, and creative activities in the areas of information, communications, technology, and engineering. “Information and Innovation provides an interdisciplinary platform for students and faculty that links USM’s intellectual resources with external needs.”
An Associate Research Professor in the Department of Technology, Dr. Wilson teaches courses in computer hardware, computer networking, and network security. His experience includes education, outreach, research, development, and commercialization initiatives with IBM, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Labor, UNUM, IDEXX, Wright Express, Tilson Technologies, Quantrix, and many other companies, as well as Government and Military entities. Over the years, Dr. Wilson’s students have created new, high-technology companies and have made significant contributions to the computer science and technology workforce in Maine.
Most recently, Dr. Wilson has been involved in three major undertakings relating to the computer science and technology workforce and economic development in Maine. These include the Computer Science and Information Technology Statewide Initiative, which seeks to double the number of CS and IT students over the next four years; the establishment of the Maine Cyber Security Cluster (MCSC); and a first-of-a-kind, collaborative degree in Information Technology that is designed from the outset by Business and Industry, Central Maine, Southern Maine, and York County Community Colleges and the University of Southern Maine.
Dr. Wilson's time is currently being utilized as the Director of the Maine Cyber Security Cluster, where they have recently completed the construction of Maine's first cyber security testing laboratory and is working with local and national collaborators to develop cyber security training for small businesses, military, and government personnel.
Crutches4Africa
Familiar sight at Rotary?....well, Bruce Moore with the crutches, not those shorts and boney knees!
Bruce’s cast will come off his leg this week and he’ll be donating his crutches to Crutches4Africa!
Yes, we’re still collecting crutches, canes, wheelchairs and walkers for the Crutches4Africa program! So if you have any of these mobility
devices in your garage or basement not being used, we’d be glad to take them off your hands! When we have enough to fill a container (likely in early fall), we’ll ship them off to Africa.
Please contact Bruce Moore or Jan Chapman if you have any mobility devices to donate to this cause.
Thank you for your help with this Rotary District project!
Thanks!
Jan and Bruce
Crutches4Africa
Familiar sight at Rotary?....well, Bruce Moore with the crutches, not those shorts and boney knees!
Bruce’s cast will come off his leg this week and he’ll be donating his crutches to Crutches4Africa!
Yes, we’re still collecting crutches, canes, wheelchairs and walkers for the Crutches4Africa program! So if you have any of these mobility
devices in your garage or basement not being used, we’d be glad to take them off your hands! When we have enough to fill a container (likely in early fall), we’ll ship them off to Africa.
Please contact Bruce Moore or Jan Chapman if you have any mobility devices to donate to this cause.
Thank you for your help with this Rotary District project!
Thanks!
Jan and Bruce
05/08/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris welcomed 45 members, 1 Visiting Rotarian and 1 guest at Friday's meeting and presented our invocation in absence of our scheduled invocator, Julie L'Heureux, who was held up in jury duty selection. President Kris also asked us to remember former member, Al Milliken, who passed away last week.
Bruce Jones led the group in a rousing rendition of "Home on the Range," with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Bob Martin announced that our 'Maine Outdoor Challenge,'.....our club's largest fund-raiser for all the programs our club supports ....... NEEDS EVERYONE in the club on board in some capacity to help....getting a donation for the auction or volunteering on the day of the events. With everyone participating in SOME ACTIVITY, we can surely make the event a success! Right after the meeting, Erik Greven donated a sailboat cruise for 6 to the MOC auction...way to go, Erik. That's the type of activity we need!
President-elect Bowen Depke reminded everyone that the new Rotary year officially starts on the meeting of July 3rd, which has been canceled in recognition of the July 4th holiday. To kick off the new Rotary year, a Casco Bay Lines cruise is planned to Jewell Island on Thursday, July 9th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. In addition to fun, socializing, and relaxation, this will be a tribute to the late, Bob Patten, who spearheaded a cleanup effort of Jewell Island when he was the District Governor in 1992. Tickets are $40 and include the cruise, program and heavy hors d'oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. Payment and reservations must be made in advance. Contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com to make your reservations. Please send check payable to Portland Rotary, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104 and mark it clearly for "Jewell Island Cruise." Start your Rotary year off on Casco Bay and celebrate a fantastic project. Guests are welcome.
Bowen then presented President Kris with the Governor's Award that was presented to the Portland Rotary Club for 2014-15 at the District Conference in April.
The weekly raffle was handled by Jake Bourdeau, who tried to convince us that the raffle wasn't fixed when his name just happened to be pulled out of the bucket for a chance to find the Queen of Hearts and win the $1065....but he didn't find her in the dwindling stack of cards.
Russ Burleigh presented President Kris with a banner from the West Austin Rotary Club, where he attended while visiting Texas.
Harold Crabill read a "Thank You" note from Deering High School for his attendance at the focus group on hunger issues in Portland.
05/08/15 Going With The Grain Proves Beneficial To Maine Economy
With an intro by Bob Martin aptly noting that we gather weekly to break bread, we had the opportunity to hear from a unique and growing industry in Maine – the growing and processing of certified organic grains.
A farmer? A baker? Amber Lambke, President of Maine Grains, is quick to point out that she was neither. Living in Skowhegan, Amber was a speech pathologist, but also one committed to seeing her community pull through some tough economic times. Teaming with friend Albie Barden, a fellow Skowhegan resident, the two developed an event based around reconnecting bakers and farmers, combining growing heritage grains, using colonial style milling, and wood-fired “Russian Style” ovens. The 2007 event was called “The Kneading Conference,” featuring a day for the farmers and bakers to meet and discuss ideas, followed by an artisan bread fair the next day. From humble grassroots, the annual event now gathers 250 professionals with 3000 plus in line for the fair.
With this type of growth, the Maine Grain Alliance was established in 2012. Its stated goal is to preserve the nutritional content of the grain grown in Maine, without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. At the same time, it is providing a growing economic opportunity in the state, from seed suppliers, farmers, mill workers, bakers, distribution outlets, and the like..
During the mid 1800’s, Maine was one of the largest growers and suppliers of grain in the country. At one time there were 13 grist mills in central Maine, but over time they faded away. Today, Maine Grains operates out of the former Skowhegan local jail, renamed the Somerset Grist Mill. Tours are popular and visitors can purchase the wide array of Maine Grains products in the The Pickup Café.
Today, Maine is somewhat limited in being able to produce grain in volume. Due to lack of land; capacity is projected to be approximately 600 tons per year. The difference is obvious, compared to the major industrial suppliers that produce that much in a day. However, what is driving the demand is both the commitment to growing grain organically, combined with bringing back heritage grains that feature unique tastes, textures, and health benefits.
To wit, Maine Grain now sells throughout New England and New York to commercial bakeries such as Standard Bakery, Scratch Bakery, and chains, including Whole Foods. Some of the products include Natural Whole Wheat Flour, Rolled Oats, and Ryes. One audience question asked if the mill makes a white flour. The answer was no, because a white flour is processed on steel rollers that pulverize the grains, whereas Maine Grain uses stones that grind, but keep the germ and bran together, resulting in a more nutritious blend.
Another opportunity for growth lies in exporting products overseas. Amber as it turns out, was born in Iceland and traveled there in 2014 as part of a Maine trade commission. The country has a demand for organic grains, for its people as well as livestock. Iceland’s climate and growing season limits the production of oats, and wheat is nonexistent. They’re importing everything, and desire organic products; a perfect fit for Maine Grains.
"The Kneading Conference" is scheduled for July 30-31, 2015. The Maine Artisan Bread Fair is open to the public on Aug 1, 2015, at the Skowhegan State Fairground.For more information on the event visit www.mainegrainalliance.com
05/01/15 Bigelow Labs...Tiny Giants: Microbes
(Photo: Bob Martin and Dr. Graham Shimmield) |
Dr.Graham Shimmield, Executive Director and President of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, Maine presented us with the company's primary global research focus.......the microbial life and bio- geochemical dynamics of the world’s ocean. |
The Lab's mission is to advance society’s understanding of the interactions between ocean ecosystems, global processes, and the environment.
Phytoplankton microbes comprise many species, and are the base aquatic food source in the ocean around the world. They grow and reproduce using photosynthesis with the sun’s energy and carbon dioxide dissolved into the ocean from the atmosphere. The phytoplankton are present throughout our oceans, which make up over 70% of the earth’s surface, and they live in the top 200 feet of the ocean to a depth that sunlight can penetrate. The phytoplankton’s photosynthesis generates over half of the atmospheric oxygen that we take for granted for life on land.
As seen from space, the green swirl in the Gulf of Maine is one of the most productive zones of phytoplankton growth on earth, and is responsible for the diverse and large biomass generated here. While Bigelow’s research focus is global, Boothbay and Gulf of Maine provide a perfect location for an ocean-based research laboratory.
In addition, Bigelow maintains a national repository of oceanic microorganisms used for testing all over the world. They complete genetic mapping and conduct research on other oceanic microorganisms present at the greater ocean depths and harsh ecological conditions. Bigelow also tests Maine’s coastal food sources to verify they are fit for human consumption both in Maine, and for export around the world.
Check out the many public events this summer at Bigelow Laboratory. From conversations with scientists at Café Sci events each Tuesday beginning July 7, to public tours, to an open house featuring "Tiny Giants," don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn more about why microbes matter. For more information, go to: www.bigelow.org/news/current-news/public-events-galore-summer/
*05/15/15 MAINE CYBER SECURITY CLUSTER, Glenn Wilson, Dr., Director
Hackers, government agents listening to phone calls and reading emails, search engines that record our internet browsing, all part of our digital landscape. What does it mean? How do we cope and protect our individual freedom? Dr. Glenn Wilson will be with us on Friday to talk about hacking and cyber security. Bring your recording devices.
Dr. Wilson is the founding Director of USM’s Research Computing Group initiative, which is designed to create opportunities for students, in collaboration with faculty, to become engaged in research, development, and creative activities in the areas of information, communications, technology, and engineering. “Information and Innovation provides an interdisciplinary platform for students and faculty that links USM’s intellectual resources with external needs.”
An Associate Research Professor in the Department of Technology, Dr. Wilson teaches courses in computer hardware, computer networking, and network security. His experience includes education, outreach, research, development, and commercialization initiatives with IBM, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Labor, UNUM, IDEXX, Wright Express, Tilson Technologies, Quantrix, and many other companies, as well as Government and Military entities. Over the years, Dr. Wilson’s students have created new, high-technology companies and have made significant contributions to the computer science and technology workforce in Maine.
Most recently, Dr. Wilson has been involved in three major undertakings relating to the computer science and technology workforce and economic development in Maine. These include the Computer Science and Information Technology Statewide Initiative, which seeks to double the number of CS and IT students over the next four years; the establishment of the Maine Cyber Security Cluster (MCSC); and a first-of-a-kind, collaborative degree in Information Technology that is designed from the outset by Business and Industry, Central Maine, Southern Maine, and York County Community Colleges and the University of Southern Maine.
Dr. Wilson's time is currently being utilized as the Director of the Maine Cyber Security Cluster, where they have recently completed the construction of Maine's first cyber security testing laboratory and is working with local and national collaborators to develop cyber security training for small businesses, military, and government personnel.
*05/08/15 MAINE GRAINS, Amber Lambke, President
Amber Lambke is President of the Somerset Grist Mill, LLC and its Maine Grains label. She is also Executive Director of the Maine Grain Alliance, a nonprofit geared toward preserving grain traditions from earth to hearth.
Amber is a driving force behind Maine’s sustainable foods movement. She is also helping to bring economic vitality back to Skowhegan, Maine by reviving the region’s centuries-old artisan grain cultivating and processing industry.
In 2009, Amber and artisan brick oven baker Michael Scholz purchased Skowhegan’s old county jail and transformed it into a gristmill, entrepreneurial hub, and community gathering space.
The new space, which began operations in 2012, is now home to the largest mill in Maine using the traditional stone milling process. Working with local farmers, the Somerset Grist Mill processes all-natural and certified organic whole grains and oats on an Austrian stone mill and sells them under the Maine Grains label to retail locations throughout the Northeast, as well as award-winning restaurants and bakeries including the Standard Baking Co. in Portland, Maine and the Gramercy Tavern in New York City.
The former jail is also home to three start-up enterprises and a 21-member, year-round farmers’ market. Amber has worked with the farmers’ market to quadruple its number of vendors and increase sales by more than 400 percent. She also helped launch “The Pickup,” a highly successful, community supported agriculture (CSA) program that supports more than 40 farmers and food producers in the Skowhegan area.
Amber is co-founder of the Kneading Conference, a Maine Grain Alliance event that attracts attendees from across the U.S. and Canada and has spawned other grain and artisan bread celebrations throughout the country. She is also active with Main Street Skowhegan, is a Skowhegan Farmers’ Market board member, chairs the Western Mountains Committee of the Maine Community Foundation, and is advisor to the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.
05/01/15 Bits & Pieces
Garvey MacLean gave the invocation, starting by quoting Mark Twain, who said, "the two most important days are the day you were born and the day you find out why." Garvey’s reading helped explain the latter.
Peter Ingram led us in the Pledge, followed by President Kris leading us in "My Country Tis of Thee."
President Kris welcomed 55 members and 3 visiting guests, then announced our May-member birthdays, to which we sang Happy Birthday.
Glenn Nerbak ran the weekly raffle that was up to $1033, with Mike Reed's name being drawn to try to find the Queen of Hearts.....but he pulled the six of hearts.
Jim Willey, reporting on the historical records of the club, told us that John Marr had all four years of World War II to research and report on during our prep for our
100th anniversary. Deciding that it was probably a better idea to spread the reporting wealth to other members, Jim asked for 3 volunteers to help out......Jerry Angier will report 1942, Bob Trail will report 1943 and Bruce Moore will report on 1944. John Marr gets to keep the last year of 1945 to report.
Alex St. Hilaire, coordinator of the Interact Clubs, introduced Quinton Libsack, President of the Baxter School Interact Club, and presented him with a check for winning second place in the Rotary District competition in their submission of a video production. Unfortunately, when they tried to play the video, the audio/visual quality of the equipment was not cooperating. To see the impressive video, go to youtube: www.youtube.com
Mike Reed, with help from Amy Chipman, Foundation Chair, presented a Paul Harris to Jim Willey.
(Photo: President Kris, Jim Willey, Mike Reed and Amy Chipman)
Mike told us the award is made in honor of Jim’s commitment to 'Service Above Self,' his work at Long Creek, and always being there when Portland Rotary had a need. Amy then presented Mike Reed with his fourth Paul Harris. Mike committed to the Paul Harris Society for five years, which means he committed to $1000 per year. Amy announced that Bill Blount has committed to the Paul Harris Society for the next three years.
President Kris stated that Mike Reed has been a Maine Outdoor Challenge sponsor each year and that Jim always volunteers, adding that both men are great people.
While the meeting continued, the silent auction was in progress around us. Bidding ended at 12:45, with winning bid sheets being passed out during the rest of the meeting. After the speaker, there was a live auction with spirited bidding for some nice items. Thank you to all donors. Results of the auction will be announced at next Friday's meeting.
(Photo: Emily McEntee and Ellen Niewoehner at silent auction tables.)
05/01/15 Bigelow Labs...Tiny Giants: Microbes
(Photo: Bob Martin and Dr. Graham Shimmield) |
Dr.Graham Shimmield, Executive Director and President of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, Maine presented us with the company's primary global research focus.......the microbial life and bio- geochemical dynamics of the world’s ocean. |
The Lab's mission is to advance society’s understanding of the interactions between ocean ecosystems, global processes, and the environment.
Phytoplankton microbes comprise many species, and are the base aquatic food source in the ocean around the world. They grow and reproduce using photosynthesis with the sun’s energy and carbon dioxide dissolved into the ocean from the atmosphere. The phytoplankton are present throughout our oceans, which make up over 70% of the earth’s surface, and they live in the top 200 feet of the ocean to a depth that sunlight can penetrate. The phytoplankton’s photosynthesis generates over half of the atmospheric oxygen that we take for granted for life on land.
As seen from space, the green swirl in the Gulf of Maine is one of the most productive zones of phytoplankton growth on earth, and is responsible for the diverse and large biomass generated here. While Bigelow’s research focus is global, Boothbay and Gulf of Maine provide a perfect location for an ocean-based research laboratory.
In addition, Bigelow maintains a national repository of oceanic microorganisms used for testing all over the world. They complete genetic mapping and conduct research on other oceanic microorganisms present at the greater ocean depths and harsh ecological conditions. Bigelow also tests Maine’s coastal food sources to verify they are fit for human consumption both in Maine, and for export around the world.
Check out the many public events this summer at Bigelow Laboratory. From conversations with scientists at Café Sci events each Tuesday beginning July 7, to public tours, to an open house featuring "Tiny Giants," don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn more about why microbes matter. For more information, go to: www.bigelow.org/news/current-news/public-events-galore-summer/
*05/08/15 MAINE GRAINS, Amber Lambke, President
Amber Lambke is President of the Somerset Grist Mill, LLC and its Maine Grains label. She is also Executive Director of the Maine Grain Alliance, a nonprofit geared toward preserving grain traditions from earth to hearth.
Amber is a driving force behind Maine’s sustainable foods movement. She is also helping to bring economic vitality back to Skowhegan, Maine by reviving the region’s centuries-old artisan grain cultivating and processing industry.
In 2009, Amber and artisan brick oven baker Michael Scholz purchased Skowhegan’s old county jail and transformed it into a gristmill, entrepreneurial hub, and community gathering space.
The new space, which began operations in 2012, is now home to the largest mill in Maine using the traditional stone milling process. Working with local farmers, the Somerset Grist Mill processes all-natural and certified organic whole grains and oats on an Austrian stone mill and sells them under the Maine Grains label to retail locations throughout the Northeast, as well as award-winning restaurants and bakeries including the Standard Baking Co. in Portland, Maine and the Gramercy Tavern in New York City.
The former jail is also home to three start-up enterprises and a 21-member, year-round farmers’ market. Amber has worked with the farmers’ market to quadruple its number of vendors and increase sales by more than 400 percent. She also helped launch “The Pickup,” a highly successful, community supported agriculture (CSA) program that supports more than 40 farmers and food producers in the Skowhegan area.
Amber is co-founder of the Kneading Conference, a Maine Grain Alliance event that attracts attendees from across the U.S. and Canada and has spawned other grain and artisan bread celebrations throughout the country. She is also active with Main Street Skowhegan, is a Skowhegan Farmers’ Market board member, chairs the Western Mountains Committee of the Maine Community Foundation, and is advisor to the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.
Preble Street Soup Kitchen
Our volunteers that helped on April 22, 2015 at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen:
Photo: first row: Steve Stromsky, Megan Devlin, Jan Chapman, Dave Small, Bowen Depke; second row: David Lee, Charlie Frair, Alex Depke; third row: Alex St. Hilaire, Mike Fortunato, Cy Hagge, and two Preble St Soup Kitchen volunteers. |
04/24/15 BITS & PIECES
Dave Small gave us our invocation:
"Life is always unfinished business" (Richard Gilbert)
In the midst of the whirling day...in the hectic rush to be doing;
In the frantic pace of life, pause here for a moment.
Catch your breath...relax your body...loosen your grip on life.
Consider that our lives are always unfinished business;
Imagine that the picture of our being is never complete;
Allow your life to be a work in progress.
Do not hurry to mold the masterpiece;
Do not rush to finish the picture;
Do not be impatient to complete the drawing.
From beckoning birth to dawning death, we are in process,
And always there is more to be done.
Do not let the incompleteness weigh on your spirit;
Do not despair that imperfection marks your every day;
Do not fear that we are still in the making.
Let us instead be grateful that the world is still to be created;
Let us give thanks that we can be more than we are;
Let us celebrate the power of the incomplete;
For life is always unfinished business.
Peggy Wescott led us in the pledge of allegiance.
Kathy Grammer played the piano and led us in the national anthem.
President Kris welcomed 40 members and 1 visiting Rotarian, Mike Dickel from Germany.
Glenn Nerbak conducted the raffle with the pot up to $1009. President Kris won the draw, but drew the ace of diamonds. And the beat goes on.....
Happy Dollars:
- President Kris offered "Happy Dollars" in honor of his son’s acceptance to a summer cyber security program with a full scholarship.
- Peggy Wescott was happy that the daffodils and forsythias are in bloom.
- Dave Small’s oldest of 5 grandchildren (with 1 more on the way) turns 5 tomorrow.
- Charlie Frair was thankful that his sister is able to help with providing care for his dad.
Proceeds from today's 'happy dollars' are donated in Charlie Frair's name to the Rotary Foundation.
Dave Small shared a note of thanks from Deering High School for the help that Rotarians provided with mock interviews and coaching of high school students.
President Kris shared a note of thanks and appreciation from Stella Patten (Bob Patten's wife) for everyone's kind thoughts, prayers and assistance during the last few months of Bob's life and to those Rotarians who were able to attend his memorial service.
President-elect Bowen Depke reminded everyone that the new Rotary year officially starts on the meeting of July 3rd, which has been canceled in recognition of the July 4th holiday. To kick off the new Rotary year, a Casco Bay Lines cruise is planned to Jewell Island on July 9th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. In addition to fun, socializing, and relaxation, this will be a tribute to Bob Patten, who spearheaded a cleanup effort of Jewell Island when he was the District Governor in 1992. So mark your calendars, more info to come.
Ellen Niewoehner reminded everyone that Rotary’s 'May Madness' auction is scheduled to take place at next week’s meeting...May 1st. Auction items should be delivered on Friday by 11:30 AM. Cash or checks will be accepted from successful bidders with the proceeds benefiting the operating fund.
Mike Fortunato and Cy Hagge announced that the Maine Outdoor Challenge is only 6 weeks away. Silent and live auction items are still needed. A solicitation letter and flyer was shared with Rotarians in attendance and Mike said the same info would be going out to all member through email. Everyone is encouraged to solicit gift certificates for merchandise or services to help make this event a continued success. Larger ticket items are also needed, such as: an afternoon sail or cruise, dinner party, or the use of a vacation home. Contact Mike or Cy for further information.
04/24/15 The Demise of "The Pension Plan," Robert A. Monks
According to The Random House dictionary of the English language, here are three definitions of terms which our speaker, Robert Monks, referred to in his reflections on the demise of the "Pension":
“A 'pension' is a fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or a person’s surviving dependents in consideration of past services, age, merit, poverty, injury or loss.”
“A 'pension plan' is a systematic plan created and maintained, as by a corporation, to make regular payments of benefits to retired or disabled employees, either on a contributory or non-contributory basis.”
"A 'retirement plan' is a systematic plan made and kept by an individual for setting aside income for his or her future retirement.”
In 2004, the I.B.M. corporation closed their pension plan to new employees and in 2008 froze pension payments to all employees offering them a 401K retirement plan. The corporation moved from a defined benefit (pension) plan to defined contribution; agreeing to contribute funds, but not guaranteeing benefits.
Monks noted that a 401K retirement plan puts a significant burden on the individual to take responsibility, i e. control of one’s retirement, find a trusting money manager.
Monks also noted that public employees who are in Government-sponsored pension (defined benefit) plans face a bleak future of non payments. The only way our systems can't accommodate the commitments they have made is to put our grandchildren in debt. Monks also noted that currently the Maine system is good shape.
*05/01/15 Bigelow Labs for Ocean Sciences, Grahm Shimmield, Exec. Dir./President
Graham Shimmield, Executive Director and President of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, will be our speaker on May 1st. He has enjoyed a fascinating career in ocean exploration. His topic will be: "Tiny Giants of the Ocean."
Graham graduated from the University of Durham in 1981 with a degree in Geology, and received a Ph.D. in Marine Geochemistry from the University of Edinburgh in 1985. He was appointed to a tenured faculty position as Lecturer in Chemical Oceanography in 1984, and promoted to Reader in 1995. In 1996, he was appointed Director of Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) at the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory on the north coast of Scotland, a post he held for 12 years. During this period, he helped create the new University of the Highlands and Islands, chairing the research program.
From 1995-8 he served on the international scientific steering committee of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and several major UK and European science programs, Whilst at SAMS, he developed the Northern Seas program, establishing the institution’s reputation in Arctic oceanography, and was a member of the UK International Polar Year Committee. He was also Chairman of the European Census of Marine Life Program, the regional contribution to the international CoML program, from 2004-8.
Graham has served on many strategic European national and international committees, including the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Science Strategy Board. He has been President and vice-president of the European Federation of Marine Science and Technology Societies (EFMS) and has had significant involvement in marine biotechnology as the Managing Director of the European Centre for Marine Biotechnology, and Chairman of the Board of GlycoMar Ltd, a small biotech start-up. Currently, Graham is a Chairman of the joint industry Scientific Advisory Board examining the challenges of decommissioning oil and gas installation in the North Sea.
In 2000, Graham was awarded the title of Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1998), and the Society of Biology (1999). He has published over 65 scientific peer-reviewed articles.
Since arriving in Maine, Graham has been serving on the boards of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, Maine Space Grant and Maine Sea Grant, as well as advisory boards for Maine Maritime Academy and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. In February 2013 he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. In November 2011, Graham was named by MaineBiz as one of ten “Nexters” helping to shape the future of Maine’s economy. In December 2014, Graham was the recipient of the Society for Underwater Technology President’s Award in recognition of his contributions to oceanography. He was unable to receive the award in person since at the time of the ceremony, he was 3,000 meters below the surface of the ocean, engaged in research.
MAY 1ST MAY MADNESS AUCTION
DON'T FORGET OUR MAY MADNESS AUCTION IS THIS FRIDAY, MAY 1ST.
If you have an item(s) that you would like to donate, please contact LORETTA by Thursday. We need to prepare the proper paperwork ahead of time....BE KIND and let us know about your donation BEFORE Friday.
This is an in-house auction and the proceeds will benefit our operating fund. Thank you.
CORRECTIONS TO WJ - Bits & Pieces 4/17/15
Correction on the name of the student from Catherine McAuley High School who received the Youth Service Award, the student's name is Sharon Chikuta. We apologize for this error.
The article on the 3-H Project in the Dominican Republic was written by Jan Chapman. We apologize to Jan for this error.
Preble Street Soup Kitchen
Our volunteers that helped on April 22, 2015 at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen:
Photo: first row: Steve Stromsky, Megan Devlin, Jan Chapman, Dave Small, Bowen Depke; second row: David Lee, Charlie Frair, Alex Depke; third row: Alex St. Hilaire, Mike Fortunato, Cy Hagge, and two Preble St Soup Kitchen volunteers . |
04/24/15 The Demise of "The Pension Plan," Robert A. Monks
According to The Random House dictionary of the English language, here are three definitions of terms which our speaker, Robert Monks, referred to in his reflections on the demise of the "Pension":
“A 'pension' is a fixed amount, other than wages, paid at regular intervals to a person or a person’s surviving dependents in consideration of past services, age, merit, poverty, injury or loss.”
“A 'pension plan' is a systematic plan created and maintained, as by a corporation, to make regular payments of benefits to retired or disabled employees, either on a contributory or non-contributory basis.”
"A 'retirement plan' is a systematic plan made and kept by an individual for setting aside income for his or her future retirement.”
In 2004, the I.B.M. corporation closed their pension plan to new employees and in 2008 froze pension payments to all employees offering them a 401K retirement plan. The corporation moved from a defined benefit (pension) plan to defined contribution; agreeing to contribute funds, but not guaranteeing benefits.
Monks noted that a 401K retirement plan puts a significant burden on the individual to take responsibility, i e. control of one’s retirement, find a trusting money manager.
Monks also noted that public employees who are in Government-sponsored pension (defined benefit) plans face a bleak future of non payments. The only way our systems can't accommodate the commitments they have made is to put our grandchildren in debt. Monks also noted that currently the Maine system is good shape.
*05/01/15 Bigelow Labs for Ocean Sciences, Graham Shimmield, Exec Dir/President
Graham Shimmield, Executive Director and President of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, will be our speaker on May 1st. He has enjoyed a fascinating career in ocean exploration. His topic will be: "Tiny Giants of the Ocean."
Graham graduated from the University of Durham in 1981 with a degree in Geology, and received a Ph.D. in Marine Geochemistry from the University of Edinburgh in 1985. He was appointed to a tenured faculty position as Lecturer in Chemical Oceanography in 1984, and promoted to Reader in 1995. In 1996, he was appointed Director of Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) at the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory on the north coast of Scotland, a post he held for 12 years. During this period, he helped create the new University of the Highlands and Islands, chairing the research program.
From 1995-8 he served on the international scientific steering committee of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and several major UK and European science programs, Whilst at SAMS, he developed the Northern Seas program, establishing the institution’s reputation in Arctic oceanography, and was a member of the UK International Polar Year Committee. He was also Chairman of the European Census of Marine Life Program, the regional contribution to the international CoML program, from 2004-8.
Graham has served on many strategic European national and international committees, including the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Science Strategy Board. He has been President and vice-president of the European Federation of Marine Science and Technology Societies (EFMS) and has had significant involvement in marine biotechnology as the Managing Director of the European Centre for Marine Biotechnology, and Chairman of the Board of GlycoMar Ltd, a small biotech start-up. Currently, Graham is a Chairman of the joint industry Scientific Advisory Board examining the challenges of decommissioning oil and gas installation in the North Sea.
In 2000, Graham was awarded the title of Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1998), and the Society of Biology (1999). He has published over 65 scientific peer-reviewed articles.
Since arriving in Maine, Graham has been serving on the boards of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board, Maine Space Grant and Maine Sea Grant, as well as advisory boards for Maine Maritime Academy and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. In February 2013 he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. In November 2011, Graham was named by MaineBiz as one of ten “Nexters” helping to shape the future of Maine’s economy. In December 2014, Graham was the recipient of the Society for Underwater Technology President’s Award in recognition of his contributions to oceanography. He was unable to receive the award in person since at the time of the ceremony, he was 3,000 meters below the surface of the ocean, engaged in research.
04/24/15 BITS & PIECES
Dave Small gave us our invocation:
"Life is always unfinished business" (Richard Gilbert)
In the midst of the whirling day...in the hectic rush to be doing;
In the frantic pace of life, pause here for a moment.
Catch your breath...relax your body...loosen your grip on life.
Consider that our lives are always unfinished business;
Imagine that the picture of our being is never complete;
Allow your life to be a work in progress.
Do not hurry to mold the masterpiece;
Do not rush to finish the picture;
Do not be impatient to complete the drawing.
From beckoning birth to dawning death, we are in process,
And always there is more to be done.
Do not let the incompleteness weigh on your spirit;
Do not despair that imperfection marks your every day;
Do not fear that we are still in the making.
Let us instead be grateful that the world is still to be created;
Let us give thanks that we can be more than we are;
Let us celebrate the power of the incomplete;
For life is always unfinished business.
Peggy Wescott led us in the pledge of allegiance.
Kathy Grammer played the piano and led us in the national anthem.
President Kris welcomed 40 members and 1 visiting Rotarian, Mike Dickel from Germany.
Glenn Nerbak conducted the raffle with the pot up to $1009. President Kris won the draw, but drew the ace of diamonds. And the beat goes on.....
Happy Dollars:
- President Kris offered "Happy Dollars" in honor of his son’s acceptance to a summer cyber security program with a full scholarship.
- Peggy Wescott was happy that the daffodils and forsythias are in bloom.
- Dave Small’s oldest of 5 grandchildren (with 1 more on the way) turns 5 tomorrow.
- Charlie Frair was thankful that his sister is able to help with providing care for his dad.
Proceeds from today's 'happy dollars' are donated in Charlie Frair's name to the Rotary Foundation.
Dave Small shared a note of thanks from Deering High School for the help that Rotarians provided with mock interviews and coaching of high school students.
President Kris shared a note of thanks and appreciation from Stella Patten (Bob Patten's wife) for everyone's kind thoughts, prayers and assistance during the last few months of Bob's life and to those Rotarians who were able to attend his memorial service.
President-elect Bowen Depke reminded everyone that the new Rotary year officially starts on the meeting of July 3rd, which has been canceled in recognition of the July 4th holiday. To kick off the new Rotary year, a Casco Bay Lines cruise is planned to Jewell Island on July 9th from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. In addition to fun, socializing, and relaxation, this will be a tribute to Bob Patten, who spearheaded a cleanup effort of Jewell Island when he was the District Governor in 1992. So mark your calendars, more info to come.
Ellen Niewoehner reminded everyone that Rotary’s 'May Madness' auction is scheduled to take place at next week’s meeting...May 1st. Auction items should be delivered on Friday by 11:30 AM. Cash or checks will be accepted from successful bidders with the proceeds benefiting the operating fund.
Mike Fortunato and Cy Hagge announced that the Maine Outdoor Challenge is only 6 weeks away. Silent and live auction items are still needed. A solicitation letter and flyer was shared with Rotarians in attendance and Mike said the same info would be going out to all member through email. Everyone is encouraged to solicit gift certificates for merchandise or services to help make this event a continued success. Larger ticket items are also needed, such as: an afternoon sail or cruise, dinner party, or the use of a vacation home. Contact Mike or Cy for further information.
4/17/15 Embrace a Vet, Joy Johnson, Executive Director
On Friday, we were fortunate to have several visitors from a newly-established program...Embrace A Vet....a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct and supportive services to Maine veterans and their families living with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Joy Johnson, who is the Executive Director, gave us a moving presentation of what the program entailed. With a 35-year marriage to a Navy Admiral, Joy has seen firsthand many of the issues that face veterans upon their return to civilian life. With over twenty veteran suicides per day in the United States and an enormous veteran population in our state, the issues tackled by the all-volunteer Embrace a Vet program are crucial in the efforts to help re-acclimate these important members of our community.
With a three-pronged approach to offering aid to needy vets, the Embrace a Vet program has taken off since its inception just 4 years ago. The program offers three to four retreats per year to willing vets and loved ones, with five-day sessions intertwining a gamut of therapies, from “EFT energy psychology” to yoga to ice fishing. Eight to ten couples meet at a camp in rustic Maine and spend an eye-opening few days learning coping techniques. With follow-up testing to confirm results, these retreats are becoming more and more popular with each passing year.
The second area of help is offered to caregivers of veterans. Meeting as a group, apart from the affected vet, these sessions provide much-needed advice and guidance, as well as a chance to share common experiences and offer moral support to the families.
The third and most intriguing method undertaken by Joy and her fellow volunteers is “Paws for Peace” and involves training and placement of service dogs for veterans who seek this method of support. The first of its kind in Maine, this program works with dogs from either the vet’s home or a local shelter and trains the pet to supply companionship or any support needed. We heard briefly from Adrian Cole, a veteran of two Iraq tours, who gave his thanks for the efforts of Joy and her group in training Rocco, a sweet, shy dog who sat quietly during our luncheon meeting. Rocco, who lived with Adrian before being trained as a service dog, has allowed Adrian to venture out of his home and into settings that he never would have imagined a few years ago when he got home from the Middle East.
(Photo: Adrian Cole, Joy Johnson and Rocco.)
With Deborah Farnham, the president of Embrace a Vet, in attendance, the Portland Rotary Club was shown a powerful audio and video tribute to the work of this outstanding group of compassionate Mainers. We certainly can thank these regular folks who have changed the lives of so many combat veterans, men and women who might struggle to survive without the care and support from all of us.
See more at: http://embraceavet.org/#sthash.R3ZwQ6MY.dpuf
4/18/15 Memorial Service for Robert Patten
ROBERT H. PATTEN
On Saturday, April 18th, many Portland Rotarians were in attendance at Bob Patten’s memorial service, along with numerous Rotary District dignitaries. In addition to Garvey MacLean conducting the service, Jim Willey and former-Rotarian/Club President John Tewhey were speakers and lavished us with many memories of Bob's history with Rotary.
It was a moving and sentimental journey, recounting how much family and Rotary meant to Bob. He is a Past Club President (1982-83) and a former District Governor (1991-92). While District Governor, he spearheaded a clean-up project on Jewell Island in Casco Bay that involved many District players. Not too long ago, he was working with Harold Crabill and President-elect Bowen Depke to hold a club meeting there (or near) this summer. That meeting will take place according to Bob's wishes and further details will be forthcoming.
We will miss our gentle giant with a heart of gold!
(Photo: Stella and Bob Patten, 1991-92)
3-H Team Completes 2015 Projects in the Dominican Republic
The 3-H Project Team (Hearing, Hands and H20) supports the mission of El Buen Samaritano Hospital in La Romana, a hospital dedicated to providing quality medical services, as well as providing care for the most disadvantaged in the country, the Haitian cane workers.
This year’s 3-H Team was composed of Rotarians from five different clubs, including a couple of first timers: Anne Fisher, from the Portland Rotary Club and frequent visiting Rotarian to the Portland Club, Kirk Duffy, from Savannah, GA. Thanks to snowbird, Dick Giles, of the Portland Club, Rotarians from the Singer Island and the Palm Beach Rotary Clubs in Florida also participated. Caroline Bulliner from the Brunswick Rotary Club participated as part of the team for the second time. Financial support was also provided by these clubs and the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club. Portland Rotary funds this project through the Maine Outdoor Challenge, our Club’s largest fundraiser.
The team returned on March 14, 2015, after a successful week in the Dominican Republic:
Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan evaluated and provided 102 hearing aids and solar-powered batteries to 57 patients, improving their ability to hear...in some instances, enabling them to hear for the first time; |
the 'Water' team, led by Dick Giles, installed 87 biosand water filters in the bateys...camps where cane workers and their families live...giving each family access to clean water and better health; |
the ‘Hand’ team led by Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore conducted a one-day prosthetic hand clinic at the hospital. Thirteen people were evaluated and seen in the clinic. Patients who came to the clinic for evaluation have experienced accidents in the cane fields, causing them to lose a hand. |
A short video produced by LN-4, the nonprofit that makes the hands, was shown to all who came to the clinic, enabling them to see the many ways the helping hand could be utilized and improve their quality of life.
4/17/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened the meeting welcoming a full house of 56 members, 2 visiting Rotary dignitaries, District Governor Lawrence Furbish and Past District Governor Peter Johnson along with 8 guests.
Carl Spang gave us our invocation and we pledged to the flag and sang a patriotic song.
President Kris told us how Carl had agreed to pick up a shotgun in NH, which we were getting at a good price for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) event. Carl made a decision to pay the $500 cost and donate the shotgun to the auction. Thank you, Carl, for your generous act of kindness.
Leonard Scott ran the weekly raffle that was up to $989 in the pot, having our Youth Service Award recipient, Sharon Machuta, pull a member's name out of the raffle bucket. Ron Bennett won the draw, but he didn't have any luck pulling the Queen of Hearts, as Ron drew the King of Diamonds.
(Photo: Leonard Scott and YSA recipient, Sharon Machuta.)
Ben Lowry gave us a very moving Rotary moment. Twenty years ago, in April 1995, Ben was starting out as an attorney in his father, Don Lowry's firm, he was playing baseball, had moved back from Boston, and his brother was home from Germany. Don Lowry was due to start his presidency of the Portland Rotary Club in July and he advised Ben that it was time for him to join the club. Life was good. Then on Memorial Day of the following month, Ben’s older brother’s jet plane crashed on take-off and he was killed. In an instant, life went from very good to very bad. Ben told us he was lost. New job – new town – and a family in despair. Don decided to still continue as the club's president and Ben to still join Rotary. Ben jumped in with both feet. Over time, he became chair of several committees and eventually became president of our club in 2007. Rotary was a savior for Ben in 1995, and Rotary continues to be a major focus of his life. When he conducts business, plays tennis, travels, plays poker and many other things, he does it with Rotarians. For Ben, Rotary is business, social and family. He told us that it has always been an amazing experience.
Rusty Atwood, on Tuesday April 7, made up a meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Rusty said it was his first Rotary makeup. The program that day was about preparing 12,096 meals for a food pantry. The location was the Scottish Rite Cathedral, a historic building designed by architect George F. Schreiber, located in downtown Indianapolis. Rusty was visiting to watch the basketball games. Duke won and saved Rusty’s bracket, so as a token he donated funds to the Rotary Foundation in name of Don Zillman,a Wisconsin alumnus.
Steve Stromsky, Community Service chair, still needs four more volunteers for the soup kitchen next Wednesday, April 22nd. Contact him if you can help out: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
Emily McEntee reminded us all that we are only 2 weeks away from our in-club auction, May Madness, being held on Friday May 1st at our meeting. If you have any item(s) you would like to donate, please contact Loretta, Ellen or her. Please bring items to a Rotary meeting, but be sure to contact one of these three ladies with your intention, so we can get it written up and prepared ahead of time for the auction. All proceeds will go towards the operation of our club. We will also need some extra hands to volunteer on the day of the auction, so if you can and want to help us, please see Ellen.
Rotarian in the News - The American Bar Association will present its Grassroots Advocacy Award on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to Nan Heald, Executive Director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance for her leadership and initiatives addressing the unmet legal needs of active-duty military members, veterans, their families, and caregivers.
Committee selections – Be sure to tell Club Secretary, Loretta which committee you would like to be assigned to help in the coming year. If you do not give your preferences, President-elect Bowen may assign you to a committee(s) which needs help.
Jim Willey told us about the Salvation Army's "Champions for Kids" benefit dinner on Thursday, May 5th at 5:30 p.m. The speaker is Dr. Marcello Coradini and his topic is “The Search for Extraterrestrial Life." Tickets are $45 to attend or to sponsor a kid who has shown an interest in science. Portland Rotary funded a playroom for homeless infants, toddlers, and mothers at the Salvation Army that provides a safe place where infants and kids can go to play and get snacks. For more information, contact Jim at: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
Mike Fortunato is looking for volunteers April 25 and 26 to sell raffle tickets at the Scarborough Rod and Gun event. He needs volunteers for both Saturday and Sunday. Also, if you are willing to solicit donations in the Old Port for the Maine Outdoor Challenge, contact Mike: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Janelle LoSciuto seems to have babies at the center of her life now. She told us about the Greater Portland March for Babies and needing volunteers to help on Sunday May 3rd. If you can help and want more information, please contact her: jlosciuto@marchofdimes.org
Jan Chapman introduced our Youth Service Award recipient from Catherine McCauley School, Sharon Machuta. Sharon was born in the Congo; has 150 hours of volunteer time at Maine Medical; and provides numerous hours of service to Catherine McCauley. Sharon thanked Rotary, her parents and the school. She has chosen the Opportunity Alliance to receive the $100 donation that the club will send in her name.
04/24/15 Pensions: Public, Private and Yours, Robert Monks
Pioneering shareholder activist and corporate governance adviser, Robert AG Monks, has written widely about shareholder rights & responsibility, corporate impact on society and global corporate issues.
He is the author of Corporate Governance (with Nell Minow), Power & Accountability (with Nell Minow), Watching the Watchers, The New Global Investors, The Emperor's Nightingale, Corpocracy and Corporate Valuation (with Alexandra Lajoux).
Mr. Monks is an expert on retirement and pension plans and was appointed director of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation by President Reagan, who also appointed him one of the founding Trustees of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. Mr. Monks served in the Department of Labor as Administrator of the Office of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs having jurisdiction over the entire U.S. pension system.
Mr. Monks was a founder of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), now the leading corporate governance-consulting firm. He also founded Lens Governance Advisers and co-founded The Corporate Library (now Governance Metrics International). He is a shareholder in and advisor to Trucost, the environmental research company.
Mr. Monks was a featured part of the documentary film, The Corporation, and was the subject of the biography, A Traitor to His Class by Hilary Rosenberg. He and his wife live in Cape Elizabeth.
3-H Team Completes 2015 Projects in the Dominican Republic
The 3-H Project Team (Hearing, Hands and H20) supports the mission of El Buen Samaritano Hospital in La Romana, a hospital dedicated to providing quality medical services, as well as providing care for the most disadvantaged in the country, the Haitian cane workers.
This year’s 3-H Team was composed of Rotarians from five different clubs, including a couple of first timers: Anne Fisher, from the Portland Rotary Club and frequent visiting Rotarian to the Portland Club, Kirk Duffy, from Savannah, GA. Thanks to snowbird, Dick Giles, of the Portland Club, Rotarians from the Singer Island and the Palm Beach Rotary Clubs in Florida also participated. Caroline Bulliner from the Brunswick Rotary Club participated as part of the team for the second time. Financial support was also provided by these clubs and the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club. Portland Rotary funds this project through the Maine Outdoor Challenge, our Club’s largest fundraiser.
The team returned on March 14, 2015, after a successful week in the Dominican Republic:
Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan evaluated and provided 102 hearing aids and solar-powered batteries to 57 patients, improving their ability to hear...in some instances, enabling them to hear for the first time; |
the 'Water' team, led by Dick Giles, installed 87 biosand water filters in the bateys...camps where cane workers and their families live...giving each family access to clean water and better health; |
the ‘Hand’ team led by Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore conducted a one-day prosthetic hand clinic at the hospital. Thirteen people were evaluated and seen in the clinic. Patients who came to the clinic for evaluation have experienced accidents in the cane fields, causing them to lose a hand. |
A short video produced by LN-4, the nonprofit that makes the hands, was shown to all who came to the clinic, enabling them to see the many ways the helping hand could be utilized and improve their quality of life.
04/18/15 Memorial Service for Robert Patten
ROBERT H. PATTEN
On Saturday, April 18th, many Portland Rotarians were in attendance at Bob Patten’s memorial service, along with numerous Rotary District dignitaries. In addition to Garvey MacLean conducting the service, Jim Willey and former-Rotarian/Club President John Tewhey were speakers and lavished us with many memories of Bob's history with Rotary.
It was a moving and sentimental journey, recounting how much family and Rotary meant to Bob. He is a Past Club President (1982-83) and a former District Governor (1991-92). While District Governor, he spearheaded a clean-up project on Jewell Island in Casco Bay that involved many District players. Not too long ago, he was working with Harold Crabill and President-elect Bowen Depke to hold a club meeting there (or near) this summer. That meeting will take place according to Bob's wishes and further details will be forthcoming.
We will miss our gentle giant with a heart of gold!
(Photo: Stella and Bob Patten, 1991-92)
4/17/15 Embrace A Vet, Joy Johnson, Executive Director
On Friday, we were fortunate to have several visitors from a newly-established program...Embrace A Vet....a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing direct and supportive services to Maine veterans and their families living with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Joy Johnson, who is the Executive Director, gave us a moving presentation of what the program entailed. With a 35-year marriage to a Navy Admiral, Joy has seen firsthand many of the issues that face veterans upon their return to civilian life. With over twenty veteran suicides per day in the United States and an enormous veteran population in our state, the issues tackled by the all-volunteer Embrace a Vet program are crucial in the efforts to help re-acclimate these important members of our community.
With a three-pronged approach to offering aid to needy vets, the Embrace a Vet program has taken off since its inception just 4 years ago. The program offers three to four retreats per year to willing vets and loved ones, with five-day sessions intertwining a gamut of therapies, from “EFT energy psychology” to yoga to ice fishing. Eight to ten couples meet at a camp in rustic Maine and spend an eye-opening few days learning coping techniques. With follow-up testing to confirm results, these retreats are becoming more and more popular with each passing year.
The second area of help is offered to caregivers of veterans. Meeting as a group, apart from the affected vet, these sessions provide much-needed advice and guidance, as well as a chance to share common experiences and offer moral support to the families.
The third and most intriguing method undertaken by Joy and her fellow volunteers is “Paws for Peace” and involves training and placement of service dogs for veterans who seek this method of support. The first of its kind in Maine, this program works with dogs from either the vet’s home or a local shelter and trains the pet to supply companionship or any support needed. We heard briefly from Adrian Cole, a veteran of two Iraq tours, who gave his thanks for the efforts of Joy and her group in training Rocco, a sweet, shy dog who sat quietly during our luncheon meeting. Rocco, who lived with Adrian before being trained as a service dog, has allowed Adrian to venture out of his home and into settings that he never would have imagined a few years ago when he got home from the Middle East.
(Photo: Adrian Cole, Joy Johnson and Rocco.)
With Deborah Farnham, the president of Embrace a Vet, in attendance, the Portland Rotary Club was shown a powerful audio and video tribute to the work of this outstanding group of compassionate Mainers. We certainly can thank these regular folks who have changed the lives of so many combat veterans, men and women who might struggle to survive without the care and support from all of us.
See more at: http://embraceavet.org/#sthash.R3ZwQ6MY.dpuf
04/17/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened the meeting welcoming a full house of 56 members, 2 visiting Rotary dignitaries, District Governor Lawrence Furbish and Past District Governor Peter Johnson along with 8 guests.
Carl Spang gave us our invocation and we pledged to the flag and sang a patriotic song.
President Kris told us how Carl had agreed to pick up a shotgun in NH, which we were getting at a good price for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) event. Carl made a decision to pay the $500 cost and donate the shotgun to the auction. Thank you, Carl, for your generous act of kindness.
Leonard Scott ran the weekly raffle that was up to $989 in the pot, having our Youth Service Award recipient, Sharon Machuta, pull a member's name out of the raffle bucket. Ron Bennett won the draw, but he didn't have any luck pulling the Queen of Hearts, as Ron drew the King of Diamonds.
(Photo: Leonard Scott and YSA recipient, Sharon Machuta.)
Ben Lowry gave us a very moving Rotary moment. Twenty years ago, in April 1995, Ben was starting out as an attorney in his father, Don Lowry's firm, he was playing baseball, had moved back from Boston, and his brother was home from Germany. Don Lowry was due to start his presidency of the Portland Rotary Club in July and he advised Ben that it was time for him to join the club. Life was good. Then on Memorial Day of the following month, Ben’s older brother’s jet plane crashed on take-off and he was killed. In an instant, life went from very good to very bad. Ben told us he was lost. New job – new town – and a family in despair. Don decided to still continue as the club's president and Ben to still join Rotary. Ben jumped in with both feet. Over time, he became chair of several committees and eventually became president of our club in 2007. Rotary was a savior for Ben in 1995, and Rotary continues to be a major focus of his life. When he conducts business, plays tennis, travels, plays poker and many other things, he does it with Rotarians. For Ben, Rotary is business, social and family. He told us that it has always been an amazing experience.
Rusty Atwood, on Tuesday April 7, made up a meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Rusty said it was his first Rotary makeup. The program that day was about preparing 12,096 meals for a food pantry. The location was the Scottish Rite Cathedral, a historic building designed by architect George F. Schreiber, located in downtown Indianapolis. Rusty was visiting to watch the basketball games. Duke won and saved Rusty’s bracket, so as a token he donated funds to the Rotary Foundation in name of Don Zillman,a Wisconsin alumnus.
Steve Stromsky, Community Service chair, still needs four more volunteers for the soup kitchen next Wednesday, April 22nd. Contact him if you can help out: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
Emily McEntee reminded us all that we are only 2 weeks away from our in-club auction, May Madness, being held on Friday May 1st at our meeting. If you have any item(s) you would like to donate, please contact Loretta, Ellen or her. Please bring items to a Rotary meeting, but be sure to contact one of these three ladies with your intention, so we can get it written up and prepared ahead of time for the auction. All proceeds will go towards the operation of our club. We will also need some extra hands to volunteer on the day of the auction, so if you can and want to help us, please see Ellen.
Rotarian in the News - The American Bar Association will present its Grassroots Advocacy Award on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to Nan Heald, Executive Director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance for her leadership and initiatives addressing the unmet legal needs of active-duty military members, veterans, their families, and caregivers.
Committee selections – Be sure to tell Club Secretary, Loretta which committee you would like to be assigned to help in the coming year. If you do not give your preferences, President-elect Bowen may assign you to a committee(s) which needs help.
Jim Willey told us about the Salvation Army's "Champions for Kids" benefit dinner on Thursday, May 5th at 5:30 p.m. The speaker is Dr. Marcello Coradini and his topic is “The Search for Extraterrestrial Life." Tickets are $45 to attend or to sponsor a kid who has shown an interest in science. Portland Rotary funded a playroom for homeless infants, toddlers, and mothers at the Salvation Army that provides a safe place where infants and kids can go to play and get snacks. For more information, contact Jim at: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
Mike Fortunato is looking for volunteers April 25 and 26 to sell raffle tickets at the Scarborough Rod and Gun event. He needs volunteers for both Saturday and Sunday. Also, if you are willing to solicit donations in the Old Port for the Maine Outdoor Challenge, contact Mike: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Janelle LoSciuto seems to have babies at the center of her life now. She told us about the Greater Portland March for Babies and needing volunteers to help on Sunday May 3rd. If you can help and want more information, please contact her: jlosciuto@marchofdimes.org
Jan Chapman introduced our Youth Service Award recipient from Catherine McCauley School, Sharon Machuta. Sharon was born in the Congo; has 150 hours of volunteer time at Maine Medical; and provides numerous hours of service to Catherine McCauley. Sharon thanked Rotary, her parents and the school. She has chosen the Opportunity Alliance to receive the $100 donation that the club will send in her name.
*04/24/15 Pensions: Public, Private & Yours, Robert Monks
Pioneering shareholder activist and corporate governance adviser, Robert AG Monks, has written widely about shareholder rights & responsibility, corporate impact on society and global corporate issues.
He is the author of Corporate Governance (with Nell Minow), Power & Accountability (with Nell Minow), Watching the Watchers, The New Global Investors, The Emperor's Nightingale, Corpocracy and Corporate Valuation (with Alexandra Lajoux).
Mr. Monks is an expert on retirement and pension plans and was appointed director of the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation by President Reagan, who also appointed him one of the founding Trustees of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. Mr. Monks served in the Department of Labor as Administrator of the Office of Pension and Welfare Benefit Programs having jurisdiction over the entire U.S. pension system.
Mr. Monks was a founder of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), now the leading corporate governance-consulting firm. He also founded Lens Governance Advisers and co-founded The Corporate Library (now Governance Metrics International). He is a shareholder in and advisor to Trucost, the environmental research company.
Mr. Monks was a featured part of the documentary film, The Corporation, and was the subject of the biography, A Traitor to His Class by Hilary Rosenberg. He and his wife live in Cape Elizabeth.
04/10/15 Bits & Pieces
EDITORIAL NOTE: Regretfully, the first two important stories were omitted from our newsletter last week and we apologize for their omission.
One of the highlights of a Rotary club is bringing in a new member. On Friday, April 3rd, Loretta Rowe took the podium as Jim Willey's proxy to introduce our newest member, Laura Pawlendzio. Laura is the Marketing Manager/VP at People's United Bank in Portland. She currently lives in Newport, NH with her husband (Stan) of 40 years, is in the process of moving to the Portland area, has three grown children and 2.5 grandchildren (that means 2 grandchildren + 1 on the way).
Dick Hall presented a Paul Harris Fellow award to Roxane Cole. A lead from Roxane at a Rotary meeting in the spring of 2008, almost immediately resulted in Dick’s current job and he is extremely grateful to her for recommending that he check it out. Dick noted that Roxane is a dedicated Rotarian having been a member since 1991, including being past president of the club in 1999-2000, a visionary behind Rotary Grove on the Eastern Prom, is now serving as a District 7780 Club Visioning Facilitator, and the Team Leader last fall when the Portland Sunrise Club was visioned. Roxane received a Paul Harris pin with 4 stones, showing this is her 4th PHF.
Amy Chipman, our club Foundation Chair, then presented Dick with two pins, one as a companion to Roxane’s award and one for his 'Circle of Five' giving to the Foundation.
Foundation note: It only takes $500 to award a Paul Harris to someone special, as the club will match the $500 donation, bringing the donation to $1000.
Supporting the Rotary Foundation allows you to change lives and be:
- a part of the eradication of Polio;
- a partner in creating peace;
- a person who supports clean water and sanitation;
- a supporter of worldwide education;
- someone who believes that all babies, children and mom's should have good medical resources, micro-credit and equal rights.
- a person that is fighting Aids, Malaria, Ebola and other diseases
For more information and how you can participate in a "Circle of Five," contact Amy Chipman, Foundation Chair at: amy.chipman@rbc.com
President Kris opened our meeting last week by welcoming everyone and asking Bruce Jones to provide our invocation. To read Bruce's entire recitation on "Who's The Smartest?," please see type in blue below. We recited the pledge and Russ Burleigh played keyboard backup to our singing a patriotic song.
Charlie Frair conducted the $949 raffle. Our speaker, Chris Sauer, drew Harold Crabill's name to try and find the Queen of Hearts from the 21 remaining cards. He drew the four of Hearts. Will the pot exceed $1000 next week?
Bill Blount was called upon to be the song leader. Our pianist, Russ Burleigh, chose "Viva Le Rotary."
President Kris again welcomed the 46 club members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests; then read a thank you letter from Helen Gray-Bauer, the Youth Service Award recipient last week from Waynflete.
Ellen Niewoehner announced what you can do to support the Spring auction, "May Madness" coming up on May 1st:
- solicit gifts....preferably new or gently-used items with a minimum $15 value,
- ask for gift certificates from your frequented retailers,
- bring a friend to Rotary on May 1 to support our auction,
- bid often, and
- contact Ellen, Emily or Loretta with donated items or ideas.
Loretta Rowe took the podium to announce that a new Rotary year is fast approaching and you have a chance to select which committees you would like to help with. Completed committee preference sheets were due to be turned in today. You can still email them to Loretta ASAP (by Wednesday 4/15), if you have not done so already. You may be assigned to committees where you are needed, so please be flexible.
Please also go to the club website (portlandrotary.org) and check your personal information to be sure it's correct. The information that goes into our roster is collected from the website, so wrong information on the website means wrong information in the roster. If you need your photo taken or updated for the roster, please see Loretta or Russ.
Mike Fortunato announced that we are looking for support for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC)...mainly, volunteers who would be willing to work in small groups, going door-to-door to businesses in the old port area, requesting items for our MOC auction that could help us raise $1000 in items to be auctioned. It would only take 2 hours of your time on a nice Spring walk. Please contact Mike if you can help: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Who's The Smartest? (as told by Bruce Jones during his invocation)
A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight in a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble.
In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.
Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.
The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out.
The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live."
He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.
The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."
The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The 'smartest man in the world' just took off with my back pack."
04/17/15 EMBRACE A VET, JOY JOHNSON, EXEC. DIR.
Our speaker this week will be Joy Jewett Johnson. She is a “Mainer” from Bucksport and Founder and Executive Director of 'Embrace A Vet.' Joy graduated from the University of Maine with a BA in Sociology and has worked in the social services field most of her adult life. Her affinity for our military veterans grew from being the daughter of a Navy pilot, and later, being married to a career naval officer who was on active duty for 36 years. She was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, as well as other grass roots organizations providing services to military members, both at home and abroad. While living in Italy, she formed an organization titled "REACH" (Ready, Eager And Caring Hands), where military service members volunteered their time at orphanages, drug rehabilitation facilities and a halfway house for juvenile offenders.
At one time, there were 22 recorded veteran suicides per day and Maine was having one of the highest veteran populations per capita, so there was work to be done. In 2011 'Embrace A Vet' was founded. Since that time, an incredible cadre of volunteers have come forth to help achieve the mission of providing services to Maine Veterans with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and/or Post Traumatic Brain Injury (PTBI) and to their families.
'Embrace A Vet' is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization founded in 2012 to provide direct and supportive services to Maine Veterans living with symptoms of PTS(d) and/or traumatic injury. They offer two unique programs: Residential Healing and Wellness Retreats, where they introduce participants to alternative healing modalities and the 'Paws for Peace' dog program, where they assist veterans in locating, purchasing and training suitable dogs to become full-service dogs. Currently they are developing a third program for caregivers and family members of veterans. All three of these programs are without cost to the participants. Funds are raised through public and private donations. (www.embraceavet.org)
Secrets To Feeling Young.....
Secrets to feeling young:
First, avoid mirrors.
Second, do not update your Rotary roster photo. If you do, other people will more easily recognize you, but you will find it more difficult to look at.
Third, don't think about "old" except as it may apply to people 20 years above your age.
Fourth, practice delusion and denial until you forget what you are doing and why.
Is this another 4-Way Test?????
04/10/15 Ocean Renewable Power Co., Chris Sauer, CEO
Bob Martin (left) introduced Chris Sauer (right), President and CEO of Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), who led us on a fascinating review of the world of hydrokinetic energy and its increasing importance in energy production. Chris reiterated a message we heard last week from Don Perkins from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute: “Over 75 percent of the earth’s surface is water,” he said. “Most of it is ocean, but this also includes rivers and lakes. What we are focused on is turning the energy generated by tidal flow into electricity.”
ORPC was the first company in the western hemisphere to generate electricity from tidal energy and provide it to the electric grid. This was accomplished in Cobscook Bay near Eastport, Maine.
Chris acknowledged that while the decline in the cost of fossil fuels had impacted the growth of renewable energy, there remains a significant market potential. “There are two billion people who live in islanded communities that are cut off from primary sources of electricity,” he said. “Seventy percent of these people depend upon diesel fuel to generate power.” Chris gave the example of Alaska where the cost of electricity in remote areas has become a sustainability issue. “These villages are dying,” he said. “The cost of diesel-driven electricity in remote Alaskan villages can exceed 75 cents a kilowatt.” The national average is 12 to 13 cents.
ORPC is working with the state of Alaska and the Department of Energy on a solution. They recently completed a successful test of their new RivGen Power System turbine in the village of Igiugig on the Kvichak River, 275 miles southwest of Anchorage. The prototype
delivered significant power for the local micro-grid, and coexisted with the fish habitat. ORPC expects to complete this project next year.
ORPC’s TidGen turbine in Eastport is out of the water for design changes. When it first was installed, it generated 150 kilowatts of electricity. The design changes will render the turbine capable of producing 600 kilowatts for the Eastport community....this is sufficient electricity to support 40 to 60 houses.
Chris described ORPC’s impact in stimulating the creation of other businesses in Maine, along with increasing the research and development capacity of the University of Maine. “They have worked with us from the beginning,” Chris said. “As a result of our collaboration, the university has become world renown for its expertise in ocean hydrokinetic research.”
Chris revealed that the permitting process to place a turbine in a river, or in the ocean, is extremely complex and includes requirements for constant monitoring for a wide variety of environmental impacts, including those on fish or other wildlife. “Every report back from every agency involved reveals that there has been no known environmental impact,” he said.
Chris shared a video with us, which was difficult for some to hear. For the link to the video on YouTube, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq4EB2bBl90
For the link to that same video on the ORPC website, go to: www.orpc.co/newsevents_mediacenter.aspx?id=D5MZLiRACUs%3d
*06/12/15 MAINE MOLECULAR QUALITY CONTROLS, Joan Gordon, Pres/CEO
Our speaker this week will be Joan Gordon co-founder of Maine Molecular Quality Controls, Inc. (MMQCI) and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding MMQCI in 2000, Ms. Gordon was senior technologist at the Maine Medical Center and then Research Associate at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute. Ms. Gordon’s scientific expertise is in molecular genetic testing and molecular cloning technology. She developed the technical protocols for production and manufacturing the nucleic acid constructs in MMQCI’s products. She is co-inventor on two patents. Ms. Gordon is treasurer of the American Association for Clinical
Secrets to Feeling Young....
Secrets to feeling young:
First, avoid mirrors.
Second, do not update your Rotary roster photo. If you do, other people will more easily recognize you, but you will find it more difficult to look at.
Third, don't think about "old" except as it may apply to people 20 years above your age.
Fourth, practice delusion and denial until you forget what you are doing and why.
Is this another 4-Way Test?????
04/10/15 BITS & PIECES
EDITORIAL NOTE: Regretfully, the first two important stories were omitted from our newsletter last week and we apologize for their omission.
One of the highlights of a Rotary club is bringing in a new member. On Friday, April 3rd, Loretta Rowe took the podium as Jim Willey's proxy to introduce our newest member, Laura Pawlendzio. Laura is the Marketing Manager/VP at People's United Bank in Portland. She currently lives in Newport, NH with her husband (Stan) of 40 years, is in the process of moving to the Portland area, has three grown children and 2.5 grandchildren (that means 2 grandchildren + 1 on the way).
Dick Hall presented a Paul Harris Fellow award to Roxane Cole. A lead from Roxane at a Rotary meeting in the spring of 2008, almost immediately resulted in Dick’s current job and he is extremely grateful to her for recommending that he check it out. Dick noted that Roxane is a dedicated Rotarian having been a member since 1991, including being past president of the club in 1999-2000, a visionary behind Rotary Grove on the Eastern Prom, is now serving as a District 7780 Club Visioning Facilitator, and the Team Leader last fall when the Portland Sunrise Club was visioned. Roxane received a Paul Harris pin with 4 stones, showing this is her 4th PHF.
Amy Chipman, our club Foundation Chair, then presented Dick with two pins, one as a companion to Roxane’s award and one for his 'Circle of Five' giving to the Foundation.
Foundation note: It only takes $500 to award a Paul Harris to someone special, as the club will match the $500 donation, bringing the donation to $1000.
Supporting the Rotary Foundation allows you to change lives and be:
- a part of the eradication of Polio;
- a partner in creating peace;
- a person who supports clean water and sanitation;
- a supporter of worldwide education;
- someone who believes that all babies, children and mom's should have good medical resources, micro-credit and equal rights.
- a person that is fighting Aids, Malaria, Ebola and other diseases
For more information and how you can participate in a "Circle of Five," contact Amy Chipman, Foundation Chair at: amy.chipman@rbc.com
President Kris opened our meeting last week by welcoming everyone and asking Bruce Jones to provide our invocation. To read Bruce's entire recitation on "Who's The Smartest?," please see type in blue below. We recited the pledge and Russ Burleigh played keyboard backup to our singing a patriotic song.
Charlie Frair conducted the $949 raffle. Our speaker, Chris Sauer, drew Harold Crabill's name to try and find the Queen of Hearts from the 21 remaining cards. He drew the four of Hearts. Will the pot exceed $1000 next week?
Bill Blount was called upon to be the song leader. Our pianist, Russ Burleigh, chose "Viva Le Rotary."
President Kris again welcomed the 46 club members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests; then read a thank you letter from Helen Gray-Bauer, the Youth Service Award recipient last week from Waynflete.
Ellen Niewoehner announced what you can do to support the Spring auction, "May Madness" coming up on May 1st:
- solicit gifts....preferably new or gently-used items with a minimum $15 value,
- ask for gift certificates from your frequented retailers,
- bring a friend to Rotary on May 1 to support our auction,
- bid often, and
- contact Ellen, Emily or Loretta with donated items or ideas.
Loretta Rowe took the podium to announce that a new Rotary year is fast approaching and you have a chance to select which committees you would like to help with. Completed committee preference sheets were due to be turned in today. You can still email them to Loretta ASAP (by Wednesday 4/15), if you have not done so already. You may be assigned to committees where you are needed, so please be flexible.
Please also go to the club website (portlandrotary.org) and check your personal information to be sure it's correct. The information that goes into our roster is collected from the website, so wrong information on the website means wrong information in the roster. If you need your photo taken or updated for the roster, please see Loretta or Russ.
Mike Fortunato announced that we are looking for support for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC)...mainly, volunteers who would be willing to work in small groups, going door-to-door to businesses in the old port area, requesting items for our MOC auction that could help us raise $1000 in items to be auctioned. It would only take 2 hours of your time on a nice Spring walk. Please contact Mike if you can help: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Who's The Smartest? (as told by Bruce Jones during his invocation)
A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight in a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble.
In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.
Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.
The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out.
The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live."
He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.
The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."
The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The 'smartest man in the world' just took off with my back pack."
04/10/15 Ocean Renewable Power Co., Chris Sauer, CEO
Bob Martin (left) introduced Chris Sauer (right), President and CEO of Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), who led us on a fascinating review of the world of hydrokinetic energy and its increasing importance in energy production. Chris reiterated a message we heard last week from Don Perkins from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute: “Over 75 percent of the earth’s surface is water,” he said. “Most of it is ocean, but this also includes rivers and lakes. What we are focused on is turning the energy generated by tidal flow into electricity.”
ORPC was the first company in the western hemisphere to generate electricity from tidal energy and provide it to the electric grid. This was accomplished in Cobscook Bay near Eastport, Maine.
Chris acknowledged that while the decline in the cost of fossil fuels had impacted the growth of renewable energy, there remains a significant market potential. “There are two billion people who live in islanded communities that are cut off from primary sources of electricity,” he said. “Seventy percent of these people depend upon diesel fuel to generate power.” Chris gave the example of Alaska where the cost of electricity in remote areas has become a sustainability issue. “These villages are dying,” he said. “The cost of diesel-driven electricity in remote Alaskan villages can exceed 75 cents a kilowatt.” The national average is 12 to 13 cents.
ORPC is working with the state of Alaska and the Department of Energy on a solution. They recently completed a successful test of their new RivGen Power System turbine in the village of Igiugig on the Kvichak River, 275 miles southwest of Anchorage. The prototype
delivered significant power for the local micro-grid, and coexisted with the fish habitat. ORPC expects to complete this project next year.
ORPC’s TidGen turbine in Eastport is out of the water for design changes. When it first was installed, it generated 150 kilowatts of electricity. The design changes will render the turbine capable of producing 600 kilowatts for the Eastport community....this is sufficient electricity to support 40 to 60 houses.
Chris described ORPC’s impact in stimulating the creation of other businesses in Maine, along with increasing the research and development capacity of the University of Maine. “They have worked with us from the beginning,” Chris said. “As a result of our collaboration, the university has become world renown for its expertise in ocean hydrokinetic research.”
Chris revealed that the permitting process to place a turbine in a river, or in the ocean, is extremely complex and includes requirements for constant monitoring for a wide variety of environmental impacts, including those on fish or other wildlife. “Every report back from every agency involved reveals that there has been no known environmental impact,” he said.
Chris shared a video with us, which was difficult for some to hear. For the link to the video on YouTube, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq4EB2bBl90
For the link to that same video on the ORPC website, go to: www.orpc.co/newsevents_mediacenter.aspx?id=D5MZLiRACUs%3d
*04/17/15 EMBRACE A VET, JOY JOHNSON, EXEC. DIR.
Our speaker this week will be Joy Jewett Johnson. She is a “Mainer” from Bucksport and Founder and Executive Director of 'Embrace A Vet.' Joy graduated from the University of Maine with a BA in Sociology and has worked in the social services field most of her adult life. Her affinity for our military veterans grew from being the daughter of a Navy pilot, and later, being married to a career naval officer who was on active duty for 36 years. She was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, as well as other grass roots organizations providing services to military members, both at home and abroad. While living in Italy, she formed an organization titled "REACH" (Ready, Eager And Caring Hands), where military service members volunteered their time at orphanages, drug rehabilitation facilities and a halfway house for juvenile offenders.
At one time, there were 22 recorded veteran suicides per day and Maine was having one of the highest veteran populations per capita, so there was work to be done. In 2011 'Embrace A Vet' was founded. Since that time, an incredible cadre of volunteers have come forth to help achieve the mission of providing services to Maine Veterans with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and/or Post Traumatic Brain Injury (PTBI) and to their families.
'Embrace A Vet' is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 organization founded in 2012 to provide direct and supportive services to Maine Veterans living with symptoms of PTS(d) and/or traumatic injury. They offer two unique programs: Residential Healing and Wellness Retreats, where they introduce participants to alternative healing modalities and the 'Paws for Peace' dog program, where they assist veterans in locating, purchasing and training suitable dogs to become full-service dogs. Currently they are developing a third program for caregivers and family members of veterans. All three of these programs are without cost to the participants. Funds are raised through public and private donations. (www.embraceavet.org)
04/03/15 Bits & Pieces
Alan Nye gave an invocation prompting everyone in celebration of the Easter holiday to resurrect an activity they haven’t done in a long time and do something this weekend for their fellow man – or woman!
President Kris Rosado introduced 1 guest and 2 visiting Rotarians...one Rotarian (Kelly Roberts) being from the Rotary Club of NYC, who exchanged banners with us and the other (Michael Dickel) being from Munich Germany!
(Photo: Kelly Roberts from NYC and President Kris Rosado.)
Jon Young asked our speaker to pick a name from the raffle bucket. He picked Gracie Johnson's name, giving her a chance to win $912 if she could find the Queen of Hearts. Gracie was gracious to the club by drawing the 7 of Hearts.....insuring a higher raffle pot next week.
Gracie pulled double-duty by then leading the club in a favorite from the "Sound of Music: My Favorite Things." (The movie is 50 years old this year.) We started slow, but finished strong.
Our "May Madness Auction" is coming up on May 1st. All you need is a donation with a $15 minimum to share. Contact Emily McEntee at emcentee@amica.com or Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com for more details.
President Kris then told the club that the Boys and Girls Club's annual auction was coming up this Friday, April 10th and could really use some volunteer support from Rotary. They need about 6-8 volunteers to help them from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. They could also use a couple of volunteers the next day (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. to help with the cleanup. Contact Steve Stromsky for volunteering and/or additional info: sstromsk@maine.rr.com
(Photo: Lydia Maier, Helen Gray-Bauer and Laura Young) |
Laura Young introduced Lydia Maier, the Dean of Students at Waynflete, who in turn introduced Helen Gray-Bauer for our Youth Service Award. Helen is an amazing young woman who volunteers regularly, plays viola, and has performed service abroad in Nepal helping to build an orphanage. She is going on to school at Skidmore College where she will major in Music and Neuroscience. |
Take a Tip from Noah....
Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark: |
04/03/15 Gulf of Maine Research, Don Perkins, Ex. Dir.
(Photo: Bob Martin and Don Perkins) |
Bob Martin introduced our program speaker, Don Perkins, Executive Director of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). Don shared with us the workings of GMRI and the impact that it has on the state and the globe. “We live on an ocean planet,” he said. “two-thirds of the planet is water. The next century is an ocean century. How the ocean changes and adapts is the focus of our challenge.” |
Don shared that GMRI has an operating budget of about $8 million annually, and is known internationally for its education and research programs. One of their major initiatives is a program for 5th and 6th grade students to help them learn more about science and math. “We want to get them engaged before they reach middle school,” he said. “We are committed to driving Maine as a science and math state.” Don said that the GMRI program involves students in various labs to get them involved in world-class research. “Through the state’s laptop program, we can continue the lab work with the kids back in their classroom, so they can participate in efforts to solve problems in science.”
Don described the monitoring system GMRI maintains in Casco Bay as part of their effort to unravel the mystery of fishing stocks with the assistance of fishermen who volunteer to participate. “We have twelve lobstermen who volunteer to work at night to run a search for herring,” he said. “They are the key to the ecosystem.” Knowing the condition of the herring population helps to determine the future of lobster. “One of the outcomes of this work has been to help retool fishing gear. This has the potential of increasing the value of sustainable fishing in these waters by $160 million through redesign.” Don also reported that projections for increases in aquaculture revenues were substantial as the industry developed more sustainable methods of harvesting. “Kelp, mussels, seaweed are now a $3 million industry, but have the capacity to be $100 million.”
Don said that despite reports to the contrary, the ocean was very productive. “Even though some species, like cod, are declining, red fish, pollock, and others are abundant.” In response to a question about haddock, Don pointed out that haddock supplies were increasing, as were scallops, due to the combination of currents and temperature helping to create a situation where larvae were able to stay in one place long enough to grow and strengthen. “This is research that’s really important for us,” he said. “What sets us apart is the integration of skills from science, education and the community.”
GMRI’s research also helps to develop forecasting tools to help fishermen adjust their harvest times to avoid oversupply in the marketplace, which leads to lower prices. He also pointed out that fisheries are in transition. “We’ve traditionally thought about each kind of fishing separately. That’s old news,” he said. “The aquaculture industry is now driven to think collaboratively.”
Finally, Don said that while this is an ocean planet with global effect, GMRI is focused on creating solutions that have a local impact. “That means, however, we are involved in projects in Indonesia, Chile, the Gulf of Mexico, and are involved with technology transfer with universities in Texas. Maine is an unbelievable place to operate from in a global context.”
*04/10/15 OCEAN RENEWABLE POWER, Chris Sauer, CEO
Christopher R. Sauer is a Co-Founder of Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC (ORPC) and has been its Chief Executive Officer and President since 2006. ORPC is an international industry-leading developer of technology and projects that generate clean, predictable power from ocean and river currents. A professional manager, energy entrepreneur, and strategic development consultant, Chris has more than 40 years of experience in executive management, engineering, construction, project development, marketing, financing, and startup company formation in the electricity, cogeneration, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. He has held senior management positions with two major U.S. corporations and led three startup energy/environmental technology companies. Involved in the energy transaction business since 1977, Chris has played an instrumental role in the development of more than $2 billion in energy assets and companies. He is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and a lifetime Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
04/03/15 BITS & PIECES
Alan Nye gave an invocation prompting everyone in celebration of the Easter holiday to resurrect an activity they haven’t done in a long time and do something this weekend for their fellow man – or woman!
President Kris Rosado introduced 1 guest and 2 visiting Rotarians...one Rotarian (Kelly Roberts) being from the Rotary Club of NYC, who exchanged banners with us and the other (Michael Dickel) being from Munich Germany!
(Photo: Kelly Roberts from NYC and President Kris Rosado.)
Jon Young asked our speaker to pick a name from the raffle bucket. He picked Gracie Johnson's name, giving her a chance to win $912 if she could find the Queen of Hearts. Gracie was gracious to the club by drawing the 7 of Hearts.....insuring a higher raffle pot next week.
Gracie pulled double-duty by then leading the club in a favorite from the "Sound of Music: My Favorite Things." (The movie is 50 years old this year.) We started slow, but finished strong.
Our "May Madness Auction" is coming up on May 1st. All you need is a donation with a $15 minimum to share. Contact Emily McEntee at emcentee@amica.com or Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com for more details.
President Kris then told the club that the Boys and Girls Club's annual auction was coming up this Friday, April 10th and could really use some volunteer support from Rotary. They need about 6-8 volunteers to help them from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. They could also use a couple of volunteers the next day (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. to help with the cleanup. Contact Steve Stromsky for volunteering and/or additional info: sstromsk@maine.rr.com
(Photo: Lydia Maier, Helen Gray-Bauer and Laura Young) |
Laura Young introduced Lydia Maier, the Dean of Students at Waynflete, who in turn introduced Helen Gray-Bauer for our Youth Service Award. Helen is an amazing young woman who volunteers regularly, plays viola, and has performed service abroad in Nepal helping to build an orphanage. She is going on to school at Skidmore College where she will major in Music and Neuroscience. |
04/03/15 Gulf of Maine Research, Don Perkins, Ex. Dir.
(Photo: Bob Martin and Don Perkins) |
Bob Martin introduced our program speaker, Don Perkins, Executive Director of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). Don shared with us the workings of GMRI and the impact that it has on the state and the globe. “We live on an ocean planet,” he said. “two-thirds of the planet is water. The next century is an ocean century. How the ocean changes and adapts is the focus of our challenge.” |
Don shared that GMRI has an operating budget of about $8 million annually, and is known internationally for its education and research programs. One of their major initiatives is a program for 5th and 6th grade students to help them learn more about science and math. “We want to get them engaged before they reach middle school,” he said. “We are committed to driving Maine as a science and math state.” Don said that the GMRI program involves students in various labs to get them involved in world-class research. “Through the state’s laptop program, we can continue the lab work with the kids back in their classroom, so they can participate in efforts to solve problems in science.”
Don described the monitoring system GMRI maintains in Casco Bay as part of their effort to unravel the mystery of fishing stocks with the assistance of fishermen who volunteer to participate. “We have twelve lobstermen who volunteer to work at night to run a search for herring,” he said. “They are the key to the ecosystem.” Knowing the condition of the herring population helps to determine the future of lobster. “One of the outcomes of this work has been to help retool fishing gear. This has the potential of increasing the value of sustainable fishing in these waters by $160 million through redesign.” Don also reported that projections for increases in aquaculture revenues were substantial as the industry developed more sustainable methods of harvesting. “Kelp, mussels, seaweed are now a $3 million industry, but have the capacity to be $100 million.”
Don said that despite reports to the contrary, the ocean was very productive. “Even though some species, like cod, are declining, red fish, pollock, and others are abundant.” In response to a question about haddock, Don pointed out that haddock supplies were increasing, as were scallops, due to the combination of currents and temperature helping to create a situation where larvae were able to stay in one place long enough to grow and strengthen. “This is research that’s really important for us,” he said. “What sets us apart is the integration of skills from science, education and the community.”
GMRI’s research also helps to develop forecasting tools to help fishermen adjust their harvest times to avoid oversupply in the marketplace, which leads to lower prices. He also pointed out that fisheries are in transition. “We’ve traditionally thought about each kind of fishing separately. That’s old news,” he said. “The aquaculture industry is now driven to think collaboratively.”
Finally, Don said that while this is an ocean planet with global effect, GMRI is focused on creating solutions that have a local impact. “That means, however, we are involved in projects in Indonesia, Chile, the Gulf of Mexico, and are involved with technology transfer with universities in Texas. Maine is an unbelievable place to operate from in a global context.”
Take a tip from Noah....
Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah's Ark: |
*04/10/15 OCEAN RENEWABLE POWER, Chris Sauer, CEO
Christopher R. Sauer is a Co-Founder of Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC (ORPC) and has been its Chief Executive Officer and President since 2006. ORPC is an international industry-leading developer of technology and projects that generate clean, predictable power from ocean and river currents. A professional manager, energy entrepreneur, and strategic development consultant, Chris has more than 40 years of experience in executive management, engineering, construction, project development, marketing, financing, and startup company formation in the electricity, cogeneration, renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. He has held senior management positions with two major U.S. corporations and led three startup energy/environmental technology companies. Involved in the energy transaction business since 1977, Chris has played an instrumental role in the development of more than $2 billion in energy assets and companies. He is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and a lifetime Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
03/27/15 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
President Kris Rosado introduced the Club Assembly program by identifying its goals:
- to give an overview of the club's activities for the last nine months;
- identify what we are looking forward to in the next three months;
- encourage us all to step up and find a place where we can serve.
We heard from the major committee chairs on the highlights of how/what they are doing:
|
International Service: John Curran briefed us on the activities happening with this committee. The team returned from the Dominican Republic (DR) two weeks ago and another successful "3-H" program...11 Rotarians from 6 clubs participated (6 from our club). Accomplishments included providing over 100 hearing aids, installing close to 100 water filters and 14 patients were seen at the prosthetic hand clinic. There are other ways to be involved with the International Service without traveling abroad:
|
For more information and/or how to be a part of this committee, contact: John Curran at: curraj1@mmc.org
Community Service: Steve Stromsky reported on the busy volunteerism of our members who participated (or will) in: preparation and serving at St. Vincent De Paul Thanksgiving dinner; the ringing of the bells for the Salvation Army holiday Red-Kettle Drive; the Boys and Girls Club annual auction; the Preble Street Soup Kitchen monthly volunteers; and several clothing drives. |
Youth Service: 2nd Vice-President Laura Young reported on the many projects/events to help the youth in our community:
|
Janelle LoSciuto and Alex St. Hilaire announced the formation of a new Club-sponsored Interact Club within the Baxter Academy High School (14-18 year-old youths)....and that they received their 'Certificate of Organization' from R.I. to make them official. Two of the 14 members of this newly-formed club were introduced: Quintin Lipsack and Ben Schmidt. All of the students are eager to work with our club on events/projects. Deering High School has also expressed an interest in forming an Interact Club.
Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE): President-elect Bowen Depke briefed us on the club's focus and direction of this campaign:
For more information and details, contact Bowen at: bowen.depke@spireexpress.com |
Foundation: Amy Chipman reported that our annual-giving goal to the Foundation is $15,000 and estimates we will surpass that goal. We have 79 Sustaining members in the club and the goal is to make our participation at 100% of members during our Centennial year. We have two new "Circles of Five" and 19 new Paul Harris Fellows this year. Our club matches your contribution to the Foundation with its Club Recognition points, so you're able to achieve your Paul Harris Fellow award or give it to another more quickly. For more information, contact Amy: amy.chipman@rbc.com |
Membership: Harold Crabill reported that the Membership committee was focusing on the membership of the club to reflect a more diverse population of our communities, to include more members of the under-40 business professionals. After several meetings with qualifying prospects and discussing what was delaying them from joining our club, they revealed it was money and time. With that in mind, the committee brought a proposal before the Board of Directors for prospects who were in the under 40 age group:
The Board of Directors is considering this proposal. |
Fund-raising: We heard from President Kris Rosado and Past President Cy Hagge about our major fund-raiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC).
Kris encouraged the formation of 5-person teams to participate in the MOC events. No experience necessary, as the experts at L.L. Bean will teach you to shoot clay targets, archery, fly casting and geo-caching.
Cy is working on obtaining items for the live and silent auctions: suggested (but not limited to) items - a week-stay at a vacation home, a dinner cruise on your boat, a guided fishing tour, a catered dinner party at your home, gift certificates....anything that can be used in the auction. Mike Fortunato will be taking names of members who would be willing to work in groups, going door-to-door to businesses, requesting items for our MOC auction that could help us raise $1000 in items to be auctioned. It would only take 2 hours of your time on a nice Spring walk.
This event funds over 75% of the Club's charitable budget, so we NEED EVERYONE'S HELP AND PARTICIPATION!
In closing the meeting, President Kris encouraged us all to pick a place to serve, and if none of the projects appeal to you, he encouraged us to come up with something that does and "we will do it"!
04/03/15 Gulf of Maine Research, Don Perkins, Exec. Dir.
Our program this Friday will be presented by Don Perkins, Executive Director of Gulf of Maine Research. Don has served as the President/CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) since 1995. He works with GMRI's staff, board, and external partners to drive GMRI's evolution as a strategic science, education, community institution that serves the Gulf of Maine bioregion and to scale GMRI's impact beyond. Don is dedicated to building creative, strategic organizations, traditional or virtual, that contribute to solving intractable problems and creating new opportunities in marine conservation, science literacy, and common property governance and management.
Don has been active in the marine policy arena on multiple levels. He currently serves on the board of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and recently co-chaired the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force. He was co-founder of Friends of Casco Bay and the Maine Marine Research Coalition. He previously served on the boards of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, and Maine Legislatures Task Force on the Development of Aquaculture. Reflecting his broader interest in governance, Don currently serves on the board of MMG Insurance and the advisory board of Tilson Technology Management.
Don brings an unusual mix of corporate and non-profit experience to GMRI. Prior to joining GMRI, Don instructed at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, directed the Marine Conservation Corps in California, served as a financial advisor to Native American tribes, advised The Health Foundation on its Latin American initiatives, and managed the operations of Binax, Inc.
Don was born in Waterville, Maine and has lived in a variety of Maine's coastal and inland communities (as well as in Israel and Brazil). He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Don’s greatest sources of pleasure are his family, sailing along the coast of Maine, and an early morning swim or run.
Watch Don's TEDxDirigo talk, Century 21.0: The Ocean Century.
3/27/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened this week's meeting by welcoming 49 Rotarians and 5 guests.
Tom Nickerson gave us our invocation, Jan Chapman led us in the pledge to the flag and we sung our patriotic song with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Leonard Scott conducted our raffle. Eric Lusk had the opportunity to try and pull the winning card that would have paid off a handsome $887, but he came up with the wrong card. We nod in a token of sorrow. More chances for the masses!
May Madness! Friday, May 1, our famous re-gifting/new-item auction. Emily McEntee reminded us that everyone can find something of intrinsic value to donate (Minimum value $15.00). Maybe a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant.....tickets to a play, or a game....a boat ride or a weekend at your cabin.....or maybe something you received over the holidays that just wasn’t right for you, but would be cherished by someone else. For more info on how/what to donate, please contact Loretta (lrowe@maine.rr.com), Emily (emcentee@amica.com) or Ellen (ellen.niewoehner@td.com). This proceeds from this event goes to the operating fund of the club.
Steve Stomsky announced that the Boys and Girls Club has their annual auction coming up on Friday, April 10th and could really use some volunteer support from Rotary. We need about 6-8 volunteers to help them from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. They could also use a couple of volunteers the next day (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. to help with the cleanup. Contact Steve for volunteering and/or additional info:
sstromsk@maine.rr.com
With many activities planned for the 100th Anniversary year of our club, 1st VP Bowen is eager to get committee assignments squared away. Now is the time to communicate for the programs you would like to assist with. Please return the committee preference sheets back to LORETTA ASAP....deadline APRIL 10TH. Remember....if you don't let us know what you would like to help with.....we may put you where you are needed! Let's make this a memorable 100th year!
We noticed there was something different about member Bruce Moore....couldn't quite put our finger on it....but then, there it was or wasn't......gone was the mustache that he has sported for more then 10 years!
3/27/15 Portland Rotary Club Assembly
President Kris Rosado introduced the Club Assembly program by identifying its goals:
- to give an overview of the club's activities for the last nine months;
- identify what we are looking forward to in the next three months;
- encourage us all to step up and find a place where we can serve.
We heard from the major committee chairs on the highlights of how/what they are doing:
|
International Service: John Curran briefed us on the activities happening with this committee. The team returned from the Dominican Republic (DR) two weeks ago and another successful "3-H" program...11 Rotarians from 6 clubs participated (6 from our club). Accomplishments included providing over 100 hearing aids, installing close to 100 water filters and 14 patients were seen at the prosthetic hand clinic. There are other ways to be involved with the International Service without traveling abroad:
|
For more information and/or how to be a part of this committee, contact: John Curran at: curraj1@mmc.org
Community Service: Steve Stromsky reported on the busy volunteerism of our members who participated (or will) in: preparation and serving at St. Vincent De Paul Thanksgiving dinner; the ringing of the bells for the Salvation Army holiday Red-Kettle Drive; the Boys and Girls Club annual auction; the Preble Street Soup Kitchen monthly volunteers; and several clothing drives. |
Youth Service: 2nd Vice-President Laura Young reported on the many projects/events to help the youth in our community:
|
Janelle LoSciuto and Alex St. Hilaire announced the formation of a new Club-sponsored Interact Club within the Baxter Academy High School (14-18 year-old youths)....and that they received their 'Certificate of Organization' from R.I. to make them official. Two of the 14 members of this newly-formed club were introduced: Quintin Lipsack and Ben Schmidt. All of the students are eager to work with our club on events/projects. Deering High School has also expressed an interest in forming an Interact Club.
Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE): President-elect Bowen Depke briefed us on the club's focus and direction of this campaign:
For more information and details, contact Bowen at: bowen.depke@spireexpress.com |
Foundation: Amy Chipman reported that our annual-giving goal to the Foundation is $15,000 and estimates we will surpass that goal. We have 79 Sustaining members in the club and the goal is to make our participation at 100% of members during our Centennial year. We have two new "Circles of Five" and 19 new Paul Harris Fellows this year. Our club matches your contribution to the Foundation with its Club Recognition points, so you're able to achieve your Paul Harris Fellow award or give it to another more quickly. For more information, contact Amy: amy.chipman@rbc.com |
Membership: Harold Crabill reported that the Membership committee was focusing on the membership of the club to reflect a more diverse population of our communities, to include more members of the under-40 business professionals. After several meetings with qualifying prospects and discussing what was delaying them from joining our club, they revealed it was money and time. With that in mind, the committee brought a proposal before the Board of Directors for prospects who were in the under 40 age group:
The Board of Directors is considering this proposal. |
Fund-raising: We heard from President Kris Rosado and Past President Cy Hagge about our major fund-raiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC).
Kris encouraged the formation of 5-person teams to participate in the MOC events. No experience necessary, as the experts at L.L. Bean will teach you to shoot clay targets, archery, fly casting and geo-caching.
Cy is working on obtaining items for the live and silent auctions: suggested (but not limited to) items - a week-stay at a vacation home, a dinner cruise on your boat, a guided fishing tour, a catered dinner party at your home, gift certificates....anything that can be used in the auction. Mike Fortunato will be taking names of members who would be willing to work in groups, going door-to-door to businesses, requesting items for our MOC auction that could help us raise $1000 in items to be auctioned. It would only take 2 hours of your time on a nice Spring walk.
This event funds over 75% of the Club's charitable budget, so we NEED EVERYONE'S HELP AND PARTICIPATION!
In closing the meeting, President Kris encouraged us all to pick a place to serve, and if none of the projects appeal to you, he encouraged us to come up with something that does and "we will do it"!
Useful App?
*04/03/15 GULF OF MAINE RESEARCH, Don Perkins, Exec. Dir.
Our program this Friday will be presented by Don Perkins, Executive Director of Gulf of Maine Research. Don has served as the President/CEO of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) since 1995. He works with GMRI's staff, board, and external partners to drive GMRI's evolution as a strategic science, education, community institution that serves the Gulf of Maine bioregion and to scale GMRI's impact beyond. Don is dedicated to building creative, strategic organizations, traditional or virtual, that contribute to solving intractable problems and creating new opportunities in marine conservation, science literacy, and common property governance and management.
Don has been active in the marine policy arena on multiple levels. He currently serves on the board of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and recently co-chaired the Governor's Ocean Energy Task Force. He was co-founder of Friends of Casco Bay and the Maine Marine Research Coalition. He previously served on the boards of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, and Maine Legislatures Task Force on the Development of Aquaculture. Reflecting his broader interest in governance, Don currently serves on the board of MMG Insurance and the advisory board of Tilson Technology Management.
Don brings an unusual mix of corporate and non-profit experience to GMRI. Prior to joining GMRI, Don instructed at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, directed the Marine Conservation Corps in California, served as a financial advisor to Native American tribes, advised The Health Foundation on its Latin American initiatives, and managed the operations of Binax, Inc.
Don was born in Waterville, Maine and has lived in a variety of Maine's coastal and inland communities (as well as in Israel and Brazil). He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Don’s greatest sources of pleasure are his family, sailing along the coast of Maine, and an early morning swim or run.
Watch Don's TEDxDirigo talk, Century 21.0: The Ocean Century.
03/27/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened this week's meeting by welcoming 49 Rotarians and 5 guests.
Tom Nickerson gave us our invocation, Jan Chapman led us in the pledge to the flag and we sung our patriotic song with Russ Burleigh on the keyboard.
Leonard Scott conducted our raffle. Eric Lusk had the opportunity to try and pull the winning card that would have paid off a handsome $887, but he came up with the wrong card. We nod in a token of sorrow. More chances for the masses!
May Madness! Friday, May 1, our famous re-gifting/new-item auction. Emily McEntee reminded us that everyone can find something of intrinsic value to donate (Minimum value $15.00). Maybe a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant.....tickets to a play, or a game....a boat ride or a weekend at your cabin.....or maybe something you received over the holidays that just wasn’t right for you, but would be cherished by someone else. For more info on how/what to donate, please contact Loretta (lrowe@maine.rr.com), Emily (emcentee@amica.com) or Ellen (ellen.niewoehner@td.com). This proceeds from this event goes to the operating fund of the club.
Steve Stomsky announced that the Boys and Girls Club has their annual auction coming up on Friday, April 10th and could really use some volunteer support from Rotary. We need about 6-8 volunteers to help them from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. They could also use a couple of volunteers the next day (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. to help with the cleanup. Contact Steve for volunteering and/or additional info:
sstromsk@maine.rr.com
With many activities planned for the 100th Anniversary year of our club, 1st VP Bowen is eager to get committee assignments squared away. Now is the time to communicate for the programs you would like to assist with. Please return the committee preference sheets back to LORETTA ASAP....deadline APRIL 10TH. Remember....if you don't let us know what you would like to help with.....we may put you where you are needed! Let's make this a memorable 100th year!
We noticed there was something different about member Bruce Moore....couldn't quite put our finger on it....but then, there it was or wasn't......gone was the mustache that he has sported for more then 10 years!
03/20/15 Preserving Portland, GPL, Hilary Basset, Ex. Dir.
Don Zillman asked who remembered the Union Station, and got a reasonable show of hands. Don told us that Greater Portland Landmarks (GPL) was formed so the tragedy of the loss of Union Station would never be repeated. Don continued with his introduction of Hilary Bassett, Executive Director of GPL.
Hilary began by showing a comparison photo with Union Station and Portland Observatory. One was lost, but thankfully the other was saved. GPL preserves and revitalizes the architectural fabric, history, and character of greater Portland – renewing our neighborhoods, spurring economic development and keeping Portland one of the most livable cities in America.
The organization began on Aug 1, 1961, the day Union Station was torn down. It was one of many urban renewal losses, including the Falmouth Hotel and the Old Post office, aka the Marble Post Office. Earle Shuttleworth was one of founders of GPL, along with many other distinguished people in Portland. GPL started by gathering information using street by street surveys. These surveys are still going on now. GPL has published numerous books on the architecture and culture of Portland.
GPL saved the wonderful and unique Hay Building. GPL conducts tours of historic building and provides outreach to help owners of historic buildings. In the 1970s and 1980s GPL advocated for and was successful in enacting a demolition ordnance. The Tracy Causer Building was saved by this ordinance. The Historic Preservation ordinance was enacted in 1989. Portland’s ordinance adopted its first historic district and created a review process for modification of the exterior of historic buildings. The Porteous Building became the Maine College of Arts, and Commercial Street was rehabilitated, with new buildings and new additions, created alongside historic buildings.
In 2010 the Congress Street Historic District was added. Congress Street, end to end, is a history of Portland architecture. GPL has postcards showing the buildings along the street. GPL is also active outside Portland, where parts of the Maine Youth center became Brick Hill, and the Westbrook Walker Public Library, which was saved.
GPL maintains a watch on what they call “Places in Peril.” These are historically significant buildings or places which are at risk for loss. On the list are:
- The Portland Company Complex, 1847-1940, 58 Fore Street, Portland
- House Island, Portland
- The Maine National Guard Armory, 1941, Broadway & Armory St., South Portland
- Portland Masonic Temple Grand Lodge, 1911, 415 Congress Street, Portland
- Grand Trunk Office Building, 1903, 1 India Street, Portland
- Abyssinian Meeting House, 1828, 73 Newbury Street, Portland
- Eastern Cemetery, 1600s, Congress Street, Portland
GPL assists owners with historic preservation tax credits, which has helped the Portland Old Port. Some recent credits approved in 2010 are good until 2023. In addition to "Places in Peril," there are also at risk neighborhoods and GPL sees the need to undo urban renewal errors. Work starts this summer on the Spring Street rethinking project.
GPL is open to the public on Fridays. They are training young people on redoing old windows and training docents and guides for historic tours. They provide many volunteer opportunities and is sponsoring the Old House Trade Show, Sat Mar 28-29 at the Holiday Inn. The Portland Observatory is the last remaining historic signaling tower which has been standing over 200 years. It hosts 10,000 visitors per year. The Custom House is open Wed at noontime. Tours can be arranged at the Masonic Temple, private homes, and other historic places.
GPL publishes "The City is a Classroom," an educational workbook written to meet the 3rd grade curriculum, and also popular with children through adults. This 3rd edition, revised in 2013, includes an expanded local history time line and was a collaborative project with the following historic sites: Victoria Mansion, The Tate House, The Maine Historical Society, The Abyssinian Meeting House, Friends of Evergreen Cemetery, The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, The Fifth Maine Regiment Museum and includes activity pages for all of these sites plus The Portland Observatory, The Eastern Cemetery and Greater Portland Landmarks. This book is used in the City as a classroom text for 3rd graders.
Portland is very special and we need to treasure it. The goal is to distinguish new construction from historic buildings. Preservationists want to make it clear that new buildings are not confused with historic buildings. New must be good quality and good architecture, but not try to be an historic building.
GPL works with planning and regulatory agencies by discussing projects in advance, so they can be supportive. GPL is proactive in the identification of historic sites and works toward their historic preservation.
(Photo: Mac Collins, President Kris Rosado, Hilary Bassett and Don Zillman.)
03/20/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened the meeting at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay by greeting 44 Rotarians and 1 guest. Alan Nye gave us our invocation. Mac Collins led us in the Pledge. Russ Burleigh played the piano while we sang our patriotic song, “God Bless America.”
Tom Nickerson, conducting this week's raffle, had our speaker draw Amy Chipman’s name for a chance to find the Queen of Hearts and win the amount of $864 in the raffle pot. Amy drew the two of clubs, so the pot continues to grow.
Bill Blount substituted for our scheduled song leader, Janelle LoSciuto. Recognizing St. Patrick’s Day this week and the first day of Spring, we sang “I’m looking over a Four Leaf Clover.”
Emily McEntee announced our upcoming Spring auction, titled "May Madness," scheduled to be held on Friday, May 1, 2015 at our regular meeting. Emily encouraged everyone when they are at one of their favorite restaurants or stores, to ask the establishment if they would like to donate a gift certificate to our auction or....if you feel uncomfortable doing that, to purchase items that we can auction off. You may also bring in new or gently-used items that you might opt to re-gift. Minimum value of donated items should be at least $15. If you have any question, please contact Loretta (lrowe@maine.rr.com), Emily (emcentee@amica.com) or Ellen (ellen.niewoehner@td.com). Proceeds will benefit the operating expenses of the club.
Mike Fortunato and Harold Crabill announced a fun club initiative that has been reinvigorated from the past. If you forget to wear your Rotary lapel pin on Fridays, you can cheerfully contribute a fine. Back in 1915 when it started, members paid a fine of 10 cents. Mike tells us the equivalent in today's market would be $3.46. So you will get a discount and only have to pay a $3.00 fine.
(As was paid by Garvey MacLean in photo.)
Proceeds will go into our Happy Dollars fund, which was described last week by President Kris as money to be used for funding memorial and birth gifts for our members.
Mike also announced that 44 people attended the Allagash Brewery 'Taste & Tour' fundraiser on Thursday, March 19. Rotary raised $700, which will go towards buying books to distribute to children of our summer reading initiative (CHE).
President Kris encouraged everyone to find out more about Rotary by considering attending the District Training Assembly on Saturday, March 28, 2015 from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm at York Community College, 112 College Drive, Wells. Take Exit 19 off I-95 for ME9/ME109 towards Wells. Registration cost is $25, but our club will pay for it. Includes continental breakfast and lunch. TO REGISTER BY MARCH 26TH, CONTACT LORETTA: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432.
President Kris read part of a thank you letter from the Salvation Army for our part in bell ringing during the holidays. Our volunteers at Monument Square raised $1,456.12.
Past-District Governor Bob Patten’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the First Congregational Church, Meetinghouse Hill, in South Portland. The service will be followed by a reception. All who knew Bob are welcome to attend.
*03/27/15 CLUB ASSEMBLY
The Club has been very busy with numerous projects, events and strategic planning. The strength of Portland Rotary has always been, and will always be, its engaged membership. This Friday, we will hear from several committee chairs, as they update us on what we have accomplished and what they have planned moving forward.
This is as great opportunity to invite guests. In one meeting, they will receive an overview of our activities locally and internationally.....across a variety of avenues of service.
There couldn’t be a better advertisement for joining our club!!
We will have a few special guests joining us as well, so please make every effort to attend.
*03/27/15 Club Assembly
The Club has been very busy with numerous projects, events and strategic planning. The strength of Portland Rotary has always been, and will always be, its engaged membership. This Friday, we will hear from several committee chairs, as they update us on what we have accomplished and what they have planned moving forward.
This is as great opportunity to invite guests. In one meeting, they will receive an overview of our activities locally and internationally.....across a variety of avenues of service.
There couldn’t be a better advertisement for joining our club!!
We will have a few special guests joining us as well, so please make every effort to attend.
Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC)
FROM PRESIDENT KRIS ROSADO:
All Portland Rotarians,
We need your help and active involvement!
The 2015 Maine Outdoor Challenge is the primary fundraiser for our Club, and it is the primary funding source for all of the projects we do both locally and abroad. We need your help to make this a success.
As a reminder, here is a brief description of the event:
Teams of 5 will spend 3 hours at the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School in Freeport, where they will receive lessons and then compete in 5-Stand Sporting Clays, Archery, Fly Casting and Geo Caching. We wrap up the event with a lobster bake and awards banquet, which is included for all participants. The cost for a 5-person team is $1000 with all proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and the Rotary Club of Portland Maine. We also give teams the option of foregoing the entry fee, and commit to using the web-based fund raising program we provide, seek and secure sponsorship from friends, family and associates.
No experience or equipment is needed. This is a fun and unique event that many have found to be a great way to entertain clients and prospects, as well as a team building event for management and staff alike. Novices, as well as seasoned outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the time they spend with the professional staff at L.L. Bean. Our almost perfect repeat attendance rate demonstrates that companies and individuals find this a fun event that is well worth the cost, not to mention it is all going to help two worthy organizations.
What can you do:
1) Most importantly, we need teams. Build a team of your own or help to solicit a team form an individual or company that you know. I will help you sell it, but we need Rotarians to help bring potential teams to the table.
2) Have you or your company become an event sponsor or help to solicit a sponsorship form another company.
3) Help us secure donations of items and services to be used as auction items, raffle prizes and event awards.
4) Volunteer at the event, either at the L.L Bean Discovery School or at the Lobster bake.
Our club depends on this event to provide funding, and it also depends on you to help make this event a success. Everyone can help in some capacity. To see or print a copy of this year's event flyer, click HERE. A copy the flyer is also available on our club homepage by going to "Downloads" at the bottom left and click on "Maine Outdoor Challenge 2015."
If you have any questions, please reach out to Cyrus Hagge, Mike Fortunato or me (Kris). We will find the best way for you to help that fits your schedule, abilities and comfort level.
It's a Gas Issue...
3/13/15 BITS & PIECES
The Bangor Daily News also ran a story, which can be found at: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/16/health/children-from-dominican-republic-undergo-heart-surgeries-in-maine/
- Peggy Wescott - Happy that Tom Nickerson is back in the club.
- Julie L'Heureux - Happy to recognize Ron Bennett's appointment to the District Finance & Budget Committee.
- Elise Hodgkin - Just because.
- Mike Fortunato - To celebrate his new 2nd granddaughter.
- Alex St. Hilaire - A newly started Interact Club, sponsored by Portland Rotary.
- Don Zillman - That Bob Traill was selected 'Member of the Month' by USM Sullivan Gym.
- Kathy Grammer - Spring is Coming!
- Jim Willey - Leaving for Japan for 3 weeks of cuddling with his grandkids.
- Emily McEntee - Happy to have filled 4 positions at AMICA.
- Gracie Johnston - Her 15-year old son, Khem, tied the junior record track high jump 5 ft 2"...also earned his varsity letter as a freshman.
- Dave Small - Just for the hell of it.
- Kris Rosado - Proud to announce (for her) that member Janelle LoSciuto is pregnant!
- Rusty Atwood - that member, Bill Leavitt's, granddaugher finished 9th in NCAA Div. 1 Alpine Skiing.
Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC)
All Portland Rotarians,
We need your help and active involvement!
The 2015 Maine Outdoor Challenge is the primary fundraiser for our Club, and it is the primary funding source for all of the projects we do both locally and abroad. We need your help to make this a success.
As a reminder, here is a brief description of the event:
Teams of 5 will spend 3 hours at the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School in Freeport, where they will receive lessons and then compete in 5-Stand Sporting Clays, Archery, Fly Casting and Geo Caching. We wrap up the event with a lobster bake and awards banquet, which is included for all participants. The cost for a 5-person team is $1000 with all proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and the Rotary Club of Portland Maine. We also give teams the option of foregoing the entry fee, and commit to using the web-based fund raising program we provide, seek and secure sponsorship from friends, family and associates.
No experience or equipment is needed. This is a fun and unique event that many have found to be a great way to entertain clients and prospects, as well as, a team building event for management and staff alike. Novices, as well as seasoned outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the time they spend with the professional staff at L.L. Bean. Our almost perfect repeat attendance rate demonstrates that companies and individuals find this a fun event that is well worth the cost, not to mention it is all going to help two worthy organizations.
What can you do:
1) Most importantly, we need teams. Build a team of your own or help to solicit a team form an individual or company that you know. I will help you sell it, but we need Rotarians to help bring potential teams to the table.
2) Have you or your company become an event sponsor or help to solicit a sponsorship form another company.
3) Help us secure donations of items and services to be used as auction items, raffle prizes and event awards.
4) Volunteer at the event, either at the L.L Bean Discovery School or at the Lobster bake.
Our club depends on this event to provide funding, and it also depends on you to help make this event a success. Everyone can help in some capacity. To see or print a copy of this year's event flyer, click HERE. A copy the flyer is also available on our club homepage by going to "Downloads" at the bottom left and click on "Maine Outdoor Challenge 2015."
If you have any questions, please reach out to Cyrus Hagge, Mike Fortunato or me (Kris). We will find the best way for you to help that fits your schedule, abilities and comfort level.
*03/20/15 HILARY BASSETT, EXEC. DIR. GRTR PORTLAND LANDMARKS
Our speaker/program for this Friday is Hilary Bassett, Executive Director of Greater Portland Landmarks (GPL). For over 40 years, GPL has worked to promote the preservation and revitalization of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes, and to encourage high-quality new architecture that enhances the livability and economic vitality of greater Portland, Maine. GPL is proud to provide leadership and advocacy, present educational publications, events and programs, and act as steward of the Portland Observatory (1807) for future generations. We are a privately supported nonprofit offering a wide range of resources, as well as a number of ways for you to get involved with the special community of people who care about the architecture of greater Portland.
Hilary has served as chief administrator and advocate for GPL since September 2000. Prior to joining GPL, she helped raise $1.3 million to restore the Portland Observatory, served on the development staff at Bowdoin College, and was an art museum administrator in Michigan and Indiana. Her passion for architecture, now focused on Portland, began in her home town of Louisville, KY, which has wonderful 19th-century buildings and Olmsted-designed parks. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College and a master's degree in business administration from Indiana University.
Hilary's topic will be "50 Years of Preserving 250 Years of Portland History."
03/13/15 Maine Energy, Patrick Woodcock, Director
On Friday, Patrick Woodcock, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) joined us for a discussion on oil, natural gas, renewables, and what the future holds for Maine.
(Photo: Patrick Woodcock and David Clough.)
The GEO is responsible for planning and coordinating state energy policy and serves as the primary energy policy advisor to the Governor. Mr. Woodcock provided the club with details about our unique energy profile, including that Maine has the highest expenditures in petroleum in the country. He also added that our high oil consumption has several contributing factors, including our climate, rural areas, and that Maine has a high percentage of pre-WW2 homes. On a positive note, Maine has the 4th cleanest electricity in the country.
A large portion of the presentation was dedicated to the natural gas pipeline. Once upon a time, Nova Scotia had a huge reserve of natural gas and in the 1990s, a pipeline was constructed traveling from New Brunswick to Connecticut to carry the gas. That reserve is drying up. Today, Portland imports natural gas from the middle east.....a situation Patrick finds risky and untenable. The biggest natural gas field in the world is the Marcellus field in Pennsylvania. No New England state is able to take advantage of it, however, because there is no pipeline available to carry the gas to New England. The governors of the New England states are now meeting regularly to see if a pipeline can be built and, if so, how to finance it.
Mr. Woodcock said the administration’s efforts would be directed at cost-effective tools to address our states unique energy needs. Rather than subsidize solar panels, the GEO is looking to provide funding for energy efficiency projects and innovative mini-split heat pumps.
To learn more about the Governor’s Energy Office and its plans for the future, visit http://maine.gov/energy.
Additionally, here is a link to the 2015 Comprehensive Energy Plan Update. http://maine.gov/energy/pdf/2015%20Energy%20Plan%20Update%20Final.pdf
It's a Gas Issue....
03/13/15 Maine Energy, Patrick Woodcock Director
On Friday, Patrick Woodcock, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) joined us for a discussion on oil, natural gas, renewables, and what the future holds for Maine.
(Photo: Patrick Woodcock and David Clough.)
The GEO is responsible for planning and coordinating state energy policy and serves as the primary energy policy advisor to the Governor. Mr. Woodcock provided the club with details about our unique energy profile, including that Maine has the highest expenditures in petroleum in the country. He also added that our high oil consumption has several contributing factors, including our climate, rural areas, and that Maine has a high percentage of pre-WW2 homes. On a positive note, Maine has the 4th cleanest electricity in the country.
A large portion of the presentation was dedicated to the natural gas pipeline. Once upon a time, Nova Scotia had a huge reserve of natural gas and in the 1990s, a pipeline was constructed traveling from New Brunswick to Connecticut to carry the gas. That reserve is drying up. Today, Portland imports natural gas from the middle east.....a situation Patrick finds risky and untenable. The biggest natural gas field in the world is the Marcellus field in Pennsylvania. No New England state is able to take advantage of it, however, because there is no pipeline available to carry the gas to New England. The governors of the New England states are now meeting regularly to see if a pipeline can be built and, if so, how to finance it.
Mr. Woodcock said the administration’s efforts would be directed at cost-effective tools to address our states unique energy needs. Rather than subsidize solar panels, the GEO is looking to provide funding for energy efficiency projects and innovative mini-split heat pumps.
To learn more about the Governor’s Energy Office and its plans for the future, visit http://maine.gov/energy.
Additionally, here is a link to the 2015 Comprehensive Energy Plan Update. http://maine.gov/energy/pdf/2015%20Energy%20Plan%20Update%20Final.pdf
03/13/15 BITS & PIECES
Russ Burleigh gave an emotional invocation, recalling his days growing up in Tavares, Florida, where racism was prevalent in his daily life. He shared the great regret that he has felt in seeing headlines this past week outlining racist incidents with his college fraternity, SAE, at the University of Oklahoma and even within our own state of Maine, with a state senator coming under fire for recent remarks. Russ concluded with the reading of a poignant poem by Maya Angelou.
We welcomed 44 members, two guests and one visiting Rotarian to our meeting.
Bob Martin conducted the raffle, worth $840, but Charlie Frair did not draw the elusive Queen of Hearts. The pot thickens.
Alan Nye, in an early celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, lead us in signing “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” with Kathy Grammar providing accompaniment on keyboard. The duo then acknowledged the March birthdays in the crowd with the traditional birthday song.
Our own International Service chair, John Curran, was featured in a story that ran last week on Channel 13 News, in which two Dominican children with heart issues were being aided at Maine Medical Center. The Westbrook-Gorham Rotary and Portland Rotary sponsored the Gift of Life program, which secures surgeries like this for needy children around the world. A link to view the story can be found at: http://www.wgme.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/maine-medical-center-performs-heart-surgery-2-needy-children-26361.shtml#.VQGEcPnF_A0
The Bangor Daily News also ran a story, which can be found at: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/16/health/children-from-dominican-republic-undergo-heart-surgeries-in-maine/
Community Service chair, Steve Stromsky,is in need of volunteers for The Preble Street Shelter on March 25th. Please contact Steve if you can help out. Also watch your email for further information.
Our Sergeant-at-Arms, Mike Fortunato, is going to be re-instituting the fine system for not wearing your Rotary lapel pin to a meeting. Be forewarned! In case you have lost or forgotten yours, additional lapel pins will be available for sale at the check-in table.......see Loretta.
Tom Nickerson became our newest Paul Harris Fellow (PHF)! Amy Chipman, Foundation Committee chair, with help from Peggy Wescott, aka Queenie, did the honors in awarding Tom his first PHF!
We will be holding a social event on Thursday, March 19th, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, at Allagash Brewery, 50 Industrial Way (off Riverside St). In past years, this 'taste and tour' has been a wonderful chance to get to know your fellow Portland Rotary members and, more importantly, a chance to invite a prospective member to visit with us in a purely social setting. You can reserve your spot by contacting Elise Hodgkin at: portlandrotary@maine.rr.com or calling 899-6342. You can pay at the door. The proceeds to go to our Childhood Health & Education (CHE) summer reading program. The cost is $15 per person or $25 per couple, with a variety of beers and light appetizers served.
Ron Bennett has been named to the District 7780 Finance and Budget Committee. Congratulations and thank you, Ron!
President Kris Rosado suggested a fine new idea: the club will donate money to our CHE (childhood, hunger and education) Program in memory of the passing of a Portland Rotarian and, on the other end of the spectrum, the birth of a baby to a club member with a donation to a 529 fund. The fund-raising drive will be financed through our "Happy Dollars" donations....which immediately began with a flurry of happy-dollar donors from no less than 14 members:
- Peggy Wescott - Happy that Tom Nickerson is back in the club.
- Julie L'Heureux - Happy to recognize Ron Bennett's appointment to the District Finance & Budget Committee.
- Elise Hodgkin - Just because.
- Mike Fortunato - To celebrate his new 2nd granddaughter.
- Alex St. Hilaire - A newly started Interact Club, sponsored by Portland Rotary.
- Don Zillman - That Bob Traill was selected 'Member of the Month' by USM Sullivan Gym.
- Kathy Grammer - Spring is Coming!
- Jim Willey - Leaving for Japan for 3 weeks of cuddling with his grandkids.
- Emily McEntee - Happy to have filled 4 positions at AMICA.
- Gracie Johnston - Her 15-year old son, Khem, tied the junior record track high jump 5 ft 2"...also earned his varsity letter as a freshman.
- Dave Small - Just for the hell of it.
- Kris Rosado - Proud to announce (for her) that member Janelle LoSciuto is pregnant!
- Rusty Atwood - That member, Bill Leavitt's, granddaughter finished 9th in NCAA Div. 1 Alpine Skiing.
The District Training Assembly will be held on Saturday, March 28th from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm at York Community College. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend to learn more about Rotary, especially incoming club officers and committee chairs. The club will cover the cost of registration.
For details and to register, please contact Loretta Rowe BY MARCH 27th at: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432.
On Wednesday, April 1st, from 9:45 to 10:45 am, members will be mentoring Deering High School sophomores in job interviewing, as well as life skills. This is an enjoyable way to see how the next generation of students is preparing for life after graduation. David Small is still seeking two or three members to round out the effort. Contact Dave at: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com
Peter Goffin re-introduced Gracie Johnston to the Club as our newest member. Gracie, who was a Portland Rotary Club member from 2001-2007 was referenced as “low-hanging fruit” in comparison with Peter’s efforts to get 1st VP Bowen Depke to join the club many years ago. It took just one beer, one meal and one “ask” to get Gracie back on board, while, let us just say that, Bowen was a more expensive and time-consuming effort. Welcome home, Gracie, who now works as a multi-media rep for WCSH 6.
*03/20/15 HILARY BASSETT, EXEC. DIR. GRTR PORTLAND LANDMARKS
Our speaker/program for this Friday is Hilary Bassett, Executive Director of Greater Portland Landmarks (GPL). For over 40 years, GPL has worked to promote the preservation and revitalization of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes, and to encourage high-quality new architecture that enhances the livability and economic vitality of greater Portland, Maine. GPL is proud to provide leadership and advocacy, present educational publications, events and programs, and act as steward of the Portland Observatory (1807) for future generations. We are a privately supported nonprofit offering a wide range of resources, as well as a number of ways for you to get involved with the special community of people who care about the architecture of greater Portland.
Hilary has served as chief administrator and advocate for GPL since September 2000. Prior to joining GPL, she helped raise $1.3 million to restore the Portland Observatory, served on the development staff at Bowdoin College, and was an art museum administrator in Michigan and Indiana. Her passion for architecture, now focused on Portland, began in her home town of Louisville, KY, which has wonderful 19th-century buildings and Olmsted-designed parks. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College and a master's degree in business administration from Indiana University.
Hilary's topic will be "50 Years of Preserving 250 Years of Portland History."
03/06/15 BITS & PIECES
Nan Heald presided over the raffle and gave Peggy Westcott a chance to take home $815, but she missed on her draw by pulling the Jack of Diamonds, so the pot remains intact to grow.
- Preble Street Soup Kitchen—22 members
- Summer Food & Reading Program—20 members
- Reading to K-3 Elementary students—14 members
- Mentoring in High Schools—9 members
- Deering High School Interviewing workshop—20 members
- Job Shadowing for High School students—10 members
- Internships—3 members
- Externships—3 members
- Long Creek Youth Center—12 members
(Photo: Sarah Taylor, John Curran, Ingri Beltre, with her daughter Cristal, Valentina Berroa with her son Jeremy and Paul Emery, Westbrook-Gorham Rotary.)
Bowen Depke and Harold Crabill co-sponsored and introduced a new member, Adam Shepherd. Adam has a background in youth education, lives in South Portland with his wife and 15-month-old, and works at Rippleffect in fund-raising and other roles.
03/06/15 MaineBiz, Peter Van Allen, Editor
One difference he observed between Maine and other places where he’s worked, are the importance of understanding the state’s communities, especially the sensitivities and issues special to small towns.
As a business journalist, Van Allen finds Maine’s business and political leaders to be especially approachable. Some even feel free to give out their cell phone numbers. Maine’s CEOs have a certain level of accountability. “People are interested in who Maine people are, where we live, and even the specifics about the locations of our homes and businesses. This is a Maine way of doing business. It’s a beautiful part of ‘the real Maine.’,” he said.
On March 19th, MaineBiz will host its first “On the Road” event at the Portland State Theater. For more information, click on: http://tinyurl.com/nd969ce.
(Photo: Peter Van Allen and President Kris Rosado)
Bigger Picture
03/13/15 GOVERNOR'S ENERGY OFFICE, PATRICK WOODCOCK
Patrick Woodcock, Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office (GEO), will be our featured speaker/program this Friday.
The mission of the GEO is to create effective public and private partnerships that advance Maine's energy security, economic development, and environmental health.
They are responsible for planning and coordinating state energy policy and serves as the primary energy policy advisor to the Governor. As the designated State Energy Office, the GEO is charged with providing leadership in the development of public and private partnerships that achieve clean, reliable, affordable, efficient, sustainable, indigenous and renewable energy resources. It is the responsibility of the GEO to work in conjunction with other departments of State government, the Legislature, and private and nonprofit sectors to advance and optimize Maine's energy security, economic development and environmental health. Maine's energy objectives are supported in part through GEO oversight and administration of the U.S. State Energy Program (SEP) funds and priorities.
Peter has held the position of Director since January 2013. Prior to that time, he worked for United States Senator Olympia Snowe in her Washington, D.C. office. Most recently, he held the position as senior advisor to the Senator on energy and environmental issues, and was one of the lead congressional staffers that authored the overhaul of fuel economy standards in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. In addition, Peter was the primary advisor on Senator Snowe’s energy agenda on the Senate Finance Committee. Peter attended Bowdoin College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
Bigger Picture
*03/13/15 GOVERNOR'S ENERGY OFFICE, PATRICK WOODCOCK
Patrick Woodcock, Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office (GEO), will be our featured speaker/program this Friday.
The mission of the GEO is to create effective public and private partnerships that advance Maine's energy security, economic development, and environmental health.
They are responsible for planning and coordinating state energy policy and serves as the primary energy policy advisor to the Governor. As the designated State Energy Office, the GEO is charged with providing leadership in the development of public and private partnerships that achieve clean, reliable, affordable, efficient, sustainable, indigenous and renewable energy resources. It is the responsibility of the GEO to work in conjunction with other departments of State government, the Legislature, and private and nonprofit sectors to advance and optimize Maine's energy security, economic development and environmental health. Maine's energy objectives are supported in part through GEO oversight and administration of the U.S. State Energy Program (SEP) funds and priorities.
Peter has held the position of Director since January 2013. Prior to that time, he worked for United States Senator Olympia Snowe in her Washington, D.C. office. Most recently, he held the position as senior advisor to the Senator on energy and environmental issues, and was one of the lead congressional staffers that authored the overhaul of fuel economy standards in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. In addition, Peter was the primary advisor on Senator Snowe’s energy agenda on the Senate Finance Committee. Peter attended Bowdoin College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government.
03/06/15 MaineBiz, Peter Van Allen, Editor
David Clough introduced Peter Van Allen, Editor of MaineBiz. In May, 2014, Van Allen became the editor of MaineBiz, a bi-weekly business journal. His 25 years of journalism experience included positions with the Philadelphia Business Journal and business editor at the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the Post-Tribune in Gary, Indiana. He’s an native of Iowa City, Iowa.
Our Portland invitation was the first time he’d ever spoken to a group of Rotarians. He's also been invited to speak to the Rotary Club in York, ME, in May.
Van Allen gave an optimistic report about his perceptions of Maine.....quality of life is an attraction for Maine vacationers and businesses.
In fact, the quality of life attracted he and his wife to revisit the state. They developed their affection for Maine about 15 years ago, while vacationing. First, they fell in love with the scenery and then the pace of life became appealing to them. They now live in Yarmouth.
Among his editorial goals is to keep the “Maine” in MaineBiz.
One difference he observed between Maine and other places where he’s worked, are the importance of understanding the state’s communities, especially the sensitivities and issues special to small towns.
He’s involved in meeting people and entrepreneurs throughout Maine. A few examples included William Haggett, the CEO of Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, ME, and formerly the CEO of Bath Iron Works (BIW), who led the company’s three for-profit companies to the $100 million mark in collective sales. Moreover, the Pineland Farms profits continue to grow. He met with CEO of the Cianbro Companies, Peter Vigue, who advocated for business opportunities he envisioned to help transform the state’s economy and improve the lives of Mainers.
As a business journalist, Van Allen finds Maine’s business and political leaders to be especially approachable. Some even feel free to give out their cell phone numbers. Maine’s CEOs have a certain level of accountability. “People are interested in who Maine people are, where we live, and even the specifics about the locations of our homes and businesses. This is a Maine way of doing business. It’s a beautiful part of ‘the real Maine.’,” he said.
Yet, in the midst of the optimism are the Maine people who are struggling, too. He hears about how people need jobs, but they also need the skills to do the jobs. Population density is likewise a challenge to doing business in small towns.
Although Forbes’ annual ratings of the best states for business places, Maine ranked 49th among the 50, he said this ranking is a disservice because it overlooks the opportunities. A challenge to business development is matching education with hiring. Some Maine companies he’s spoken with simply can’t keep workers, either because their skills don’t match the jobs or the qualified workers find employment elsewhere.
Another challenge is the “trailing spouse” issue, especially concerning if one or the other happens to lose their Maine employment.
Maine businesses have benefited from people who moved into the state. For example, E.B. White moved to Maine to write, but his family stayed to develop businesses in the maritime industries.
Maine is positively known for certain quality names. There’s a reputation for quality reinforced by having vacationers take pride in certain name brands. “A sense of “specialness,” quality and pride are developed about what’s here,” he said. In fact, efforts have been put forth to brand everything made in Maine and that leaves the state as “Made in Maine.”
On March 19th, MaineBiz will host its first “On the Road” event at the Portland State Theater. For more information, click on: http://tinyurl.com/nd969ce.
(Photo: Peter Van Allen and President Kris Rosado)
03/06/15 BITS & PIECES
Peggy Wescott led us in a brief invocation and Russ Burleigh drove the tune for "God Bless America."
President Kris invited everyone to sign a condolence card for Stella Patten, in honor of PDG, and Past-President, Bob Patten, who recently passed away. President Kris shared his conversation with Stella Patten, who expressed her appreciation for the expressions of support and remembrance of Bob. He reported that she was particularly hopeful that Bob’s favorite Rotary project of the annual clean up of Jewell Island would continue to be supported by the club, a wish that is being pursued by Bowen Depke, Harold Crabill, and Jim Willey in Bob’s honor.
President Kris welcomed 47 Rotarian members, 2 visiting Rotarians, and 8 guests.
Nan Heald presided over the raffle and gave Peggy Westcott a chance to take home $815, but she missed on her draw by pulling the Jack of Diamonds, so the pot remains intact to grow.
(Photo at left: Nan Heald and Peggy "Queenie" Wescott. President Kris Rosado in background.)
President Kris reminded everyone of the Interviewing Workshop at Deering High School on Wednesday, April 1st, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Contact David Small to sign up at: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com.
George Crockett recommended his friend Nanuschka, who has recently arrived in Portland as an asylum seeker from Burundi. She has successfully received her work permits and is waiting for her asylum to be approved. She holds a college degree in international business, is extremely capable, and highly-recommended by George. Contact him at 828-9571 if you know of a potential job for her in Portland.
2nd VP Laura Young thanked everyone for completing their 'Childhood Hunger and Education' (CHE) surveys and reported that club members are enthused to work on these issues in Portland. Over half of the club members (62) are willing to help with CHE activities in the following ways:
- Preble Street Soup Kitchen—22 members
- Summer Food & Reading Program—20 members
- Reading to K-3 Elementary students—14 members
- Mentoring in High Schools—9 members
- Deering High School Interviewing workshop—20 members
- Job Shadowing for High School students—10 members
- Internships—3 members
- Externships—3 members
- Long Creek Youth Center—12 members
John Curran introduced two happy families from the Dominican Republic who accompanied their children, Jeremy (12) and Kristoff (4) for their successful heart surgery at Maine Medical Center. Sponsored by 'Gift of Life for Maine,' they stayed at the Ronald McDonald House and are scheduled to return home next week. Paul Emery, head of the Gift of Life for Maine, and a Rotarian from the Westbrook-Gorham Rotary Club, thanked the club for its support, and Sarah Taylor, who coordinated everything for the families.
(Photo at right: Sarah Taylor, John Curran, Ingri Beltre, with her daughter Cristal, Valentina Berroa with her son Jeremy and Paul Emery, Westbrook-Gorham Rotary.)
Amy Chipman provided a quick update on the club’s Rotary Foundation goal: as of Friday, members have contributed $12,800 toward our $15,500 annual goal. “We’re going to make it this year for sure!” Amy also called Past President Bill Blount forward to receive his fourth Paul Harris Fellow award. She noted his generous contributions to the Foundation, and his work as the club’s Director of Athletics and Recreation, among other things.
Bill Blount reminded everyone of the fundraising "tasting and tour" event at Allaghash Brewery, 50 Industrial Way, Portland, on March 19th from 6 to 9pm. RSVP’s to Elise Hodgkin or Dave Seddon. The ticket cost of $15 per person or $25 per couple is payable at the door.
Bowen Depke and Harold Crabill co-sponsored and introduced a new member, Adam Shepherd. Adam has a background in youth education, lives in South Portland with his wife and 15-month-old, and works at Rippleffect in fund-raising and other roles.
Mike Fortunato is celebrating another grandchild, a baby girl.....Grace Marie Rizzo.
Finally, we bid a 'bon voyage' to the 3-H team as they depart for the Dominican Republic.
DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS......
STORM-RELATED CANCELLATION OF MEETINGS
In Memoriam
On February 21, 2015 PDG Robert H. Patten passed away at the age of 91, four days shy of his 92nd birthday. Bob was born in Philadelphia, PA. Since 1965, he has been an active member of the Portland Rotary Club, where he served as club president in 1982-83. Bob was the first Rotarian to make Jean Thompson Harris (founder Paul Harris’ wife) a PHF. From his efforts, he received a personal letter from then RI President Dochterman thanking him.
Bob was the first District Governor of the newly re-numbered Rotary District 7780 from 1991-1992 and is remembered as a fun-loving person who imbued a spark into everything he did. He was positive and supportive, not only of his beloved Rotary, but of Rotarians, as well. While District Governor, Bob was proud to be instrumental in the “Jewell Island Project,” where several clubs in our district and the group study exchange from Brazil participated in a hands-on-project of building ‘privies’ on the island.
Bob will always be remembered as one of Portland Rotary’s gentle “giants.” We thank him for sharing part of his life with us.
02/27/15 BITS & PIECES
We met at the Portland State Company on Forest Avenue. President Kris called upon Paul Tully, who gave us a Shakespearian-themed invocation, “All the World’s a Stage.” President Kris drew our attention to Jim Willey, as with no flag present, he was asked to lead our patriotic fervor in the Pledge! President Kris then led us with our patriotic song.
We enjoyed our luncheon with 42 members, two visiting Rotarians (Paul Rothman and Richard Kraft) and 7 guests.
Loretta conducted the raffle for $796, asking Tom Talbott to pull a name from the bucket. When he drew Loretta's name, Garvey MacLean stepped up to fan the cards, so everything was "above board." Claiming there were still too many cards in the deck, Loretta failed to find the elusive Queen of Hearts, but instead the King of Clubs found its way to be stricken from the deck. And the pot thickens.
2nd VP Laura Young Introduced Hayat Fulli, Youth Service Award recipient from Deering High School. Principal Ira Waltz extolled her many impressive accomplishments and her intention to return to her birthplace, Ethiopia, after her completing her education in obstetrics.
(Photo at left: Youth Service Award recipient: Hayat Fulli.
Photo at right: Principal of DHS, Ira Waltz, Hayat Fulli and 2nd VP Laura Young.)
Dave Small spoke about the Deering High School's Student Coaching program, started by his son, who is a teacher in the school system. A key feature of the coaching program is a day of mock interviews conducted by Rotarians with students to help them hone their interviewing skills. The date for this spring’s mock interview session is April 1st, 9:50 to 11:00 a.m. Dave is looking for 6-7 more volunteers. He can be reached at: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com
Dave Seddon, along with assistance from Rob Chatfield and Jim Willey, announced a revisit to the Allaghash Brewery, 50 Industrial Way, Portland on Thursday, March 19th, for a fellowship/fundraiser opportunity. Cost $15/person or $25/couple...you can pay at the door. To reserve your spot, contact Dave Seddon at: peakcore@gmail.com or 272-7174.
02/27/15 Portland Stage, Anita Stewart & Carmen Mandley
After pledging our allegiance to Jim Willey, and a rousing “stage voice” from Rob Chatfield, the stage was set for a wonderful presentation by our hosts for the week, the Portland Stage Company (Stage). Yes, Portland Rotary was on the road again.
In the tight quarters of what is primarily used as the Theater For Kids, our hosts Anita Stewart and Carmen Mandley, gave us an overview of the inner-workings of the theatre. One of the first points was to talk about the kids' program, which centers on being inclusive, not competitive. Kids of all ages find the means to a voice, while encouraging creativity, participation, and collaboration. Programs like “Play Me A Story” on Saturday mornings have been a big hit. The program has seen over 12,000 kids participate in the program since its inception.
As far as the main playhouse, 45% of the actors are local, the rest being sourced talent from all over the country. Many stay for the duration of the play, approximately 2 months, but over the years, a good number has taken up permanent residence in the Portland area.
When asked how plays are selected for production, the response was to find plays that are relevant to the community and to society, and indeed sometimes to provoke discussion. The topics are wide and varied. On a question regarding funding, in addition to ticket sales, the Portland Stage relies strongly on grants, and donations from individuals and business.
Aside from outstanding theatrical talent, the Stage is also widely recognized for it’s brilliance in the set design and props. The average cost for each play runs about $2500-$3000, a small amount by any standard, and marginally less than what is spent in comparative markets. Yet, for anyone who has seen a play at Portland Stage can testify, the sets are roundly impressive. As the meeting closed, everyone was invited on a backstage tour to see how where it’s all built, as well as to get a first hand look at the brand new set just assembled for the opening night of “The Whipping Man.” The scene of the run down, old southern mansion from the Civil War era was amazing, and had every DIY’er of home projects wondering how in the world they could build something so impressive on such a small budget.
So next time you’re looking for something great to do, take in a play at the Portland Stage Company. Better yet, buy a 'Flex Pass,' good for 6 tickets to any event you want! It’s where Great Theatre Lives!
(Photo: Anita Stewart, Carmen Mandley and President Kris.)
(Photo at right: Andrew Harris, Production Manager, Education Artist and Actor in Portland Stage theatre explaining production & sets.)
(Photo at left: Portland Stage Carpentry Shop Tour)
Don't forget to turn your clocks FORWARD.....
Reminder to set your clocks ahead one hour on
Sunday, March 8th, and check your smoke detector batteries.
*03/06/15 PETER VAN ALLEN, EDITOR MAINEBIZ
Our program this week will be presented by Peter Van Allen, Editor of MaineBiz.
We are fortunate to get Peter on dry ground, as he reports to spending 200 days a year on the water, either in a rowing shell, kayak, sailboat, surfboard, or stand-up paddle boat. When he’s not paddling around, he has spent the past 25 years writing and editing newspapers and magazines. Prior to joining Mainebiz in May 2014, Peter was with the Philadelphia Business Journal 15 years. Previous to that, he was both editor and reporter for such publications as Vanguard, American Banker, the (Gary, Ind.) Post Tribune, the (Camden, NJ) Courier Post, as well as reporting and writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the NY Times. No surprise, he has also contributed to Rower’s Digest, Rowing News, and Liquid Salt. Peter graduated in 1988 from Goddard College, with a BA in Non-fiction writing. Upon moving to Maine, Peter and his family took up residence in Yarmouth. Says Peter, "For the past decade, my family and I have been lucky enough to spend our vacations in Midcoast Maine. My younger daughter summed up our love of Maine this way: 'It was one week of vacation and 51 weeks of waiting.'" For our sake, we hope he can deal with the snow and ice.
Be Strong!
*02/27/15 PORTLAND STAGE
The Rotary Club of Portland will be "on the road" this Friday, February 27, 2015. We will be meeting at the Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Avenue. The Portland Stage Company was founded as the Profile Theater in 1974 as a touring company. They made Portland their permanent home in 1976 and changed their name to Portland Stage Company in 1978. One of the first productions of the Profile Theater was "Hair."
We will first hear from Anita Stewart, Artistic and Executive Director and from Carmen-Marie Mandley, Literary and Education Manager. Following their presentations we will be led on a back stage tour by General Manager, Megan Doane.
Following the tour we will finish in their main stage area where we will have the business part of our meeting.
Carmen is an education artist, actor, playwright, producer, and artisan. She is a long-time company member with Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts,the founder and artistic director of the Nickel Shakespeare Girls (National award-winning female Shakespeare troupe), founding Artistic Director of Bare Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, (where she also served as education director for the Raleigh Little Theatre), as well as being a produced playwright and published poet. She is grateful and thrilled to begin her journey as Education and Literary Manager at Portland Stage
Anita Stewart is one of the few professional theater designers in the United States serving in a leadership role at a regional theater. As Executive & Artistic Director, Stewart is responsible for keeping Portland Stage’s mission and vision in focus, both onstage and off. During her tenure at Portland Stage, Stewart has made a commitment to combining the best local talent with exceptional artists from around the country to create productions of the highest quality. Stewart’s passion and commitment for education is evidenced by Portland Stage’s ever expanding K-12 Education and Artistic Development & Dialogue programs. She uses the process of theater to create K-12 age-appropriate education programs that support the Common Core Standards and help to create our critical thinkers of the next generation.
Portland Stage’s Artistic Development & Dialogue programs, created under Stewart’s tenure, are specifically designed programs to nurture developing young artists and cultivate the skills of seasoned artists. Stewart remains keenly interested in promoting and cultivating audience involvement in the theatrical process and the artist connection to community programs. As an integral member of the national arts community, Stewart also finds time to participate in granting panels for organizations across the country including: Maine Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Theater Communications Group and Alpert Awards.
Starting this week, the current production will be "The Whipping Man". In the last days of the Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier returns to find only two former slaves in the shambles of the mansion they all called home. As the three men cautiously begin celebrating Passover, secrets come to light that batter their trust and force them to come to terms with their past, present, and future.
L to R- Brooks Brantley (John), Ray Anthony Thomas (Simon), and Tom White (Caleb). |
02/20/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris welcomed 45 members, 1 visiting Rotarian and 5 guests of Rotarians, along with our 3 guest program presenters.
Kathy Grammer delivered our invocation.
Rusty Atwood managed the raffle, with Amy Chipman's name being drawn for the opportunity to win $778, but sadly she picked the ten of diamonds.
Russ Burleigh and Bill Blount led us in a Rotary song written by President Kris and set to the tune of “As the Caissons Go Rolling Along.” Well written, Mr. President.
Laura Young provided an update on the Childhood Hunger and Education Program, observing that the on-line survey has been taken by over 100 participants. She also reminded us of the March 19th Allagash Brewery event. Funds from the event will be used to purchase books for children in the Portland schools' Summer Feed & Read Program.
Dave Small spoke about the Deering School's Student Coaching program, started by his son, who is a teacher in the school system. A key feature of the Coaching program is a day of mock interviews conducted by Rotarians with students to help them hone their interviewing skills. The date for this spring’s mock interview session is April 1st, 9:50 to 11:00 a.m. Dave is looking for 12-16 volunteers. He can be reached at: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com
Bill Blount announced the Rotary Ski Day on February 27th at Sunday River. Folks can meet at 9:00 a.m. at the South Ridge Lodge and/or at noon at the North Ridge Lodge for lunch.
President Kris announced for Steve Stromsky that the Preble Street Soup Kitchen volunteer program is now fully staffed for our next volunteer night on Wednesday, Feb. 25th. Great support from Portland Rotary. The Baxter School, which is forming an Interact Club with the corroboration of Portland Rotary, will have some of their students assisting in the Preble Street program.
02/20/15 Portland Ballet
In the movie, “You’ve Got Mail,” there’s a melancholy scene where Colleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) wistfully recites the name and author of the classic children’s book by Noel Streatfeild, Ballet Shoes, for a clueless sales clerk in the Fox bookstore. Parents of daughters will remember it as the story of three orphans who set out to help their adoptive family by becoming famous ballet dancers, without knowing it would be such hard work.
That memory came to mind Friday when guest speaker Genie O’Brien, executive director of the Portland Ballet, asked dancer Jennifer Jones to execute the échappé movement (up and down on her toes).
“These performers are athletes, who make things look simple,” she said. “In this move, the full weight of her body is on the end of her toes. The shoes don’t hold her up; she holds her up.” Ms. O’Brien continued to make the point that ballet performers had a complicated job by challenging us to try a simple task: “Hold an imaginary piece of chalk in your left hand and draw the lines of a square to the count of twelve.” Simple enough, we thought. “Now, take the chalk in your right hand and draw the lines of a triangle to the count of twelve.” Even easier, we laughed. “Now, break the chalk in half, take a piece in each hand, draw the square with your left hand and the triangle with your right, at the same time.” Well, OK, point taken.....we all groaned. “The dancer’s work is more complex. Ballet is more than The Nutcracker.”
Ms. O’Brien also described the need for good flooring beneath the dancers, saying the optimal floor was a seven-layer basket weave to provide some resilience to the dancers. Many people, she said, believe the toe shoes provide steel or wood to protect the dancers, so she demonstrated a pair of shoes that had been sliced in half to show their construction. “The toes soften up like chewing gum,” she said. She also pointed out that shoes cost from $80 to $100. “Jennifer’s tutu, however, cost $3,700. All of our costumes are hand-made. Your ticket, however, only costs $15.”
Melissa Lin, President of the Portland Ballet’s Board of Directors talked about some of the challenges faced by the company, both in finding a replacement for Genie O’Brien, who is retiring after 35 years, and with the continuing need for funds to support the Ballet School and various productions. “We are a full professional ballet company with a $49 million economic impact....$26 million spent on the ballet company and school, the rest of the impact through restaurants, hotels, photographers, and other businesses.” She said that 40 percent of the company’s costs were covered by ticket sales, and the rest by private and corporate giving. Ms. O’Brien and Ms. Lin discussed the impact of the Portland School of Ballet. “This is not just sweet little girls playing at dance, but we’re creating smart, entrepreneurial students who go out in the world.” She said that graduates are highly accomplished and sought after. “We have the Joffrey Ballet visiting next week to see our students.” In addition to the professional school, which attracts students from around the world due to its reputation, Portland Ballet also sponsors a program to bring local school kids in to see the arts in action. They also have open adult classes, which include students in their seventies. “Come on in,” said Ms. O’Brien. “See if you have what it takes.”
Asked what advice she would give to young people about learning to dance and pursuing a career in the performing arts, Jennifer Jones said, “You are not in it for the money or a glamorous life style. You have to love it.” (Photos: Jennifer Jones)
Funny Road Signs
*02/20/15 PORTLAND BALLET
Our program at Portland Rotary this Friday will three persons from the Portland Ballet, Eugenia O'Brien, Jennifer Jones and Melissa Lin.
Eugenia L. O'Brien – Artistic / Executive Director, Founder of Portland Ballet (PBC), is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Dance and she was their 2012 distinguished Alumni Award recipient. She has performed with Movement Laboratory, Concert Dance Company, Boston Dance Theater, and represented the U.S. at the International Academy of Dance, Portugal. She completed the Academic Classical Ballet course with Egon Bischoff at the International Ballet School in Jackson, MS and attended the 2006 Balletto Internazionale Americano-Adriatico Teacher’s Seminar in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. She promotes education through dance establishing CORPS (a performing arts partnership for high school credit), City Dance (dance instructors teaching in the public schools), Dance Discovery Days (performances at the schools), and Youth Concerts (schools come to the theater to see dance). She continues to serve as the Artistic and Executive Director for both the Portland School of Ballet and the Portland Ballet Company – and is assisting in the Executive Director search for her exit in June.
Jennifer Jones came to PBC in 2010 after four seasons as a Principal Dancer with The Northwest Florida Ballet. Previous to dancing in Florida, she danced as a Soloist with Montgomery Ballet, and an Apprentice with Dance Connecticut (formerly Hartford Ballet). Her repertoire includes both classical and contemporary works (from Kitri in Don Quixote to Tiger Lilly in Alice in Wonderland) with Portland Ballet credits which include Katrina in the 2011 production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Giselle in Giselle, and the Sugar Plum Fairy in PBC’s 2014 The Victorian Nutcracker. She will be Portland Ballet’s Titania in their upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in April.
Melissa Lin's passion for leadership and civic duty began with her love for community service growing up. Melissa currently serves as Board President of the Portland Ballet. By day, Melissa is a senior healthcare consultant at Stroudwater Associates and travels to hospitals nationally to help them find new solutions that address the complexities of healthcare delivery. Prior to the Portland Ballet, she served as the Board Vice President and Sponsorship Chair for the Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine, and has participated with Lift360 in both their Young Emerging Leaders program and Leadership Intensive program. In her remaining spare time, Melissa loves to cook and eat food, is an avid photographer, and performs Chinese folk dance in her spare time.
02/13/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris welcomed 54 members, 2 Honorary members and 8 visiting guests to Portland Rotary.
Our invocation was given by Julie L'Heureux.
The raffle was conducted by Harold Crabill, who asked Russ Burleigh to pick the name out of the bucket and he pulled Jack Carr’s name. Jack picked the Jack of Clubs! $755 jackpot was not won.
The club's second ski trip is scheduled for Thursday, February 26th at Sunday River with a guarantee of snow. For further information, contact Ellen Niewoehner: ellen.niewoehner@td.com
Esther Hickman announced a cabaret fundraiser at The Cathedral for Mardi Gras from 4-6pm where you can hear her sing! For more details go to: http://portlanddiocese.net/content/fat-tuesday-cabaret-guild-hall-portland
Jim Willey shared information about the group of Rotarian volunteers that go to the Cedar Unit at Long Creek Youth Center every month to play games with the children had an extra fun time making 130 Valentine's for the 130 residents at the Maine Veterans Home. He read a thank you letter to the club.
Rusty Atwood had the list of the 101 Charter Club members from 1915 on the tables requesting volunteers to pick a name or 2 and research the individual(s). His request was for the researchers to get back to him on their findings, as we prepare for our Centennial. And the Boston Red Sox beat the Phillies that year with a rookie pitcher named Babe Ruth!
Don Zillman reminded everyone that the program next week will be two presenters from the Portland Ballet and about their performance on Saturday night that would be a great idea to attend with your loved one(s).
Steve Stromsky made an appeal for more Preble Street volunteers for Portland Rotary's night on February 25th. Watch your email for more details! Contact Steve at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
President-elect Bowen Depke and 2nd Vice President Laura Young presented the Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) initiative and asked everyone to sign up for at least one action item on their handout. Here's a link for the PowerPoint, in case you missed the meeting: http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/7780/6643/HTML/234357//CHEStrategyv5.pdf
02/13/15 State of the Legislature, Erik Jorgensen
Our own Erik Jorgensen, Representative for House District 41, shared with us some insights into issues before the Legislature this term, particularly an analysis of the Governor’s proposed budget. “This is the strangest job in the world,” he said, “but a great honor.” With a picture of the State House taken on Thursday as a backdrop, Rep. Jorgensen pointed out that the “coldness outside belies the heat inside.”
Rep. Jorgensen, re-appointed to the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, said he was pleased that the first legislative effort of the session was to pass, and have signed by the Governor, a tax conformity package to make Maine’s tax code conform to the U.S. tax law. “I’m encouraged that we started out with a more substantive beginning than last year when our first act was to name the state dessert.” But, he added, there remain legislative proposals that are a waste of time, such as the one to recognize an official state dog. “I always vote “no” on these bills that generate a lot of attention. Not that I don’t like dogs, but because these are bad ideas.” There are over 2,000 bills to be considered this session.
Erik focused on some of the specifics in the Governor’s Budget Proposal, which has not generated as much discussion in the State House as one might expect. “This is so sweeping, large, and complicated that no one knows how to comment.” He said that everyone could find something they like, and something not to like. “It reminds me of my cat looking at the vacuum cleaner. There are tax increases, spending cuts, and tax shifts. Everyone is nervous.”
Erik reviewed several charts showing tax revenues and expenditures. See this link: http://www.erikjorgensen.org/uploads/1/1/6/3/11636961/2016-2017budgetoverview.pdf
“Overall,” he said, “I worry about taking too much out. There is an $800-million tax revenue decline over six years, which is worrisome. I don’t want us to end up in the same predicament as Kansas.” Shifting the tax burden to visitors and tourists is a good idea, he said, but the sales tax base is narrower than it appears since building materials and auto sales generate the majority of those revenues. “When they tank, the economy suffers.” The proposed elimination of itemized deductions for home mortgage interest and charitable contributions, along with a tax on non-profits, presents a mix of good and bad news.
Rep. Jorgensen also tied the budget proposal directly to its impact on Portland, pointing out that the city will be affected more than any other municipality in Maine with a proposed loss of $14 million in state funds, including a $7 million loss for general assistance. “This is really not well-understood,” he said, “80 percent of this goes directly to housing, just like every other municipality. No cash changes hands.” The impact of this loss would be on people who are homeless, and legal, but undocumented, immigrants. He pointed to our club’s experience assisting the Burundi community as examples of those impacted.
He encouraged members to get involved in the discussions in the Legislature, which begins eight weeks of hearings on Monday. “People on both sides of the issues are working on these problems in earnest,” he said. “I have a good feeling about what we can do.”
(Photo: President Kris Rosado thanking Rep. Erk Jorgensen for his presentation.)
02/06/15 BITS & PIECES
Dominating conversations during our Rotary lunch at the Clarion were snow reports, especially the daunting task of keeping our homes' driveways plowed while Maine and New England are experiencing a series of measurable snow falls.
President Kris welcomed 50 Portland Rotarians, 3 visiting Rotarians and 4 guests of Rotarians. Among the visiting Rotarians was the guest speaker, Reverend Dr. Robert Grove-Markwood.
Garvey MacLean offered us the invocation.
Anne Fisher thanked everyone who made a donation through "The Gift of Life" program of clothing and money to help the Dominican Republic families who will be arriving in Portland to accompany children having heart surgery at Maine Medical Center. The families will be staying at the Ronald MacDonald House and are in need of winter clothing. Donations of money will also be accepted to help buy phone cards and additional necessary items.
Charlie Frair conducted the weekly raffle, with Karen Carney’s name being drawn for a chance to win, but the $739.00 jackpot will continue to grow, because she failed to pull the Queen of Hearts.
In lieu of a song, President Kris conducted a "Happy Dollars" segment. Those willing to brag:
- Peggy "Queenie" Wescott - "happy" that her son and his wife were flying home from T'aipei, Taiwan!
- Roxane Cole - "happy" that the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl!
- Loretta Rowe - "extra happy" dittoing Roxane's "happy" on the Pats win, because she bet on them to win the super Bowl back in October AND THEY DID IT!
Foundation Chair Amy Chipman thanked everyone for their support during her bereavement for her recently-deceased mother, Joan Barnes of Scarborough.
Amy asked the attending members of three different 'Circles of 5' Foundation contributors to come to the front of the room and drew a winning name from each group to win a Paul Harris Fellow. The three winning Rotarians were: Julie L'Heureux, Jon Young and Dick Hall....Congratulations to all! If you wish to learn more about participating in a 'Circle of Five,' please contact Amy: amy.chipman@rbc.com
Community Service Chair Steve Stromsky thanked the many Rotarians that volunteered at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen on Jan. 28th. He stressed the need for volunteers to prep/serve dinner on the fourth Wednesday of each month...our next volunteer night will be Feb. 25th. Parking help is offered by our member, Salvation Army Commanding Officer, Steve Ditmer, who has authorized Rotary volunteers to park in the Salvation Army’s LOWER lot behind their building. Steve requested a few volunteers to arrive at 3:30 p.m. to help with food preparation. If you can help, please contact him: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
One of the proudest events we experience is sharing Rotary with others by bringing them into our Rotary family.
President-nominee Don Zillman (standing in for Don Lowry) introduced and pinned Nan Heald, Executive Director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance as our newest member; Past President Jim Willey introduced and pinned Leonard Scott, Owner of Assist2Sell Buyers & Sellers Realty, also as a new member.
Welcome Nan and Leonard!
(Photo: President Kris, Jim Willey, Leonard Scott, Don Zillman and Nan Heald)
02/06/15 Religion in the 21st Century - Rev. Robert Grove-Markwood
Our speaker on Friday was Rev. Robert Grove-Markwood, former head of the Bangor Theological Seminary, which closed its degree programs in June 2013, is now Executive Director of its successor, The BTS Center (BTS). The story of how the seminary morphed into 'BTS' is the story of how religion has changed in this country in the last 40 years.
Beginning in the 1980's and extending into this century, poll after religious poll has shown that Americans were turning away from organized religion. The latest poll, in 2005, asked the question which religion was preferred by most people. What the overwhelming majority listed as their favorite: none. This, of course, is defined as secularism, and the fall-out from its growth overwhelmed the seminary. Student enrollment dropped, teachers left, outside funding and donations dried up. Although it had been around 100 years or more, it almost closed. Instead, it reinvented itself as BTS.
Classes were discontinued, students were transferred to other seminaries to finish their degrees, employees were let go and out of the sadness and confusion, a new vision emerged: a think tank for religion. It was no easy task for a Board of Trustees to take a hard look at itself and decide their beloved institution had become irrelevant. In short, as the Reverend, himself said, "despite its long, fruitful history, the seminary had become a start-up....The BTS Center, where they study, analyze and talk about religious beliefs of all kinds, hold conferences, and present papers.
BTS is a non-profit entity providing professional development programs for clergy and laity, with offices at 97 India Street in Portland.
02/13/15 CHE Update
This Friday, Bowen Depke and Laura Young will present the plan for Portland Rotary to address Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) in Portland, including strategies that can include all members. For a sneak preview, here’s a link to their power point presentation from our club website:
http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/7780/6643/HTML/234357//CHEStrategyv5.pdf
Happy Valentine's Day
DON'T FORGET YOUR LOVED ONE ON VALENTINE'S DAY!
*02/13/15 ERIK JORGENSEN, MAINE LEGISLATIVE SESSION
This week we will be hearing from one of our own members, The Honorable Erik C. Jorgensen, who is serving his second term in the Maine House of Representatives. Erik will offer a preview of many of the issues to be taken up by the legislature in the coming session, especially the ambitious budget proposal put forth by Governor LePage.
Erik is a returning member of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, the legislature's budget-writing committee. He has also served on the Commission to Study Transparency, Costs and Accountability of Health Care System Financing.
Erik has 25 years of experience as an administrator in Maine's educational and cultural sector. Since joining the Legislature, he has been working in that field as a consultant, and continues to serve on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.
Prior to his election in 2012, he served as the executive director of the Maine Humanities Council, a statewide educational organization and Maine's affiliate of the federal National Endowment for the Humanities. He also spent a decade as director of the Brunswick-based Pejepscot Historical Society.
Erik has overseen local history and cultural projects in schools, libraries, museums and other organizations across the state. He believes that cultural understanding is a critical underpinning of successful public policy.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College and a Master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, where he was a Henry Brooks fellow at the Kennedy School of Government.
Erik and his wife, Tamarra Risser, live in Portland's Deering neighborhood, along with their son, Will, a student in the Portland public schools. His district includes Deering Center and surrounding neighborhoods.
Passing of Former Portland Rotarian
Richard "Dick" Small passed away on January 30, 2015, while at the Barron Center in Portland, due to the long good-bye of Alzheimer's. He was 86 years of age.
Dick had been a member of Portland Rotary from 1967-99. His obituary was in the Portland Press Herald on Monday, February 2, 2015 and can be accessed at: pressherald.com
Friends and family are invited to a memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 at 12 noon at Eastpoint Christian Church, 58 City Lane Drive, Portland. To offer words of condolence and share memories with the family, please go to athutchins.com
*02/06/15 ROBERT GROVE-MARKWOOD, Ex. Director BTS Center
Our Rotary meeting this Friday welcomes the Reverend Dr. Robert Grove-Markwood as our speaker. Bob is the Executive Director of The BTS Center, successor to Bangor Theological Seminary, which closed its degree programs in June 2013. The BTS Center is a non-profit entity providing professional development programs for clergy and laity, with offices at 97 India Street in Portland.
The BTS Center is a think tank that sponsors educational events, projects, and research inquiries in the fields of religion, practical theology, and ministry. Through thought leadership and vocational development initiatives, The BTS Center equips and supports clergy and laity for theologically grounded, effective leadership in 21st-century communities of faith and practice.
Dr. Grove-Markwood served for 25 years as the pastor of the Presque Isle Congregational Church, United Church of Christ (1987 – 2012). He was named the 11th President of Bangor Theological Seminary, July 1, 2012 (after a year as interim), and led the seminary through an historic transition. He has an extensive history with the seminary, having received both M. Div. (1982) and D. Min. (2003) degrees from the institution, served as the director of admissions from January 1985 to June 1987, and was a member of its board of trustees for five years (2006-2011).
Dr. Grove-Markwood is an honorary member and a past president of the Presque Isle Rotary Club, a Paul Harris Fellow, and chaired the Rotary District 7810 World Community Service committee. He is also a graduate of Oberlin College (OH) and received a master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University (OH). Bob is married to Susan Grove-Markwood. They love living in the India Street neighborhood close to The Center’s offices.
01/30/15 Theo Kalikow, University of Maine System - Community Engagement
Last Friday, after a warm introduction (on a cold winter’s day) from Don Zillman, we heard from Dr. Theo Kalikow, President Emerita, Acting Vice Chancellor at USM and 18-year President of University of Maine at Farmington.She discussed the extensive program of “Community Engagement and Collaboration” which she has fostered since a Farmington Rotary meeting over 20 years ago, during which she was grilled about the local campus working with the surrounding community. Now, with her work at USM and statewide, the Office of Community Engagement and Career Development flourishes.
When asked what a local college should produce, the common response has been “critical thinkers.” But, Theo suggests, the answer should change to “reflective practitioners” or students who have partnered with the community, be it urban or rural, to gain experience, contacts and a way of seeing their environment that is not always visible looking out from the windows of a classroom. This collaboration and partnership strengthens both partners in a mutually beneficial relationship that could change the methods of teaching, given time and an open mind such as that of the vibrant Dr. Kalikow.
These changes, as seen at The University of Maine at Farmington and environs, are beginning to take shape on the UMaine campuses and their supportive communities throughout the state. Hundreds of young people, including high school students, have begun working and studying and being mentored in offices and work settings throughout the state, allowing graduates to perhaps remain in-state, rather than seek employment way from home. Dr. Kalikow foresees a symbiotic relationship, based upon community engagement, which should become the tie that binds as we move forward, working to keep our colleges and universities attached and vital within each respective “home town.”
01/30/15 BITS & PIECES
President-elect Bowen Depke, bedecked in a Green Bay Packers cap, a Brett Favre jersey, and a commemorative SuperBowl jacket, called the meeting to order with a “Go Patriots!” exhortation.
Bowen’s opening stirred many of our members and guests–most notably Roxanne Cole who was wearing her Tom Brady jersey, which hasn’t been washed since the Patriots’ last SuperBowl win; Russ Burleigh, a Patriots fan who confessed to having two soft spots for the Seahawks’ because of their names: QB Russell Smith and DB Marcus Burley. Our guest speaker, Theo, opined “I believe in the Patriots, but I’m worried!”
For the Invocation, Dave Small offered an elegant reading of the poem, “The Winter Storm” and reminded all our ski enthusiasts, who exult in winter snow storms, to remember the second proposition of the Rotary Four-Way Test: “Is it Fair to All Concerned?”
In keeping with the snow theme, Russ Burleigh and Mark Stimson led the Club in the singing of “Winter Wonderland.”
Bowen welcomed and thanked 37 hardy Rotarians for braving the storm to come to the meeting, along with three guests: visiting Rotarian Cindy Smith, a member of the Brunswick Club, who also brought a guest with her.....Angela Asher, and Bill Souter, guest of Loretta Rowe.
Lester Evans conducted the raffle ($720). Eric Lusk drew the three of Diamonds!
Ellen Niewoehner announced an update on the next ski outing, which will be Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Sunday River. Interested skiers can meet at 9 a.m. at South Ridge, or for late comers, noon at North Peak Lodge for lunch.
Anne Fisher gave us a heads-up on our coordinated efforts with the Westbrook Rotary Club’s Dominican Republic project, which will bring two children to Maine for cardiac surgery - Gift of Life. We can help in several ways – one being the donation of warm clothing (parkas, sweaters, gloves, et.al.) for both children and their parents, who will accompany them. The details of how we can help will be coming to you by e-mail. Sign-up sheets will be on the tables at several of our upcoming meetings. You can bring your donations to Rotary and give them to Anne. You may also contact her for further information: annefisher9551@gmail.com or 831-5018.
01/23/15 Michael Brennan, Mayor of Portland
Don Zillman introduced us to Michael Brennan with a listing of the many groups Mike has worked with in Portland and throughout Maine. It is an impressive listing. Mike started by telling us how pleased he is that Cheryl Leeman was present at the meeting, to keep the historical context for Portland, as she has served the longest term on the Portland City Council. Mike told us that the last elected mayor was 1924. At that time there was concern that a mayor might be Irish Catholic, so the charter was changed. Those early leaders would have been surprised to see that the elected mayor in 2011 was an Irish Catholic. Mike embraced Rotary early, as he was president of the Interact club when he was a senior in high school. He embraced the opportunity for service as part of a national and international organization, and still has strong respect for what Rotary does both locally and internationally.
Good news...Mike’s state-of-the-city address lasted 45 minutes, so he needed to eliminate much of it to fit our timeframe. Bad news....we started our meeting earlier, so he was able to add stuff back in, on the fly.
The year 2014 points of interest –
- Congress Street was rated as top best street in the US.
- Ferry service to Yarmouth Nova Scotia resumed
- A pathway to dealing with Congress Square is in place
- The jetport received several awards for being "green"
- Portland is rated the #1 coziest city in the US
- Portland was rated as one of 14 places to visit in the world
- Portland was rated 3rd, for being "green"
- Portland was rated as one of the seven happiest, greenest, urban-living environments
- Noted by Time Magazine as a top destination food town for the US
- Portland listed as one of nine cities "getting it right"
Education Demographics
- 45% of over 25 have post-secondary degree
- Derrick Pierce won $100,000, principal of Casco Bay
- Karen MacDonald, grades 6 and 7 teacher at King Middle School is 2014 Maine Teacher of the year
When asked about his vision for Portland, he stated this is really a question, “Do you agree with my vision?“ If yes, people think he is brilliant; if no, the opinion is reversed. Mike believes vision comes from values, what do we believe, and how we act on these beliefs. Mike wants a strong sense of community, where everyone is valued and where everyone contributes. For the US, Portland is the 4th smallest-largest city in the state. Here, people still have control and can their shape community. We value open space and parks, education, economic equity, affordable housing, health care for all, and not leaving anyone behind. Portland has embraced a compassionate community charter. We support and value diversity, building an inclusive community to form the bedrock of city.
Mike believes that we need to start the discussion about getting a fiber optic infrastructure. We need to focus our attention over the next 2-3 years on bringing fiber optic broadband to the City of Portland as a key infrastructure need, as it will transform the city.
Affordable housing - Portland has a vacancy rate 1-2%, and 55-60 % of people rent. Therefore the demand is greater than the supply. We have produced housing at high or moderate levels, but middle and workforce housing has not been increasing. We need to use City of Portland land for affordable housing, with a goal to have a healthy economic mix.
Jobs - We need to establish a health informatics cluster in the city. This involves data for health management, supplied to health care providers all over the country. These jobs pay $50-60,000 per year. We need to continue the relationship with Eimskip, who is now running regular commercial service between Iceland and New England. This can be the basis for a cluster, focused on marine business, with a big opportunity to grow.
Local food market initiative - The city needs to promote 50% of all food in Portland schools to be locally grown, up from the current level of 30%. Portland now has more pounds of local food in our school menu than Boston. This includes working with the ground-fish industry to help create markets for under utilized fish species, working with institutions to use these species. Portland received a $50,000 grant for year-round school and school feeding, to cover the 2015 summer. This helps create the educational opportunity to have school year round.
Population - In 1950 the population of Portland was 77,000. In 2000, the population was 64,000 and today the population is 66,000. During his business visitation program, Mike hears the big theme that businesses cannot find workers, all across the market. Mike is committed to grow the city and thinks Forest Ave is the big opportunity, for both commercial and residential. Mike wants to create opportunity at Woodford and Morrill corners. He wants to make them destinations, rather than a place to try to shortcut around.
Transportation - The goal is to create an inter-modal transportation center at Thompson's Point, which includes rail, bus, bike, and pedestrian. We need to re-look at key streets to make them more pedestrian and bike-friendly again. We need to re-knit neighborhoods which have been broken up by streets. A key to growth is to improve mass transit and make life more livable. Burlington VT has become total renewable energy; Portland needs to investigate solar, wind, and other renewable energy.
My Brothers Keeper – We need to work on the Obama challenge to improve educational outcome for all children, and create employment opportunities for all. Portland Connect Ed program has the goal to have more children reading at grade level by 2017. 85% of our students graduate high school, but we need to do a better job to get them to the finish line of a 2-year or 4-year degree. A slogan was recently created by students at Casco Bay High School: "One step forward together is better than two steps alone."
The question and answer session was actively participated in by members stating their opinions, often neglecting to include a question, but Mike did a good job of creating a question from the comments.
Question: Is it a problem that small groups are able to grind projects to a halt, like the recent Bayside project?
Answer: The Planning Board met and Mike believes it will approve the Federated Bayside project so it can move forward. Too many past projects have gone to court, but the vast majority of projects moved forward with no major problems. The city is working with State Representative Noonan to create an expedited court process, if small groups try to stop a project.
Question: What is Portland doing about infrastructure, such as the poor conditions of the roads?
Answer: 70% of the roads in the city qualify as good or OK. Portland is increasing the money for road repair in the new budget.
(Photo: Don Zillman, Mayor Mike Brennan, Cheryl Leeman, and President Kris Rosado.)
1/23/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened our meeting by welcoming 60 members and 6 guests at the Clarion Hotel. Kris offered the invocation, as our invoker was unexpectedly absent due to illness. Peter Noyes led us in the Pledge and President Kris led us in the patriotic song, sung is several keys by the assembled.
Charlie Frair conducted the raffle and cleverly shuffled the deck by dropping the cards. Mayor Brennan drew the visiting guest's name of Mark Eyle, who wanted to win the $687 pot by trying to find the Queen of Hearts in the deck of cards, but drew the 5 of Diamonds.
Jan Chapman provided us with a 'Rotary Moment.' Jan remarked that she likes the opportunity to visit other Rotary clubs while vacationing. She and husband, Bruce Moore, recently visited the Paris, France Rotary Club Academie for an interesting program, lovely meal, and brought back their club's banner.
Community Service Chair, Steve Stromsky announced that our volunteering on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen was starting off well; we needed 12 volunteers for our solo night, which is coming up on Wednesday, Jan. 28th, and we have at least that many volunteers willing to help out. Contact Steve to sign up for our next service opportunity: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com. President Kris added a follow-up comment by recommending you bring a family member who would benefit from witnessing your Rotary commitment to 'Service above Self' and will find it rewarding to pitch in as well.
Bill Blount announced the first mid-week Rotary ski outing at Sunday River on Tuesday, 1/27/15.
Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman announced that one of the candidates' names from a 'Circle of Five' will be drawn for a Paul Harris Fellow Award at the next meeting. If you are interested in learning more or participating in a 'Circle of Five,' please contact Amy at amy.chipman@rbc.com
REMEMBER!
SUPERBOWL ON SUNDAY, FEB. 1ST!
GO PATS!
*01/30/15 THEO KALIKOW, PRES EMERITA/ACTING VICE CHANCELLOR USM
Community Engagement and Public Higher Education - Dr. Theo Kalikow, President Emerita and Acting Vice Chancellor at USM.
A native of Swampscott, Massachusetts, Dr. Kalikow received her A.B. in Chemistry from Wellesley College in 1962. She attended graduate school in the Boston area, receiving the Sc.M. in Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970, and the Ph.D. in Philosophy from Boston University in 1974.
In 1968-69 she began teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where she attained the rank of Professor and served as Department Chair and faculty union president.
In 1981 Dr. Kalikow became the Interim Assistant to the President at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and during 1983-84 she served as an American Council on Education Fellow at Brown University.
From 1984 to 1987 she was Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, and in 1987 she moved to Plymouth State College (N.H.), where she served as Dean of the College (with one year as Interim President) until 1994.
In 1994 Dr. Kalikow was named President of the University of Maine at Farmington. In eighteen years of leadership at the 2,000-student University campus, President Kalikow became known statewide as a model for establishing outstanding campus-community relations, leading several successful campaigns that advanced UMF's ties to the region.
In 2012 Dr. Kalikow was named President of the University of Southern Maine and recently decided it was time for her to move into a new role in her final year of service to the University of Maine System. Known for her straight talk, sense of humor and candor, Dr. Kalikow has picked up the reins USM...Maine's second largest university.
The University of Maine System was established in 1968 as the state's largest educational enterprise. It has an annual enrollment of nearly 40,000 students and serves over 500,000 individuals through educational and cultural offerings. It features seven universities - some with multiple campuses - located across the state, as well as eight College outreach centers, a law school, an additional 31 course sites and Cooperative Extension.
01/16/15 Maine Health Issues, Dr. Dora Mills
Dr. Dora Mills, as our featured speaker, is from Brunswick. She is a Bowdoin graduate (majored in Russian), and University of Vermont for her MD, specializing in pediatrics. She was the Maine State Health Director under Governors King and Baldacci. She received her Masters in Public Health from Harvard University. Her father was an avid Rotarian, and when they traveled as a family, she attended Rotary Clubs around the country and Europe. Dr. Mills is now the Vice President for Clinical Affairs at the University of New England. Her major effort is leading the “Inter-professional Education” work. When she was a med student, they only trained with peers in the same program, which doesn't reflect the reality of professional health work where you are on a team with nurses, doctors, specialist etc. The reason this is important is that there are a lot of errors in the US health care system. Recent studies have shown between 400,000-440,000 people die from medical errors. The root cause analysis has shown that one of the reasons is that our health care professionals aren’t used to working as a team. UNE students work together ‘inter-professionally,’ as well as, on teams in clinics.
One in twenty-five hospital patients attract hospital-acquired infection (although Maine hospitals are some of the safest in the US). There are three things you can do:
- When you go to a hospital supporting a patient, bring a pen and notebook with you. (Or have someone do this for you, if you are the patient.) Take notes when the healthcare providers come by, recording the time, date and instructions.
- Every single time someone comes in to give medication, record what it is, what it is for, and what time. Ask to compare what is in their book of instructions with yours.
- Be the hand-washing patrol – care givers should wash their hands and put gloves on.
These are National Patient Safety Recommendations, and they work. Don't let you or someone you love become a statistic.
*01/23/15 MICHAEL F. BRENNAN, M.A., MSW, LCSW; CITY OF PORTLAND MAYOR
Our presenter/program at Rotary this week will be Michael F. Brennan, M.A., MSW, LCSW; Mayor of the City of Portland.
Michael F. Brennan is the first popularly-elected Mayor for the City of Portland in nearly nine decades. As the city’s top elected official, Brennan has initiated several initiatives designed to encourage economic development and job creation as well as support and strengthen the city’s diverse neighborhoods. He represents the city interests in Augusta and Washington DC where he advocates for the city, its residents and businesses.
Prior to his election as Mayor, Brennan worked as a Policy Associate with the Cutler Institute of Child and Family Policy at the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, specializing in education and health. Before joining the Cutler Institute, Brennan worked as the Director of Community Initiatives at United Way of Greater Portland, as well as for the Coastal Economic Development Corporation, and as the executive director of the Cumberland County Affordable Housing Venture. Brennan has also been an adjunct faculty member at the University of New England.
In addition to working at the Muskie School, Michael served as a State Senator in the Maine Legislature representing Portland, Falmouth and Westbrook. Brennan was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and was elected Senate Majority Leader in 2004. Prior to being a State Senator, he was elected to the House of Representatives for four terms between 1992 and 2000 representing Portland. During his tenure, Brennan was involved with several groundbreaking pieces of legislation including the laptop program to provide every Maine student with a computer, efforts to reduce the negative impacts of No Child Left Behind, and programs to expand healthcare access to all Mainers, a model used by other states and the nation in adopting universal healthcare.
Brennan has been a proud and active resident of the City of Portland for more than three decades. He lives in the Back Cove neighborhood with his wife.
01/16/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened our meeting asking Rusty Atwood to offer us an invocation. Prez. Kris welcomed 5 guests joining us for lunch and 1 visiting Rotarian.
Rusty also managed the weekly raffle, which Jan Chapman tried for the $638 cash prize, but sadly drew a 9 of clubs. Then Janelle LoSciuto and Kathy Grammer lead us through a rousing rendition of “Let It Shine.”
Steve Stromsky (FRESHLY back from his Hawaiian vacation) asked for 12 volunteers at Preble Street on Wednesday, 1/28 from 4pm – 6:20pm. You can contact Steve at 671-6798 or stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
Jim Wiley announced that the March 19th Fund Raising and Fellowship event will be at Allagash Brewing from 6-9 pm. Steve Ditmer offered thanks to all who helped ring the Salvation Army bells at Monument Square over the holidays, which raised over $1500. The Salvation Army served 2000 meals during the holidays, with volunteers providing 3200 hours of service.
Rusty Atwood provided a list of the 101 Charter Members founding Portland Rotary in 1915. As this is our Centennial year, he asked for volunteers to select a name, do some research, and write a brief biography. He can be contacted at RRA1362@me.com.
Amy Chipman gave us an update on the Rotary Foundation. Five “Circles of 5” will contribute $5000 this year. The Portsmouth Rotary and Friends Forever, with some help from Portland Rotary, were able to obtain a $45,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation to fund a conflict resolution center in Kampala, Uganda. Our rotary club, along with Portsmouth and Friends Forever, will mentor the staff of the center on conflict resolution techniques over the next two months.
01/09/15 Holocaust and Human Rights
Our program this past Friday was presented by the two leaders of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC), Liz Helitzer, Executive Director, and David Greenham, Program Director. HHRC uses the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides to exemplify and combat prejudice in Maine and beyond. It does not use these lessons to combat just racial or ethnic prejudice, but rather discrimination against all kinds of people, including those with mental health issues, physical disabilities, even women in combat.
To foster and promote their message, HHRC uses many tools. These include, school workshops for children, and major conferences like the Woman's Testimony Conference last Fall, sponsored by HHRC, UMA and Colby College. HHRC is located in Augusta, in a beautiful building called the Michael Klahr Center. It recently housed an exhibit of paintings, photos, poems and remembrances involving the Holocaust.
Upcoming this year will be a day of Holocaust Remembrance, a play, The Lonely Soldier, about women at war in Iraq, and, among other things, a Pride Film Festival and various exhibits, one of which will be the story of Malaga Island, a very dark moment for Maine. Scholars worry that as generations disappear, the world will forget the Holocaust and its terrible lessons. HHRC is doing its best to make sure that does not happen. For more information, go to www.hhrcmaine.org.
(Photo at left: Member Harold Crabill, Liz Helitzer and David Greenham)
01/09/15 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened our meeting asking Alan Nye to offer us an invocation. Prez. Kris welcomed 55 members, 8 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian; then proceeded to present us with a couple of announcements in Steve Stromsky's (Community Service Chair) absence. Poor Steve was toughing it out from his vacation in Hawaii. Prez. Kris read a note from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club thanking everyone for their efforts during our combined volunteer time at the Preble Street Resource (PSRC) Soup Kitchen each month.
Starting Wednesday, Jan. 28th and continuing on the 4th Wednesday of each month, our club will be flying solo by having our own night for volunteers at the PSRC. We need 12 volunteers to make this happen....it would be appreciated if several volunteers could arrive at 3:30 p.m. to help with the prep and the rest of the volunteers to arrive by 4:00 p.m.
Watch your emails for further information. If you can/want to volunteer, please contact Steve Stromsky (after Jan. 15) at: 671-6798 or stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
The weekly raffle was aptly conducted by Matt Tassey, who graciously filled in for Becky Wright, who had to leave early. Jack Carr's name was pulled by our speaker, but Jack only found the 3 of spades, leaving the $638 pot to grow for next week.
Our song was led by Alan Nye with Russ Burleigh at the piano and we all sang a belated: Auld Lang Syne.
Prez. Kris announced our January birthdays, to which we all sang a hardy "Happy Birthday."
One of the proudest moments at our meetings is when we present a Youth Service Award to a deserving student in our area. This week, principal John Mullen of Cheverus High School, introduced us to recipient Hayley Roche. Hayley accepted the award with grace and informed us of her choice to receive the club's donation to The Eliminate Project...the Kiwanis global campaign to eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus from the earth. Wonderful choice that aligns with Rotary's Polio Plus campaign.
(Photo at right: Member Rusty Atwood, Hayley Roche and principal, John Mullen.)
Bill Blount announced the winning team of the Fall/Winter 2014 tennis league: Jim Barns, Amy Chipman, Jack Carr and Dick Hall.
Bill also announced the first Rotary ski trip of the season to Sunday River on Tuesday, Jan 27th. Meet at the main base lodge, at the Chondala at 9:00 AM SHARP.
For those interested, Prez. Kris will open his house near Bethel the night before on a first-come first-serve basis (RSVP). It will allow you to sleep in, have a good breakfast, and then beat everyone else to the mountain. Beds for at least six people.
*01/16/15 DORA MILLS, UNE, Vice President for Clinical Affairs
On Friday, Dr. Dora Ann Mills, Vice President for Clinical Affairs at the University of New England, will be our featured speaker. Dr. Mills is a Maine native who was raised in Farmington, graduated from Mt. Blue High School, Bowdoin College, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Pediatric Internship and Residency Program, and the Harvard School of Public Health. She is a board-certified pediatrician who practiced as a hospitalist in Los Angeles (two years) and in a pediatric practice in her hometown of Farmington (four years). She also practiced medicine in several rural international locations, including Tanzania and Nepal.
For nearly 15 years, from 1996-2011, she served as Maine's State Health Officer, for the administrations of Governors Angus S. King and John E. Baldacci. As the Director of the Maine CDC (formerly Bureau of Health), she led Maine's public health agency of 400 employees and $120 million budget. Some of her priorities included: lowering Maine's tobacco addiction and obesity rates; addressing environmental health concerns such as mercury in fish and commercial products; improving health equity; developing a statewide public health infrastructure; creating Healthy Maine 2010 and other state health planning initiatives; working on health care reform to increase access to care, improve quality of health care, and reduce costs; addressing chronic diseases with comprehensive and coordinated strategies; controlling outbreaks and epidemics, including the 2009 H1N1 pandemic; leading the agency through several strategic planning processes and reorganizations to improve management, including using LEAN tools; leading the public health response to several emergencies such as major floods, a mass poisoning with arsenic, suspicious anthrax packages after 9/11/01, a major mercury spill, and the 1998 ice storm; and reducing Maine's teen pregnancy, infant and maternal mortality rates through a comprehensive approach to family planning and education. As part of her work she routinely and regularly wrote and delivered testimony before the Maine Legislature on numerous topics. She also developed non-legislative policy on a variety of issues.
Dr. Mills' work has been well recognized. Among her awards are: the 2007 American Medical Association's Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service; the 2003 National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Award for tobacco work in Maine; the 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics Special Achievement Award for her work addressing the 2009 H1N1 pandemic by distributing vaccines through Maine's schools; the 2010 McCormack Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers for her national leadership during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic; the 2004 University of New England Deborah Morton Award; the highest awards by the Maine Public Health Association, the Maine Medical Association, and the Maine Development Foundation; and a 2011 Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Maine Augusta.
Comedians Can Also Be Very Wise
Everyone Should Create
*01/09/15 Holocaust & Human Rights Ctr of ME, Liz Helitzer/David Greenham
Our program this week will be presented by Liz Helitzer, Executive Director, and David Greenham, Program Director, of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC). The HHRC uses the lessons of the Nazi Holocaust and other genocides to combat prejudice and discrimination in Maine and beyond. From their home base at The Michael Klahr Center at the University of Maine in Augusta, the HHRC provides programming and exhibits for schools, community groups and the general public that encourages individuals and communities to reflect and act upon their ethical and moral responsibilities in our modern world.
Liz Helitzer began her time at the HHRC in January of 2012 as the office manager and an educator. In August of 2014 she was thrilled to be named Executive Director. Prior to that, she was the General Manager of The Theater at Monmouth where she also served as educational coordinator and company manager. Liz has performed and been the educational coordinator for several theaters throughout the United States. She has taught Holocaust workshops and guest taught theater and music workshops for over 10 years. Liz is an Alfred Lerner Fellow and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University.
David Greenham is an adjunct professor of Drama at the University of Maine at Augusta. He has worked as a consultant with the HHRC since 2012 and joined the staff in the spring of 2013. David spent 14 years as the Producing Artistic Director of The Theater at Monmouth, and has been a theater artist and arts administrator for more than 25 years. His first involvement in the HHRC was when he produced and acted in a professional production of The Diary of Anne Frank in the Michael Klahr Center in 2010.
1/2/15 Here Is a Way That You Can Better Yourself in 2015!
Listen to your mother more!
Have fun in the snow...Hope we get some!
12/19/14 Mainely Treble
We were entertained in the holiday spirit at our meeting on Friday by the a capella group Mainely Treble.
Mainely Treble is Maine's premier post-collegiate contemporary a cappella group, bringing their fresh sound to us in their "maiden performance." Though the group is relatively new, they sound like they have been singing together for years! They treated us to a variety of holiday favorites, including Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, Oh Holy Night, and even a Deck the Halls sing along!
Returning to her home state of Maine from New York City after a decade of singing professionally, music director/founder, Eliza Ruth Watson was looking for an a cappella presence to compliment her prior experience. In September 2014 she founded Mainely Treble, leveraging both social media and word-of-mouth to assemble and audition singers. Each member of Mainely Treble has a deep love for music and, together, the group is rich in musicianship and diverse experience. Mainely Treble is a refreshing take on an old genre and they are excited to share their music with new audiences in Maine and beyond.
12/19/14 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened by welcoming 56 Rotarians, 1 visiting Rotarian and 9 guests at our Friday meeting. Brevity being the soul of wit and inspiration, Peggy Wescott presented us with an invocation and simply reminded us of our many blessings and encouraged us to share generously with our favorite charities this season. Laura Young led the Pledge and Russ Burleigh played the patriotic song. President Kris announced our members born in December and we sang "Happy Birthday" to them.
Tom Nickerson conducted the raffle ($597 pot) and Kathy Grammer drew the Nine of Clubs, leaving the Queen of Hearts for a future winner.
President Kris then recited the extensive list of Rotary projects taking place (or having already taken place) during this holiday season, asking participants who were involved to stand and be recognized and thanked everyone. There always seems to be a place for willing volunteers and our members step right up to help.
Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee, John Marr, announced the slate of officers for the new Rotary year 2015-16.
A hand-vote was requested and the following people/positions were unanimously approved:
President: Bowen Depke
1st Vice President: Laura Young
2nd Vice President: Don Zillman
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Executive Secretary: Loretta Rowe
Sergeant-at-arms: Harold Crabill
Board Directors - terms ending 2017: Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore
Service and Memorial Fund Trustees - terms ending 2018: Rusty Atwood and Christine Force
Congratulations to everyone who has accepted to serve!
Second Vice President Laura Young provided us with an update on our "Childhood Hunger and Education" initiative. The 'Hunger' part has been more challenging, but we are getting advice from Ron Adams in the Portland Schools identifying children in the areas susceptible to food insecurity. Rotarians' innate ability to mentor and educate brings easier access and opportunities for our member’s participation. Several Rotarians have been fostering a partnership with Lyseth Elementary School in Portland. There are students there who need the welcome warmth of the 100 pairs of mittens knitted by Joan Steinberg (Russ Burleigh's wife). Laura has volunteered to deliver the mittens to the school.
Our Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman presented us with an update on the Rotary Foundation, as this calendar year comes to a close. Amy’s emphasis was on the Foundation Endowment Fund (Permanent Fund).
The Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund was established in 1982 to ensure a strong future for the Foundation by providing a continuous stream of income to meet the increasing demand for Foundation programs in perpetuity. The current goal is to build the Endowment Fund to $1 billion by 2017.
There is a great way to provide for the future of our Rotary Foundation programs and ensure your annual support to the Foundation can continue forever:
It’s simple to do and costs you nothing...now. You can make a gift in your will or simply add a codicil to your will, naming the Endowment Fund as beneficiary to a retirement account or insurance policy; you can gift real estate or stock; you can also make a contingent or residual bequest in your will and designate how you want your gift spent; plus you can give any amount and it will qualify you as a “Benefactor.” You’ll receive a special pin and certificate from Rotary International. The Rotary Foundation has some great resources available to help you if you’re interested at www.rotary.org/bequest or you can reach out to John Curran, for more information at: curraj1@mmc.org
Justin LaMontagne asked for support for his initiative to benefit the Maine Special Olympics by his participation in the New Year’s Day "Lobsta Dip." He promises to be a "double dipper" and explained that is the painful process of jumping in the water twice, after waiting 60 seconds between dips.
The best way to donate/support him, is to go to the safe and easy pledge link: https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/justin-lamontagne/lobster-dip-2015. He will also accept cash/checks and can collect after the dip, if you prefer. Just send him an email with the amount of your pledge and he’ll catch up with you at an upcoming meeting to collect payment. Justin's email: justin@dunham-group.com
We are almost through the pre-season holiday, but we still have a couple of days to help the Salvation Army with the Red Kettle Bell Ringing in Monument Square. If you can help on Wednesday, December 24th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., contact Steve Stromsky ASAP at stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com or call his cell phone 671-6798.
(Photo at left: Al Sargent ringing the bells.)
The festive centerpieces that adorned our tables were auctioned off by President Kris to 10 lucky Rotarians, making the season a little brighter for the recipients of the arrangements.
After our program, President Kris closed the meeting with his warm wishes to everyone for a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
See you at our next meeting on January 9, 2015...at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay!
OH SO TRUE!
12/12/14 BITS & PIECES
President Kris convened the meeting of 58 members, 3 guests and 1 visiting Rotarian. Peggy "Queenie" Wescott invoked and brought us an update on member Charlie McKee's passing.
Through our International Service Committee, a donation of $1,000 was made to the "Gift of Life" program and accepted by Paul Emery of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club.
Bob Martin led the raffle of $572. Don Lowry's name was pulled from the pot, but he failed to find the elusive Queen of Hearts. Perhaps next Friday some lucky person will win a wonderful surprise for Christmas.
Dick Giles was asked to present us with a "Rotary Moment" and he spoke about his work in the Dominican Republic, with a list of things you should bring and things you shouldn’t do… including using caution when taking cabs! Since then it has grown into something of a business, leading to four trips with multiple clubs. Dick gravitated to the water project, where he and his fellow Rotarians have to date, provided clean drinking water to 150 families. It’s a wake-up call, he notes, to discover just how lucky we are to live in this country.
George Crockett Is still collecting toiletries for the Preble Street Resource Center. He wanted to remind members that if you travel and get some of those small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and mouthwash, please bring them to a meeting, so we can pass them along to the people in shelters. Thousands have already been distributed.
President Kris remarked on the availability of decals. Rotary decals are now available for a modest fee to adorn your car or office. But, he noted, they are not allowed on junkers! Please see Loretta.
Amy Chipman reported on happenings with the Foundation – so far this year, we have $8200 in sustaining-member contributions – more than halfway to our goal, and only about six months in. Amy expects that our club will hit this year’s goal of $15,000. She reminded us that our sustaining gifts of $100 get matched by our Club, then go to the Rotary Foundation before eventually coming back to our District/Club. It’s a great investment. If you’ve not given yet, by all means do!
Heard through the course of conversations during lunch:
- Bruce Jones has just finished moving to Cumberland – actually, it’s so close to the Falmouth border that he’s not entirely sure which town his new house is in. But wherever it’s located, he says that the move has been a great opportunity to downsize and simplify. Wishing Bruce and his family all the best.
- Ben Lowry will be operating his law firm from Florida, where he’ll be in January in February. Thanks to the ability to work remotely, to appear via Skype, and to make periodic visits back to Maine for court and official business, he might make the whole thing look easy. Stay tuned.
- Larry Gross continues to show interested people though the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging’s latest project, the Stewart Center in Falmouth. Providing a safe, pleasant environment for people with memory problems, the Center offers its clients a great place to spend the day, and their families with a respite from the often-constant needs of seniors with these issues. Larry can tell you more.
*12/19/14 SPECIAL HOLIDAY PROGRAM, Mainely Treble
This week at Rotary we are offered a special holiday program featuring a group called Mainely Treble.
Mainely Treble is Maine's premier a cappella group, known for their eclectic contemporary sound. Returning to her home state of Maine from New York City, founding member Eliza Ruth Watson was looking for an a cappella presence that could match her prior experience. Not finding that resulted in her decision to start her own group. Each member of Mainely Treble has a deep love for music and together the group is rich in musicianship and experience. Some of that experience includes performing at Carnegie Hall, involvement with collegiate and post-collegiate a cappella groups, singing with Portland's Choral Art Society and heading one of Southern Maine's top wedding bands.
It's sure to be a delightful program that will put us in the holiday spirit. You won't want to miss it!
12/12/14 Dr. Sheila Pinette, What's Happening With the CDC in Maine
Dr. Sheila Pinette, the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in the Department of Human Services, gave us an excellent and rigorous presentation on the role of the CDC in Maine, the contributions of its five departments, and some startling health statistics. For example: CDC estimates that a 5% weight reduction and 30 minutes of exercise a day could result in $150 million in health care savings for Maine.
The five CDC departments are: Division of Environmental Health (drinking water, health inspection, radiation control, etc.), Division of Infectious Disease, Division of Population Health (Cancer Registry, School Health, etc), Division of Public Health Systems (Data, Research, Statistics, etc.), and Office of Health Equity (Women’s health, Rural Health, etc.). Together, they provide comprehensive health services delivery and research.
Maine CDC organizes its outreach through 8 public health “districts” and one tribal “district” in the state: Aroostook District 8; Central District 5; Cumberland District 2; Downeast District 7; Mid-Coast District 4; Penquis District 6; Western District 3;York District 1; and Tribal Health Service.
Dr. Pinette’s presentation confirmed that Maine CDC provides Mainers with an impressive array of health services and disease prevention activities. Dr. Pinette also urged us all to take advantage of available vaccines for influenza this season and to help increase awareness of their programs, especially those to curb obesity (64% of Maine adults are clinically obese) and to improve Child Health (in coordination with the March of Dimes).
More information is available on their website: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/
SPECIAL NOTICE
Every Rotarian is invited to join "Rotarians for Hearing Rotarian Action Group." Simply go to www.ifrahl.org and click on "Join/Donate" for 3 years for $25 and to sponsor a child to receive the gift of hearing, by donating $75 for a child with a severe hearing loss to receive a quality, digital hearing aid through the International Humanitarian Hearing Aid Purchasing Program.
"Rotarians for Hearing Rotarian Action Group" will then match the donation with a second hearing aid. Your $100 investment will allow a child to learn to listen and speak, communicate with family and friends, hear the joys of music and the sounds of laughter and attend a regular school and develop this child's potential. The hearing aids will be fitted by Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan as they participate in Portland Rotary's Hearing-Hands & H2O program (3-H) in the Dominican Republic.
For further information, contact Roger Fagan at: rfagan@faganhearing.com
*12/12/14 DR. SHEILA PINETTE, DIR. ME. CDC - WHAT'S UP WITH PUBLIC HEALTH?
Our program speaker for this Friday will be Dr. Sheila Pinette. Dr. Pinette has a diverse medical background. She practiced as a Physician Assistant at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut as an intensivist from 1984 to 1989. She met and married her husband, Dr. Michael Pinette and moved back to his home community of Cape Elizabeth to develop the outreach program for the State of Maine and the Maternal Fetal Medicine Division at Maine Medical Center. She cared for high-risk moms in the program for seven years.
After beginning a family, she returned to medical school in 1996 at the University of New England and graduated with honors in 2000. From there, Dr. Pinette completed her internal medicine residency at Maine Medical Center, graduating in 2003. She is dual-boarded by both the allopathic and osteopathic boards of Medicine. She has owned and operated her own practice, Internal Medicine on the Cape, since 2003.
Currently, Dr. Pinette is the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the Department of Human Services. She serves on the Community Physicians of Maine board as the Treasurer and is a member of the Finance Committee. She is also the Director of the Communications Committee and the Director of Marketing and Communications.
A lifelong learner and educator, Dr. Pinette is a member of the Maine, Southern Maine and National Osteopathic Associations, the Sigma Sigma Phi National Honor Society and an Affiliate Member of the American College of Obstetrics. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
Dr. Pinette resides with her family in Cape Elizabeth, where she is an active member in her church and the community. She is a Girl Scout leader and a strong supporter of many youth organizations.
12/5/14 Fletcher Kittredge, The New Internet
Fletcher Kittredge, creator of Great Work Internet (GWI), announced at Friday's meeting that “the internet world has changed dramatically since the establishment of GWI in 1984.” Utilizing the metaphor of road construction, Fletcher described the changing technology: fiber optic cabling replacing copper cabling. Light rather than electricity energizing the new ultra-high speed networks. These “paved highways” will be exponentially faster, more versatile and more reliable than the old “country lane” broadband networks.
The new technology, which is still in its infancy, can do more, do it faster and will “allow people to work where they live, rather than live where they work.” Healthcare, education, government, the economy will all benefit immensely.
The big problem in bringing these new roadways into Maine is the capital cost in creating the infra structures. Fletcher believes it will take communities getting together to identify their needs, identify how the new technology can be utilized and how the costs can be met.
12/26/14 Add this to the 12/26 WJ BITS & PIECES
Past President John Marr, and chair of the Nominating Committee, thanked the members of the committee for their due diligence in forming a great slate of club officer nominees for the upcoming 2015-16 Rotary year: Here are the nominees-
President: Bowen Depke
1st Vice President: Laura Young
2nd Vice President: Don Zillman
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Secretary: Loretta Rowe
Sergeant-at-arms: Harold Crabill
Board Directors - terms ending 2017: Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore
Service and Memorial Fund Trustees - terms ending 2018: Rusty Atwood and Christine Force
Congratulations to everyone who has accepted to serve in these positions!
12/5/14 BITS & PIECES
Our meeting of December 5th got off to a somber start when two announcements from the podium gave us all a moment of reflection in this season of such joy.
Don Zillman briefly discussed the passing of longtime member Vincent McKusick, who passed away on December 3rd at the age of 93. Vince, who was a member of the Portland Rotary Club for more than 56 years, and Club President in 1965-66, was a compassionate and caring man, serving as the Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court for fifteen years after earning degrees from Bates, MIT and Harvard. He is still the only practicing attorney named directly to the state’s highest court without first serving in the lower courts. This writer fondly remembers ringing the bell at the Salvation Army kettle with Vince in a blinding snow storm just three years ago, while “The Chief” still worked at Pierce Atwood, where he became a partner in 1954. Bundled up in wind-whipped Monument Square, Vince, at age 90, showed no frailty as he “held court” with me and almost every passer-by, leaving me with a lasting memory of a man devoted to service above self. More information to come on when/where his memorial service will be held. [Latest news: a celebration of Vince's life will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, Dec. 28th at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress Street, with a reception to follow at the Masonic Temple (next door to the church). Condolences may be shared at www.hobbsfuneralhome.com]
Peggy Wescott (Queenie) reported that Charlie McKee has a serious illness and is in terminal condition near Hilton Head, South Carolina. Charlie, who shares grandchildren with “Queenie,” is reported to be in good spirits, spending his remaining days with family and close friends. Club members signed a card for our friend and wish him and his loved ones well during the holiday season. Take a moment out of your busy holiday activities to send him a remembrance card at: Charlie McKee, 4000 Spring Island, OKatie, South Carolina 29909
(Latest news: Charlie passed away on Sunday evening 12/7. We will notify you of further details when they become available.)
President Kris welcomed our 65 members and 2 Rotarian guests in attendance.
Harold Crabill is three weeks post-op from a left hip replacement and sported a handsome cane at Friday’s meeting. Harold reports that the surgery was a success and he fully expects to be back on skis for next season.
As is the club's custom, President Kris called our serving staff at the Holiday Inn lunches, Bob and Rebecca, to the podium to be recognized and thanked with a gift from the club for their excellent service they have provided us over the year.
(Photo at right: Rebecca and Bob, our Holiday Inn lunch-time staff.)
Past President John Marr, and chair of the Nominating Committee, thanked the members of the committee for their due diligence in forming a great slate of club officer nominees for the upcoming 2015-16 Rotary year: Here are the nominees-
President: Bowen Depke
1st Vice President: Laura Young
2nd Vice President: Don Zillman
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Executive Secretary: Loretta Rowe
Sergeant-at-arms: Harold Crabill
Board Directors - terms ending 2017: Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore
Service and Memorial Fund Trustees - terms ending 2018: Rusty Atwood and Christine Force
The nominations will be presented to the club on December 19th for voting and confirmations.
Joan Steinberg, wife of Past President Russ Burleigh, brought all of the mittens she has knitted over the year to be donated to Winter Kids. Joan, who has knitted over 1200 mittens with wool yarn donated by Portland Rotarians since she began the project in 2008, has agreed to knit mittens for those in need in Greater Portland, but has decided to provide her finished product to a group to be selected in concert with our youth literacy and hunger program in the upcoming year.
Steve Stromsky needs your help! Our community service guru is once again organizing our longtime project of “bell ringing” for the Salvation Army in Monument Square. The Portland Rotary Club has committed to weekdays through December 24th, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., so please check your calendars and sign up for this rewarding experience by e-mailing Steve at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com.
If you are reading this before Tuesday evening, you still have time to get the word out about a Wine Tasting & fellowship event on Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m. at MJ’s Wine Bar at One City Center. The event, which is $25 per person, will provide food, wine and joyous holiday spirit for all who attend. No RSVP or pre-payment required....you can pay at the door....just show up and be ready to have fun!
*12/05/14 FLETCHER KITTREDGE - THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND IN MAINE
Our speaker this Friday at Rotary will be Fletcher Kittredge, CEO and founder of GWI in Biddeford, Maine. Founded in 1994, GWI is a telecommunications company specializing in providing gigabit fiber networks and cloud telephone solutions to Maine. Fletcher is a graduate of Colby College and Harvard University. He serves on the board of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, and is Chairman of the ConnectME Authority Advisory Board.
In 2011, Fletcher was named Large Business Leader of the Year by Mainebiz magazine and has led GWI to be recognized by INC. Magazine as one of the nation’s fastest growing companies five times.
11/21/14 Alex irvine, Being a Writer in Maine
Alex Irvine is an American fantasy and science fiction author who lives in South Portland. He spoke to us about the challenges and opportunities of working as a free-lance writer living in Maine, but most of his work coming from out-of-state clients. During the 14 years he has lived in Maine, his work opportunities have come from places like Stockholm, Singapore or London. He is among a group of creative artists living in Maine who meet regularly to discuss how they can bring attention to their availability to work for businesses in the state.
Maine’s creative economy depends on attracting skilled artisans and writers who choose to live in this state. Nevertheless, writers and others who are experts in a variety of creative arts fail to attract work with Maine businesses. Ironically, many creative professionals seek work out of state while too often, businesses in the state hire elsewhere. “How is it that I live in Maine and I spend most of my time here, but none of my work offers are from here, in spite of support for sustaining a creative economy,” he asked?
Perhaps Maine’s creative professionals can build on the success models set forth by the many farm-stand businesses or the Portland restaurant community. Both of these business models began with a group of professional experts in their respective fields who worked together to build a culture of supportive customers. Creative professionals may not be as good at marketing and self promotion as other business people.
About being a writer, Irvine says the business of writing has changed. Nowadays, to be a writer often involves patching together a career. For example, Irvine writes science fiction, but he also provides narrative for publishers looking for copy to include in comic books or scripting dialogue for electronic games. Obtaining work as a licensing writer has a double effect on Irvine’s creativity. First of all, he must produce for his publisher a certain kind of book by constructing plots consistent with their objectives. On the other hand, he learns to “re-gear” his creativity when writing his own books.
Some questions/feedback from the audience included asking if it makes sense for creative professionals to provide competitive price quotes for projects in Maine, like videos or copy for publicity brochures? Also, approaching franchise companies might channel business back to Maine through the local franchise-owners..
Living in Maine has probably impacted Irvine’s potential for earning more money as a creative professional and writer. Still, his wife and family choose to live in Maine because....as he says, “There are currencies other than money.” .
(Photo: Author, Alex Irvine signing books for interested buyers: President Kris Rosado, Julie L'Heureux, and Loretta Rowe.)
11/21/14 BITS AND PIECES
President Kris welcomed 56 Rotarians, 2 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest as they joined us for lunch at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. Paul Tully researched a thoughtful invocation from the Rotary website, advising caution to treat all people with respect. He quoted from Presidents Lincoln and Truman, and included his own remembrances for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Julie L'Heureux led us in the Pledge to the flag, Russ Burleigh played "God Bless America" and we commenced our fellowship and meal.
Tom Ranello tried his hand at trying to find the right card in the deck for the $520 Raffle, but drew the Jack, not the Queen of Hearts.
Rob Chatfield reminded us of the Dec. 9, 2014 wine tasting fundraiser at MJ's Wine Bar, One City Center. Bring a guest with your holiday shopping list. More to come....watch your emails.
Happy/Sad Dollars: Peter Goffin was sad, reminiscing about Derek Jeter, but Mike Fortunato was happy after the birth of his first grandchild! Mike's name was drawn to receive the $20 contribution towards a Paul Harris sustaining fellowship.
Peter Goffin introduced us to our newest member of Portland Rotary....Troy Malbon. Troy works at UBS Financial Services as a financial advisor and is a former member of the Yarmouth Rotary Club. He enjoys any outdoor activity/sport and plays the guitar. He has been a football coach, is president of the MMA Alumni Assn., enjoys working with youth and helping with elderly programs. He lives in Topsham with his wife Sarah and two daughters. Join us in welcoming our newest member to Portland Rotary.
11/14/14 BITS AND PIECES
President Kris opened the meeting by welcoming all the returning Portland Rotarians he was seeing in the crowd. Many at my table could not identify all the returning folks. Paul Gore was there and Bob Patten and wife, Stella, came to visit.
Kathy Grammer offered a lovely poem as the invocation.
Dave Clough conducted the raffle, and Rusty Atwood’s guest, Jim Katanmeyer, was the winning name drawn. Unfortunately for him, he did not pull the queen of hearts to win the $488 pot.
President Kris introduced the visitors and visiting Rotarians....altogether we had a whopping 69 members, 11 visitors and 3 visiting Rotarians in attendance.
Julie L’Heureux gave a "Rotary minute," telling us how a nursing exchange visit to Dundalk, Ireland was the first push for her hometown of Dundalk, MD to form a Rotary club. As Julie became an active Rotarian herself, she pushed harder and is now proud to report that a new club has formed in that city. If she can trigger a whole city to form a Rotary club, we should all be able to invite a potential member to come to our club meetings.
We were treated to a banner exchange from Michael Dickel, a visiting Rotarian from Munich, Germany. If you plan to visit a club, be sure to take a Portland Rotary Club banner with you. This reporter was given a banner at the Halifax Rotary Club last week and I had no banner to give back, but have since gotten one to mail to them. I found out, while at their club, that "Interact" is named for International Rotary Action, to signify the international service done by middle and high school Interact members.
Jim Willey announced that there are still several sets of minutes to review and summarize, as part of the preparation for our 100th anniversary. Contact Jim if you want to look at some of the minutes from a past year. All he asks is for a summary of what occurred that year to be completed from whatever perspective you want to take, service, programs, awards, recognition, politics, or anything else. Jim says he has prepared a catalog of historical information collated so far. Jim's email address is: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
Steve Stromsky thanked all the volunteers who worked at the Preble Street soup kitchen last week. He also thanked all those who helped at the Boys and Girls Club "Kids & Claws" night. He asked folks to sign up for the annual Thanksgiving dinner at St Vincent De Paul’s Catholic Church gymnasium. Setup 8-11:15, serving 10:45 -12:30, cleanup 12:30-1:30. If you did not get a chance to sign up, send him an email. Signup sheets will again be on the tables this Friday. Steve also announced that we are staffing the Salvation Army bell-ringing kettles in Monument Square, Dec 1-Dec 24 from 11-1 daily. Please sign up for some slots if you can. Steve's email: sstromsk@maine.rr.com
Harold Crabill introduced the principal of Casco Bay High School, Derrick Pierce. Derrick introduced an amazing student to receive the Club's Youth Service Award, Caity Connolly. Katie has a wide range of activities, and besides winning a $1000 scholarship, she plans to use the $100 donation in her name for Kiva (kiva.org), a micro-financing organization.
(Photo: Harold Crabill, Caity Connolly
and Derrick Pierce.)
*11/21/14 ALEX IRVINE - American Fantasy and SciFi Writer
Our speaker on Friday is Alex Irvine, American fantasy and science fiction author. Alex was born on March 22, 1969. He earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan, an M.A. from the University of Maine, and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver. From 2005-11, he was an assistant professor of English at the University of Maine. He also worked for a time as a staff reporter at the Portland Phoenix.
Alex first gained attention with his Locus Award-winning 2002 novel "A Scattering of Jades" (which also won the Crawford Award in 2003) and the stories that would form the 2003 collection "Unintended Consequences." He has also published the Grail Quest novel "One King, One Soldier" (2004), and the World War II-era historical fantasy "The Narrows" (2005). He released a collection of thirteen short stories called "Pictures from an Expedition" in 2006. "Buyout," a novel set in 2041, was published by Random House in 2009.
In addition to his original works, Alex has published "Have Robot, Will Travel" (2004), a novel set in Isaac Asimov's positronic robot milieu; and "Batman: Inferno" (2006), about the DC Comics superhero. His novel "The Ultimates: Against All Enemies," about the Marvel Comics superhero team was published by Pocket Books in September 2007. He also wrote the Vertigo Encyclopedia. As well as writing about comics, he has written a number of comic book series, including one featuring Daimon Hellstrom for the Marvel Comics imprint "MAX, Daredevil Noir," and "Iron Man: The Rapture."
He has worked on alternate reality games including "The Beast" and "I Love Bees" and is the writer of the Facebook game "Marvel: Avengers Alliance."
Alex lives with his wife, Lindsay, and their three children in South Portland.
11/14/14 The Future of USM - David Flanagan, USM President
David Flanagan is a Maine institution – he was CEO of CMP, Chairman of the University of Maine Trustees, and is currently serving as the interim President at USM. He joined us at Rotary on Friday, where he spoke about his new job, which came with two mandates: to balance the budget at USM and to communicate the decisions with the community.
He noted that the whole higher education community in Maine is facing a demographic squeeze. Last year there were 14,800 high school graduates statewide. He noted that soon the number is projected to be in the 13,500 range. Reflecting this shift, USM has lost 12% of its enrollment.....a trend that is contributing to a projected deficit of $16M in fiscal year 2016. A top goal going forward will be to improve recruitment and retention.
The challenge, he said, is to cut budgets on the one hand and try to invest and grow some areas on the other. The model they’ve arrived at is that of a “Metropolitan University.” “We can’t be a second Orono,” he noted, citing a need for a more compact structure. He also noted that the campus is now moving beyond the publicized program cuts toward consolidation of administration and student services, including recruitment, student advising, and career services.
During questions and answers from the Club, Flanagan painted a relatively bleak picture, noting a history of disinvestment by the state, a cumbersome three-campus structure, and an inequitable funding formula within the university system, one that is apparently “harder to change than the US Constitution.”
That said, he pointed to several positive developments, including an open house for new students that attracted 800 people, successful accreditation visits, and even the good news that the USM basketball team beat Orono!
(Photo: Don Zillman and David Flanagan.)
Start Every Day with a Smile and Get it Over With
Dinosaur pillow fight!
*11/14/14 USM - DAVID FLANAGAN, PRESIDENT
Over the course of his career David Flanagan has been an Assistant Maine Attorney General and served as Chief Legal Counsel to Maine Governor Joseph Brennan. In 2005 U.S. Senator Susan Collins appointed Mr. Flanagan to lead the Homeland Security Committee’s investigation into the U.S. Government’s response to the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina.
President Flanagan is a former member and Chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and led the 2009 Task Force on the Structure and Governance of the University of Maine System. Meeting new challenges, setting new directions, the report issued by that panel offered prophetic assessments of the fiscal and organizational challenges facing public higher education in Maine today.
In announcing the appointment of President Flanagan, university leaders made it clear that the University of Southern Maine faces grave fiscal and enrollment challenges that include a projected $12.5 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year and a 10% drop in credit hours over the last six years.
University of Maine System Chancellor James Page, stated, “The Board of Trustees and I have asked David Flanagan, one of Maine’s most accomplished and respected leaders, to serve as USM’s interim president, balance its budget and set the university on the right track for the future.”
In his remarks Chancellor Page laid our five objectives for the incoming president:
• Rebuild trust and productively align campuses around common objectives
• Close USM’s projected $12.5 million budget gap in the next fiscal year
• Begin implementation of the Metropolitan University Model
• Strengthen USM’s relationships and standing throughout the region
• Lay a foundation for success for USM’s permanent president
David Flanagan began his tenure as President at the University of Southern Maine on July 28, 2014. He will serve in this position until a permanent president arrives on campus...a search process that got underway this fall with a goal of having a permanent leader in place by the middle of 2015.
While Mr. Flanagan’s service is temporary, university leaders made it clear that he was recruited and tasked to lead a significant organizational change at USM with the unanimous support of the Board of Trustees.
11/07/14 BITS AND PIECES
President Kris Rosado called us to order; Carl Spang offered an invocation and Bill Blount led us in a stirring rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
President Kris then introduced four visiting Rotarians and eight guests. Harold Crabill added his welcome to our guests and thanked our members for their efforts to bring friends to Rotary, then urged us all to keep up the good work.
On the eve of her departure to St John’s where she will reside for the next six months, (snow bird) Meredith Small offered a “Happy Dollar” for no pregnancies in her family, for twenty-seven years as a member of Rotary and for seventeen years of retirement.
Having participated in the recent "Bridge The Gap" event held in Portsmouth, Juliana L’Heureux presented President Kris and Amy Chipman, as Foundation Chair, with fire-house red “END POLIO NOW” tee-shirts.
Bill Blount led us in the song “Be Proud,” sung to the tune of the U.S. Army’s anthem: “The Caissons go Rolling Along.” The lyrics were adapted by President Kris in 1998 for his former Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale Beach:
All day long, things go best
When you use the Four-Way test
And be proud that you’re in Rotary
Helping those who have less
Only then can we progress
And be proud that you’re in Rotary
All around the globe, we will travel every road
Helping those who are in need
So for health and wealth
Service Above Self
And be proud that you’re in Rotary!
Amy Chipman introduced Dave Talbot as “the pre-speaker." The leader of the Crutches4Africa project gave us an update and called for continued efforts at rounding up crutches, wheel chairs, walkers, canes, and air-cast boots. Keep looking in attics, garages, barns or wherever folks have retired their no-longer-needed mobility aids. Each of the donated units cost $3.00 to ship. The fourth container from Maine to Africa goes out this month. It will bring the number of persons served by Northern New England Rotary Clubs to 12,000. There are many folks – young and old – in Africa who still need our help.
Ron Bennett conducted this week's raffle with the pot at $468. Tony Manhart's name was drawn and he tried to find the queen of hearts, but in vain, he drew the six of diamonds. The pot continues to get larger.
Peter Goffin introduced a new member: Esther Hickman, who hails from Inglewood, California, is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in musical performance. For ten years she served as a Christie’s Great Estate affiliate and now works in the Keller Williams Luxury Division. Esther and her husband Keith own and operate the Clark Street Deli & Market at the corner of Clark and Danforth Streets. She is an active volunteer as a music minister for funerals of low-income families, and as a soup kitchen/shelter volunteer. She has started and led support groups for persons suffering from Spondylitis. Esther is also a board member of the Park Place Block Association.
Laura Young introduced another new member, Carol Walker Aten, who recently moved from New Hampshire where she was a member and past president of the Exeter Rotary Club. She is a Senior Consultant for Lift 360, which is a nonprofit that offers a continuum of programs, including consulting services that help non profits successfully address their challenges and issues, as well as take advantage of new opportunities. Her husband, Peter, works for Idexx; their son Sean is graduating from Arizona State University; their daughter Kelsey, a graphic designer is married and living in Portsmouth, N.H. Carol is a landscape painter and photographer who enjoys travel, especially by boat where other people have to do the work.
Welcome to both our newest members: Esther Hickman and Carol Aten.
(Photo: Esther Hickman, Carol Aten, Laura Young and Peter Goffin)
11/07/14 Entrepreneurship - John Coleman, CEO The VIA Agency
John Coleman, who spoke at our November 7th meeting, believes in entrepreneurs. They make things happen; their skills set them apart from others. They have drive, ideas, differentiation, passion, make decisions, execute, and grow. Creativity is the secret of a great entrepreneur and John Coleman is a very creative guy.
Growing up in Maine, he completed his degree in engineering only to discover that he was a "B" level engineer and would have to work twice as hard as the other people in his office to survive. The engineering career path wasn't going to do it for him, and after a short stint in the field, he decided to follow his heart and start an ad agency.
It wasn't easy telling his wife that he was quitting his secure job to follow a dream of starting, without any experience, an advertising agency. Nevertheless, the VIA Agency has been a remarkable success story. Working for companies such as Welch's, Unilever, Ameritrade, Maine Beer Co., Klondike Bars and Samsung Electronics, VIA has become well situated in the advertising world.
John is an entrepreneur at heart and with his creative drive, he decided that he would take up painting. "What will I do on an blank slate?" Using his aptitude and amusement for the creative process, he undertook the journey to be a painter. He discovered that he loved it and was able to find his own style. As John said, "Differentiation is to stand out on your own, tell your own story, find your passion and find something different." John's foray in the painting was just that.
Using photographs of his paintings, John weaved his theory of entrepreneurship throughout his presentation......
Decision-Making: Your brain is a geek, your heart is a sap, follow your gut. Hire good consultants, explain the issue and hear yourself. You know where to go. You may not know it in your brain, but in your gut you do.
Execution: Constructive constraints make for greater creativity.
Growth: Love your mistakes. Failure is part of growth. Respect the effort, honor the process and learn from it.
Management: Kind Candor. Be honest and kind to get people to prefer honesty.
New Business: Invest in good karma. Listen - respect - be kind.
Believe!: In yourself.
John Coleman lives and breathes what he believes in. Entrepreneurship runs through his veins and when given the chance to take a 6-week sabbatical, he went to work. Applying the very principles of his work at VIA to learning how to paint, John was able to create a body of work and have a fun time doing it. By the end of John's sabbatical, his paintings were actually getting "pretty good." There were a lot of mistakes, but as he applied his entrepreneurial skills to his painting, his work progressed. By the end of his 6 weeks, he completed a substantial quantity of work. For his last set of paintings, he painted the lobster boats out in the harbor. Late one night, he and his daughter went out and stealthily placed the paintings on the respective lobster boats that he had painted. "I'm hoping that if I ever have motor trouble out at sea, one of the lobstermen will come to rescue me."
John was a tremendous speaker and all of us who heard him came away with a better understanding of the creative process and entrepreneurship.
Got Bolders?
10/31/14 A Cultural Collaboration on Congress Street - Steve Bromage and Steve Podgajny
Steve Podgajny, Executive Director of the Portland Public Library, and Steve Bromage, Executive Director of the Maine Historical Society, shared the exceptional work they have undertaken to create a shared collections management facility to meet the needs of both unique organizations. The “Steves,” or as Laura Young pointed out, the “Click and Clack of Maine’s Cultural World,” began their collaboration together in an effort to solve a problem they both shared—and one we all relate to—where do we keep our stuff?
Steve Podgajny pointed out that the library’s collection is dynamic, depends upon strict organization, and is in constant circulation, while the Historical Society collections require long-term care, temperature and humidity controls, with items not moving as much. “Digitization provides some of the solution with sharing materials,” Steve P. pointed out. “ Printed books are not going away. My observation is that digital devices are becoming more transactional. People want to read a book.”
Steve B. echoed the idea that digitization is not the full solution: “You need the physical object, that experience cannot be replaced. There is a power in the physical object.”
The collaboration between both groups got its impetus from J.B. Brown & Sons, which had provided the library and MHS with 53,000 sq. ft. of space that was initially used during the major renovations at both Congress Street facilities. Realizing that they could not provide free space forever, J.B. Brown encouraged the two to work together to find a solution to their space needs. After a year and a half search, the result was the joint purchase of a 35,500 sq. ft. facility on Riverside Street in Portland. “Over the last two years we got together on collection storage and realized there were other opportunities for us to work together.”
Each institution faced similar, but different, space challenges. Both organizations have been around for 400 years collectively, and have undergone a lot of change and evolutions. MHS has existed since 1822, collecting for 200 years, and is out of space. Their latest acquisition is the CMP collection, the biggest and most ambitious set they’ve received. Steve B: “The choice is more space, or stop collecting. We are constantly getting opportunities for institutional histories and personal histories. Leased space is expensive; it takes revenue from operating funds that would be used for other purposes.” Steve P: “But we realized, if we don’t do something, we’d be forced to stop collecting. What happens to our collections?”
Models of philanthropy for each organization are different. They work together, but manage collections separately; expenses are directly halved and jointly raised and managed. “Every dollar is equally split. Sounds simple, but it takes a big leap of faith,” said Steve P. “We are a unique collaboration in the philanthropic world and cultural community,” Steve B. added.
Purchasing the Riverside facility freed up 17,000 feet on Congress Street to allow more experiences for people using the facilities. The Steves are looking to add solar power to the Riverside location to pay the energy costs for that facility, and provide energy credits for Congress Street.
MHS is working to develop a museum building devoted to Maine People.
Both men extended special recognition for Peggy and Paul Wescott, who really helped to move people forward on both boards. "We couldn't have done it without them." Laura Young added her thanks for the work both men have done to help Portland Rotary plan for its 100th anniversary celebration. "And, thank you for being such innovative leaders."
*11/7/14 JOHN COLEMAN, CEO and Founder, VIA Agency
As the largest advertising agency in Maine (ranked by revenue with $44M in 2013), the VIA Agency may be better known nationally than in Portland proper. In terms of commitment to Maine and feeding the entrepreneurial appetite of greater Portland, it has few peers.
The CEO and founder of the VIA Agency, John Coleman, will be speaking about what he feels is the secret to great entrepreneurship - ideas that any business person can weave into their daily work in hopes of creating even greater growth for their business.
John Coleman is a believer. In 1993, he followed his passion and, despite being trained as an engineer, opened an ad agency in Portland, Maine, when the notion of “regional” agency meant a city like San Francisco or Detroit.
Twenty years later, the VIA Agency has become one of the most talked-about advertising agencies in the country, even being named Small Agency of the Year by Advertising Age in 2011.
John’s unbridled love of ideas and entrepreneurial appetite go to the very core of who he is and the agency he founded — an agency designed as a rich environment for creativity in the service of its clients. One of John’s favorite campaigns he’s been a part of at VIA was for the Salvation Army, which Forbes later called, “The Perfect Marketing Idea.” To date, VIA remains the proudest achievement of his professional life, a company brimming with believers who share his commitment to the idea that true creativity comes only through a life richly lived.
John's topic: Musings of a Maine-made Entrepreneur – Go. Do.
10/31/14 BITS and PIECES
The meeting was held at the Clarion Hotel. President Kris convened and Garvey MacLean gave us an inspiring prayer for peace and goodwill. It was much-needed solace before the upcoming national elections this Tuesday. Jerry Angier led us in the pledge to the flag and Janelle LoSciuto led the patriotic song.
1st VP Bowen Depke conducted the raffle draw for $475, but Rusty Atwood could not find the Queen...just the lowly four of diamonds, which was then retired from the deck....and the pot increases.
President Kris acknowledged our visitors: Vanessa Pike from the Greater Portland Visitors Bureau, guest of Rusty Atwood; Carol Aten, guest of Laura Young; and two visiting medical professionals, Donna Domcastro and Irene Eaton, guests of Julie L'Heureux. We had 53 club members in attendance.
Janelle LoSciuto led us in a Karaoke rendition, timely for Halloween, of "One Eyed, One Horned Flying Purple People Eater," to the delight of our singing club.
Past District Governor Carolyn Johnson announced that our club contributed $2500 for the Rotary International Polio Plus initiative, under John Marr's administration, and that amount was matched by our District 7780 twice over for a $7500 contribution. PDG Carolyn also brought to our attention another benefit of the Polio Plus initiative in Nigeria. Not far from the Ebola epidemic, Nigeria has had a few cases that were quickly eradicated in part by the medical infrastructure set up there by Rotary's efforts to eradicate polio.
Immediate PP John Marr announced the formation of the Nominating Committee and described their assigned task of bringing nominations for the upcoming 2015-16 Rotary year before our club in early December: a 2nd Vice President, 2 directors, a Sergeant-At-Arms and 2 Service & Memorial Fund trustees.
The nominating committee consists of: John Marr, Chair; 1st VP Bowen Depke; 2nd VP Laura Young; Secretary/PP, Loretta Rowe; PP Cy Hagge; PP Peter Goffin; PP Jim Willey; Mike Fortunato; Roger Fagan; Emily McEntee; Ellen Niewoehner; and John Curran.
Glenn Nerback introduced Portland High School Principal, Deborah Migneault, who recited a glowing recommendation for Aren Kiladjian, Portland Rotary's Youth Service Award recipient. Aren's parents, Annie and Gerard, beamed with pride as they watched their son receive the award. Aren's charity of choice for part of the award he received was to go to the Children of Armenia.
Group photo: Glenn Nerbek, Deborah Migneault, Gerard Kiladjian (father), Aren Kiladjian and Annie Kiladjian (mother).
10/24/14 BITS & PIECES
President Kris opened the meeting welcoming everyone. Carl Spang gave us the invocation, we said our Pledge to the flag and then sang our patriotic song.
Five visiting guests were introduced, three of which are considering membership in our Rotary club: Andrew Kraus (Portland), Lisa DeSisto (N. Yarmouth), Troy Malbon (Topsham), Carol Aten (Portland) and Linda Zillman (Portland). We also had five visiting Rotarians: Catherine Wygant-Fossett (Boothbay Harbor - former Portland Rotarian), Anne-Marie Davee (Freeport), Donna Sheedy (South Portland Sunrise) and Dave Schildwachter (Yonkers), who arrived on a cruise ship and exchanged his club banner with one of ours.
In photo above right: Dave Schildwachter exchanging club banners with President Kris.
Anne Fisher made a request for volunteers to help with the packing of medical equipment that will take place on November 8, 2014. For more information, please contact her at: annefisher9551@gmail.com
The weekly raffle was conducted by David Clough, with a pot of $433. Sarah Joy's name was pulled from the container, but she couldn't find the Queen of Hearts.
So the pot continues to grow.
In lieu of singing our second song, we had a "Happy Dollars" bragging event:
- Steve Ditmer was happy that the Salvation Army was celebrating 130 years in Portland.
- Janelle LoSciuto was happy that Circle K was donating the proceeds from selling paper pumpkins for Halloween to the March of Dimes .
- Elise Hodgkin was happy that her son was accepted at the college in Copenhagen.
- Mike Reed was happy that one of his sons became engaged and the other son had just passed the bar.
- Don Zillman was happy that he had picked up his wife, Linda, at the airport coming in from New Mexico and she was at the meeting with us.
- Alex St. Hilaire was happy to have attended the District Membership/Foundation where he learned a lot about membership ideas and got to know other Rotarians, in the District, as well as some of our own members who also attended.
- Peter Goffin was happy to have 2 guests with him at the meeting who have applied for membership in our club; plus while at the District Membership session of the seminar last Wednesday, each Rotarian was paired off with a buddy and asked to do something nice for them this week...Peter did so by making a donation of $100 to the Rotary Foundation in Sam Heck's (Portland Sunrise RC) name.
- Rusty Atwood was happy about the Giraffe awards.
- Kris Rosado was happy he was going duck hunting on Saturday, after a challenging week of changing jobs.
$80 was raised from "Happy Dollars," which will go towards a Paul Harris Sustaining Fellow Award for Rusty Atwood (name picked at random from all the "happy" people who contributed.
Photo at left: Happy Dollar contributors (L to R): Alex St. Hilaire, Janelle LoSciuto, Rusty Atwood, Elise Hodgkin, Don Zillman, Mike Reed, Steve Ditmer, President Kris Rosado, and PP Peter Goffin
Daylight Savings Time Ends
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS THIS WEEKEND.....
DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK 1 HOUR
ON SUNDAY, NOV. 2ND
10/24/14 Getting to Know You....
Peter Goffin introduced 4 members of Portland Rotary who each took the podium and told us about themselves, so that those in attendance could get to know them a little better. He deftly chose a cross section of members of various ages who had joined the club in diverse years.
The first speaker was Sarah Joy, who became a Portland Rotarian in 2013. Sarah was quick to point out that although she is new to our club, she was a Rotarian in Bangor for 4 years before joining us. Sarah spoke about 5 impactful things in her life: 1) Community – She grew up in a small Maine town (Winter Harbor). The community was so small in fact that she considered her community to be synonymous with family; 2) Family – She grew up in a close-knit family and knows that as a mother and wife, family life is extremely important; 3) Work – Sarah worked even as a young child helping out in the family store and often carried 2-3 jobs when she was growing up. She’s not afraid of hard work; 4) Constant Motion – Sarah is not one to sit idly on the sidelines and is someone who is always moving. She loves her job; and 5) Positive Attitude – Sarah has always seen the glass as half full, not half empty. Her positive attitude has helped her get to where she is now and will always be a major part of her personality.
Matt Tassey became a Portland Rotarian in 1986. When he joined Portland Rotary, Peter Barnard was President of the club and there were approximately 220 members. Matt became a Rotarian when he was 35 (he was “one of the young guys”) and said that he believes it was a different era back then – the club was filled with executives and men who were the pillars of the community. Matt said that you didn’t join Rotary, “you were invited.” One of the major differences back then was that there were no women in the club. After a Supreme Court decision in essence outlawed male-only clubs, Portland Rotarians discussed the issue and quickly decided to admit women, with Jane Schurz becoming our first female member. Matt acknowledged that the addition of women has been a wonderful and positive addition to our club.
Rich Campbell was the next member to speak and he joined the club in 2000. Rich was sponsored by Dick Hall and noted that Roxane Cole was President of the club when he became a Portland Rotarian. Rich talked about growing up in Newark, New Jersey and living in New York and Philadelphia during his youth. He was a biology major in college and after a graduate school degree in geology, he came back to Maine and lived at home until he was able to get a job. In 1999, he started his own company and now helps folks through the labyrinth of DEP and other regulations. Rich told an amusing story of doing away with television in his home 2 years ago and now listens to baseball games with his rubber ducky ear buds.
Last, but not least, was our upcoming Rotary President, Bowen Depke. Bowen joined Rotary in 2005. He grew up in Illinois, the youngest of 7 children. He also was no stranger to hard work when he was young and enjoyed being a 3-sport athlete in high school. Bowen seriously injured his knee as a senior, so sports were not an option in college. After obtaining a geology degree, he moved to Hawaii to compete in triathlons. He went to graduate school in Chicago and majored in finance. He worked at Deutsche Bank for several years then went to Australia where he met an amazing woman wearing a Syracuse University shirt at a bus stop at 2 a.m. After a 3-year long distance romance, they went to South America together and then got married. Bowen and his wife lived in England for awhile and in 2004 decided to move to Maine with their two children, dog and 13 suitcases. He’s happy with the decision and has never looked back since.
It appeared that everyone present at the meeting enjoyed hearing about our members and would like to keep doing this type of program on a regular basis. Getting to know you is fun.
Photo at left: Rich Campbell, 1st Vice President Bowen Depke, Emcee and PP Peter Goffin, Sarah Joy, and Matt Tassey
*10/31/14 ME HISTORICAL SOCIETY/PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY - A CULTURAL COLLABORATION ON CONGRESS STREET
Two of Portland’s most important and venerable institutions of literacy and culture, the Maine Historical Society and Portland Public Library are virtual neighbors on Congress Street. Together with the Maine College of Art, situated in the iconic Porteous, Mitchell and Braun building, they form the foundation of a burgeoning cultural corridor along the historic central business artery of the city.
As directors of their respective institutions, Steve Bromage and Steve Podgajny will speak about the recent collaboration that permitted a more permanent and appropriate storage and preparation facility for their ever-growing collections, while at the same time, freeing up critical space in their respective buildings for more public access and use by patrons in the downtown area.
Steve Bromage is Executive Director of the Maine Historical Society where he has worked since 2001. Steve has helped guide the development of the Maine Memory Network, a statewide digital museum that has received national recognition for its innovative approach to providing access to historical resources and engaging communities in local, state, and national history. Previously, Steve was Associate Director of the online Disability History Museum and helped produce the award-winning NPR documentary Beyond Affliction: The Disability History Project. Steve and his wife Jackie have three kids....Ella (10), Owen (8), and Wyatt (6)....and love to hike and be outdoors. In his all-too-spare free time, Steve restores and rides antique motorcycles and other vehicles.
Steve Podgajny has been the executive director of the Portland Public Library since 2006. Prior to that, he directed the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, ME for 18 years and the Dyer Library / York Institute Museum (now Saco Museum) in Saco, ME for 6 years. He was named Maine Librarian of the Year in 2000, in recognition of his distinguished record of professional service, both to libraries and the broader civic and cultural domains.
Steve served on the Board of the Maine Humanities Council, Advisory Council for Maine Writers & Publishers and currently serves on the Board of Good Will Hinckley, which oversees the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences and the executive committee of Portland ConnectEd, a collaboration of eight public and private school and community organizations. He has also served on numerous other boards concerning health, education, fitness and cultural interests, in addition to working as a planning consultant for libraries and museums.
In July 2014 he was named by Maine Magazine as one of 50 Mainers shaping the state.
IMPORTANT UPDATE
It is important that all members are aware of President Kris Rosado's new workplace/contact information, which has changed to the following:
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, 100 Middle St., Portland, ME 04101
771-0843 (w) 771-0870 (f) kris.rosado@morganstanley.com
10/17/14 BITS & PIECES
First Vice President Bowen Depke called the meeting to order and asked Dave Small to offer the invocation. Tom Ranello led us in the Pledge to the flag and Russ Burleigh led us in our patriotic song, as well as performing on the piano.
Lester Evans conducted this week's raffle, requesting that our speaker draw the name from the pot. Eric Greven tried his best, but he did not find the Queen of Hearts.
Bowen announced that $60k was collected for the Good Shepherd Food Bank through Rotary efforts; then announced that a Senior Day Center was established in Falmouth, helped in part by Rotary donations through a grant to the Southern Maine Area on Aging.
Mike Fortunato asked if any member had a pool table they could donate to the Long Creek Youth Center, as the pool table in residence is beyond rescue. The pool table at long Creek provides a place for kids and mentors to talk in a relaxed environment, so it is more about connecting than playing pool. A simple need that has significant benefits. Please help if you can.
Harold Crabill reminded us that the upcoming District Membership and Foundation seminar will take place this Wednesday, 10/22 at the Fireside Inn, Westbrook. There will be some excellent information on how to increase our membership numbers, as well as the Foundation goals. There is a registration fee, but the Club will pay for the cost, if you can and want to attend. Please contact Loretta ASAP, as the registrations close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday 10/21.
*10/24/14 WHAT DOES ROTARY MEAN??
This week's meeting will be fun and interesting!
We are dusting off a well-used idea that many members have asked for. It is, for lack of a better description, a combination of a classification talk, a "who are you?," "why are you here?," and "what makes you interesting" discussion. You will hear from 4 members: one member, who is probably the only NY Mets fan in the club; another grew up living above an old fashioned 5&10 that was recently highlighted by Frommers (this person has also lived in 17 different places since leaving home); a third member collects fine wine and art, dresses in a suit by weekday and flannel by weekend; and last, but not least, we have a member who, with his wife, looked at a map of the world and asked themselves, "where in the world do we want to live." This will be a meeting that will get us to know each other a little bit more.
Emceed by Past President Peter Goffin.
10/17/14 Newspapers in the Age of the Internet
It's daunting to report on a "Journalist of the Year," as was the case with our speaker on Friday, Seth Koenig, Portland Bureau Chief of the Bangor Daily News. He described the following changes in the newspaper industry: print ads have dropped 55% in the last 8 years; online ads have been steadily increasing, but not yet enough; staffs are continuing to decline; and newspapers are being forced to change to survive.
Based on Pew Research, 63% of adults watch videos online and 50% of all adults watch news videos online; people use Facebook or Google to link into the news, compared to any other drivers. Printed newspaper companies need to take notice of this fact. For websites in general, not just newspapers, 1/4 of the website referrals are from Facebook. 5-7 % come from Pinterest, 2-3% from Twitter.
Facebook news viewers are not loyal. They spend only 1 min. 40 sec. on the site per visit, look at only 4.2 pages per month, and have little likelihood to return. Direct-viewer visits to the newspaper websites spend 4.5 min. on the site per visit, look at 24.8 pages per month, and visit the website 11 times per month.
Printed newspapers must figure out how to get a share with all the competition out there. Nobody wants to read good news. The top stories are horrible tragedies, controversy, and scandal. These stories always rise to the top of the website, as the stories most visited/read are moved to the top on the site.
The challenge is to cut through the clutter of all that is out there. Once a reader's attention is caught, the newspaper needs to keep them there with something thoughtful. News first attracts the quick side and then offers the deep side. Breaking news brings people in, and then they stay for the long form of the stories.
Advertising is also very different now. The ad executives talk to potential clients about what they think a successful advertising experience means. The Bangor Daily News (BDN) needs to work with partners such as Facebook, other social media, and targeted audiences.
There are 13-million page views per month at BDN, 50% from Portland.....61% from desktops and laptops, and 39% from mobile devices. Newspapers cover less crime and politics than other news sources and cover more health, more education, more foreign affairs, more business, and more world affairs. Seth told us there are lots more issues to talk about. He then rolled into questions to find out what we were interested in.
Does the comment section influence planning for follow-up stories? Each newspapers handles comments differently. Lewiston uses real names of the people making comments, BDN allows anonymous postings and the Portland Press Herald requires commenters to post via Facebook. Comments do not sway the story line and are generally posted by repeat viewers. Sometimes it affects whether a reporter actually goes to an event for a follow-up story.
If a story is not a typical Facebook story, how does it get viewers? BDN puts up some stories, which may not be particularly interesting as a stand-alone story, but if it is linked to businesses that might be impacted, positively or negatively, readers get interested.
Is the printing of newspapers dead? Not yet, but it may be on life support. Revenue projections keep decreasing and most news organizations are looking for ways to survive if print finally dies. Many web-only news sources are doing pretty well. When advertising drops below printing costs, printing will probably go away.
Is there a dumbing down of news and video? No, there are more choices and more sources. Media organizations know what brings people to their newspapers and websites. A lot of dumb things bring traffic. Teasers are everywhere and are considered the red-light district of news. Once the sites have you, they feed you the meat and vegetables. Getting someone to go to the next layer is what true journalism means.
Do we still have a three-way race for governor? According to the polls - no.
Who owns the BDN paper? Richard Warren owns the paper and his family has owned it for years.
Are sports important? 80% of print readers go to sports first. They are more likely to pick up a print edition.
Photo: Speaker Seth Koenig, PP Peter Goffin and 1st VP Bowen Depke
RYLA - Volunteers Needed
Our club will be hosting a work day to support Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) this month. This is a volunteer event that will be to prepare the sites for the new challenge course elements at Camp Hinds in Raymond, ME. There is a signup page online for volunteers at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0E49AEA62CAAF94-fall
The event will be Sunday, October 26th at Camp Hinds from 9:00 to 5:00 (or any time in between).
We need landscaping help and food donations/preparation. If you'd like to help, but don't think heavy lifting is for you, we need people to supply/serve pizza, snacks, refreshments, etc. for our volunteers.
If you can't make this event, don't worry. We will be having at least two more in the Spring. This one is geared toward getting the site ready for construction.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Bill Ross at: (207) 351-5294 or by email: william.ross@td.com
10/10/14 Bits & Pieces
President Kris called the meeting to order and asked Bruce Jones to offer the invocation. Bruce reminded us to be thankful for a fine Fall day, family, friends and fellowship. Tom Ranello led us in the Pledge to the flag and Amy Chipman led us in our patriotic song, with Russ Burleigh on the piano.
Loretta Rowe conducted this week's raffle, which was at $386, requesting that our speaker draw the name from the pot. Amy Chipman's name was pulled and she tried to find the Queen of Hearts. She found a heart, but it was the lowly 5, so the pot continues to grow.
President Kris asked Russ Burleigh to share a "Rotary Minute" with us. Referencing how Membership Chair, Harold Crabill, is trying to encourage us to increase our member numbers, Russ told us the story of how he became a Rotarian: he attended a Rotary meeting and a week later Harry Sawyer contacted him to invite him back as his guest, which turned out to be a pivotal moment, as Harry became his sponsor. With that in mind, Russ shared the following "Ode to Harry Sawyer" with us:
There's a guy in our club we call Harry,
Why? 'Cause that's his name - t'ain't Larry!
He's responsible for
A dozen or more
Of members of Portland Rotary.
There's Jake and Kathy, two valuable members,
And so many others, it's hard to remember...
Ah yes, Erik and Don,
And another named John.
He recruits from Jan. to December.
Did I mention Eugene and a Hagge named Cy?
And the pianist/photographer Russ......'tis I?
If we all worked like Harry
To find people for Rotary,
Our membership would be sky high.
Russ went on to tell us that he was honored to be inducted as a member of Portland Rotary during the 1991 District Conference in Lewiston and he was given his Rotary pin by the Assistant President of Rotary International!!!
Laura Young told us about the Camp Hinds in Raymond for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), which helps train young adults to be leaders, and that volunteers were needed to help the end-of-summer clean-up on Sunday, 10/26. See separate article about RYLA in this Windjammer edition for details.
We had guests-a-plenty at our meeting and they were: Patrick Flaherty, guest of Harry Sawyer; Jason Edes, guest of David Clough; Peter Carigan, guest of Bowen Depke; Carol Walker-Aten, guest of Laura Young and Victoria Murphy, wife of our speaker, Patrick Murphy and guest of David Clough.
Harold Crabill and Amy Chipman presented information on the upcoming District Membership and Foundation seminar to take place on Wednesday, 10/22 at the Fireside Inn, Westbrook. There will be some excellent information on how to increase our membership numbers, as well as the Foundation goals. Since there is a registration fee, the Club will help defray some of that cost, as best it is able. Please contact either one of them if you wish to attend. Watch your email....more information to come!
President Kris then announced that the first committee meeting for the "Maine Outdoor Challenge" would be held at the Boys & Girls Club, 277 Cumberland Avenue, Portland on Wednesday, 10/15, at noon. If you are on that committee or would like to help, contact President Kris at: kris_rosado@ml.com or just show up.
Then President Kris read us an invitation, that is extended to all members, from the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, a recipient of a Club grant, for two receptions for the opening of its new Stewart Center, a state-of-the-art Adult Day Center at OceanView Campus at 74 Lunt Road in Falmouth:
- On Thursday, October 16: A Private Preview Reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m.; cocktails and hors d'oeuvres; RSVP to Kate Putnam at: kputnam@smaaa.org or call her at 396-6590
- On Friday, October 17: Public Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting from 2:00-6:00 p.m.; ribbon cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m.; tours of the Stewart Center from 2:30-6:00 p.m.
For more information, contact Larry Gross at: lgross@smaaa.org.
*10/17/14 MAINE NEWSPAPERS IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET - Seth Koenig, Bangor Daily News
Our program/speaker this Friday will be Seth Koenig, Portland Bureau Chief for the Bangor Daily News (BDN), Maine's most-read news outlet. In 2009, Seth was named 'Journalist of the Year' by both the Maine Press Association and the New England Newspaper and Press Association, whose judges called his work “refreshingly honest and compelling” as well as “insightful and relevant to his community.”
Perhaps relevant to this talk, Seth was named Maine's best news blogger this year by the Maine Press Association and he was one of the editors behind the BDN's award-winning “Portland at a Crossroads” multimedia package, exploring the gentrification of Maine's largest city.
“Portland at a Crossroads” was named the country's best multimedia project by the National Press Photographers Association in June, and Seth's Bangor Daily News colleagues claimed this year's first-place award in the feature category by the Online News Association for a multimedia package titled “The Good Life,” looking into how the back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s changed Maine forever.
Seth will talk about multimedia projects such as those and how storytelling has changed, as well as how the Bangor Daily News and other Maine media organizations have adapted in the age of the Internet, the pros and cons to online paywalls, and what's different about how newspapers prioritize stories in the 21st century.
Seth was born and raised in Maine, earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and took master's level classes in strategic technology management from Marlboro College in Brattleboro, Vermont. Seth is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves, and is married with two children, ages 6 and 7.
10/10/14 - Patrick Murphy - 25 Days to Go Until the Elections
Our speaker on Friday was Patrick Murphy, President of Pan Atlantic SMS Group, a Maine-based marketing and research firm. He has had an extensive background in supporting the Small Business Administration both nationally and at the state level, as well as, many other activities.
His firm is one of the leading polling firms in Maine and he spoke to us today about the Maine election outlook 2014, based on his polling activities.
He started by showing what the major issues are today to Maine voters and how it's changed in the last few months.
April 2014 September 2014
% %
Jobs / Economy 46 54
Health Care 11 1.5
Education 7.5 3.5
Taxes 3.4 3.4
Mr. Murphy pointed out this could change quickly in the last few weeks to election. He also pointed out that there are many polls reported, some good and some bad. It depends on who interviewed the called and who was called. One-third of the population is not registered to vote, about one-third are registered, but non voters, with about 34-45% actual voters. Many polling firms subcontract the calling to national call centers with little knowledge of the subject and do not ask about the voting history.
Jobs and the economy is the main concern with only 37% approval of the economy in Maine.
Mr. Murphy showed slides of the various support areas of the candidates. While most did not like Governor LePage's style, they were more favorable of his policies. The incumbent usually has an advantage.
In their polling, as of today, Governor LePage leads by 2%, which is within the range of error, so it is essentially a dead heat between LePage and Michaud. Again, he stressed that this can all change in the final weeks.
Movie Premiere "The Giver" - Book author Lois Lowry
This past August, a group of 40+ Rotarians and other friends joined Ben Lowry at the Nickelodeon Cinema for the national premiere of “The Giver,” a film adaptation of his mother's, Lois Lowry, award winning novel of the same name. Lois joined us at Portland Rotary last year to discuss her career, which has included over 45 books and numerous awards. The film, starring Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, had been in the works for over 18 years and was premiered in New York, with Ben attending the red-carpet event and screening. It’s been a fun journey for everyone who knows Ben and has read "The Giver,” which has sold over 12 million copies since its publication in 1993.
Following are some photos from the NYC and Portland premiere events:
At left: Ben Lowry and his mom, Lois Lowry, at the Red-Carpet Premiere at the Zeigfeld Theater in New York City
At right: Lois Lowry, Ben Lowry and Harvey Weinstein, producer of the movie..."The Giver."
At left: Actor Jeff Bridges (who stars in the movie) and the beaming, star-struck Ben Lowry in NYC.
At right: a few of the many Rotarians who attended the Portland, Maine premiere at the Nickelodean Cinema:
Bill Blount, Barbara and Paul Tully, Laura Young and Loretta Rowe.
*10/17/14 SETH KOENIG, BANGOR DAILY NEWS
Our presenter this Friday will be Seth Koenig, Bangor Daily News Journalist.
A lifelong Mainer and graduate of Lisbon High School, Seth Koenig has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and has won numerous awards for coverage of arts, business and ethnic diversity. In 2009, Seth was named Journalist of the Year by both the Maine Press Association and the New England Newspaper & Press Association, whose judges called his work “refreshingly honest and compelling” as well as “insightful and relevant to his community.”
10/03/14 The Rotary Foundation, District Foundation Chair, Peter Johnson
“It’s nice to be back!” said Past District Governor Peter Johnson, as he greeted the Portland Rotarians last Friday. Peter is the 2014-15, District 7780 Rotary Foundation Chair.
In his opening remarks before speaking about the status of the Rotary Foundation, he thanked Portland’s Rotarians for our financial contributions to the Foundation, for our growing number of sustaining members and Paul Harris Fellows. Likewise, Amy Chipman’s leadership as Portland Rotary’s Foundation chair was recognized.
Supporting the Rotary Foundation is important, because the contributions are making possible the humanitarian projects Rotarians are engaged in throughout the world. Included in the projects
receiving global grant support are the Hearing, Hands and H20 project in the Dominican Republic, led by Portland Rotary's International Service Committee, including Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan.
Projects like providing reading books to children in Guatemala and supporting water collection dams in India are among the many receiving global support. Local district grants are, likewise, funded by the Foundation. “We’re motivated to support the Rotary Foundation because of the first-person experiences we’re constantly hearing about from those who are helping, as well as those who are helped,” Peter said. “Our support for the Foundation really matters.”
The Rotary Foundation began in 1917, but the catalyst for growth came with the memorial gifts contributed after the 1947 death of Rotary International’s founder Paul Harris. Although the Foundation grew as a result of the memorials, the donations dwindled after a few years. In 1956, Rotary International invigorated the Foundation by the creation of the designation of the Paul Harris Fellow, to recognize Rotarians who either contributed $1,000 to the Foundation or had the honor of having someone do so in their name.
Rotary Foundation’s contributors help to determine priority needs about how to spend the money authorized for allocations. In other words, our membership in Rotary and the Paul Harris Rotary Foundation gives us access to how the Rotary Foundation’s money is spent. Rotary’s Foundation is among the substantial tools we have available to keep our members engaged in our humanitarian work. “Being involved and contributing to the Rotary Foundation builds pride in being a member of Rotary.”
Peter described the impact of the Rotary Foundation’s support for world peace and understanding, so evidently vital in today’s international relations. As a matter of fact, at the Rotary International Convention’s parade of flags, representatives from Aman Jordan, Israel and Palestinians carried their flags, representing the world’s three newest clubs. In so doing, they displayed the value of world peace and understanding initiatives.
Rotary Foundation is a partner in world health. Funds have helped to purchase hospital equipment for use in developing nations, and to bring health care workers to the US for the purpose of teaching them how to use and maintain the equipment.
In conjunction with Peter’s report about the Foundation, he and Amy Chipman presented Portland Rotarian Robert “Bob” Clark with his first Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Bob has been a Rotarian for 14 years. He’s the Chief Professional Officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland. Congratulations, Bob!
(Photo: Bob Clark, Amy Chipman and District Foundation Chair/PDG Peter Johnson)
*10/10/14 PATRICK MURPHY, PRES. PAN ATLANTIC SMS GRP - 25 DAYS TO GO
Patrick O. Murphy is the President and Founder of Pan Atlantic SMS Group, a Maine-based marketing research and consulting firm which he founded in 1985.
Pan Atlantic SMS Group conducts quantitative and qualitative market research and marketing consulting for a broad base of regional and national public and private sector clients.
He was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) starting in 1994. Mr. Murphy served a total of three two-year terms on that body. He also served on the Maine SBA Advisory Council. Mr. Murphy was Chairman of the Maine Delegation to the last White House Conference on Small Business in June 1995.
In 2000, Pan Atlantic SMS Group was awarded the SBA’s McGillicuddy Award for Business Excellence by the SBA.
Mr. Murphy served on the transition team of former Governor John Baldacci.
In 2007 he was appointed to the board of the Finance Authority of Maine and has served as a Board Member, as Treasurer and most recently as Vice Chairman of the Authority.
He has served on the boards of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Public Library, and is a former board member and Chairman of the Maine College of Art.
Earlier in his career, he held senior consulting and management positions with Enterprise Ireland in New York City and he also held senior level positions with the same organization in Dublin and Iran. He commenced his business career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen & Co. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin University, Ireland.
His presentation this Friday: 25 Days to Go – Election 2014 Outlook!
10/03/14 Bits & Pieces
Alan Nye gave us our invocation, Harold Crabill led us in the Pledge to the Flag, Kathy Grammer was on the keyboard and Steve Ditmer directed our patriotic song.
Another cruise ship delivered visiting Rotarians and guest, with Natalie Zigerlicht making the voyage from Vancouver, British Columbia with her guest Alan Lynch. Troy Malbon was a guest of Peter Goffin.
Ellen Niewoehner tried to give away $371 to Kathy Grammer, but the cards did not cooperate. President Kris announced the October birthdays. We sang “This Land is Your Land” to commemorate the death of Woody Guthrie under the baton of Steve Ditmer, accompanied by Kathy Grammer on the ivories.
Bowen Depke called for Facebook votes for the Good Shepherd Food Bank in a charitable contest sponsored by Walmart. He also called for suggestions for a keynote speaker for our 100th Anniversary Gala, and announced that "Plan B" would consist of a speech given by him and John Marr.
Past President John Marr encouraged our participation at the Long Creek Youth Center facility for an hour and a half once a month on the last Wednesday. If you are interested in participating, please contact John at: jmarr@memic.com
Steve Stromsky challenged us to consider having our own volunteer night at the Preble Street Resource Center, noting that the commitment would require 10 to 12 volunteers. A consensus of the club showed that we were willing to take up the challenge, and Steve will also see if other clubs would like to join us in service and fellowship, just as we shared with the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club.
Peter Goffin and Bill Blount co-sponsored a returning member, Karen Dempsey-Carney, with Bill introducing her to the club. Karen is returning to Portland Rotary after a stint in Boston.
(Photo at left: Karen Dempsey-Carney, Bill Blount and President Kris Rosado.)
Amy Chipman delivered a Foundation minute, noting that all Sustaining Members now have an “S” on their name badges. John Marr was picked from the hat from his "Circle of Five" to earn a Paul Harris Fellow award.
We were all happy to have Rob Chatfield back with us for a second week after his bout with appendicitis.
Laughable!
There's always Disney World!
The alternative to a vacation is to stay home and tip every third person you see!
09/26/14 Bits & Pieces
On Sunday, Rusty Atwood participated in a little-known, but long-standing Portland tradition, the game of "Em-Ball" (whose name is complex and obscure), in which a bunch of neighborhood friends gather on the last Sunday of September on the tennis courts behind Deering High School ("the field") to play their version of street ball. The game features a tennis ball, no gloves, wooden bats, rules similar to the vintage baseball game; as catching the ball after one bounce is an out, variations based on the constraints of the tennis court, etc.
Peter Goffin and Harold Crabill were happy to announce that everyone in the club was an honorary member of the Membership Committee and we were on a goal to bring in 100 new members before our Centennial Celebration in September 2015. It's easy to ask someone to join you for lunch....bring them to Rotary and let them see what a fun group we are....they will want to be a part of us.....and they will be glad you asked them!
President Kris offered an opportunity to contribute to "Happy Dollars" (actually $10) to anyone who wanted to brag about why they were happy. The takers:
- President Kris - He was happy because he feels he has the "BEST" committee chairs;
- Peter Goffin - He had won the sustaining PHF from the last two "Happy Dollars" contributions and felt he wanted to give something back;
- Harold Crabill - "Happy Harold" as he was known in college, was happy that his wife has made an almost 100% recovery from the appendicitis of two weeks ago;
- Dick Giles - Got another Florida Rotary Club (Palm Beach) to join in on the 3-H projects;
- Rob Chatfield - He's happy because Harold's happy (and we were very happy to see Rob);
- Mike Kerrigan (visiting Rotarian from Kent, Ohio) - He was happy because he was on vacation, on a cruise and happy to be with us.
Let's see....that put us at $60 for "Happy Dollars" contributions. President Kris said he would leave the money on the front table and hoped that the amount would somehow grow before the end of the meeting. (It did grow to $105.) He indicated that the funds would go towards the purchase of wool yarn, which would be given to Russ Burleigh's wife, Joan Steinberg, for the annual knitting of mittens she does for the needy children of the area. Great job everyone...especially to JOAN!
Speaking of visiting Rotarians above - we had possibly our first guest at Rotary who arrived by sea: Mike Kerrigan from Kent, Ohio. Mike joined us, having walked up from his cruise ship in Portland Harbor. He found himself embarrassed not to have worn his Rotary pin, but that was quickly remedied when our 1st Vice President Bowen Depke gave up his lapel pin for Mike.
President Kris then reported to the members regarding the Board of Directors addressing the issues of Membership Dues and Attendance. (A separate email will be sent to all members of the club stating the results. If you would like a printed copy at this coming Friday's meeting, please contact Loretta.)
Kathy Grammer's name was front and center on Saturday evening as the Kotzschmar Organ, fresh back from a $2.5M restoration, blew the lid off of Merrill Auditorium during its triumphant return concert. Portland Rotary was prominently listed among the donors to the project, and many of our members were in attendance. Erik Jorgensen, Rusty Atwood and Gene Story were all in the same section of the balcony, just to name a few.
Jim Willey continues to look for a few good people to dig into the Rotary Minutes as part of our centennial celebration and glean interesting facts from our Club in years past. If you’d like to take a year, see Jim and he’ll set you up.
President Kris announced that Preble Street Resource Center requested that our club solely support a volunteer night each month at their center to serve dinner to the recipients of the soup kitchen. Right now we are sharing a night with the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club. If we can successfully have 10-12 of our members volunteer each month to help, we would consider the request. If you feel you want and can commit this one night each month, please contact Steve Stromsky at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
Much to her surprise and delight, at the end of her program, Nan Heald, was presented with a Paul Harris Award from the Portland Rotary Club for her work and dedication with Pine Tree Legal Assistance.
FOUNDATION NEWS
Peter Johnson, our District Foundation Chair will be our guest speaker at this week’s Rotary meeting. If you still don’t quite know what the Rotary Foundation is or how it works, you need to come to this meeting. Peter has a great way of explaining how our contributions work, where they go, how they come back to us and what we do with them. Our Rotary Foundation is very unique and you need to find out why!!
For those of you who are not yet Sustaining Members, (and you’ll find out what that means Friday), we’ll have a signup right after the meeting.
Finally we have three members who want to start a 4th “Circle of Five” - Dick Hall, Charlie Frair and Justin Lamontagne. If you have an interest in joining these generous members, let me know. Just a reminder that a “Circle of Five” is a group of five members who contribute $200 a year over a five-year period. Each year a “Circle” will contribute a total of $1,000 to the Foundation, thus earning a Paul Harris Fellow for one of the members of the group, which is picked out of a hat. Join a "Circle," it’s fun!!!
09/26/14 Nan Heald, Pine Tree Legal - The Last Resort
Never does a day go by when we don’t hear of a court case that is making the news. The prominent personalities with wealth, glitz and glamour get to make choices and can often find an attorney who is well suited to protect their legal rights. However, the indigent or even the “common man” is hard pressed to get the type of counsel they need, let alone prefer. We all know that the poor are under–served and vulnerable when it comes to the justice system in our country.
Consequently, in the mid 1960’s some Washington visionaries made a call to our member, Don Lowry, and asked that he assemble a group of attorneys to represent “poor" people in civil matters. Don reached out among the legal profession and with a meager amount of $188,000 in seed money, the foundation of Pine Tree Legal (PTL) was formed.
It was only appropriate that Don introduced our guest speaker, Nan Heald, Esq., the current Executive Director of Maine’s Pine Tree Legal Assistance program. Nan is a Maine native who achieved academic acclaim at Smith and then George Washington University School of Law. Nan follows not only in the footsteps of Barrister Lowry, but also Senator Angus King and a number of prominent jurists. The lonely starting group of only a couple of attorneys has grown to 9 offices throughout the state and gets by on a tight budget and a good deal of pro bono legal work by some of the state's finest firms.
The primary constituency of PTL are the “working poor,” the disabled, and military veterans. PTL will help their clients navigate the labyrinth of law to make sure that everyone gets a fair hearing and the “rule of law” established in the preamble of our Constitution is realized. While the Constitution has a long history, it wasn’t until 1967 that the intent of the preamble was being vigorously carried out. It’s hard to believe that we had debtors prisons and no fair housing laws prior to the formation of PTL. The group is at the vanguard of the social effort to make law open to the public and in that vein, they created the second legal aid website in the United States.
Nan stated four actual cases which emphasized the importance of having proper legal advocacy. As hard as it might be to believe, there are many who just don’t know how to ask for help. That point was driven home by the story of Arland, suffering from severe mental illness, who was rescued from the brink of disaster by getting the mental health care he needed due to the efforts of PTL. Instead of costing the state tens of thousands of dollars in institutional care, he was rehabilitated and became independent, once again. A similar simple miracle was that of a woman struggling to pay for food, accepting 28 cents from a stranger that she needed to finish paying for her groceries, and then being told that by accepting that money she had exceeded income rules for public assistance and would lose two-months' worth of assistance. Needless to say, PTL got that decision reversed.The success record of PTL is impressive with over 6,500 protection-from-abuse orders obtained and a 90% success rate in the cases forced to trial.
PTL is a prime example of what industrious Mainers can do with a limited budget, boundless energy and creativity. For more information please refer to the websites: PTLA.org or statesidelegal.org.
*10/03/14 THE ROTARY FOUNDATION, PETER JOHNSON, DIST. FOUNDATION CHAIR, PDG
This week we'll be joined by Peter Johnson, chair of our District Rotary Foundation Committee. Peter, District Governor 2001-02, and his wife Carolyn, District Governor 2012-13, are, in Peter's words unabashed "Rotary Overachievers." He'll be talking about our Rotary Foundation: a look at how it works, why it matters, and a bit of its history. It will be a great refresher – if not a learning opportunity, even for our long-timers - on how our Foundation works as a truly unique component of what makes Rotary International the special institution it is.
Did you know that it operates almost the same as if it were a non-profit savings and loan on the local corner? Can you identify the event – 40 years after Rotary's founding – that provided the catalyst to turn the Foundation into what it is today? Do you contribute to any other non-profit where you, the member, through your club, get to determine how program monies are spent? Everyone else leaves those decisions to its Trustees.
Portland Rotary is rightfully proud of the work for many years in the Dominican Republic under the leadership of Roger and Liz Fagan. Our Rotary Foundation has played a significant role is much of that program's funding. This week will be a great opportunity to put it all in context.
09/19/14 BITS & PIECES
We were all delighted to have Earle Leavitt back with us.
Garvey Maclean shared a rich invocation, Janelle Losciuto led us in song, and we enjoyed our lunch at the Clarion Hotel. Emily McEntee tried to give away $308 in the raffle, but Bowen Depke missed drawing the right card.
Bowen also took a moment to remind us of the upcoming 100th Anniversary Gala, and to share that the organizing committee is looking for a nationally-renown speaker. Pass your ideas to Bowen.
Janelle returned to the podium to lead us in an a cappella rendition of 'Home on the Range,' to help us work off the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Get wells were extended to Rob Chatfield and Harold Crabill's wife, Kim, both recovering from appendectomy surgery, and to Roger Fagan who underwent knee surgery.
Harold Crabill shared a Membership Minute, pointing out that while the number one Rotary International goal is the eradication of polio, the number two goal is increasing membership. To that end, he pointed out that Portland Rotary’s membership is now at 115. To help increase our numbers, every member of the club is now an honorary member of the Membership Committee, with the goal of each member bringing in at least one new member. The club’s membership goal is to add an additional 100 members in honor of the club’s 100th anniversary next year. “We cannot sit back,” Harold said. “Bring a friend to a meeting. It’s an easy ask.”
PRESIDENT KRIS added that the Hospice of Southern Maine was celebrating its new facility on October 15th, a building project supported by Portland Rotary. If you are interested in attending the celebration, see KRIS for details.
09/19/14 Afghanistan and The Pivot to Asia
Our speaker last Friday was Dr. Charles H. Norchi, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Oceans & Coastal Law, as well as the Director of Graduate Law Programs at the University of Maine School of Law. Dr. Norchi has a unique connection to Rotary: in addition to being introduced by Greg Hansel, his longtime friend and Rotarian, Dr. Norchi also expressed that he owed a debt of gratitude to Rotary international, as he was a Rotary Scholarship recipient, which helped enable him to pursue graduate education in Geneva, Switzerland. Additionally, Dr. Norchi, at the request of his father, took a moment to offer his appreciation to veterans of the United States military.
Following his studies in Geneva, Dr. Norchi went to Afghanistan as a journalist, where his lifelong fascination and association with the country and its many peoples began. He has stayed involved in Afghan affairs ever since, holding many positions that deal directly with those people who he first met as a young journalist.
Dr. Norchi’s talk was entitled “Afghanistan and the Pivot to Asia,” in which he overviewed the United States’ increasing focus on reallocating diplomatic and military attention on that part of the world.
Dr. Norchi began his talk by pointing out that despite the U.S. efforts to redefine and refocus foreign policy further east, Afghanistan will play an impactful role in our operations throughout the rest of Asia. Addressing why this was the case, Dr. Norchi said that Afghanistan, known for centuries as the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia, continues to be “A land on everyone’s way to somewhere else.” He also explained how this accounts for the vast array of ethnicities present in native Afghans. From Alexander the Great through Genghis Khan to the Soviets, Afghanistan has had a volatile history of its controlling faction, and as a result, the gene pool is very diverse.
Afghanistan’s importance in foreign policy increases when taking into account its volatile neighbors. In an area defined to the locals by tribal borders, which are often interrupted by political ones, there are many border disputes, and many contested regions, most notably Kashmir. Dr. Norchi shared with us his experience on and around the Durand line – the Afghanistan’s contested eastern border with Pakistan, which was drawn in 1893 by the British directly through a number of tribal regions, most notably splitting the Pashtuns between what we know as Pakistan and Afghanistan. To this day, the Durand Line remains an unrecognized border by many ethnic groups.
Finally, Dr. Norchi discussed the evolution of various factions of Pashtuns into the 7 groups that comprised the Mujahideen, and then the rise of the Taliban. His personal knowledge of this rise to power was fascinating, having spent much of his time as a journalist with these people.
Though he had to rush through the end of his presentation due to time constraints, Dr. Norchi managed to impart a lot of information about this very fascinating, very relevant and under appreciated part of the world, and our country’s future there.
Photo: President Kris Rosado, Dr. Charles Norchi and Greg Hansel
*09/26/14 NAN HEALD, PINE TREE LEGAL - IT'S HISTORY AND FUTURE
Our speaker for this Friday is Nan Heald, Executive Director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Nan grew up in Oquossoc in the western mountains of Maine, graduating from Smith College in 1977 and George Washington University Law School in 1980. After graduation, she worked for the federal government in Washington and a private law firm in Portland before joining Pine Tree Legal Assistance in 1985. Her work as a staff attorney in the Native American Unit led to federal recognition of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. In 1990, she became the Executive Director of Pine Tree and continues to serve in that role to the present time. She has worked on numerous national, regional and local initiatives to improve access to justice. Nan was recognized by MaineBiz as a “Woman to Watch” in 2010 and as a ‘Champion of Change’ for civil justice issues by the White House in 2011.
09/12/14 Don Zillman, Professor of Law at USM - Update of USM
Dr. Theo Kalikow, Vice Chancellor Community Engagement, USM was unable to attend our meeting. Our own Rotary member, Don Zillman, ably stepped up to the microphone and filled the club in on what has been happening throughout the University of Maine System.
As many of you know, Don is presently the Edward S. Godfrey Professor of Law at the University of Maine Law School. Don has an illustrious career with the University of Maine, having served on 4 of its 7 campuses. Don was the former Dean of Maine Law, and served as the Interim Provost and Academic Vice President of the University of Maine, as Interim President at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and as President at the Presque Isle campus.
Don made it clear that he is a passionate advocate for public education. He candidly discussed the hard times that currently befall the University and the difficulty of coming up with a simple solution. He believes that the University is still a good value, but admits that 25 years ago the state subsidy was approximately 60 – 65% of tuition, whereas today the numbers are just the opposite. This has resulted in a giant increase in the student share of tuition.
Don cited his informal take on the lack of effective leadership of the University of Maine by using his own criteria to examine past University Chancellors and Presidents of UMO and USM. According to Don, the University has fared quite poorly in this regard. He believes that the University has good teachers and fine scholars – the difficulty is getting the good word out, when all too often it appears that only bad news is reported.
Student numbers are way down at the University of Southern Maine, in part because community college tuition is so low and the University accepts many of the credits earned by students at community colleges. Don indicates that the fastest way to solve the financial crisis at the University is to simply enroll more students.
Don delivered an interesting discussion with many questions flying at him from his captive audience.
Even after the regular meeting ended, Don continued to field questions.
Photo: Dave Putnam, Lisa Sisto (visitor), Professor Don Zillman, Loretta Rowe, and 1st VP Bowen Depke.
*09/19/14 PROF. CHARLES NORCHI - AFGHANISTAN AND THE PIVOT TO ASIA
Our presenter this Friday will be Charles H. Norchi, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Oceans and Coastal Law.
Charles Norchi was born in Dublin, Ireland and raised in Warren, Ohio. While a senior at Harvard College, the Warren Rotary Club awarded him a Rotary Scholarship to support his graduate study in Geneva, Switzerland. Following his studies in Geneva, Dr. Norchi went to Afghanistan as a journalist and over the years remained involved with Afghanistan: as Director of the Washington D.C.-based War Crimes Project; subsequently as Executive Director of the International League for Human Rights; as advisor to the World Bank in Afghanistan; as an advisor on Afghan civil society relations with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); and serving as faculty for the Leader Development and Education for Sustained Peace (LDESP) program that helps prepare U.S. armed forces for missions in Afghanistan. His additional international advisory work includes counseling the World Health Organization in Geneva and Nairobi; the United Nations Development Program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Dubai Ports World in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In 2007 while teaching at Harvard, Dr. Norchi visited Portland and the University of Maine School of Law. He subsequently joined the faculty and today is Professor of Law, Director of the Center for Oceans & Coastal Law, and Director of Graduate Law Programs at the University of Maine School of Law. He also holds an appointment as Visiting Professor at Peking University School of Law in Beijing, China. His service activities include the Institute for Law & Development Policy in Geneva, Switzerland which he co-Chairs, the Explorers Club of which he is a Fellow; the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Maritime and Transportation Law in Hong Kong; the Harvard Club in Maine and the World Affairs Council of Maine on whose Boards he serves. His most recent book is Maritime Piracy in Comparative Perspective: Problems, Strategies Law and his forthcoming book concerns Afghanistan and international law. Dr. Norchi holds a Bachelors degree from Harvard University, a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Laws and a Doctor of the Science of Law from Yale Law School.
As United States and allied forces draw down in Afghanistan, assets are being reallocated in support of a “pivot to Asia.” Despite the drawdown, Afghanistan will continue to bear upon outcomes in a region where the US administration is attempting to reorient American foreign policy. Afghanistan is the bridge to West Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and East Asia and is thus central to the movement of ideas, trade and disaffected radical militants intent on disrupting nation-states. As policy makers in government capitals attempt to manage pockets of chaos and contention from Ukraine to Syria to the South China Sea, discussion of Afghanistan has been muted. Yet Afghanistan plays a role in unfolding events. It will be pivotal to the looming American pivot to Asia and is a security concern to East Asian powers driving the American pivot. Professor Norchi will address these trends and conditions and offer projections drawing upon his years of experience working in and writing about Asia from Afghanistan to China.
09/12/14 BITS AND PIECES
President Kris opened the meeting by asking Peggy Wescott to the podium for the invocation. Peggy's theme was inspirations of the moment, reflecting on the energy that brought Past District Governor Bob and Stella Patten to our meeting. Bruce Moore led us in the pledge, then Alan Nye led us in 'God Bless America' with Russ Burleigh accompanying on the piano.
President Kris reconvened the meeting after we had lunch, asking Alex St. Hilaire to try to give away the $283 raffle prize. Cy Hagge's name was picked by Don Zillman, but then Cy, regrettably, picked the 5 of Spades.
President Kris then auctioned off George Crockett's 2-BR time share for three nights at the Samoset - Matt Tassey was the high bidder. The funds went to the Rotary Foundation.
Janelle LoScuito gave us a 'Rotary Moment.' Janelle, an event planner/fundraiser, enjoys hands-on volunteering opportunities and recalls her first Rotary invitation to help with the Boys and Girls Club dinner a year ago without having to run the show!
Jim Willey let us know that Earle Leavitt is feeling better and hopes to rejoin us next week. Dave Putnam then came forward to let us know that our planned speaker for the day, Theo Kalikow, had to cancel at the last minute because she had a nice addition of a grandchild added to her family, so our own member, Don Zillman, in her stead, did admirably well.
09/05/14 The Banking Industry in the U.S.
Amy Chipman introduced our speaker, Gerard Cassidy, Head of U.S. Bank Equity Strategy and East Coast Research with RBC Capital Markets.
“The U. S. economy is growing!” was the sum of Gerard Cassidy’s herald of good news; as he speed-reviewed four sectors of the economy.
(Photo: Amy Chipman and speaker, Gerard Cassidy.)
[1] EMPLOYMENT: The picture is bright with 139.5 million jobs in the U.S. and growth will continue as there are still four million jobs to be filled. Where the private sector has recovered, the public sector has not.
[2] HOUSING: It is recovering......in San Francisco it is booming, in Las Vegas it's declining, and in Miami high-rise condo construction is back in production.
[3] ENERGY: Production is at a new high with discoveries of gas and oil in North Dakota and Western Pennsylvania. The U.S. is now exporting oil. Prices at the fuel pump will go down only when new refineries go on line - the first new refinery in twenty years is scheduled to be built in Louisiana. Without subsidies, renewable forms of energy will not be able to compete.
[4] MANUFACTURING: Foreign companies are moving to the U.S. for high-skilled labor and reliable energy - BMW and AIRBUS are building plants in Alabama and Mississippi.
ON THE BANKING FRONT: The 2008 bail out was the U.S. government’s best investment. The loan is all paid back and banks are back lending. Sub-prime lending is no more and commercial loans are at a record level. Banks are struggling with margin of profit; we can expect a raise in interest rates in 2015. Gerard was pleased to report that the Banking industry is in great shape - the best since 1930. Alas, the only sober note in Gerard’s presentation: the recovery is more evident in other parts of the nation than in the Northeast.
*09/12/14 DR. THEO KALIKOW, PRESIDENT EMERITA AND ACTING CHANCELLOR OF UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SYSTEM
Community Engagement and Public Higher Education - What's In It For Me? - Dr. Theo Kalikow, President Emerita and Acting Vice Chancellor.
A native of Swampscott, Massachusetts, Dr. Kalikow received her A.B. in Chemistry from Wellesley College in 1962. She attended graduate school in the Boston area, receiving the Sc.M. in Philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970, and the Ph.D. in Philosophy from Boston University in 1974.
In 1968-69 she began teaching at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where she attained the rank of Professor and served as Department Chair and faculty union president.
In 1981 Dr. Kalikow became the Interim Assistant to the President at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and during 1983-84 she served as an American Council on Education Fellow at Brown University.
From 1984 to 1987 she was Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, and in 1987 she moved to Plymouth State College (N.H.), where she served as Dean of the College (with one year as Interim President) until 1994.
In 1994 Dr. Kalikow was named President of the University of Maine at Farmington. In eighteen years of leadership at the 2,000-student University campus, President Kalikow became known statewide as a model for establishing outstanding campus-community relations, leading several successful campaigns that advanced UMF's ties to the region.
In 2012 Dr. Kalikow was named President of the University of Southern Maine and recently decided it was time for her to move into a new role in her final year of service to the University of Maine System. Known for her straight talk, sense of humor and candor, Dr. Kalikow has picked up the reins USM...Maine's second largest university.
The University of Maine System was established in 1968 as the state's largest educational enterprise. It has an annual enrollment of nearly 40,000 students and serves over 500,000 individuals through educational and cultural offerings. It features seven universities - some with multiple campuses - located across the state, as well as eight College outreach centers, a law school, an additional 31 course sites and Cooperative Extension.
09/05/14 BITS AND PIECES
A lovely and interesting invocation was delivered by Carl Spang, who gave us a brief history of Labor Day in America.
In a major development, Portland Rotary has now donated a total of $15,000 to the renovation of The Kotzchmar Organ at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium. Our own Kathy Grammer reports that, with our help over the past three years, the grand re-opening is on track and scheduled for September 27th. Check online or with Kathy for more information and tickets to this special event.
Gus Karlsen was very thankful to have raised $1000 for two sailboats in the MS Regatta, but sadly reports that Portland Rotary’s 7-year run with the championship trophy has ended. Thanks to all who continue to support this amazing event!
Loretta Rowe was very pleased to introduce new member Jim Thornton, who carries on a tradition, most recently with Gus Karlsen and Mike Fortunato, all of whom are/were a USPS Postmaster. Jim, who came to the USPS from an army background, has worked all over the state, from Woolwich to Yarmouth to Bath to Lewiston to Portland, where he now serves as the acting Postmaster. Welcome Jim!
Photo right: The Three Amigo Postmasters - Mike Fortunato, Jim Thornton, and Gus Karlsen.
President Kris Rosado and Harold Crabill are spearheading an effort, through their office at Merrill Lynch, to send thank you notes to veterans. If you’d like to be part of this heart-warming effort, please contact either of these gentlemen.
Jake Bourdeau’s name was pulled for the raffle, but he drew the king of spades. The pot thickens!
We had ten folks stand up with “Happy Dollars” last Friday, with many celebrating expectant family members. Peggy Wescott (aka Queeny) bucked the trend when she gave $10 because “nobody in my family is pregnant”! After the generous donations, Peter Goffin’s name was drawn at random to become a sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation, the first leg to yet another Paul Harris Fellowship for Peter.
Speaking of Paul Harris, Erik Jorgensen and his son Will, while on a mid-west trip this past August, stopped in at the Rotary International offices in Evanston, Illinois, where they were treated to a private tour of current RI President Gary Huang’s office, as well as a replica of Paul Harris’ office in turn-of-the-century Chicago. Looks like Erik picked up the business card of next year's RI president, K. R. Ravindran, too.
President Kris invited us all to attend the next board meeting on September 19th at 1:35 p.m., where our leadership will delve into the delicate and ongoing issue of attendance and dues payments. If you’ve got thoughts on this important topic, please feel free to sit in at the board meeting.
Joan Steinberg, Russ Burleigh’s wife, is once again knitting mittens for Winterkids and she needs your help with wool yarn. Any and all colors are accepted to help Joan in her annual drive to complete her “Ball of Hair Pillows”.
Steve Stromsky, Community Service Chair, reports that we need one or two more volunteers to help at The Preble Street Resource Center on Tuesday, September 9th. This is an eye-opening experience, so come out and lend a hand! FMI: contact Steve at 776-7339 or by email at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
Former Rotarian Update
Former Portland Rotarian, Al Milliken, would love a visit from his friends in our club. He now resides in Fallbrook Residential Care at 60 Merrymeeting Drive, off 428 Ray St., in the North Deering area of Portland. For directions, call 878-0788. Al’s direct number is 541-0924. Al is now 92, needs a walker for getting around, but his mind is sharp and he still has his dry sense of humor. Friendly company is the medicine he needs.
08/29/14 BITS AND PIECES
Our Rotary meeting location prompted a number of members to bring their children and friends to the beautiful afternoon in the picnic area of Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs.
Julie L'Heureux gave the invocation, which was a reading of Lou Gehrig's heartfelt “Luckiest Man in the World” speech, originally delivered to a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, often referred to as the “Gettysburg Address of Baseball.”
A group photo was taken of the young visitors with Sea Dog players: pitcher, Keith Couch and catcher, Jayson Hernandez.
Front row: Will Jorgensen, Gabby Stromsky, Zack Stromsky, Alexa Stromsky;
Second row: Jordan Blakeslee
Third row: Sea Dog pitcher, Keith Couch , Lydia Brennerman, Katie Connelly, Megan Connelly, and Sea Dog catcher, Jayson Hernandez
President Kris and all friends of Michelle Mitchell were beaming with joy to see our friend back at Rotary to enjoy the hearty lunch with us at Hadlock Field.
Left: Julie L'Heureux, Michelle Mitchell, Erik Greven and Dick Giles
With Lester Evans conducting the raffle, Roger Asch's name was drawn for him to find the queen of hearts, but it was not to be and the jackpot of $245 continues to grow.
Bill returned to the microphone and we sang the seventh-inning stretch classic, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
President Kris auctioned a cluster of Sea Dog’s prime seat tickets to the August 30th game, with the proceeds going to support the Rotary Foundation and the Dominican Republic H2O projects.
A new future Rotarian has joined Eric and Holly Lusk. Born 8/20/14...weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 oz., and 19.75 inches long, Thompson Hartiman Lusk joins his big sister, Margaret (21 months). Dad says: "Here's Thompson's impersonation of Winston Churchill."
08/29/14 Portland Sea Dogs
PORTLAND'S CATHEDRAL OF BASEBALL
Every morning newspaper brings more news of triumphs on the diamond by this year’s Sea Dogs, arguably the best team in franchise history. With this exciting status as a backdrop, Portland Rotary made its annual visit to Hadlock Field, where we enjoyed ballpark fare and spectacular weather while meeting a couple of the players: catcher (and sometime designated hitter) Jayson Hernandez, and pitcher Keith Couch.
Every year the players answer our members’ questions about life as minor-league ballplayers – and while the answers tend to be similar, each player has a personal story of a notable career that started somewhere on a little league field, and has now reached Hadlock, with many stops in the middle.
Hernandez, for example, was with the Sea Dogs in 2012, and since then has played throughout the Sox system, at Greenville, Salem and Pawtucket, before returning to Portland. Both players noted how these changes can be sudden: “You can be watching a game on TV, see someone get injured, and then hear the phone ring within five minutes. Sometimes you’ll hear that a taxi is coming for you in an hour,” observed Couch. And just like that, a player is off for a temporary or permanent gig elsewhere.
Both are from the mid-Atlantic region – Couch from Long Island and Hernandez from New Jersey. This is unusual for professional baseball players, who more often tend to originate in places with long hot summer seasons.
We were glad they took the time to be with us. Perhaps our visit brought a measure of good luck - Boston's Double-A affiliate would go on to beat Harrisburg, 3-2, a few hours later, clinching the fifth division crown in team history, and its first since 2005.
*09/05/14 GERARD CASSIDY - COMPREHENSIVE VIEW / OUTLOOK FOR BANKING INDUSTRY
On Friday, our presenter will be Gerard S. Cassidy, Head U.S. Bank Equity Strategy and East Coast Bank Research, with RBC Capital Markets. Mr. Cassidy joined Tucker Anthony Sutro in March 1988 as a bank equity analyst. He is responsible for providing bank and economic research to the firm’s clients and was on the Board of Directors of Tucker Anthony Sutro Capital Markets. Prior to joining Tucker Anthony Sutro, he was employed by UNUM Corporation as a senior bank analyst. Mr. Cassidy began his professional career with Gulf+Western Industries as a merger and acquisitions analyst.
Mr. Cassidy is the creator of the Texas Ratio, a ratio used by investors to determine whether a bank could be insolvent, and is included in the book The Guide to The 50 Economic Indicators That Really Matter. He is often quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, The American Banker and other leading newspapers and periodicals regarding the banking industry. Additionally, he has appeared on CNBC, CNN, NBC, BNN, National Public Radio and other leading broadcasts discussing banking and economic issues and its impact on bank stocks.
Mr. Cassidy earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maine in accounting and finance in 1980. He received his Masters of Business Administration degree from St. John’s University in 1984. Mr. Cassidy is a former Board of Director and Secretary of the New York Bank and Financial Analysts Association. He is currently the President of the BancAnalysts Association of Boston, Inc.
Mr. Cassidy lives in Cumberland with his wife and three kids. He enjoys boating and playing basketball.
Laugh Corner!
Remembering the comedian George Carlin....here are some priceless quips he made:
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Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
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When someone asks you, “A penny for your thoughts” and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?
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If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
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Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don’t they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
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If it’s true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
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You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
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If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?
Laugh Corner!
08/22/14 BITS & PIECES
Alan Nye provided us with a poignant invocation, recognizing the founding of the Red Cross on this day and expressing the hope that our future will see a diminishing need for the Red Cross to aid those victims of conflict worldwide.
Laura Young asked our presenter, Eileen Skinner of Mercy Hospital, to pick the winning raffle ticket: Erik Greven. Sadly, Erik didn't win and the raffle prize continues to grow.
Among today’s Rotarian guests were John and Juanita Cawley of the West Point, VA., Rotary Club, visiting Maine on vacation. Juanita exchanged a Rotary club banner with President Kris. |
John Curran, International Service Committee chair, announced that the benefit concert with the Dominican Republic (DR) band on Wednesday evening brought in $2400 of contributions for the DR 3-H programs. The concert was a joint effort with the Brunswick, Freeport, and Topsham Rotary clubs.
Dick Giles gave us a 'Rotary Moment,' reflecting on how he became involved in the H2O project in the Dominican Republic. He described his involvement as, “The best vacation I ever had.” The 2014 goals are ambitious: to install 195 water filters in residences in the DR. Dick urges us to get involved in this terrific program.
Laura Young and Bowen Depke gave us an update on the "Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE)" program that the club had voted to concentrate its efforts on over the next 3-5 years. The program is off to a great start with our working with the United Way this summer on two “feed and read” locations for 6/7-year olds in Portland. A steering committee has been established to help develop future programs.
Amy Chipman, Foundation Committee chair, introduced two Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) award winners from this year’s "Circle of 5" groups that participate with donations to the Rotary Foundation.
Don Lowry and Loretta Rowe were selected by their respective "Circle."
Don gave his PHF award to Harry Sawyer, making him a 6-time Paul Harris Fellow.
Loretta gave her Paul Harris award (plus another one that she had already accumulated) to her two young grandsons, Hunter and Tanner Edson. She gave each young man a Paul Harris medallion in a moving ceremony that reminded us of the importance of introducing younger generations to Rotary. Loretta's daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Jerred Edson, were beaming as their sons (and possible future Rotarians) received the awards with pride and dignity.
For more information on how you can participate in a "Circle of 5," contact Amy at amy.chipman@rbc.com
08/22/14 Mercy Health System and Eastern Maine Healtcare System
Dave Small gave a glowing introduction of both Eileen Skinner, CEO of the Mercy Health System of Maine (MHSM) and Michelle Hood, CEO of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS).
Michelle led off and told us how the health care industry is trying to address the issues of an extremely complicated system. These include:
- a slowly recovering economy;
- employers now offering high-deductible health plans;
- the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continuing to change the health care landscape in many areas; and
- an aging population across the country.
Although promised under the ACA, reduced charity care by hospitals in Maine has not happened. Outpatient reimbursement rates were reduced by 10% last year, but without any corresponding reduction in charity care. Employers are shifting costs to employees, especially by way of having higher deductibles and higher co-pays. Some employers are cancelling their own heath plans, forcing employees to get coverage through the health care exchanges
Due to higher co-pays, consumers are being more careful, asking for fewer services and delaying care, all of which have an adverse impact on providers. These include lower reimbursements rates, implementation of cost-cutting measures, deferral of capital projects, a shifting to population management, and consolidation of health care facilities to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Eileen then gave us more information, specifically about MHSM, describing their mission to serve the community, including the poor and disadvantaged. With no expansion of Medicaid in Maine, this is very difficult. MHSM plans to work in partnership with non-government organizations, other health providers, and is now a part of EMHS. Mercy is 100-years old....was founded in 1918 during the flu epidemic. In 1997, it became part of Catholic Health East, and then in 2013 became a member of EMHS. Mercy’s flagship is the new hospital on the Fore River. In addition, they have 9 primary-care facilities, 4 urgent-care facilities, and their Mercy Express Care Plus, is located at the Fore River site.
Dave Small, Eileen Skinner (MHSM), Michelle Hood (EMHS) |
Why partner with EMHS? There was an excellent match in their culture, the mission, and the community-based health approach. EMHS provided complimentary strength and balance, while Mercy will benefit not only from the scale of EHMS, but also from combining their capital needs. Together they will complete the move to the Fore River location over the next 3-4 years.
EMHS is involved nationally as a health care leader. Their system, as a whole, is based on collaboration, coordination of services, and a strong Maine network. The vision of EMHS is nationally recognized as a model of health care, adopting evidence-based best practices. EMHS has 611 employees, 9 long-term care facilities, life flight, and major ambulance services. They were an early adopter of electronic records, and now have 2 million patient visits per year. They provide a comprehensive integrated delivery network with all services.
EMHS’s health care philosophy includes:
- affordable services for all Mainers, using multiple health hubs,
- tele-medicine where reasonable,
- transfer of patients back to their home hospital as soon as possible,
- no interruption of existing referral pattern.
EMHS is a pioneer accountable-care organization, with 93% patient satisfaction, and quality scores in the country. Value-based plan designs were introduced to its own employee plan successfully and have reduced by 50% the people in high-risk. This was done through preventative care and with the right care at the right place and the right time. EMHS is committed to preserving choice for both patients and employees.
QUESTIONS:
Is the health of the average Mainer improving?
Quality scores are not improving. Hospitals still make medication errors. Overall health status is improving, which is evident in longer life, even in the presence of chronic diseases.
What will happen to the building on State Street?
MHSM will eventually move acute care to Fore-River, but there is no decision yet on what to do with the building.
10 years out- will we still be fighting "Obamacare"?
The Affordable Care Act will have the most changes occurring in the next 2-4 years. It is being redesigned continuously.
How does the number of uninsured people in Maine compare to other parts of country?
Enrollment through the exchanges has been very successful in Maine. Since there was no expansion of the federal safety net in Maine, we still have a very high number of uninsured.
Doctors are closing their offices and becoming employees of large health care organizations. Where will it end?
It is difficult for individual physicians' offices to compete, due to the drastic expansion of regulations, and the IT needs of electronic medical records. Doctors want to practice medicine, not manage businesses. They are able to do this by joining hospitals and benefiting from the hospital's size and operational structure. Also, it appears that the generation coming out of medical school wants to focus on medical practice and don't want to manage a very complex business.
Please explain reimbursement from Medicare vs private insurance.
Commercial insurance pays better, but due to high deductibles, some people cannot afford the deductible, so they also turn into charity care situations. Presently 85% of cost is reimbursed by Medicare, 72% by Medicaid and 120% by commercial insurance companies. This is a significant cost shift. The target of most health care organizations is to have costs be at or below the Medicaid reimbursement rate.
New Member Applications
Proposed new member applications are posted to our home page for you to review and provide any feedback to the Membership Chairperson (Harold Crabill) or the Club Secretary (Loretta Rowe). Click on the appropriate "Proposed New Member Applications" title at left, under the "Site Pages" heading.
08/15/14 The Labor Loop - John Dorrer
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Some subjects are so convoluted that they need a two-part introduction. Consequently, David Clough and Bob Martin had to collaborate in order to fully introduce our guest speaker, John Dorrer, Senior Consultant of Georgetown University. |
John’s focus was on the ins and outs, ups and down, of the labor situation and how it impacts the economy of Maine and the U.S. Mr. Dorrer is involved with the “Jobs For the Future” program and spoke clearly and emphatically to the labor needs in the state and the economic differences we experience.
To business, according to Mr. Dorrer, labor is essential. However, it’s not just about supply but primarily the need for quality over quantity. The demographics of Maine are often mentioned as a challenge and a reality that the state has to deal with, and John agrees. However, while he understands the reality, he thinks there is a solution to the conundrum. John had a multitude of exhibits to depict the economic and employment spikes and dips over the past decade. One of the obvious stories told is that the labor recovery hasn’t kept up with the economic improvement. In the course of questions, he mentioned that the income gap is part of the issue, but may not be as simple as raising the minimum wage. However, he did point out that as the masses have improved wages, they spend more and the economy goes. One of the distinct themes in the presentation was that the “two Maine's” proposition, holds true. While Maine as a whole has a better unemployment rate than the U.S., in the mid 5% range, the Greater Portland area is far better off in the mid 4% area, and is experiencing what is commonly considered full employment in this economy. The take away is that those who are unemployed or underemployed are more than likely lacking the skills, motivation and the drive to meet the needs of wanting employers.
The principal victim of the Great Recession are men in their 50’s who worked in the construction trades and in manufacturing. Too often that demographic group does not possess the credentials and skills needed for the current workplace. In the Greater Portland area, the exhibits support, the drivers of the economic resurgence are healthcare, hospitality, and finance. Whether we like it or not, Portland is seen as being closely tied to the economic image and influence of Boston. As a consequence of this economic base, we have to deal with the volatile dynamics of business and this mandates that the labor force be resourceful, resilient, and flexible, in order to meet the ever-present change that is common to the modern economy.
The bottom line of John Dorrer’s presentation was easy to grasp. Maine has to do a much better job of attracting and retaining a younger, well-trained and educated labor force if we are going to keep the economic engine going. Our colleges, in particular, have to adapt to the needs of business and cultivate the minds of students in a manner that allows them to accept and adapt to the change. As such, despite the notion that some have, a liberal arts education is still of value. The important thing, according to our speaker, is that we have a work force armed with at least an Associate's Degree, but preferably a Bachelor's or better, in order to keep Maine growing and to regain prosperity.
08/15/14 BITS & PIECES
President Kris called the meeting to order and Charlie Frair provided a short and sweet invocation.
Janelle LoSciuto and Russ Burleigh led us in the patriotic song: 'My Country 'Tis of Thee.'
Christine Force facilitated the raffle with a pot of $200. Bob Traill was the lucky member whose name was drawn, but no luck in finding the Queen of Hearts with the new deck of 52 cards.
Rotary moment: Justin Lamontagne is at his 3-year mark as a Rotarian. He reflected on watching his family experience Rotary along with him. Last year he volunteered at the Dominican Republic festival. It was wonderful to watch his daughter dance with such joy. That night was a great family experience as a result of the work done by Rotary.
Roger Fagan announced a benefit concert with the appearance of Maranatha.....the Dominican Republic (DR) musical group that entertained at last year's festival. Concert is Wednesday, August 20th at 6:30 p.m. at Brunswick Landing, formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station. FMI contact John Curran at: curraj@mmc.org or call him at 232-5478. Funds raised will benefit Hospital El Buen Samaritano in the DR.
Gus Karlsen announced that the MS Regatta was to be held on Saturday (8/16) and said anyone interested could give a last-minute support of our efforts in the race. He also gave many thanks to all those who have already offered their support for this cause.
Jim Willey told us that the Friends of Longcreek are hoping to offer music lessons to interested students at the Longcreek Youth Center. There are 30 young people at the center that are interested at taking them up on their offer. They are in need of used instruments and teachers from the Portland conservatory. Donations are welcome. FMI please contact Jim at 272-5926 or jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
Bob Clark of the Boys and Girls Club announced that they are looking for 2 to 3 more volunteers to help at their 'Steak & Burger Dinner' from 5:30-6:30 pm Thursday, August 21. If you can help, please contact Bob at 874-1069 or rclark@bgcmaine.org
Bob Traill's daughter, Joan Gordon, joined her dad at our meeting to hear our speaker's presentation. We hope she enjoyed the program as much as we enjoyed seeing her.
Aaah....Love....or Something Like It!
*08/22/14 EILEEN SKINNER AND MICHELLE HOOD - Healthcare in Maine
We have two speakers who will be presenting our program on Friday: Eileen Skinner of Mercy Health System of Maine (MHSM) and Michelle Hood of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS).
Eileen F. Skinner is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Health System of Maine, a member organization of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS). Originally from New Orleans, she completed her Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Tulane University.
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Eileen moved to Maine when she assumed her position at Mercy in September 2002. Since then she has directed the construction of the new Fore River campus and the opening of multiple new primary and specialty care practices as well as new clinical programs.
Most recently, she led the partnership and integration efforts for Mercy to join EMHS in October of 2013. She now focuses on Mercy’s local strategy as it compliments statewide EMHS efforts. This includes the enhancement of provider relationships and community partnerships. Eileen is active in the Maine Hospital Association, American Hospital Association, Maine State Chamber, and the Hanley Center for Healthcare Leadership.
Michelle Hood is President & Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS). Michelle received a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Master of Health Care Administration from Georgia State University. |
She came to EMHS in April 2006 from Billings, Montana where she was President & CEO of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health Systems, Montana Region, as well as President & CEO of its flagship hospital, St. Vincent Healthcare.
At EMHS, she focuses on healthcare policy and design models at the state and national levels, positionin EMHS to be successful in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Michelle builds partnerships that work for Maine communities, strengthening the economic and educational climate of the state. She is active with the American Hospital Association, the Maine Hospital Association, the University of Maine System and VHA New England in governance roles.
It's Baaaaack!
Our "antique" gavel has returned to its rightful place at the podium to ring the starting bell. We apparently left it at the Clarion Hotel on our previous visit there and they forgot to let us know that we left a piece of us behind. All is right again.
08/08/14 District Governor Lawrence Furbish Visits Portland Rotary
District Governor Lawrence Furbish visited with us on Friday to share his challenges for the District in the coming year. Before he began, however, he noted that he had come across the book, The Rotary Club Murder Mystery, by Graham Landrum (hardcover copies available on Amazon for $.01 - yep, that’s no typo), which he was anxious to read until he discovered that the book begins with the discovery of the District Governor found shot dead in his hotel room.
DG Lawrence challenged us to follow the lead of Rotary International President Gary Huang, who, in his inaugural address said: “The Rotary Way is Confucius Way…I light a candle, you light a candle. All together, we light up the world.” Though we are brought up to be modest, DG Lawrence said: “Rotary is one of the world’s best kept secrets. If enough people know what we do, they would line up to get in.”
He said that his goal as Governor of the District is to strengthen clubs, with increasing membership as the biggest challenge in North America. “How do we increase membership? You just have to ask.” He shared the story of a club of six members in South Korea, with five of the members being Past Presidents. “They asked their wives to join. The wives asked their friends—wives had more friends then their husbands.” He also said that another strategy would be to form new clubs—“E-clubs, after-hours clubs. The traditional club model may not work for everyone in this day and age.”
DG Lawrence said the second way to strengthen clubs was to increase humanitarian service. “Nothing builds club spirit and camaraderie like a hands-on project. We need to get away from being just ‘check-writing clubs’ to ‘hands-on clubs.’” He related his trip to India where he was struck by the impact of squeezing drops of polio vaccine into a baby’s mouth. “Until you go and see it, and smell it, you cannot appreciate how some people have to live. Mankind is our business,” he said.
DG Lawrence also said that enhancing public awareness of Rotary and its core values would be an integral part of his term, along with accelerating participation in the Rotary Foundation.
His final challenge to us: “What candle will you light this year?”
PP Jack Carr, DG Lawrence Furbish, President Kris Rosado, and DG's wife, Barbara Sutcliffe |
*08/15/14 SKILLS OF THE WORKFORCE AND MAINE'S ECONOMIC FUTURE - JOHN DORRER
John Dorrer is a senior consultant at Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce. He previously served as a senior advisor for labor market and workforce research at Jobs for the Future (JFF) where he advised JFF’s emerging work in the development and application of labor market information and workforce research and its application to meeting the challenges of aligning postsecondary education and training with regional economies. Dorrer has 30 years of experience in workforce development as an economist and researcher. His work has focused on workforce development, human capital, and labor market policies at the state and local levels. Previously, Dorrer worked for the Maine Department of Labor as Acting Commissioner and Director of the Center for Workforce Research and Information. He also served as Deputy Director of Workforce Programs at the National Center on Education and the Economy in Washington, DC.
John and his wife live in Brunswick, Maine.
08/08/14 BITS AND PIECES
President Kris called the meeting to order and Russ Burleigh did the invocation. Russ took us back over many Augusts, beginning with the first Olympic marathon ever won by Joan Benoit Samuelson and ending in August, 1914, with the start of World War I. It made us feel both young and old at the same time.
Bill Blount and Russ then led us in singing "Lucille," (originally sung by Kenny Rogers). They were joined by District Governor and speaker, Lawrence Furbish. It turned out pretty well, but don't give up your day jobs, guys!
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First 3 frames: Loretta Rowe and Alan Levenson; last frame: Roger Fagan |
Loretta handled the raffle draw with a pot of $335 offered up to the lucky name drawn by District Governor Lawrence. Alan Levenson's name was pulled, and....as you can see by the reaction on Loretta's face, he FOUND the Queen of Hearts! Alan quickly said he was donating the winnings in Roger Fagan's name to the 3-H Projects in the Dominican Republic. Well Done!
President Kris welcomed our visiting guests and Rotarians.
Amy Chipman presented Chase Bowker as our newest Paul Harris Fellow recipient.
The announcements included: Jim Willey asking for more volunteers to read past minutes of Portland Rotary meetings that are in our archives, which will be presented to the membership during our centennial year; President Kris thanked those members who have been reading to children once or twice a week in our continuing efforts towards helping our youth and asking for more volunteers (contact Laura Young); John Curran announced a free concert on Wednesday, 8/20/14, benefiting Rotary's next trip to the Dominican Republic (DR) and starring the same toe-tapping DR group that entertained at last year's benefit; and Gus Karlsen again asked for support for the MS Regatta....contact Gus if you would like to participate with your support and possibly be a crew member.
08/01/14 WinXnet - Christopher Claudio
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Dave Putnam introduced Christopher Claudio, CEO and Co-founder of Winxnet as our presenter at Friday's meeting. Winxnet, which was founded in 1999, presently employs 75 people in three locations, with headquarters in Portland, ME. The company manages information technology for a variety of companies that are majorly focused in health care. |
Chris describes Winxnet as "a company which believes in a culture of excellence and is driven by solutions," and seeks a partner relationship. as opposed to a vendor relationship, with companies.
Winxnet has a strategic growth plan with target goals of $25-30 million by 2016. It is presently negotiating the acquisition of a 50-person, $6 million company in Boston.
Chris identified key principles that drive Winxnet. Most of them align with the guiding principles of Rotary. Chris immediately received a suggestion from the audience that he should consider joining Portland Rotary, which he is receptive to.
The guiding principles of Winxnet were articulated by Chris as:
- Take care of the customer;
- Choose your focus and either be great at it or don't do it;
- Think big, compare yourself to the best;
- Always do the right thing, even if it hurts;
- Get engaged with the community;
- Find something you are passionate about and commit your time.
Clearly, Chris Claudio is a person who practices what he preaches. He is in a service business where the focus must not be on yourself, but on those you seek to serve.
08/01/14 BITS & PIECES
We met at the Holiday Inn this week. President Kris was back at the helm! Peggy (Queenie) Wescott was called upon to present our invocation. She asked that we ponder relatives and friends that are far away and asked us to verbally volunteer the location of said relative at the most distant location. Lewiston, Norway, Taiwan, and Brazil were some of the offerings....but how near our modern world has made them.
Loretta conducted the raffle and asked Chris Claudio (our speaker) to draw the name of the member who would get a chance to win $326 by finding the queen of hearts in the deck of cards. Peggy's name was drawn, but she found the eight of clubs. The pot continues to grow.
Gus Karlsen made a pitch for the continued support of the MS Regatta. The service fund trophy was on display at the meeting and we hope to retain possession of same in perpetuity, as we have won it seven times previously. Contact Gus about providing your support. Your sponsorship can include a working cruise.
President Kris announced a new format to mix things up a bit at our meetings. Our non-patriotic song will no longer be a weekly feature. It is scheduled to be supplemented with "Happy Dollars," or a member's "Rotary Minute." If you are on the Music Committee, consult your schedule and if unclear on your assignment, contact Janelle LoSciuto, the committee chair. "Happy Dollars" was Friday's theme with donations of $10 each.
Happy Dollar braggers:
Jim Willey and wife, Barbara, are grandparents again.
Al Sargent loves that no matter where you go, you can find a convivial meal with like-minded Rotarians all over the world.
Peter Goffin is grateful for only having seven remaining tuition payments for his under grad degree.
Roxane Cole is happy to have moved into her new home in Falmouth.
Dick Giles reminds La Romana travelers of friend George Sylvester, who at 87 years of age, hopes to overcome an affliction and be able to return to the Dominican Republic with the group.
Jerry Angier celebrated 3 qualifying excursions for the railroad group that is coming in September.
Bruce Moore celebrated his eligibility for Medicare by turning 65.
Charlie Frair was happy to inform us that his folks are well and attending 7 concerts in 10 days in Michigan with his sisters.
Cy Hagge tells us his Peaks-to-Portland swim was a personal best.
Roger Fagan was happy to announce his and Liz's first grandchild, George Allen Quinn, who is now two months old.
When all was said and done, we had collected $100....which went to support funding a Paul Harris Fellow sustaining membership....and the name chosen out of these "bragging" members was Peter Goffin. What a great way for everyone to benefit, including the Foundation!
Dedication to the Late Duane Pearce
On Saturday, August 2, 2014 Point Sebago Golf Course in Casco held a memorial service in honor of our late member Duane Pearce. They dedicated a granite bench (at left) on the first tee in his memory, as Duane was the starter there for nineteen years. It was definitely a nice tribute to him. |
*08/08/14 DISTRICT GOVERNOR LAWRENCE FURBISH
We will have the honor of a special visit from our District Governor Lawrence Furbish this Friday.
Lawrence was born and grew up in Sanford, Maine. He received a BA degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and attended graduate school at the University of Maine and Ohio State University, receiving degrees in Political Science.
He worked for the Connecticut State Legislature in the Office of Legislative Research, for over 30 years. This was a non-partisan position involving researching policy issues, writing reports, summarizing legislation, and staffing committees. He was the long-time Assistant Director of the Office and finished the last few years of his tenure as its Director. He is now retired and living in Sanford in the house his grandfather built, and in which he grew up. Lawrence has been a Rotarian for over eight years. He has been his club’s Community Service Chair and its President in 2011-12. In 2008, he went on a Rotary mission trip to India and participated in a National Immunization Day. He served on the District International Service Committee in 2010-11 and the District Conference Committee in 2009-10 and 2011-12. In 2012, he was the team leader for a Group Study Exchange with District 1890 in Northern Germany. In 2012-13, he served a term on the District Foundation Committee. In 2014-15, he will serve as the AG Training Chair for NEPETS (the program for training our incoming club presidents) and in 2015-16 as overall Chair. Lawrence is a Paul Harris Society member and he and his wife, Barbara Sutcliffe, are major donors to the Rotary Foundation.
Lawrence is active in a number of other community service organizations, having spent three years as president of the local library board and four years as an elected town meeting member. He is a founding board member of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society and has sung for six years as a tenor in the Choral Art Society Masterworks Chorus in Portland, Maine.
Lawrence is enjoying retirement with his wife, Barbara, who is also a Rotarian, Treasurer and Vice President of the Sanford-Springvale Rotary club. They enjoy golf, gardening, bicycling, yoga, beekeeping, and travel. Lawrence has two children, two stepdaughters and two grandchildren.
07/25/14 Nova Star Cruises - Mark Amundsen
Nova Star Cruises, Ltd., President and CEO Mark H. Amundsen presented an overview of the modern ferry service launched in May 2012, between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It’s the first ferry service between Maine and Nova Scotia, since 2009, when the CAT stopped service.
Nova Star is a brand new 538-foot (161 meters) cruise ship built by ST Marine in Singapore at a cost of $165 million. A helicopter landing pad is located on the top deck. At this time, the ship is leased for 7 years with an option to buy.
Amundsen described the 10-hour cruise as a fun experience. Activities aboard the new state of the art ship include live entertainment, casino gaming, a Nova Spa, four restaurants, children’s activities, live entertainment, an art gallery, a pub with 107 seats designed with windows and a duty-free goods retail store. Private cabins with ocean views or standard without ocean views are available. All cabins sleep four and have an in-room bathroom with a shower. Wi-Fi is available on board the ship. Drive your own car, camper, motorcycle or recreational vehicle onto the Nova Star to drive upon arrival in Nova Scotia.
Nova Star offers pet-friendly travel as well. Dogs and cats are welcome aboard, check the website for details. Cabin stewards receive positive feedback. An onboard conference facility is built on the ship, allowing for the possibility of one-day retreats. Amenities offered support the theme of “Your vacation begins when you step aboard!”
Marketing goals include attracting one-third of the passengers from the Boston market. Repeat travelers are desirable customers. A ratio of passengers is projected at 75 percent US and 25 percent Nova Scotia. Ferry customers were estimated to contribute $60 million to the Portland economy every year, based upon data from when passenger service was available.
A business plan was presented to Nova Scotia; it was a competitive plan with research including finding a ship capable of fitting into Yarmouth NS, and Portland, that could carry people and cargo. Transporting trucks are revenue opportunities for Nova Star, because the 10-hour transport provides the drivers with rest time. The ship can accommodate 70 tractor trailers. Revenue from passengers and trucking were built into the business plan.
Round trip cost for two adults in one cabin with car is $700. Children under 18-years old are free (limited to a maximum of 3 children).
Nova Star departs Portland at 9 PM seven days a week with return crossing the next day.
Passengers who disembark in Nova Scotia can stay for their vacation, with return reservations booked in advance.
June was colder than anticipated causing a low-volume passenger month. Moreover, hurricane Arthur arrived on July 4, which caused canceled reservations. Fortunately, by the middle of July all cabins were sold and the business model is now coming back. An off-season plan is anticipated in the Caribbean.
For more information contact: novastarcruises.com or call 1-844-686-7245.
Rotarian Joe Gray, |
*08/01/14 THE WINXNET STORY - CHRISTOPHER CLAUDIO
As Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Winxnet, Chris is primarily responsible for corporate direction, business development and sales. Chris’ vision for Winxnet was to assemble a team which shared his values of customer service and integrity. He has instilled in the culture of the company his initial vision of “do the right thing” by the customer, and the rest will follow.
The use of smartphones, tablet computers and laptops has become an integral part of our lives, and virtually all organizations depend on electronic transmission of data to carry out their functions and tasks. Management of the electronic flow of data has become a huge industry throughout the world. On Friday, Chris Claudio the CEO for Winxnet will speak to us about the challenges of managing and maintaining a secure and effective system for an organization’s data operations.
Winxnet is an IT outsourcing and consulting firm which is headquartered in Portland and has offices in New England and the Southeast. Clients for Winxnet include organizations from the public sector, non-profits, healthcare and corporate entities. Primary services offered to clients focus on the efficient management of data in a cost-effective and low-risk manner. In 2013, the company was named by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing businesses and, in the past year, Winxnet has experienced both organic growth and growth due to acquisitions.
As a student at the University of Maryland, Chris started his first venture supporting corporate networks and developing database-driven web applications. In addition to managing his first startup, Chris joined The Laser Center where he designed and implemented a network connecting more than 30 locations in the US and Canada. Chris then joined Computer Sciences Corporation in Bath, ME where he designed and implemented a complete multiple domain environment supporting more than 2,500 users worldwide while also providing technical guidance to the onsite support team at Bath Iron Works.
During his early career as both an entrepreneur and a senior technical consultant, he recognized the need for soundbusiness process and governance to be applied to technology. Chris continues his work with clients today focusing on IT governance and organizational improvement in addition to demanding a return on investment (ROI) for IT expenditures.
Chris is passionate about serving his community. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Maine Medical Center (MMC) and is a Board member and committee chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine. Chris also enjoys spending time with his family and either boating or fishing along the coast of Maine. He is an avid sports fan, running in local road races in addition to skiing, playing football and basketball as often as possible.
Chris lives in Yarmouth with his wife, Alyson and their two children, Emerson and Dalton.
07/25/14 BITS AND PIECES
Bowen Depke, 1st Vice-president, opened the meeting with the sad news that President Kris had given up after chairing only two meetings. Luckily, he was only kidding. President Kris was, in fact, vacationing in Cape Cod. Tom Nickerson, recently returned to our club, gave an excellent invocation, quoting Henry David Thoreau.
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Janelle LoSciuto and Russ Burleigh led us in a rousing "God Bless America." It is amazing how good the club sounds singing old favorites. Bowen announced that Kathy Grammer was away at the funeral of her father. He asked for kind thoughts and prayers.
Juliana L'Heureux was passing around a copy of the Centerville Rotary Club annual report. Her son is a member of that club, and Juliana thinks Portland Rotary should publish a report as part of our 100% anniversary. This is a very impressive publication, but would be made far more impressive with Portland Rotary accomplishments.
Don Lowry had his name pulled in the raffle ticket draw for a possible $300 windfall....but he did not find the Queen of Hearts....too bad, Don!
Janelle was then back on deck, leading us in "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" in honor of our speaker.
Bowen told us that Bob Patten is recovering from a broken hip. Bowen visited Bob, who hopes to get out of the rehab center next week.
Portland Rotary has begun its involvement with Feeding Bodies and Minds, reading to children during their lunch at two sites, twice a week at each. This involves about one hour of reading to kids, plus your travel time. If you are interested in joining, contact Laura Young at lyoung@mainecf.org.
Gus Karlsen has returned to Portland and to us. He noticed there has been no mention, yet, of the MS Regatta which takes place Aug 15, 16, 17th. Today, he was planting the seed for Club support to defend our title.
John Curran announced a meeting of the International Service Committee today, after our regular meeting. He invited anyone interested in the Dominican Republic projects (3-H) to attend.
Russ announced that he is again collecting 100% wool yarn for the Mittens-for-Kids project. Any yarn donated, or dollars contributed to pay for purchased yarn, will be turned over to his wife, Joan, who will knit the mittens to be donated. Contact Russ if you would like to make a donation.
Janelle and her partner have started Southern ME Performing Arts Collaboration, which provides professional mentors to kids. They will be having performances and the proceeds will be donated to arts programs in the schools. Good luck!!
Rebecca Wright and her fiance, former Rotarian John Yohe, have a new Golden Doodle named Barney and will soon start teaching him the Mexican Hat Dance. John and Barney plan to make another video. If you have never seen the video on "You Tube" of John and his dog, Dominic, Bill Blount or Dick Hall can send you the link.
Finally, in seeking to close the meeting, Bowen could not find the gavel. If you "borrowed" it, please bring it back, as it is a relic. If you have one to donate, please bring it to the next meeting.
Crutches4Africa
Crutches (and MORE) Needed!!
The International Service Committee is still collecting crutches, canes, wheel chairs and walkers for the Crutches4Africa program! Please contact Jan Chapman or Bruce Moore (chapmoore@myfairpoint.net), if you come across any mobility devices in your garage or basement you’d like to donate and we’ll arrange to get them from you!.
Thanks so much!
07/18/14 BITS AND PIECES
We had a big group of guests with Ralph Rousseau’s contingent, and Kirk Duffy (deemed our "honorary member") is visiting us from his southern climes to enjoy Maine’s summer weather.
Bill Blount led us in singing “Rotary, My Rotary” in his usual cheerful manner.
President Kris shared letters of thanks from two organizations we have supported: the Friends of Long Creek thanked the club for our $2,000 gift, which will help with athletics, music, tuition, and resettlement costs; the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging sent thanks for our contribution of $3,000 for their "Campaign for A Better Day," which will support the creation of their new center in Falmouth.
Loretta Rowe conducted the raffle, with President Kris’s name being drawn by the speaker. He managed to select the seven of Clubs, a forecast that was called in from the floor by Rob Chatfield before the card was drawn.
Loretta then introduced Anne Fisher as a new member of the Portland Rotary club. Anne has come to us as a transferring Rotarian from the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club, as she wanted to belong to a club that was closer to home and work. She was very active as a community volunteer throughout her childrens' growing years and in her previous Rotary club, so we know she will be a welcome addition to our club. She is personable and a very nice lady. Please be sure to reach out to her when you see her at our meetings.
Ralph Rousseau, of MEMIC, a familiar and welcome guest, who received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Past President John Marr on the occasion of John's first meeting as our Club President, came forward to reciprocate and award John a Paul Harris Fellow Award. While we all know many things about our Past President, Ralph provided new insight from the perspective of those who work with him. “John is the fellow who always has a birthday card and message for everyone,” Ralph said. “We call them self-esteem boosters.” On the occasion of a newborn child, he said, “Because of his love of reading, parents receive a book.” These were just indications, Ralph shared, of John’s outlook on life and people.
He pointed to the words of Paul Harris as an example of how John lives:
“If Rotary has encouraged us to take a more kindly outlook on life and men; if Rotary has taught us greater tolerance and the desire to see the best in others; if Rotary has brought us pleasant and helpful contacts with others who also are trying to capture and radiate the joy and beauty of life, then Rotary has brought us all that we can expect.”
President Kris reminded us of the “Feeding of Minds and Bodies” project, encouraging volunteers to connect with Laura Young.
*07/25/14 THE NOVA STAR - Mark Amundsen
This Friday, we will hear about one of the most anticipated events on Portland’s waterfront in years: the new Nova Star cruise ship that operates between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Reflections on the trials and tribulations the liner has faced thus far will be shared by the line's President and CEO, Mark Amundsen.
Amundsen had been working for two years to broker the deal that concluded last Nov. 12th, when the province of Nova Scotia signed an agreement with his company, Quest Navigation, and ST Marine Ltd., the Singapore-based company that owns the cruise ship. Nova Star Cruises, as the ferry service is called, has restored a link between Maine and Nova Scotia, last provided by the Scotia Prince, which ended its run in 2004, followed by the short-lived “Cat”, a high-speed catamaran which ended its run in 2009.
The Nova Star is a different animal than its predecessors. It is 580 feet long, can carry 1,215 passengers and up to 336 cars, has 162 cabins, a casino, three restaurants, three bars, a conference center/theater, a spa, a fitness center, an art gallery and a duty-free shop. It is truly a “cruise ship” and not a “ferry.”
In deciding to bring ferry service back to Portland, Amundsen gathered data for both the Scotia Prince and The Cat in an effort to determine why they had failed. In 2003, when The Cat was traveling from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth from 2006-2009, then it added Portland as a stop and the Scotia Prince made the trip from Portland, together they carried 300,000 passengers. By 2009, when The Cat stopped service, it was down to 76,000 passengers annually. Unlike the Scotia Prince, The Cat had no cabin space and only offered tight airplane-style seating for the five-hour trip. Amundsen determined a cruise-type ship was necessary. He found that ship in Singapore, built to be a ferry across the English Channel. When the French builder terminated its contract due to delays, Quest Navigation took over, entering into a $160-million joint venture with ST Marine to operate the ferry service. Quest will lease the ship for seven years, and after that has the option to purchase the ship outright.
Even with the Province of Nova Scotia providing Nova Star Cruises $21 million of financial support — $10.5 million in start-up costs and $1.5 million a year for seven years for marketing—the spring and summer of 2014 have started off slowly, as frequently reported in the local news. Join us as Mark Amundsen fills us in on the details.
07/18/14 The State of Shipping in Maine
Last Friday, we listened to a fascinating talk by Patrick Arnold, an 11th-generation Mainer, who is the president of Soli DG, Inc., the company that he founded in 2007. Since that time, this intermodal guru has worked with state and local authorities in “cross pollinating” the methods by which goods, services and even people are transported by rail, land and sea, with his focus on the latter.
Mr. Arnold compared transportation to the human body….we all have arms, legs, a head and a brain, but if there is a critical failure within the veins or nerve fibers, these most obvious systems fail. Likewise, in intermodal commerce, once “cost mapping” data is inputted, the system can only survive if the transportation logistics are relied upon. With the green technology and savings offered using sea transport of goods, combined with the established methods or road and rail, millions of dollars in savings can be quickly gleaned. The reason older U.S. cities contain ports is for this very reason, Arnold stated. Water provides methods of access which have become secondary to our nation over the past century. With the mantra of providing “progressive, intellectual and sustainable” transportation methods, Soli DG has quickly become a leader of port and intermodal management both in Maine and throughout the Northeast.
When something great happens, like when Loretta Rowe wins the raffle, we all say, “her ship has come in!” This classic refrain refers to the joy of receiving letters, mail, or a loved one through aquatic delivery. The most significant aspects of humanity always arrived via ship, Arnold noted in his remarks. And that is for good reason. And that is why he has devoted his career to using the ports in our region to their fullest potential.
Jerry Angier, President Kris Rosado, |
*07/18/14 PATRICK ARNOLD, MAINE PORT AUTHORITY
Our speaker/program this Friday will be Patrick Arnold, Director of Operations & Business Development at Maine Port Authority. Their mission statement is “To improve the global competitiveness of Maine businesses, and in concert with public and private organizations, the Maine Port Authority will stimulate commerce by developing marine and rail facilities, and other viable endeavors in a responsible fashion, for the intermodal movement of people and cargo in support of economic development.”
Patrick has been managing and consulting on complex marine-related projects for more than a decade, including working with shore and vessel operators. He has provided Operations & Marketing Management consulting for ports throughout North America and has a wide range of experience as a terminal manager and ship's officer to ensure that business development is grounded in operational reality.
Soli DG, Inc., of which Mr. Arnold is President, has been contracted by the Maine Port Authority and has managed cargo operations at the International Marine Terminal in Portland since 2009. They also maintain a contract to perform all of the business development and marketing functions for Maine's ports. Under this contract, Patrick has:
- Worked with the City of Portland to develop cruise business
- Co-founded the Maine Wind Industry Initiative
- Established the Marine Highway Project: Portland to Brooklyn
- Brought American Feeder Lines to Portland
- Brought Eimskip to Portland
- Conducted Readiness Assessment of NovaStar Cruises/Ferry Service
Feeding Minds - Feeding Bodies
Rotarians are volunteering for the Feeding Minds - Feeding Bodies project with the Greater Portland United Way to read to youth at one of the free summer food sites. If you are interested in being a reader at one or more of the locations, please contact Laura Young at lyoung@mainecf.org
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David Small |
Laura Young |
Rusty Atwood |
07/11/14 Health Care in Maine
Our speaker on Friday was H. Gordon Smith, Esq., Executive Vice-President of the Maine Medical Association. His opening observation: “The health care landscape is best described as 'rocky'.” In Maine and the nation, folks are deeply divided over the Affordable Care Act....and health care in general. There is no consensus as to where health care should go. No one has a handle on the public/private mix and there seems to be no hope of reconciling the two points of view. Political partisanship has trumped the art of consensus building.
Gordon observed that health care is enormously complicated. The transformation of its delivery and payment systems have led to stress and fatigue, especially among primary care providers. The transformations have been seismic: physicians have moved from independent practice to be institutional employees. Eighty percent of primary care physicians in Maine are hospital employees and fifty percent of other physician providers. Moreover what was once a provider-centered enterprise has become a patient-centered effort with more attention on keeping folks healthy and reducing both doctor visits and hospital admissions. This reduces both physician and hospital reimbursement.
Gordon concluded his observations with a reminder that a treatment system is not the only social determinant of health. There are genetics; social circumstances, such as poverty; environmental factors; and personal behavior, i.e. obesity, tobacco, alcohol.
For a more thorough recall of Mr. Smith’s excellent presentation, I refer you to Portland Rotary Club’s weekly presentation on Access T.V.
07/11/14 BITS AND PIECES
PRESIDENT KRIS began the meeting by reiterating the themes of the Rotary Year – Childhood Hunger and Education. He then gave a clarion call for service – reminding us that getting involved is more than simply writing a check. Next he offered a surprising pre-emptive apology. KRIS likens his leadership approach to driving a tank and pointed out that "when taking the hill," there might sometimes be collateral damage. He reminded us that it is never either intentional or personal.
We were then privileged to meet three new members, the first of whom was, in fact, our old member TOM NICKERSON, who is back in Maine after a professional sojourn in DC. JIM WILLEY noted TOM'S many professional accomplishments and said “he looks young, but he isn’t." TOM is currently working at Southern Maine Community College. It’s a thrill to have him back!
Our second new member was ALEX ST. HILAIRE, who looks young and IS young! ELLEN NIEWOHENER introduced him. ALEX is a TD Bank mortgage loan officer who has been trained in the visual arts – maybe he could best be described as a “mortgage artist”! He’s also a skier. Welcome to Portland Rotary, ALEX !
Last, but not least, PETER GOFFIN introduced JERRY ANGIER. Retired, following a career that spanned both radio (WBZ and WGBH in Boston) and later insurance, JERRY has been a resident of Cape Elizabeth since 1971. His current gig is chairing the upcoming meeting in Maine of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners. Sounds like a potential program in the making! Welcome to Portland Rotary, JERRY!
AMY CHIPMAN introduced TOBY COOK , in the process telling us that TOBY is retiring and moving to Montana to spend more time with his family. As a generous parting gesture, TOBY contributed to the Foundation so that our club could present him with a Paul Harris Fellowship (prompting HAROLD CRABILL to launch into a rendition of the Frank Zappa song “Moving to Montana Soon”). We were glad when HAROLD stopped, but we share the sentiment. We will all miss TOBY.
Finally, in a dramatic moment, PRESIDENT KRIS spoke about the importance both of Paul Harris Fellows and Sustaining Members. While it would be great to have every member in the club designated as a Paul Harris Fellow, a far more realistic goal, he believes, is for all members to become sustaining members. KRIS then tore off his tie – and said that he would put it back on when every Portland Rotarian is a sustaining member.
Let’s help KRIS tie one on!
On a day when the baseball powers now say that the Red Sox have merely 1.4% chance of even making the playoffs, RUSTY ATWOOD urged us all to think big (ask for a miracle, perhaps) as he introduced our speaker, Gordon Smith, Executive Vice President of the Maine Medical Association and another avid Red Sox fan.
*07/11/14 STARTING ROTARY YEAR 2014-15 - PRESIDENT KRIS ROSADO
We are at the start of a new Rotary year and we welcome President Kris Rosado!
President Kris will make a few brief remarks on his goals for the year and how each of us can play a part as we work together to make them achievable.
*07/11/14 Gordon Smith, Esq. - The Healthcare Landscape in Maine
Gordon H. Smith, Esq., is Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Maine Medical Association. He graduated from the University of Maine with the highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, magna cum laude, in 1976. He practiced law before coming to the Maine Medical Association as General Counsel in 1981. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of State Medical Association Counsel, a nation-wide group of 140 attorneys representing medical associations. Mr. Smith has also served as Chairman of the American Medical Association/State Medical Society Litigation Center, the Maine Health Data Organization and the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He currently serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the AMA's Scope of Practice Partnership. He is also a member of the Board of Quality Counts, a regional quality improvement collaborative of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Onpoint Health Data and the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership. A frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects, Mr. Smith has served as EVP of the Maine Medical Association since September 1993.
He will speak to us about the healthcare landscape in Maine.
06/27/14 President John Marr's Farewell Address
In his closing remarks for 2013-14, President John gave us a recitation as follows:
SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE!
Too soon this splendid chapter will come to an end,
And to the surprise of many, I've still a friend.
But, that's the reason I have Soleil, my dog,
She loves me even if I preach in a fog.
A year has passed and for some it's been too long,
But for me, in retrospect, it's been too short a song.
As Willey said, never miss this life altering chance,
For it's your moment to do Rotary's big dance.
When I began the journey, I was a bit of a mess,
Yet I was able to recover without too much stress.
It's been a dizzying dance and so much fun,
That I lament that the year long few minutes is all done.
At the beginning I said, my style’s to get out of the way
And, I held firm, and opened the door to perfect feng shui,
We had a couple of Paul Harris Fellows to help us begin,
And in the end it proved to be a consistently refreshing wind!
The programs, per usual, where nothing but superb,
With all being equally memorable with plenty of verve,
That made the Windjammers' job almost look to easy,
But those of us who read it or did it know it’s not breezy!
Community Service is what Rotary is all about,
So we provided food and clothes aplenty, throughout,
And never stopped searching for the next place to focus,
Because we know for certain it’s never all about us.
While we may not ever be even remotely self-possessed
You can be sure that proof of fun fellowship will never rest.
Ball games, card games, wine nights and auctions, all great fun
But rest assured your future is abundant and it’s all just begun.
Think back to late last summer when to SoPo we did travel.
To help the 3-H project stay strong and never unravel,
We ate, we danced, we listened to Dominican music..
All to help our South American neighbor when they got sick.
We came back home and continued to take care of our own,
With Youth Services proving that their needs are so well known,
Our kids at Long Creek were recognized and will be remembered forever,
While Youth Service Awards were granted to 7 kids so giving and clever.
We’ve done the Outdoor Challenge, and mixed club events galore
But, that’s not concluded our need to reach out and look for more
Your future is well guided and there will be good deeds in abundance
As the Rotary Club of Portland maintains it’s most prominent stance.
With that as the foundation, I will step aside, but not out of the picture,
Because like it or not Rotary for me has become somewhat a fixture,
Being granted the privilege of the president’s mantel, has left me proud
And, I will forever cherish the time and note it with a voice strong and loud.
So, now lets dim the houselights and channel George Burns
And hear him tell me, “Say Goodnight, Gracie” see, I’ve learned!
As we close the 2013-14 Rotary year, the official changing-of-the-guard ritual happened with the exchange of a Past-President's pin for John Marr and a President's pin for incoming President Kris Rosado
....and a shared hug!
We should all thank John for a job well done!
President John Marr and President-elect Kris Rosado
06/27/14 BITS AND PIECES
On the last official day of his term, President John started the meeting by calling on Carl Spang to give the invocation. Carl reminded us of Nelson Mandela's contribution to mankind and his use of education as a tool for good.
Following the invocation, President John called upon Harry Sawyer to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rich Campbell led the raffle for a chance to win the potential $200 bounty. Roxane Cole's name was selected to find the Queen of Hearts, but she drew a crazy eight.....letting the pot grow.
Amy Chipman gave the Foundation report. As a club, we had set a goal of raising $15,000 this fiscal year, but came up short by only a few hundred dollars. About 60 of our members have contributed to the Foundation. We have 11 new sustaining members to add to our growing list and 21 new Paul Harris Fellows. Amy then awarded two Paul Harris Fellows, one to Past President Cyrus Hagge (his fourth) and one to retiring President John (his second).
Congratulations to both!!!
Incoming President Kris Rosado announced that the Maine Outdoor Challenge had made $51,566 to be split between The Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine and Portland Rotary. Fantastic job!
George Crockett was thanked for having obtained a donation from a local company of 300 pairs of flip-flops to be distributed to the immigrants in Portland.
Larry Gross, on behalf of the Southern Maine Area Agency on Aging, received a check for $3000 from the Community Service Committee, to be put toward the construction of SMAAA's Adult Day Care Center in Falmouth.
Then it was time for a song and Bill Blount led us in a truly warm rendition of Auld Lang Syne, honoring retiring President John.
NEW PROGRAM FROM RI WHEN YOU SPONSOR A NEW MEMBER
As you prepare for the new Rotary year, we would like to share information regarding the New Member Sponsor Recognition Program, an initiative approved by the Rotary International Board of Directors to recognize new member recruitment efforts by Rotarians. The program started in January 2014, and it has been received extremely well around the world. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity as a way to have your achievements in strengthening our club and sharing the gift of Rotary. A brochure is available, along with a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), to learn more about the New Member Sponsor Recognition Program. If you would like a copy of these two documents, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com Thank you for your support for membership development, and best wishes for a successful new Rotary year! |
06/20/14 BITS & PIECES
At the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay, President John, on the first day of summer and his second-to-last meeting as our fearless leader, called upon Russ Burleigh for the invocation. Russ prefaced a poem with a biography of its author Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem was fitting “A Boy’s Son of Summer” (Google it)! A good read by Russ and well received by those in attendance. Jan Chapman led us in the pledge, followed by America the Beautiful, expertly played by pianist Kathy Grammer in her favorite soprano key.
President John reconvened the meeting after our repast, exhorting us to drink, not at the Holiday Inn or necessarily potent potables at home, but beverages in returnable containers, placed in special "KLINK" bags that are available at each meeting. George Crockett seconded the motion. Proceeds from the empty returnables go towards the charitable fund of our Club.
President-elect Kris Rosado came to the podium with great news on preliminary indicators for the results of the fundraising efforts at the Maine Outdoor Challenge:
Funds raised:
2012 - $27,000
2013 - 43,000
2014 - 50,000 ! ! !
A rousing applause followed and congratulations were extended to all of the participants in Portland Rotary’s biggest fundraiser.
2nd Vice President Bowen Depke then announced that he was going to bring the unanimous decision made at the Club Assembly on May 30th to the Board of Directors meeting that would follow today's meeting: namely, that we would focus 80% of our efforts on childhood hunger and education over the foreseeable future. We would not abandon our regular projects and events, just include this new cause.
Jon Young conducted the weekly raffle drawing, which was at a healthy pot of $925. In lieu of an outside speaker (who would normally pull the name out of the pot), President John was asked to draw the name. Rumor has it that a certain member purchases more than one ticket each week hoping to get a chance at the winnings and....lo n' behold....whose name should get pulled, but (drum roll please)......Loretta's! And out of 22 cards, guess which one she found....you got it....THE QUEEN OF HEARTS! Does she LOOK a little happy? I think all three people at the podium were shell shocked! Back to square one and a new deck of cards next week.
Amy Chipman took to the podium to introduce Jack Carr, who had earned another Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) and chose to bestow George Crockett with the award. George has multiple PHF distinctions for all that he has done for Rotary and the world.
(Jack Carr, George Crockett and Amy Chipman)
As is customary, Rotary International also awards a PHF to the person who awards a PHF to another, so Amy presented Jack with his own PHF award, making him a multiple PHF!
(Jack Carr and Amy Chipman)
President John started to read off a list of visiting Rotarians and guests, FROM LAST WEEK'S SIGN-IN SHEET! Elise wouldn’t let him bask in his self-deprecating glow and acknowledged fault with the actual list of this week's guests and visiting Rotarians.
(Elise Hodgkin and President John Marr)
We sang "All Hail to Rotary" with Kathy Grammer leading us and Russ Burleigh on the piano keys, followed by our 3-H Team's presentation of their projects in the Dominican Republic.
06/20/14 3-H PROJECT – HEARING, HANDS AND H2O – PORTLAND ROTARY'S INTERNATIONAL SERVICE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
In April 2014, fifteen Rotarians and volunteers went to the Dominican Republic to continue the good work of providing hearing aids to people in need, as well as prosthetic hands to folks that have lost theirs to violence or accidents. In addition, the group provides water filters to remote villages that are in desperate need of clean drinking water.
At the Rotary District Conference this year, Dr. Roger Fagan was awarded the 'Service Above Self' Award for his many years of volunteer work. Congratulations, Roger, we are certainly proud of you! Roger has made sixteen trips to the Dominican Republic since 2002 and has fitted and helped about 1,400 patients with hearing aids. On this last trip Roger, and his wife, Liz, saw 120 patients and had to turn away 70 others. It is not just doing the testing and fitting for hearing aids, but there is also speech therapy and follow up to be done with each of these patients.
In 2011 the club started providing prosthetic hands. John Curran has taken leadership of this project. It is amazing to see how our efforts are giving these people back limited use of their arms and what it does to restore their ability to function. This year there was an outreach to other Rotary clubs in that area of the Dominican Republic, to find and bring forward those with particular needs. It wasn’t as successful as John had hoped, so the plan is to go back to what has worked in the past....which is setting up shop at the hospital and getting the word out for those that are able to come to the hospital/clinic.
Dick Giles spoke to us about the H2O project and how it has changed over the last ten years since it was started. The new water filters are much less cumbersome, lighter in weight and more efficient. In the last two years, this group has installed about 150 filters. Dick believes that each filter has a direct effect on 5-6 people in terms of improving the quality of their lives. If you do the math, that is 750-900 people that now have clean, safe drinking water. In reality it may be more, because many of those households have begun sharing their good fortune with their friends and neighbors.
The next trip for the 3-H Team is scheduled for February 16, 2015. They still need an additional eight people to volunteer. There are many ways to help with 3-H projects, including securing or obtaining supplies, financial support, fund raising and promoting participation to other clubs, as Dick Giles has done with his connection to the Palm Beach Rotary Club.
The 3-H Team's efforts are extremely impressive and we are proud to be associated with all the folks involved. Well done, Rotarians and volunteers!
If you would like more information or want to become involved, please contact John Curran, Incoming Chair of the International Service Committee at: curraj1@mmc.org
Our 3-H Team: Jan Chapman, Dr. Liz Fagan, George Crockett (in back), Dick Giles, Dr. Roger Fagan, John Curran, Bruce Moore and Carolyn Brilliner (Rotary Club of Brunswick) |
*06/27/14 PRESIDENT JOHN MARR'S FAREWELL ADDRESS
As our Rotary year 2013-2014 comes to an end this Friday, our featured speaker will be President John Marr, who will provide us with an overview of what has transpired during his term. On July 12, 2013 President John came to the helm of our club, as he stated, "at a propitious moment, observing that Portland Rotary will soon celebrate a full century as one of the State’s foremost service organizations, with a rich history of helping the needy and underserved in a manner that few organizations can duplicate.” Back then he indicated that his theme would be helping youth, through both nutrition and education. Apparently, as our members voted at our Club Assembly on May 30th, we will continue to focus our attention on this theme. Now as this year comes to a close, he will reflect on the roads we have traveled and the wonderful projects/events we have accomplished, as we head towards our centennial celebration. Please join us at Friday's meeting to hear the fantastic things our club has accomplished and to wish John a fond farewell. |
*06/20/14 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE - 3-H PROJECTS
Come Learn About Portland Rotary’s 2014 International Project!
This Friday, 3-H Team leaders will bring club members up to date on our club’s international project in the Dominican Republic. We are very grateful to the club for the strong financial support you have provided us. Come and learn about our accomplishments this year, how our project has evolved and our plans for the future! We were so pleased to have the financial support and participation of five other clubs in this year’s project, Singer Island and Palm Beach in Florida, South Portland Sunrise, Brunswick and South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Clubs.
<<<<< Dr. Roger Fagan will tell you some incredible stories of the people he treated and how he was able to fit hearing aids to a record number of patients this year.
John Curran will update you on the hands project and what possibilities may be in the future for prosthetic hands. >>>>>
<<<<< Dick Giles is now leading the clean water part of the project and will discuss the installation of bios and water filters in the homes of poor Haitian families and his plans to expand the project next year.
YOU won't want to miss hearing about Portland Rotary’s International Projects!
06/13/14 BITS & PIECES
President John Marr led off the meeting by asking Alan Nye to lead us in the invocation. Alan asked if anyone suffered from paraskevidekatriaphobia – the fear of Friday the 13th! He then said that if anyone did, it was probably best to focus on the next day, June 14th, Flag Day. He gave a brief history of our flag and then thanked all those who served their flag and country and asked that those men and women still in the military service be kept safe.
After the pledge, President John introduced District Governor Carolyn Johnson, who thanked various members for their service to the District and the accomplishments of the Club over the past year. She then awarded the club two certificates: the Rotary Club Central Award and a Presidential Citation. Congrats to all members who made these awards possible (especially Loretta Rowe).
The raffle was ably conducted by Steve Ditmer, as Loretta asked him to be her proxy, due to the fact that she had a number of "interests" submitted in the raffle ticket pot. Al Sargent was kind enough NOT to pick the winning card for $900 and give other Rotary members a chance next week.
Taking advantage of being at the podium, as any Past President will, Loretta said she had three things to announce:
- she asked if anyone not getting the Windjammer delivered to them via email would let her know;
- that the committee assignments for the new Rotary year 2014-15 were printed and copies were available for review to see what committees we were on; and
- lastly, announced that the Holiday Inn wants members to only enter the hotel through the main entrance door or the front door near the restaurant (No coming in through the loading docks or any other areas, due to security reasons.)
Jim Willey took to the mike (another Past President) and announced that he and Laura Young are working on reviewing the historical records for Portland Rotary to celebrate our 100th birthday. They are looking for volunteers to review minutes of various years and give a brief presentation to the club throughout next year, reviewing the important events that happened.
Amy Chipman introduced two "Circle of 5" teams that committed to make a donation of $200 each to the Rotary Foundation each year for five years. Over a five-year period, each year, one member of each team would receive a Paul Harris Fellow award.
(At right: Amy Chipman, Don Lowry, Julie L'Heureux and Dick Giles)>>>>>
The name drawn for the second "Circle of 5" team was Loretta Rowe!
<<<<<(At left: Loretta Rowe and Amy Chipman.)
If you would like to join a new "Circle of 5" team or would like to learn more about it, please contact Amy at amy.chipman@rbc.com.
Our members having June birthdays were announced and we sang "Happy Birthday" to them; then Janelle LoSciuto led the club in singing “You’re A Grand Old Flag” in honor of the next day being Flag Day!
06/13/14 Nuclear Power in Maine
The Maine Yankee nuclear power plant was shut down in 1996 after 25 years of service. Our speaker, Charles Frizzle, joined Maine Yankee in 1971 as a qualified operator. He became president of the plant in 1989 and retired in 1998. Following graduation from the University of New Hampshire, Charles enlisted in the United States Navy and was sent to school to learn about nuclear power. The second phase of his education involved working with a prototype submarine power plant. In the third phase of his schooling, he became an instructor. For the last two years of his Navy time, he was assigned to U.S.S. Flasher where he qualified as a nuclear power plant operator.
Following his brief introductions, Charles conducted a very informative Q & A on the issues of nuclear power. Here are a few of the things we learned:
- The shutdown of Maine Yankee was an economic decision. The owners decided 70 million dollars to bring the plant into compliance with regulatory updates was too much to spend.
- We learned that the government took over the waste disposal matter. The Yucca Mountain storage facility has been completed, but its acceptance is stalled in Congress. Power companies have had to sue for the reimbursement of their costs to store spent fuel rods.
- We learned that reprocessing of fuel cells is very viable; but a “state of the art” reprocessing plant stands idle because reprocessing produces Plutonium U239. That can be used to make bombs and the government is fearful it could fall into the wrong hands. We also learned that wind and solar power will not be able to meet our power needs.
- Natural gas, not coal, is now Maine’s choice for renewable fuel.
- Maine presently gets 20% of its power from nuclear fuel.
Mr. Frizzle offered us an excellent program.
06/06/14 BITS & PIECES
On the solemn occasion remembering the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, our meeting was opened with an invocation from Garvey MacLean with a prayer he adapted from one titled, "A Prayer for the Nation."
Our Community Service Committee had a reminder for us that our Rotary volunteer day at the Preble Street Resource Center's soup kitchen is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10th. Contact Steve Stromsky if you can help as a volunteer.
Our raffle drawing pot was up to $880 this week. Loretta, who was conducting the raffle, asked our speaker, Mr. Alfond, to pull a name out of the bucket and he pulled Justin Lamontagne's name, but Justin L. had to leave early. Where Justin L. was a new daddy, Loretta polled the members to ask for a waiver of the normal ruling of "having to be in attendance" to try winning the raffle. When everyone agreed, Harold Crabill and Bowen Depke popped up to volunteer and be his proxy. Harold won out, but unfortunately, he drew the Jack of Hearts.
Congratulations and appreciations were extended to Kris Rosado and all those who helped this year's Maine Outdoor Challenge to be fun and successful. Official results will be forthcoming.
Bowen Depke reported a followup on the Club Assembly's discussion of a Club "cause" from May 30, 2014. He had received many emails and comments supporting a cause with youth being our focus. President-Elect Kris, First Vice-President-Elect Bowen Depke and Second Vice-President-Elect Laura Young met to discuss how to collate the ideas and move the recommendations to the Board of Directors.
Dick Hall introduced our newest Portland Rotarian, Dirk "Erik" Greven. Be sure to approach our newest member and get to know him. Welcome Erik to Portland Rotary!
Bob Clark introduced Brianna Holdren of Portland, who was named State Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (BGCSM). Brianna told us of how much the BGCSM helped turn her life around when she found herself heading down the wrong path of life. She has now graduated from Portland High School, the first in her family to do so, and will enter St. Joseph's College in Standish in the fall, where she will study nursing. Good luck to Brianna!
*06/13/14 CHARLES D. FRIZZLE - NUCLEAR POWER IN AMERICA
Charles D. Frizzle joined the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. in 1971 as an Engineering Assistant. Over the next 26 years, Mr. Frizzle held several positions with Maine Yankee, including Assistant Plant Manager, Manager of Operations, Operations Vice President, and in 1989 was named to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer which he held until his retirement in 1997.
Prior to joining Maine Yankee, Mr. Frizzle served as a Reactor Operator on the fast attack nuclear submarine USS Flasher, and as a Reactor Operator Instructor in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program.
Mr. Frizzle was born and brought up in New Hampshire and attended the University of New Hampshire. He currently resides in Brunswick with his wife Carol. Mr. Frizzle has stayed active in retirement and currently chairs the Brunswick Planning Board. He also serves on the Boards of Mid Coast Hospital, People Plus and the Independence Association.
6/6/14 Justin Alfond - State of the State
Our speaker on Friday was Justin Alfond, President of the Maine State Senate. With an off-year election less than a week away, one might have expected election rhetoric about Justin's colleagues who were up for re-election. That was not the case. What we got, instead, was an energetic and passionate talk about where Maine is now and where it needs to be in the future.
Justin began by complimenting Governor LePage. He said the Governor is passionate about his own beliefs and very much wants Maine to be a better state. He then cited a particular example where the Governor's intercession with the Department of Enviromental Protection (DEP) caused them to reduce its regular waiting time for decisions on real estate developments from many months to no more than 100 days.
He then gave us a very interesting statistic: 80-85% of the bills passed in Augusta are bi-partisan efforts. They include a joint task force to start a conversation on how to improve Maine's business climate; helping community colleges adjust their curriculums to better meet the job needs of the State; and increasing scholarship funding. As Justin pointed out, this is not the kind of story the media leaps to carry.
Justin also had a list of areas that still need attention and fixing. He cited the collapse of wind power in the state as a disaster after the Governor changed the rules when the bidding was over. There is far too much year-round child hunger in Maine and not nearly enough being done to alleviate it, plus the business climate needs substantial improvement. After citing these problems, he turned his attention to Portland.
Portland is booming with new construction, both hotels and residences. The waterfront is busier than ever. Nevertheless, things need to happen to shore up the middle class in the city before they migrate out. These include a better educational structure for children, including pre-K, fixing USM, a mainstay, and building more affordable housing. All these are on his agenda.
During his presentation, Justin made two points, both worthy of more thought and dialogue. First, the political climate, in Maine and across the country, is argumentative, hostile, and partisan with criticism abounding. It's an atmosphere that will make people otherwise interested in public service, think twice about entering government. Second, the amount of public referendums is growing, posing a threat, in his opinion, to the democratic process. If you don't like what your state and local officials are doing then, at the next election,"throw the rascals out."
Portland Rotary was pleased and proud to have Justin Alfond as a speaker and, regardless of political affiliation, we wish him well in his future endeavors.
PP Cy Hagge, Brianna Holdren and Justin Alfond, President of the Maine State Senate |
*06/06/14 JUSTIN ALFOND - A LEGISLATIVE OVERVIEW
Our speaker this week will be Justin Alfond, President of the Maine Senate. He represents the 8th District, covering much of Portland. Justin was first elected to the State Senate in 2008 to replace Democrat Ethan Strimling. He was re-elected in 2010 and 2012.
Following his re-election in 2012, he was chosen as Senate President. As such, he is first in line to succeed to the Governor's office in the event of a vacancy. Justin is the second youngest Senate President since 1880, when Joseph A. Locke held the position at 36 years of age.
He attended schools in Waterville and Dexter prior to attending Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts. He graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and majored in business management. He was briefly a professional golfer.
In 2004, he moved to Portland and founded the Maine chapter of the League of Young Voters, serving for four years as its Director. He serves on the boards of many organizations, including Avesta Housing, Opportunity Maine, Maine Initiatives, Kennebec Valley Community College, the New England Board of Higher Education and the New England Secondary School Consortium.
He lives in Portland's Munjoy Hill neighborhood with his wife, Rachael, one son, Jacoby and their dog Tipitina. He is the grandson of businessman Harold Alfond.
He will be giving us an overview of the recently completed Maine Legislative session.
05/30/14 CLUB ASSEMBLY - FOCUS ON A "CAUSE"
Led by Bowen Depke and Harold Crabill, Portland Rotary held a Club Assembly. Supported by a decision of the Board of Directors, a discussion was presented to determine if the membership wanted a focused "cause," and, if so, what options we might have for one. On the first round of votes taken, the majority of members in attendance approved the idea of a cause, although some of the questions about focusing on a cause included:
- Could we implement a trial period of 3-5 years, in case it didn't work out to our expectations and readjust, if needed?
- Will it affect the international efforts and/or other projects that we presently have in process or support?
- Why do we need a focused cause?
Five different causes were then presented with the proponent of each presenting their reasons for adopting each cause, with time for questions and/or discussion:
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A vote was subsequently taken on each of the five options and Childhood Hunger received a majority of the votes. However, during the discussion that followed, questions were raised about the melding of two or three initiatives into a single cause...a crossover of efforts for similar projects. There was also some confusion as to whether or not a singly-focused cause would eliminate our work in other areas, such as the Long Creek Youth Center. It was explained that we would not abandon our current projects, but our "cause" focus would be in addition to what we already support; the new focus would give us more direction and enhance our position and understanding in the community.
The upshot of it all was a directive to send the results/discussion to the Club Board to sort out the various issues and questions that were raised and return to the Club with more clarity. And even if clarity was not always present on Friday, civility, charm and humor were with us.
MC Harold Crabill fielding questions and wrapping up the meeting. |
What became apparent through this exercise is that the Club acted like a House of Representatives and will be moving forward to bring more information to the members before a final decision is made.
Stay tuned......
05/30/14 BITS & PIECES
President John started the meeting telling us we had a full agenda and we would have a working lunch. (This later proved to be quite true.)
He also talked about the importance of the Maine Outdoor Challenge coming up June 2-4 and extended appreciation for all who volunteered. He also encouraged members to attend the lobster bake on Wednesday evening. Tickets were available through Loretta, with the deadline for registering at the close of our meeting.
Dick Giles handled the raffle drawing and offered Harry Sawyer the chance to pick the winning ticket. After much confusion over the name on the ticket (that took five members to try and decipher), the ticket drawn was declared illegible. At that point, Mike Fortunato claimed it was his name on the ticket. As the past Postmaster of the Portland Post Office, he claims he can read any handwriting...even if he can't write legibly. He was not lucky enough to pull the correct card from the deck to the jeers/cheers from the members.
President-elect Kris Rosado and Harold Crabill's company donated a 21-person suite at a Sea Dogs baseball game for an auction...valued at $420. There were two days available for bidding, but only one caught the attention of the members....June 3rd....which fetched a purchase of $200 from Matt Tassey. Kris went on to say that the $200 would be used to match four people to become a new sustaining Paul Harris Fellow. Not one new sustaining member popped up, BUT four existing sustaining members decided to make an extra sustaining contribution to the Foundation this year at $50 each. Thanks Kris and Harold!
President John then turned the meeting over to 2nd Vice-president Bowen Depke to lead the Club Assembly.
Helping One Kid at a Time to Succeed!
Back in 2009, Kimara Nazumbona was a junior at Portland High School and a refugee from Congo. He applied for and was granted monies from the Portland Rotary Club to support his college expenses. He received a full scholarship from Colby College under our mentoring and here he is four years later graduating from same. The Portland Rotary Club changed his life.
(He is pictured here with his mentor, Jack Carr, Past President and member of Portland Rotary.)
WINTER/SPRING 2014 TENNIS LEAGUE WINNERS!
The winning team of the Rotary Doubles Tennis League Winter-Spring 2014 was Team #5: Ben Lowry, Fred Thompson (Past President of Portland Rotary), Amy Chipman and Erik Jorgensen.
Congratulations!
Order in photo (from bottom left): Erik Jorgensen, Amy Chipman, Fred Thompson, and "proxy for Ben Lowry".... Bill Blount?
WELCOME TO THE WORLD!
We wanted to welcome our littlest Rotary-family baby into the world: William Marc Lamontagne! Born to Justin Lamontagne (member) and his wife, Marce, on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at 3:04 p.m., William weighed in at 8lbs, 7oz and is 22 inches tall/long. Baby and mom are doing great! Big sister, Katherine Celina, is helping mommy to care for him and bursting with pride papa is all smiles. Congratulations to all! |
05/23/14 BITS & PIECES
President John Marr convened the meeting asking Kathy Grammer to offer us the invocation. In reverence to our country's armed forces, Kathy recited a poem, "America," written by Ann Caswell of Rye NH some 60 years ago during WWII. Bob Traill led us in the pledge and Kathy accompanied us on the piano to a rendition of our national anthem.
President John called Dick Hall to recognize him with a new RI sponsor pin for bringing in a new member. There was an introduction of visiting Rotarians and guests.
The raffle at $815 this week was conducted by Loretta Rowe. Herb Carmichael's name was drawn to find the elusive Queen of Hearts, but drew the lowly 2 of Diamonds, to the mock dismay of the attendees. |
Mike Fortunato announced the plans for the June 4th "Lobsta" bake after the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC). Participants in the MOC events are comped with a meal ticket, but Mike reminds them that their entourage, fan base, girlfriends, boyfriends, significants or spouses, have been slow in committing to the event. We would like to see more diners, so let's get everyone there and ensure the success of our largest fund-raising event.
2nd Vice-president Bowen Depke encouraged all Portland Rotarians to come to next week's Club Assembly. Bowen asks that you review the material submitted to all members a few weeks ago and give some thought to a worthy "cause" that our club could focus on. We will deliberate this and other pertinent club issues at next week’s assembly |
We sang in reverence to our country's armed forces, as we do each year preceding Memorial Day. Russ Burleigh and Kathy Grammer provided music and lyrics for the armed forces medley....songs for the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. Veterans in attendance stood up as the song for their branch of military service was sung. It is a moving tradition and we thank all our armed forces for their service.
05/23/14 A TRIBUTE TO WWII VETERANS
Last Friday, our club was fortunate to hear from a gifted speaker and lifelong educator, Joe Foster, an honorary Kennebunk Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow. In his four decades of teaching at Kennebunk High School, Mr. Foster initiated a program to replace the "dreaded 11th grade research paper" with a project that would prove rewarding beyond his imagination. In asking his junior English class students to interview and report (in 3000 words?) on a member of "The Greatest Generation," Mr. Foster opened the eyes and hearts, both within the student body and well beyond. |
The surviving three million World War II veterans are passing away at a clip of over one thousand per day. An interview, or even a discussion with one of them who served during the war, is an experience that each of us should seek out and cherish. While the term, “Greatest Generation” has become part of our lexicon, many of these proud veterans would rather pass the baton to their fathers. Those who served in “the war to end all wars” or others who have bravely defended, or are defending, our freedoms. The attributes of duty, sacrifice, honor, service and, perhaps most notably, humility have come to define these real-life heroes. The high school kids, and the students at York County Community College, where Mr. Foster now teaches, have learned, first hand, about this most important chapter in American history through the viewpoints of veterans like our own Rotarians Earle Leavitt and Bob Traill, both of whom have spoken to Joe's classes.
It was a fitting tribute on the eve of an important weekend, and we were thankful to have, such a gifted story-teller and educator like Joe Foster. He shared some of the stories from the 450 papers that he has received from students, acknowledging the sacrifice made by so many great Americans. Portland Rotary was awe struck, and thanked our speaker and, more importantly, those who have given of themselves through their dedicated service to our country, with a standing ovation.
*05/30/14 A CENTURY LATER - OUR CLUB AT A CROSSROAD
On Friday, May 30, the program for Portland Rotary Club led by 2nd Vice- President, Bowen Depke, will hold a Club Assembly to discuss our “focus” over the next many years. With service organizations world wide continuing to struggle, a “cause” may be the key in allowing Portland Rotary to remain viable and more widely known within the city, region and state.
The idea of a single cause results from several years of thought and discussion by the Board. The driving forces, as stated in Bowen’s recent document (which you should have received via e-mail), include not only increasing membership, but keeping new members engaged once they join the Club. To succeed in this effort, the Board has decided to adopt a meaningful “cause” that can be clearly linked to Portland Rotary in the eyes of the community. This effort started three years ago with Bowen collating a list of all the non-profits in Cumberland County that we might try to partner with. That list was 800 names long! He whittled it down to about 60 well-known names.
It's important to note that a cause (if passed) would be a focus.....not the be all and end all. Bowen estimates that 80% of our Club's efforts, including fund raising and spending, would be towards the "cause." The Club would continue, however, to remain involved with its other long-held traditions. Moreover, this would NOT impact our 3-H Dominican projects or other international projectsl The adopted cause would be purely local.
The public relations (and hopefully membership and engagement) aspect is very important. People in our community have certainly heard of Rotary, but an actual understanding of who we are and what we do, locally, nationally and internationally, can be confusing. This “cause” would, in time, be a form of branding for our Club, such that people, in three to five years, would think about our adopted initiative and immediately link that cause to Portland Rotary. This would aid in membership development, fundraising, and various aspects that could help our Club as we try to sustain our growth into the next century.
Over the past one hundred years, we’ve nourished our Club with a passion and caring that has allowed us to maintain our existence, while other service clubs have faltered and even disappeared. But, after a slow decline in membership, we feel we need to move beyond the status quo and take the initiative in hopes of not just sustaining our club, but building and growing upon the solid foundation that has been formed over ten decades. Our growth begins with a very important discussion this Friday. Please join us for lunch and be a part of an historic decision that may well lead our Club into its second century of “Service Above Self.”
Adventurers Rappel Down Portland's Tallest Building
Every 15 minutes or so on Saturday, May 17, a crowd at Monument Square in Portland let out a cheer. Each outburst welcomed the arrival back on solid ground of someone who had just rappelled 13 stories down the side of One City Center. Eighty people signed up to descend one of Portland's tallest buildings by rope to raise money for Rippleffect, a Portland nonprofit youth and community development program that operates outdoor adventures. Each participant had to raise a minimum $1,000 for programming and scholarships for Rippleffect, although some raised much more...a total of about $80,000 was raised. |
Three of those adventurous people were from our own Rotary Club: Harold Crabill, Bowen Depke and Justin LaMontange.
The roof provided a panorama, with Cow Island, home to Rippleffect's outdoor campus, visible on one side and Greater Portland neighborhoods on the other.
Congratulations to all participants who had the courage to do the 173-foot descent for a very worthy cause!
*05/23/14 JOE FOSTER - PAYING BACK: SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND WWII
Joe Foster is an adjunct instructor in English and Humanities at York County Community College. In 2007, he retired after nearly four decades at Kennebunk High School, twenty-five of those spent as head of the English Department.
In the last seven years at Kennebunk, he developed a special assignment in his eleventh grade English classes. He asked students to find, interview, and then write a 2500 or more word biography of a World War II veteran, or someone who was an adult during that period. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of his long Kennebunk career. Besides teaching some important recent history, bridging the generations made lasting impressions and memories for all concerned.
Six years ago he started teaching literature and communications at York County Community College in Wells. There he developed a popular course in World War Two called "Days of Infamy…Years of Heroes." It's a history of W.W. II, which he has taught for six semesters over the past five years. Besides the text, lectures, and films, the most important part of the class has been the seven or eight special guests, all W.W. II veterans, who have told their own stories in the class. This has truly made history come alive and made a vivid impression on the students privileged to hear them.
Besides continuing to teach, Joe is an honorary member of the Kennebunk Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. He spends time puttering in his garden, fussing with two very antique cars, listening to big band music, and contemplating exercise.
05/16/14 BITS AND PIECES FROM THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE
The Portland Rotary Club got a chance to enjoy the new Westin Portland Harborview Hotel for our District 7780 Annual Conference. The hotel has undergone a recent $50M facelift and we enjoyed seeing the new and improved grand ballroom.
Portland Rotary Club table: (around the table, starting at the left) John Curran, PP Loretta Rowe, PP Roxane Cole, PP Cy Hagge, Sgt-at-Arms Mike Fortunato, 2nd VP Nominee Laura Young, Honorary member Dr. Liz Fagan, and Dr. Roger Fagan |
The Yarmouth High School jazz band serenaded us during the pre-lunch festivities, which included the collapse of the backdrop at the podium just moments before the commencement of the meeting. As usual, President John handled the unfortunate decoration malfunction in stride, stating, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!” Past President Peggy Wescott, aka "Queenie," was heard to say, “President John always brings down the house.
President John, calling upon two of our own members to open the ceremonies, requested Janelle LoSciuto and Russ Burleigh to guide us through “God Bless America” and President-elect Kris Rosado led us in a recitation of “The Four-Way Test.” |
His Honor Michael Brennan, the first elected mayor of Portland in the past 90 years (and a former high school Interact member), was our special guest, welcoming visiting Rotarians and guests to our fine city. Portland was just listed as one of the “14 cities to visit in 2014” by Business Insider magazine. All but two of the cities were not in the United States, with the other being Houston. Mayor Brennan reported that Portland now has the most restaurants per capita in the country, overtaking San Francisco! On a more disconcerting note, he told us that the boilers in the basement of the newly renovated Westin are identical and made by the same company that made the boilers for the ill-fated Titanic!
We were then introduced to Betsey Owen, District Advisor from Rotary International and a polio survivor. We watched a wonderful video about her life and her commitment to Rotary, which did not begin until 2001, when she retired from a career in teaching in Florida. Since she joined Rotary, she has quickly jumped up the leadership ladder, attaining “Governor” of Rotary International status and being named “Rotarian of the Year” in Florida.
President Lisa Lessey from the Kennebunk Club, shared a heartfelt “Rotary Moment” with us, relaying two stories about her young daughters and how they began to realize that Rotary was bigger than just “those lunch meetings mommy goes to,” after seeing Rotary in action and hearing about polio eradication. It was nice to hear this heartfelt tale about the impact our organization can have on the mindset of our world’s youth.
Our Keynote speaker was D.F. Pace, Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia Police Department's Law and Criminal Procedure Unit. Lt. Pace was selected to be a Rotary Peace Scholar when he was a young adult, which resulted in being one of his most memorable and meaningful experiences. He spent four months at the prestigious Chullongkorn University in Thailand, where he earned a professional certificate in Peace and Conflict studies. From there, he traveled extensively studying the impact first hand of corporate globalization, labor exploitation and international & transnational crimes like terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking. His topic address was: A Story of the Value of Peace.
DG Carolyn Johnson, President John, and Lt. D. F. Pace |
05/09/14 South Portland-Cape Elizabeth and Outward Bound
On Friday, we had 16 members of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club joining us in a fun-packed meeting.
The program was brought to us by Goeffrey Scott, Custom Programs Director of Outward Bound. According to Geoff, Outward Bound is more than the Hurricane Island School. Outward Bound manages several products: a Veteran’s program, a program for grieving teens, and one which is dear to Geoff – professional development.
Research has shown that, in the average U.S. company, 13% of the workers are fully engaged, 27% are moderately engaged, 35% are under engaged, and 24% are disengaged. Research has also shown that there are five things which move people—confidence, career development, personal accomplishment, recognition, and compensation.
Geoff’s specialty is “Career Development,” which he does very well. He took us through two exercises: one which dealt with “competition” and one which dealt with “team work.” It was quite a sight – a room full of Rotarians “thumb wrestling” and then teams building three-feet-high, free-standing, paper towers to hold a water balloon using limited resources: a 3-foot piece of masking tape and newspapers.
Remarkably, Geoff accomplished in 10 minutes what normally takes 45 minutes.
Well, let’s face it—he was working with Rotarians.
05/09/14 BITS AND PIECES
President John reminded us that the District Conference is next week, Friday through Sunday, at the Westin Harborview Hotel in Portland. Our regular Friday lunch will be there at the District Conference. You must have signed up ahead of time, as they will not accept walk-ins. Deadline for pre-registering was May 12th.
R.I. has initiated a new program for sponsoring new members, as well as the new member. Sponsor a new member and you'll not only strengthen our club, you'll also get recognized for your efforts. Through the New Member Sponsor Recognition program, sponsors will now receive a specially-designed Rotary pin and recognition on Rotary's website. Each week, R.I. will send out a packet containing the names of newly identified sponsors along with Rotary pins and as many as four different-colored pin backers. The color of the backer depends on the number of new members sponsored, ranging from blue for one member, to gold for six or more. Keep track of the number of members you've sponsored by checking your 'My Rotary' profile page on R.I.'s website (www.rotary.org). Gold-level sponsors will also be listed in the Membership Recognition Gallery. Two of our members have received this special recognition for sponsoring new members into our Club: Peter Goffin and Ellen Niewoehner.... Congratulations to Peter and Ellen! (Prez. John awarding new sponsor pin to Ellen Niewoehner at right)
Marge Barker, District Governor-Nominee, of the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club took to the podium to ask for 3-4 volunteers to be at the Westin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday to help stuff goodie bags for the attendees at the District Conference. We know of one of our members who must like getting up early, because she volunteered to help...Loretta.
Bowen Depke announced that we will be having an important Club Assembly on Friday May 30th. The Club will be asked whether it wishes to adopt a more focused “cause” and if so, what that cause would be. Members are being asked to please make every effort to be there and to bring their thoughts and ideas.
Ron Bennett conducted the raffle drawing and, low and behold, his name was chosen. (He assures us it wasn't rigged.) Unfortunately, (or luckily), he did not win the $787 pot.
Eric Grevin, a prospective new member was recognized during the introduction of visiting guests and Rotarians.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge is coming up soon (June 2-4). We still need volunteers for all 3 days for both the LLBean and Wolfe Neck locations. Sign-up sheets will be on the tables for the next few weeks or contact Mike Fortunato.
Peter Ingram (at left) gave a very entertaining summary of our clubs fund-raising efforts over the last year, assisted by the interpretive drawings of his 4-year old son.
Jim Willey is still asking the South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Club when he is going to get the special 50% Rotary discount on Christmas Trees (one of their winter fund-raising events).
Rumor has it that Don Lowry is back in town and will be attending our meetings soon.
Harold Crabill reports that there is a major event for Rippleffect next Friday and Saturday, May 16-17th. The event is called “Over the Edge” and is being held to promote youth leadership and development through adventure, healthy communities and sustainable living. Saturday, the 17th, is Rappel for Rippleffect Day. Three of our club members Bowen Debke, Harold Crabill and Justin Lamontagne will be rappelling off the roof of One City Center in the afternoon. That might be worth watching…definitely worth supporting.
*05/16/14 DISTRICT CONFERENCE LUNCH AT WESTIN HARBORVIEW HOTEL
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On Friday, May 16, 2014, we will have our weekly meeting in conjunction with the kick-off to the District 7780 Conference at the Westin Harborview Hotel, 157 High Street, Portland.
If you have pre-registered, please arrive early, as the meeting will start at noon SHARP. You will want to arrive early enough to find a parking option as sent out in a previous email.
PREPARING FOR THE 2014-15 ROTARY YEAR
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO CHECK YOUR PERSONAL INFO ON OUR CLUB WEBSITE:
- Go to the club website and check your personal information to be sure it is correct. Information for the roster is pulled from the website, so if it is wrong on the website, it will be wrong in the roster. You can make ANY changes to your personal or business information yourself. If you need assistance/instructions or would prefer us to make the changes, please contact Loretta.
- If you are new to the club (since July 1, 2013), please email a head-shot photo of yourself directly to Loretta to use in the roster….OR if you are in need/want of having your photo (re)taken, please contact Russ Burleigh to have one taken at a Rotary meeting.
- Consider putting your company's ad (or your own personal ad) in the new roster...it helps defray the printing costs. Please contact Loretta.
Loretta's email address: lrowe@maine.rr.com
Thank you.
05/02/14 CIRCUS CONSERVATORY OF AMERICA
Peter Nielsen and George Crockett |
Our speaker last Friday was Peter Nielsen, founder and CEO of Circus Conservatory of America (CCA). To fully understand what CCA is and does, you first have to disabuse yourself of the old notion of circus. No more lion tamers, elephants, clowns or clown cars. Instead, performers engage in high-risk athleticism structured to include art, music, dance and humor. It all began with Lenin....yes, that Lenin...in Mother Russia. He developed coaches and training facilities to train young athletes in the art of acrobatics to show that Russia had the greatest athletes in the world. Eventually the coaches and their training migrated to France and finally to Montreal, today's center for circus training.
CCA offers 4-year courses leading to a degree in Fine Arts. Not only will those courses include training in the high-risk athletics that Cirque du Soleil has made famous, but also courses in accounting, marketing, business management and production. The purpose is to train these performers to understand and manage their own careers. There are also training courses for children because, according to Peter, the younger you are when you start, the better.
Peter came to start this business after his son became passionate about Cirque du Soleil. Eventually, not only did his son complete training, but is now a performer for Cirque du Soleil. CCA'S facility is under construction at Thompson's Point in Portland. Peter chose Portland for two reasons: first, because Portland is close to Montreal, home of Cirque du Soleil and, as noted, the hub of circus training; the second reason is that Peter firmly believes there is a strong synergy in Portland between creativity and business investment. When asked where he would get the necessary funding to complete construction, Peter answered he believed it would come from local investors, donations, tuition and, finally, from the performances. Peter has set out on an ambitious, difficult and interesting path. We wish him well.
*05/09/14 JOINT MEETING WITH RC OF SOUTH PORTLAND/CAPE ELIZABETH
Our club will hold a joint meeting this Friday with the Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth. It's going to be an exciting meeting with a surprise competition between teams from each Club.
05/02/14 BITS & PIECES
President John led off the meeting by asking Queen Peggy Wescott to lead us in the invocation. Apparently the message didn’t reach the President that Peggy was unable to make the meeting and Russ Burleigh was taking her place. Russ gave us several memorable quotes about “life being too short.” The most memorable being from Abraham Lincoln: In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
After the pledge, President John urged us to all try to increase the membership in Portland Rotary. He mentioned that we should all have an “elevator speech” ready to succinctly note the praises of our club. To assist those efforts, he showed us a short, informative brochure drafted by our Secretary, Loretta Rowe, that we can give to our prospective members/guests when they attend our meetings.
Russ Burleigh, Prez. John Marr and Cy Hagge |
Our song was led by a non-Music Committee member, Cy Hagge, who stepped up to the proverbial plate when asked to lead us in a song-of-the-day, accompanied by President John and pianist extraordinnaire, Russ Burleigh.
President John reminded everyone that the District Conference is in Portland this month on May 16th at the Westin (Eastland) Harborview Hotel. For the lunch and/or dinner pre-registration requirements, get in touch with Loretta. President John is looking for strong attendance from our club for both the lunch and dinner on Friday next week, since the meeting is in Portland and our own Roger Fagan will be recognized for his outstanding international work and receive the "Service Above Self" award at Friday evening's dinner/gala.
Mike Fortunato reported that the trip to see the Red Sox baseball game was cancelled for lack of interest.
Prez.-Elect Kris Rosado |
Mike Fortunato and Kris Rosado spoke about the need for more volunteers at the Maine Outdoor Challenge coming up June 2–4. This is a major fundraiser for the club and we still need lots more help to make this successful. Signup sheets were on the tables or you can contact Mike at: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.
Jim Willey spoke about the Salvation Army's Annual Fundraiser on Thursday May 22nd at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. There is a Champions for Kids Benefit Dinner which will have Captain Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, and Karen McBride, a mars exploration engineer, as featured speakers.
Amy Chipman discussed her recent visit with Barbara Lotfey, wife of our long-time member and past President Naj Lotfey, who passed away in December. Barbara was presented with a posthumous special crystal award for Naj's generous donations to the Paul Harris program.
Finally, the Youth Service Award was presented by Ellen Niewoehner to Waynflete student Kaya Williams. Kaya is an outstanding student at Waynflete who contributes much of her volunteer time working with young students at Reiche school. She embodies Rotary’s motto of 'Service Above Self.'
News from the Dominican Republic 3-H Team
Young recipient of hearing device, Dr. Roger Fagan, Dr. Liz Fagan and father of youth |
The 3-H Team returned on 4/13/14 after another successful week in the Dominican Republic (DR). A record number of patients were fit with hearing aids and 65 families living in the cane fields received biosand water filters, giving them access to clean water. |
We trained local Rotarians to fit prosthetic hands and also to train recipients how to use them. The group of DR Rotarians plans to open a physical rehabilitation center soon and the prosthetic hands will fit well with their mission, plus provide sustainability to our hand project. |
Recipient of prosthetic hand device, Bruce Moore, Dominican interpreter and local Rotarian |
We were excited to see the bus our club and the Singer Island club purchased and delivered put to good use by the vocational school in La Romana. The bus enables many students, including handicapped students, to attend school and learn a trade.
Rob Chatfield demonstrates a water filter processing device. The gentleman next to Rob is the local water promoter in the Dominican batey region and the young woman is the recipient of the water filter.
We look forward to sharing details of the trip with the Club at a future time.
04/25/14 CUMBERLAND COUNTY CIVIC CENTER
Portland Rotary got to meet at the newly renovated Cumberland County Civic Center this week and we were impressed. We ate at the newly-named Old Port Pavilion over the Cross Insurance Entrance from Spring Street. It is beautiful, with lots of light, convenient facilities and an excellent catered lunch.
President John Marr and Steve Crane |
Steve Crane, General Manager of the Civic Center, was our speaker. Here is a mixture of reporting from Steve’s comments and the tour. The Civic Center's $35-million bond for the renovations was approved by Cumberland County voters and nearly covered the full cost. Steve thinks that the final cost will probably add an additional $2.5-3 million over that amount, but he did not share where the extra money was found. He did say that every addition was critical to the success of the facility. Steve told us that it was his job to bring the Civic Center to the launchpad and the next manager would launch it into orbit. With the Portland Pirates hockey team coming back, the Civic Center has already gained lift-off. |
He talked about the usual requirements of special meals, drinks or accommodations required by the contracts of appearing artists. He also mentioned that one could never be surprised; a recent requirement was that no popcorn would be sold at the Civic Center during a performance by an artist; did you know that when Van Halen performed, they required a supply of yellow M&Ms be provided? Steve did not tell us who had the job of sorting the M&Ms.
Peter Goffin worked for Steve, many, many years ago when Steve was head of security. Peter was known to drive out on the ice at 2 in the morning and also, to conduct his own betting in the high-beer corner. Steve moved up from security to become General Manager. Where did Peter end up when he left his career as a security guard?
During construction there were a number of challenges....the certificate of occupancy was not granted until two days before the first event; a critical gas line, when unearthed, was too small, so the gas company needed to run a new line 1000 feet from Commercial Street, in the middle of December.
The changes to the facility are quite amazing. The seating was an upgrade to the newest Hussey seats, but to save money, they used the original cast iron seat mounts, for the most part. The stage area was pulled back to provide more floor seating and better logistics, with that added benefit of telescopic seating for some events.
The new acrylic floor is beautiful and brings the facility together. The box-seat areas comfortably hold 12 people each, with nice amenities. The Libra Foundation purchased one box-seat area and set it aside for the use of non-profit agencies. Civic Center club members will enjoy special seating and a dedicated bar with improved food choices, all of which create a better experience for all.
The logistics are dramatically better, including better loading docks, stretcher-sized elevators, storage areas for seating, reclaimed storage under the old plaza, relocated operations booth (now back in the corner), a rail-mounted scoreboard, better aisles, better staircases, hand rails for climbing to the higher sections, well planned and accessible first aid areas, and better ice-making equipment. One of the best improvements was that all the external entrance stairs are now located inside....no more shoveling, de-icing and dangerous footing.
The natural light coming from overhead near the ticket booths makes the area friendlier. It can be accessed from the ramp, allowing service to the public, without opening the whole facility, as needed to be done in the past. Most all of the doors in the newly-renovated Civic Center are handicap accessible. Unfortunately, the city did not upgrade its access door to the garage from the Civic Center ramp.
The facilities, including the mens' and ladies' rooms, were put in the corners to pull the crowds out of the aisles. Roberta Wright told us that there are more fixtures in the Pavilion ladies' room than were in the whole Civic Center before the renovations. Now there are five times as many, compared to the past. Special family-friendly rest areas were created, but that is not enough, so they are working to add changing tables to both the ladies' rooms and the mens' rooms.
Some of the handrails are causing problems with sight lines. To address this, they are recording which seats have obstructed views for which type of events. These seats are sold last, telling customers of the problems before purchase. Where possible, changes are being made to improve the sight lines.
The new renovations prepare the Civic Center for the next 25 years. It is now a showplace to host hockey events, shows, concerts, conferences, graduations and high school basketball. It has been a key fixture of Cumberland County’s past and now is poised to be a special place for the County in years to come.
After the presentation, we were treated to tours lead by both Steve and Roberta Wright, Event Services Director.
L - R: Charlie Frair, George Crockett, Jerry Angier, Ron Bennett, Herb Carmichael, Ralph Hendrix, John Houghton, Virginia Putnam, Pat Putnam, Paul Tully, Amy Chipman, Steve Crane (back to), Bowen Depke, Dave Putnam and Bruce Moore
*05/02/14 PETER NIELSEN, PRESIDENT, CIRCUS CONSERVATORY OF AMERICA
The Circus Conservatory of America (CCA) is forming in Portland, Maine as an institution for higher education with a primary mission to provide the highest caliber artistic education available in the United States to circus artists and to foster sustaining career opportunities for our students.
Peter Nielsen, President of CCA, has more than 25 years of experience in organizational leadership. Through his company, HigherMind Mediaworks, Peter has provided strategic marketing and enrollment management guidance to such institutions as Yestermorrow Design/Build School; created alumni engagement media and online advertising for Champlain College; and consulted on the design of new graduate programs for Goddard College.
Peter served as Vermont College of Fine Arts' Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, Marketing and Enrollment, where he was part of the team that successfully achieved NEASC accreditation for the first new college in Vermont in 25 years. At VCFA, Peter rolled out a new brand for the college, engaged its community with social media, published an award-winning magazine, and dramatically increased enrollment and revenue while successfully launching two new academic programs.
Peter has also produced theater, music, performance poetry, dance, and visual arts events and festivals throughout New England for more than two decades. Peter’s experience innovating academic programming and supporting the arts was especially useful in guiding his son on an educational path to becoming a professional circus performer.
04/25/14 BITS AND PIECES
Paul Tully delivered the invocation comparing the Civic Center to Rotary, in that we both provide many services, helping/entertaining a wide variety of people.
Loretta handled the raffle with our guest speaker, Steve Crane, pulling Mike Fortunato's name. Alas, Mike drew the wrong picture card and we are now looking at a raffle jackpot that would make the 1% envious.
Then Bill Blount reminded us of the Salvation Army Camp Sebago clean-up on Saturday, come rain or shine, and then followed up by leading us, acapella, in another try at the song "Smile" from 1910. It was an improvement over the last time, but...we still need to practice...a lot.
President John introduced our non-Rotarian visiting guests, Jerry Andier (Peter Goffin's guest) and Phil Baker (Peggy Wescott's guest).
L to R: Virginia Putnam, Pat Putnam, Pres. John, Dave Putnam and Amy Chipman. | Amy Chipman, Chair of the Foundation, in an emotional and moving few minutes, presented Paul Harris Fellow awards to Dave Putnam, his wife, Pat, and his mother, Virginia. Dave and Pat's, acceptance thank-you's, were sincere and touching. Congratulations to Dave and his family!
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As a special note, Dave has asked us to publish his thoughts to our Rotary members: "I want to express my deep and sincere gratitude for the Paul Harris Award that I received. It is difficult for me to express my feelings, but please know that Rotary, and the friendships I have found in Rotary, are among the treasures in my life. I thank you all for this award. I will always be thankful for the gift of Rotary in my life."
Proposed Member Applications
We are posting PROPOSED MEMBER APPLICATIONS on our club website. From the home page, there is a list on the left that says "Site Pages." Click on the appropriate title near the bottom of the list. You are encouraged to review the applications and provide any feedback you might want to share about the applicants with one or more of the contacts indicated on the site.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com
04/18/14 BITS & PIECES
Our guests at last week's meeting included Scott Janicek, Emmy and Ted Brown, Don Spearman, Pam Richards, and Omar Jarouf.
Bill Blount encouraged us to join the Salvation Army’s Camp Sebago clean-up on Saturday, April 26 from 8am to 2pm. There are various tasks to do. Tools will be provided, but if you have a favorite rake, bring it along.
Bill Blount and Kathy Grammer did their best in leading us in singing “You’ve Got A Friend.” We’ll see this on YouTube one day.
President John reminded us of South Portland’s Sunrise club’s fund-raising effort on May 9 and 10 at the Uno Pizzeria & Grill......20% of your tab will be contributed to the South Portland Sunrise Rotary.
President John shared that Rotary International recognized our late member, Naj Lotfey’s extraordinary contributions to the Rotary Foundation. A crystal award honoring Naj’s Paul Harris gifts totaling over $10,000 was delivered to Barbara Lotfey last week. President John said she was extremely grateful and enthusiastic about Naj’s recognition.
President John conveyed news from Harold Crabill, who was unable to report in person, about the creation of a Rotary Interact Club at Deering High School. The new club will begin activities next fall. More on this exciting opportunity to come.
Our meeting this coming Friday (4/25) will be at the newly-renovated Cumberland County Civic Center. We will need to enter the building on the Clark Insurance entrance - corner of Center and Spring Streets. We are meeting in the overlook, now called the Old Port Pavilion.
Take the elevator (or stairs) to the 4th floor concourse level - turn right. Street meter parking or park in city garages. Unfortunately, we do not have parking stickers to help us with the cost of parking.
YOU NEED TO PRE-REGISTER IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND AND IF YOU ARE BRINGING GUEST(S). PLEASE EMAIL LORETTA BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23rd 2PM at: lrowe@maine.rr.com There will be a tour AFTER the lunch that should last approximately 30 minutes, so please advise Loretta if you would like to participate.
Mike Fortunato announced Red Sox Rotary night at Fenway Park in Boston on May 30th. The 7:10 p.m. game is against Tampa Bay. At least 28 folks are needed to sign-up in order to secure a bus and make the event feasible. Contact Mike if you are interested in going at: Michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Peggy “Queenie” Westcott was unlucky in the raffle and missed the chance to find the other queen to take home $710. The pot moves to serious money next week. Speaking of Queenie, she was in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago and got a back-stage tour of Cirque Du Soleil with George Crockett's daughter, Amanda, who presented a program to us on Dec. 13, 2013 on her career. She is one talented lady....and one of the few people who can really claim that she LOVES her job! |
Amanda Crockett and Queenie Wescott |
*04/25/14 THE CUMBERLAND CIVIC CENTER
On Friday 4/25, the Portland Rotary Club will have the unique opportunity to hear about one of the most discussed renovations on the peninsula in the past few years. The Cumberland County Civic Center, was built in 1977 at a cost of $8 million. We’ve all seen the construction going on and now it is time for a first-hand look at the results, with a discussion led by the man who knows more about our downtown entertainment venue than any other, Steve Crane, General Manager of the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Since it's opening, over 5,000 events have been held at the venue, from rock concerts to Mariners and Pirates hockey games, to high school and college graduations. Two years ago, a $35-million bond package was approved by voters. In February, the work was completed and the facility re-opened to the public. Among the improvements were wider concourses, larger and additional locker rooms, new seating, more loading bays, luxury boxes, flexible spaces that can be used for private events and perhaps best of all, many more much-needed men's and women's restrooms.
Steve has worked at the Civic Center for over 36 years. He will tell us about the renovation project and lead us on a tour of the facility.
04/18/14 THE JOY OF MENTORING
Friday, 4/18/14, was a day of great celebration, with various speakers, awards and presentations all revolving around one common theme: mentoring. With the efforts of The Portland Rotary Club invigorating the mentoring campaigns of both The Friends of Long Creek and the Portland Mentoring Alliance, there was much pride and enthusiasm in our presentations.
JIM WILLEY started off the festivities with the announcement of a Paul Harris Fellowship to Emmy Brown, the guiding light behind the The Friends of Long Creek (Friends), the only non-profit in the United States centered around an incarceration facility. With twenty years of strong volunteer service, often working up to thirty hours per week, Emmy has seen amazing changes. Young people leaving the Long Creek Youth Center (Long Creek) now receive rental assistance, clothing, furniture, and even college credits. Emmy, the first non-Rotarian to ever be honored with two Paul Harris Awards, reminded us that her salary for her efforts comes in the form of “bonus days,” when she gets a warm hug from one of her “children” at the facility. Her proud husband of fifty years, Ted, wholeheartedly agreed!
Another Paul Harris Fellowship was awarded to JIM WILLEY's wife, Barbara, a thirteen-year volunteer at Long Creek. Barbara was lauded as a “role model” by MIKE FORTUNATO, who introduced her. She has been both a driving force and an integral part of the functioning and success of Friends. She believes “the kids are people of value,” and the time and effort she has devoted to Long Creek bear witness to that belief. The Portland Rotary Club is very proud and thankful.
The meeting then turned to another effort in which the children of Maine are offered guidance, with member GLENN NERBAK discussing the ongoing efforts of the Portland Mentoring Alliance (PMA) at Portland High School. PMA, now in its 22nd year, works with students from 45 countries, who speak 25 different languages, with a one-on-one mentoring program which places adults with students for a one-year period. The friendships that form, based upon weekly one-hour sessions, can last a lifetime, with the mentees even becoming mentors themselves over time. Expanding to Deering and Casco Bay High Schools in the coming year, the PMA program, the oldest of its kind in the country, will continue to bring adults and needy students together for bowling, Thanksgiving Day dinner, Red Claws games, and events at Merrill Auditorium.
JACK CARR, who has worked with four students over the past four years, took great pride in introducing Omar Raouf. Omar, who came to Portland from Iraq, thanked our club for both the amazing opportunities he has been given in our country and the sustained efforts of the PMA to help him.
If you can give just one hour a week to mentor a student, please go to: www.phsbulldogs.org and look for the PMA banner on the left!
4/11/14 NO KID HUNGRY/SHARE OUR STRENGTH
One in every four American children is in need of access to good and healthy food. School meal programs are a response to the demonstrated value of providing good nutrition to children in school. Scholastic scores improve when children are well fed and this need has expanded into providing school breakfasts. Many schools also offer breakfasts for students taking scholastic exams (SATs), because such meals improve test scores.
John Woods, our speaker last Friday, is the CEO of No Kid Hungry/Save Our Strength (SOS), a national, non-profit program to eliminate childhood hunger. John and his family have lived in Cape Elizabeth for the past 9 years. Since moving to Maine, John has applied his marketing and public relations skills to creating programs that raise money to fund these programs. The events include culinary occasions where world class chefs prepare the food, cooking classes, and dine outs.
SOS believes everyone can do something to eliminate childhood hunger. Funds raised are invested right back into the communities where they originated, through state and local partnerships that connect kids to programs that can help them get the healthy food they need. Taste of the Nation is a world-class fund raising event dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger. This year the event will take place at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, where world-class chefs will contribute to share their talents. Administrative costs for the Taste of the Nation are helped by volunteers who assist promotions, like Portland Rotary’s RUSS BURLEIGH, who prints programs for the event at no charge.
The numbers of children eligible for free or reduced meals in schools are surprising. In Maine, 87,000 children need nutritious meals. Unfortunately, Maine ranks third in childhood hunger behind Louisiana and Mississippi, as a percentage of state population. SOS nutrition reaches 70 percent of Maine children in the state’s 680 public schools. The goal of SOS is to reach 100 percent. When school is out, these children who need good and nutritious food go home to empty cupboards. No Kid Hungry/Save Our Strength has a goal to reach all of these children and to completely eliminate food insecurity throughout their lives.
John told us that an abundance of food does not correlate with good childhood nutrition. Childhood hunger often exhibits itself in obesity, an indication of how children are eating high-calorie snacks, rather than nutritious food. One of the events put on by SOS is called “Chopped Challenge” where foods found in local community pantries are creatively prepared and served. Recently, a Maine Chopped Challenge event raised $48,000 to help fund children’s food at Preble Street Resource Center, in Portland.
To gain a greater understanding of how important SOS programs are, look at a bag of Domino sugar. On the side you'll see a reference to No Kid Hungry. On the Domino website you'll see a commitment by Domino to help end child hunger by 2015.
John encourages Rotarians to become involved in No Kid Hungry/Save Our Strength program, because we are motivated to support children who will be future good citizens and business leaders. "Share Our Strength is connecting more children with meals every day," he said. "It’s not about fighting child hunger.....rather, it’s about ending child hunger.”
John Woods, 2nd VP Bowen Depke and DG Carolyn Johnson
SALVATION ARMY CAMP SEBAGO CLEANUP
The Salvation Army’s (SA) annual Camp Sebago Spring cleanup this year will be held on April 26th starting at 8:00 a.m., with coffee and light refreshments. We will begin working at 8:30 a.m. There are several ways in which people could give meaningful service to the camp on that day: painting, carpentry, and general landscape clean up...these will be the main areas we attempt to tackle this year.
Camp cleanup usually goes until about 2 p.m., so if volunteers cannot make it in the morning or have to leave early, we are quite all right with that. The SA would be thankful for any help they receive on that day!
- Camp will be provide a cookout lunch for all volunteers.
- Camp will provide all tools and materials....but volunteers can bring their own tools if they would like.
Please contact Bill Blount or Steve Ditmer if you have any questions.
*04/18/14 THE ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH, Glenn Nerbak, Dir. Portland Mentoring Alliance
Our speaker/program for this Friday (4/18/14) is our own member, Glenn Nerbak, Director, Portland Mentoring Alliance (PMA).
The PMA was established in 1992. During the past nineteen years, volunteer employees from businesses throughout Greater Portland have been matched with Portland High School students to create supportive mentoring relationships. The program focuses on academic success, post secondary planning and socialization, as experienced in a one-on-one relationship. Its main objective is to improve the life qualities of both young people and adults, as they experience the multiple values of a one-to-one relationship.
A mentor serves as a consistent, reliable role model and a trusted friend to a student. The relationship provides the mentor with an opportunity to share professional and personal interests and also offer the student career/college guidance. Usually a mentor meets with the student for a minimum of one hour per week for one school year. |
Glenn and 3 PMA mentees.
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Individuals interested in becoming a mentor complete an application and are introduced to the expectations and responsibilities of the program through an orientation. Mentors are not charged with the welfare of the student mentee, but rather asked to commit to developing a supportive and positive relationship with the student. The mentor also understands and fulfills the school's confidentiality expectations.
Orientation is designed around the needs and interests of the mentor and student (mentee). Mentors are assigned to students who have requested such as association and who understand the role of the mentor. A network of support staff and peer mentors is available. There are also academic and fun activities in place and available for participation.
Glenn will speak about the history of the PMA and its connection to the Portland Rotary Club, the ways in which students benefit from mentoring, and how someone can become a mentor. Jack Carr will speak about his experience as a mentor and his current mentee, Omar Raouf, will talk about how a mentor has helped him.
04/11/14 BITS AND PIECES
Our Rotary meeting convened at the Holiday Inn with PRESIDENT JOHN'S forewarning of a very full agenda. DAVE SMALL delivered the invocation containing a very appropriate lesson on Passover. BILL BLOUNT led us in the Pledge Of Allegiance followed by "My Country Tis Of Thee" featuring KATHY GRAMMER, acapella.
PRESIDENT JOHN announced that additional copies of JFK Assassination remembrance brochures are available for anyone interested, courtesy of RUSS BURLEIGH.
District Governor Carolyn Johnson shared some details about our upcoming District Conference that is scheduled to take place May 16-18th – at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel in Portland. If you are planning on attending the lunch, the cost will be $35 per person and you WILL NEED TO PRE-REGISTER AND PAY FOR THE MEAL WITH LORETTA. Watch for additional notices to be sent out with further details.
AMY CHIPMAN recognized 65 Sustaining Rotary Foundation Members with a warm round of applause.
RUSTY ATWOOD conducted the raffle with $690 at stake. EMILY McENTEE drew the 9 of diamonds, much to her dismay.
Prez. John Marr, Joan Fasulo and Dave Putnam |
DAVID PUTNAM introduced the Youth Service Award recipient Joan Fasulo from Catherine McAuley High School. Joan was accompanied by her parents, Stephen and Vida Fasulo, Deborah Kost, Head of School, and Sister Edward Mary Kelleher, RSM, Principal Emerita. Joan selected the Ronald MacDonald House as the recipient of a donation from Portland Rotary in her honor.
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PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS ROSADO provided a brief update on the Maine Outdoor Challenge. Lead raffle items for this year’s event will include a fly-rod package and a shotgun package. Volunteers for the event are still needed.
MIKE FORTUNATO announced that he is organizing our second annual Rotary Red Sox outing on May 28 (Atlanta Braves) or May 30 (Tampa Bay). Both are night games and bus transportation will be provided. Further details will be forthcoming, but save those dates and plan to go with us. The cost will depend on how many people sign up to go....somewhere in the range of $85-100.MIKE also announced that he is working out the details to hold a joint meeting with the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, with Portland Rotary to be the host club.....more news will be coming.
(Bill York, RC South Portland/Cape Elizabeth and Mike Fortunato at right)
HAROLD CRABILL introduced Portland Rotary’s newest member, LESTER EVANS. Lester previously was a member of Portland Rotary and we are glad to have him back.
(Lester Evans and Harold Crabill at left)
*05/16/14 District Conference Lunch - Keynote Speaker - D. F. Pace
As an attorney and lieutenant for the fourth largest police department in the country, D. F. Pace focuses on balancing constitutional law and civil rights with public safety. He currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Law and Criminal Procedure Unit; primarily dedicated to training police personnel in the areas of law and ethics and represents the department in legal matters. Lieutenant Pace is a 13-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, having served in patrol as an officer, sergeant and shift commander. In addition to his patrol experience, Lt. Pace has held positions as Judge Advocate, Police Academy Instructor, Deputy Public Information Officer, and has held several posts in the Legal Division.
Prior to embarking on a career in law enforcement, D.F. spent eight years as a corporate trainer for one of the nation’s largest financial institutions. There, he trained front line supervisors across the country in leadership skills, human resource management, and delivering world-class service to clients. D.F. is no stranger to the podium. A veteran adjunct professor, he has taught dozens of graduate and undergraduate courses at several universities. In addition to logging thousands of hours in front of college students and police recruits, Lt. Pace is a three-time champion of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Annual Public Speaking Contest. He has traveled extensively, speaking before a bevy of external constituent groups on topics including policing, leadership, customer service, conflict resolution, environmental challenges, the law, ethics, white collar crime, human trafficking, and business principles.
Lt. Pace holds a Juris Doctorate from Temple University Law School and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Rosemont College. He is a member of the Bar in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and a graduate of the 256th class of the FBI National Academy.
Lt. Pace was selected to be a Rotary Peace Scholar, which resulted in being one of his most memorable and meaningful experiences. He spent four months at prestigious Chulalongkorn University in Thailand where he earned a professional certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies. From there, he traveled extensively studying firsthand the impact of corporate globalization, labor exploitation, and international & transnational crimes like terrorism, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.
D.F.’s interests include physical fitness, animal welfare and sustainability issues. He is an avid supporter of Rotary International and a member of several other fraternal organizations. He is a voracious reader of history and enjoys collecting and appraising art and historical memorabilia. A fully licensed auctioneer, you’ll find him in an auction house from time to time barking out bids and selling anything from tchotchkes to fine art.
04/04/14 CASEY AT THE BAT - Mort Soule
Last Friday at Rotary, resounded "Play Ball....," a harbinger of Spring!
The fourth-quarter program committee put out the call for an inspirational speaker and Greg Hansel came through by asking Mort Soule, who gave us a superb performance of Ernest Laurence Thayer’s epic poem “Casey at the Bat.”
The piece first published in the San Francisco Examiner subtitled, "A Ballad of the Republic, Sung in the year 1888," became a national treasure only after the actor William DeWolfe Harper performed it some 10,000 times.
Mort, dressed in his “Mudville” uniform and Red Sox cap, swinging his favorite Louisville slugger bat, has performed “Casey” only 300 times. One of his performances was made at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. A second memorable performance occurred at Fenway Park on the State-of-Maine day in April 2013.
The Fenway gig proved a challenge for Mort. William DeWolfe Harper could perform the piece in five minutes and forty seconds. Mort’s best time is five minutes and fifty seconds. At Fenway Park, the official there gave him only three minutes. Mort’s ability to bring the piece in at three minutes points out why he is so effective at “inspiration”! The words are not on a piece of paper.....they are in him. Thank you, Mort, for sharing your love of the game.
Harold Crabill asked, “Why is baseball the national pastime?” Garvey MacLean recommended reading John Sexton’s book "Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game." (Gotham books, Penguin. New York, NY. 2013.)
04/04/14 BITS AND PIECES
Our Rotary meeting convened at the Clarion with PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS ROSADO pinch hitting for PRESIDENT JOHN, who was off on a much-needed vacation visiting his family in California. ALAN NYE invoked us with Spring quotes from Henry Van Dyke, Mark Twain and Robin Williams. RUSS BURLEIGH led us with a patriotic song after the pledge to the flag.
Guests were introduced: PETER GOFFIN's guest, Lester Evans, was there for his last free meal before re-joining the Club next week; Barbara Russo, realtor, found us on Facebook. JIM WILLEY then lauded Lester's skill as a home energy consultant.
RUSS led us in song with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," exhorting us to root for the Yankees, but the Red Sox and Sea Dogs fans would not be drowned out. PETER reminded us it was opening day for baseball. Will the Sox make it ten wins in a row on opening day?
PP CY HAGGE requested auction items for the Maine Outdoor Challenge.....vacation homes, fishing trips, restaurant gift certificates.....he asked us to be creative!
KRIS mentioned that on Sunday (4/6) our international service contingent was headed to the Dominican Republic for the 3-H project. Good luck folks!
Last call was made for members to let their intentions be known for the District Training Assembly that will be held on 4/12 at the Westbrook Middle School. The Club will pay for member registrations to spend a half-day to learn more about Rotary, officer responsibilities and what different committees can do. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
The Raffle of $656 was conducted by GLENN NERBAK. Although PAUL GORE was in attendance, another usual and customary name was selected, LORETTA ROWE. Alas, no Queen was drawn.
AMY CHIPMAN gave us a Rotary Foundation minute. Almost three-quarters of the way through our fiscal year, we are short of our $15,000 goal. If you are a sustaining member, please get in your pledge and challenge your best friend in Rotary to do the same. Amy then called ROXANE COLE to the podium to receive her 4th Paul Harris Award.
*04/11/14 NO KID HUNGRY/ SHARE OUR STRENGTH
Our speaker this week is John Woods, CEO of No Kid Hungry/Share our Strength, Maine (SOS). No child in America should grow up hungry, but 20% do. In Maine, the figure is closer to 25%. SOS is a national organization that knits together community groups, activists and food suppliers to bring nutritious food to children where they live, learn or play.
Founded by Bill Shore and his sister, Debbie, in the basement of a row house in Washington, D.C. in 1984, SOS grew quickly. It has developed a four-pronged strategy to reach its ambitious goal. First, it seeks partnerships with cities and states to map out plans to bring food to children in need. Second, it seeks to raise public awareness of the problem. Third, it invests in communities through grants to organizations in those communities who work to provide food for children. Lastly, it seeks to educate both parents and children about ways in which to provide affordable, nutritious meals.
SOS raises funds the old fashioned way, but not just through grants and donations. It runs culinary events, cooking classes, bake sales and dine-outs......all designed to raise both awareness and money. John is going to tell us how it all works in our state.
John graduated from Boston College in 1991 with a B.S. Degree in Management and Organizational Behavior. He has a long career in management and consulting and has been the Chairman of SOS since 2008.
Maine Outdoor Challenge
Over the course of the first two Maine Outdoor Challenges (MOC), the event has raised $75,000. We equally split the proceeds with the our partner, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, so Portland Rotary has received $37,500 from the first two events. Of that $37,500, about half has gone directly to support the 3-H project in the Dominican Republic, and the other half went into the Club's Charitable Fund. That has allowed us to pay for most of our local community and youth services projects. If not for the MOC, we would not have sufficient finds to do the work we do.
We are off to a great start this year. We're on track to have over 45 teams in the competition in June, and hopefully reach our lofty goal to raise over $70,000 this year alone, with $35,000 going to the club.
To do that, we need your help. No excuses, just action!
Find a way to get involved and help!
ROTARIANS WORKING WITH YOUTH
On Tuesday, 3/18, GEORGE CROCKETT, BRUCE MOORE and JAN CHAPMAN participated in a ‘Take Action’ panel at Deering High School. It was a presentation in conjunction with a talk to the school community by Dr. Sima Samar, the head of the Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan. Deering High School has been working to build curriculum around the theme of "Education and Healthcare as Tools for Social Justice" with Dr. Samar's work on behalf of women and children in Afghanistan as an example. Dr. Samar was in Portland to deliver the keynote speech at the Law School's Justice for Women Lecture Series. We were asked to participate on the panel to give examples of what our community is doing to promote social justice both at home and internationally. George told of his experience on Rotary Rotoplast and polio immunization projects. Jan spoke about the 3-H Project (Hearing, Hands and H2O) in the Dominican Republic and Jim and Jan Schmidt from the Portland Sunrise Club told of their recent experience in Kenya with the Crutches 4 Africa program. Bruce encouraged students to ‘take action’ by participating in a crutch drive for Crutches 4 Africa and consider forming an Interact Club at their school. About 150 students attended and many signed up to learn more about Interact. Bill Nemitz moderated the morning program with Dr. Samar.
Then last Saturday (3/29), BRUCE MOORE and JAN CHAPMAN attended the New Generations Conference at York High School. Our club invited a group from Deering High School who are interested in learning more about Interact and possibly forming an Interact Club at Deering. Pictured are Bruce, Stavra, teacher Carlos Gomez and Hibaq. Jan and Bruce attended sessions on Interact Club Best Practices, RYLA, Rotary Youth Exchange Program, Fun(d) Raising, International Service Opportunities and Community Service Opportunities among others. It was a great opportunity to learn more about Interact and connect with folks in southern Maine who make Interact happen. Please let HAROLD CRABILL, Chair of Youth Services, or us know if you’re interested in helping support Deering’s interest in Interact.
03/28/14 BITS & PIECES
On 3/28, we gathered in the impressive Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine with PRESIDENT JOHN in full South-East-North Boston upscale gangsta garb and accent—who knows why.
We welcomed Portland Councilor Cheryl Leeman and Lester Evans among our guests. Bill York, a recognized part-time Portland Rotary member from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club joined us. Bill also announced of an upcoming joint club meeting. He and Mike Fortunato are working out the details.
JAN CHAPMAN conducted the growing raffle and provided DAVID SMALL a chance to draw the elusive Queen of Hearts, but alas, he drew the 9 of clubs.
ELLEN NIEWOEHNER and EMILY MCENTEE reported that $2,992 had been raised in the Spring Fling Auction held on 3/14/14 (actual amount was $3,007….with $8 more contributed by PRESIDENT JOHN, who wanted to round up the number….making the total $3,015 [LR]). Kudos and thanks to everyone who participated.
JOHN CURRAN shared a presentation on the results of the "Maine Outdoor Challenge" (MOC) event and its impact on the 3-H Project in the Dominican Republic (DR). As with all good investments, the MOC contribution to the 3-H project has been leveraged with other clubs to provide in the past 100 hearing aids; training of 3 nurses; and 75 prosthetic hands to our friends in the DR, ranging in age from 2 to 81 years old. This year, the 3-H team has leveraged the $11,000 MOC contribution to $22,500. It will allow a team of 15 folks to provide 100 hearing aids, 130 prosthetic hands, and 65 water filers at several clinics in the DR with the assistance of several partner Rotary Clubs.
The next MOC event will be held at the L.L. Bean facility at Wolfe Neck, June 2nd through 4th, with a traditional lobster bake and auction highlighting the culmination of the event. Mark your calendars now, in the event no one else promotes this…volunteers will be needed. PE KRIS ROSADO (and event chair) shared that the event is now so large, we will be utilizing the biggest barn in Maine to accommodate the crowd, and an expected 45 teams.
PP CY HAGGE asked for donation items for the MOC's live and silent auctions…..looking especially for large “adventure” items, like cabins in the woods, weekend cottages, and such. He is also looking for a shotgun...as an auction item…not that his tenants are in arrears.
PE KRIS also announced the "Sprint for Kids Auction" to benefit the Boys and Girls Club that will be held on Friday, April 4th. For more information, contact him.
Continuing our tradition of recognizing meaningful contributions to our causes by non-members, PE KRIS recognized Ed Gosselin with a Paul Harris Award. Ed has been a significant contributor to the MOC event, not only with providing participating teams and contributions, but he was instrumental in helping to arrange L.L. Bean's support of the event.
*04/04/14 MORT SOULE - "CASEY AT THE BAT"
Our speaker/program this Friday will be Mort Soule. Offering a timely talk coinciding with the beginning of baseball season, Mort is a Maine legend in sports and education. Last season he recited the famous poem "Casey At The Bat" by Ernest Thayer, before a full house at Fenway Park. Now he has created a presentation consisting not only of the famous poem, but a short talk about the history of the poem and the lessons that it offers for life and business.
Mort is a graduate of Bowdoin college where he holds the record for the fewest strikeouts in a season. He was a star athlete at Bowdoin, and you can still see him in his black letterman's sweater with the large B on his chest when his alma mater has a big game.
A humorous and engaging speaker who will have great appeal for us, Mort is a unique and intriguing individual and true Mainer. He is also well known as a local sports coach and the longtime Latin teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School.
03/28/14 BGCSM - SERVE MORE KIDS, DO IT BETTER AND WITH STRONGER IMPACT
Our speaker and host last Friday, was our own BOB CLARK, Chief Professional Officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (the Club). Our meeting was held at the clubhouse, a spacious and cheerful building on Cumberland Avenue in Portland that opened its doors in 1932. BOB was introduced by PE KRIS ROSADO, a very active board member of the national club.
The motto of the Club is the title of this article: serving more kids better and with more impact. Over the last few years, in the implementation of that mission, the Club has grown to five locations in Maine, serving over 2100 kids each year. It provides athletics, after school programs, even space for the kids to do their homework each day. The Club believes strongly that not only does education build character, but also sports and just having fun. To that end, it sponsors music programs each year where the kids themselves provide the entertainment.
Bob introduced a number of people on his staff, including Tiffanie Ponagakos, Director of the Riverton Club. She, in turn, introduced Adbifatar Hassan from that club, winner of the National Youth of the Year award. Adbi spoke softly about how honored he was to win that award and how he was looking forward to continuing his education. When asked what he wanted to do in the future, he said he wanted to major in Theatre Arts, become a comedian and make people laugh. Good Luck, Adbi! |
Next to be introduced was Karen MacDonald, Chief Operating Officer. She told us about the cooking programs to help kids learn about nutritious foods and the way the Club, in partnership with the Good Shepherd Food Bank, provides afternoon meals, which may be the last meal the kids get until the next day. |
Growing up, PRESIDENT JOHN was a member of the Club in Charlestown, Mass. In a touching and thoughtful presentation, BOB had researched PRESIDENT JOHN's old membership number and gave him a new card with his old number.
PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS ROSADO told us that the "Maine Outdoor Challenge" had contributed over $17,000 to the Club in the last two years. It is money well given and money well spent. Support the Challenge!!
*03/28/14 PARTNERS: BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB/THE MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE
Our program this Friday will be our own member, Bob Clark, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (the Clubs). For the past 100+ years, the Clubs' area of service has grown well beyond their roots in downtown Portland, to include South Portland, Auburn/Lewiston, Riverton Park, Sagamore Village and communities surrounding those locations.
At the Clubs, kids and teens walking through the doors find a welcoming and supportive place to spend their time after school and during the summer. It’s a safe haven for many youth, where they can find help with challenges in their lives, plus encouragement and opportunity toward bright futures. At the Clubs, they continue to maintain an annual membership fee of $5 for a broad range of youth development programs – and no child is turned away, if unable to pay.
At Boys & Girls Clubs, children and teens find supportive adults who enable them to develop skills and interests that last a lifetime. Youth find confidence and, most of all, hope as they aspire to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring students and citizens.
The legacy of this organization is made possible by the incredible combination of board, staff, volunteers, alumni members and community supporters.
Bob is proud to have some of his staff and members available directly following our meeting for a full tour of the facilities.
03/21/14 BITS AND PIECES
PRESIDENT JOHN opened the meeting with a reference to last week's honoring of Tony Bennett at his death when, in fact, he was still alive. We need to be more accurate in our accounting of information in the future. BRUCE JONES then gave the invocation, comparing the fullness of life to a jar filled with rocks, pebbles, sand, and, of course, always leaving time for a beer.
We then sang a decent version of God Bless America. Later on, led by AL SARGENT, we sang an unbelievably rhythmless, off-key version of "Happy Days Are Here Again." We need to practice until our luck improves.
JIM WILLEY came forward to make a pitch for volunteers to review old minutes of Club meetings for presentations to be made at future Club meetings during 2015, our centennial year. It's fun…..so if you're interested, contact JIM at: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com or 272-5926. |
The raffle, conducted by RUSTY ATWOOD, was worth $604. The ticket, drawn by our guest speaker, Kristen Miale, was RUSTY'S. He saved himself a lot of grief and great pain, however, by drawing the three of diamonds.
Some members just like to hang around to catch up on what's happening in each other's lives. Austin Harris and Rick Snow at right.
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03/21/14 HUNGER IN MAINE
Our speaker this week was Kristen Miale, President of the The Good Shepherd Food Bank (the Food Bank). It is a state-wide hunger relief program; a “grocery store” for its 600 'partners'…...food distribution locations, such as food pantries, across the State. It has three main centers from which it delivers this food: Brewer, Auburn (the largest), and Biddeford. The Food Bank charges its 'partners' at the rate of ten cents per pound.
Maine has the most serious hunger problem in New England. Over 200,000 Mainers suffer from food insecurity--the inability to acess nutritious food,or sometimes even any food, on a regular basis. Of that number, more than 60,000 are children. To help these children, one of the programs Good Sheperd runs is the Back Pack Program. Recogninizing that hunger perpetuates poverty and can lead to serious health problems, the Program seeks to provide nutritious food for the young, in school as well as over week-ends and during vacations.
In the not so distant past, the Food Bank could acquire most of its food from large grocery stores and supermarket chains. Those chains however, have sought to become more efficient in the amounts of different foods that they carry. Thus, the Food Bank has been forced to reach out to other sources for its product. This means that it must use refrigerated trucks to make deliveries, nevertheless keeping at least half of what's delivered fresh. It has a special program designed to keep on delivering fresh produce called "Mainers feeding Mainers." Food is bought directly from Maine farmers. This has required that such farms continue to exist in this State and, to that end, the Food Bank has beome an advocate for farmers.
Among other programs that the Food Bank runs are those that provide food to places where seniors live or congregate, mobile pantries that bring food to remote areas and cooking programs teaching how to prepare nutritious meals, thereby, hoping to eliminate chips and sugary drinks.
The strategic plan of the Food Bank is plain:- Increase nutrition: the need is not only for food, but also access to the right food. Obesity and diabetes are the other side of hunger.
- Efficiency: waste food source is eroding- new sources of food exist, but require business model innovations.
- Equity: everyone in Maine should have equal access to nutritious food.
- Advocacy: we cannot just feed the hungry; we must represent them.
- Long term solution: continue to feed the need, but also work to shorten the line.
Kristen Miale, President of the Good Shepherd Food Bank and member, Becky Wright at left. |
03/14/14 HYDRO POWER IN MAINE
Prez John Marr, Todd Wynn and Eric Lusk |
On Friday, Todd Wynn, the Brookfield Renewable Energy Group’s (BRE) man in Maine and New Hampshire gave us a fascinating and informative tour of Maine’s foremost dam business, which provides one-fourth of the electricity consumed each day in Maine.
BRE is about producing and transmitting electricity. Hydro is their principle means of production. Hydro power turns out to be the easiest, oldest and most environmentally friendly means of creating kinetic energy. |
Todd acknowledged the thousand-year-old water wheel. (The ancient Egyptians would suggest he amend his notes by an additional thousand years.)
The BRE maintains six facilities on three river systems in Quebec, in addition to the facilities they maintain on the Penobscot, the Kennebec, the Upper and the Lower Androscoggin, and the Saco rivers in Maine and New Hampshire. The average age of Maine’s facilities is 92 years and they produce 25% of the electricity used in the State.Todd identified safety, security, and stewardship (of the environment) as the three values which drive his company. BRE works with a variety of organizations, such as the Maine Warden Service, to promote recreation. It maintains launch systems for boaters; coordinates water flow from the dams for white water rafting; maintains fish ladders or passages at dam sites and conducts classes for fishermen on how to safely angle at or around a dam. He also took us on a brief picture tour of how a dam site works: from the storage reservoir through the penstock, by the turbine, and out the draft tube.
A few questions from the floor revealed that hydro is growing in other countries, but not in the U.S. BRE utilizes wind, solar and thermal power to produce electricity, but not tidal. There, it is only watching what’s happening.
*03/21/14 KRISTEN MIALE, GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD BANK - HUNGER IN MAINE
The Good Shepherd Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Maine. It provides for those at risk of hunger by acquiring surplus and purchased food and distributing that food to more than 600 partner agencies across Maine. Since 1981, the Food Bank has partnered with individuals, businesses, and farmers to alleviate hunger and build community relationships. In 2011 the Food Bank distributed 13 million pounds of food to families in need.
“Kristen is the dynamic leader we have been looking for,” said David Pierson, chair of the Food Bank’s board of directors. “She is passionate about ending hunger in Maine, has a strong business background, and has earned the respect and confidence of the our board, employees and partners during her association with our organization over the past two years.”
Kristen is the founder of Cooking Matters for Maine, a local chapter of Share Our Strength’s nationally recognized cooking and nutrition education program for low-income families. After successfully launching the program in Maine in 2010, she brought it to Good Shepherd Food Bank in order to provide a greater opportunity to reach more families in need.
“People aren’t hungry in Maine because there isn’t enough food; they are hungry because they lack access to the food that is available,” said Ms. Miale. "I am committed to working with our dedicated staff and partners to streamline the food delivery system and get fresher, healthier food to people in need. We also need to collaborate with more organizations that share our commitment to fighting hunger in our state.”
Prior to her work with Cooking Matters, Kristen worked for over a decade in private equity and business consulting. After volunteering for hunger relief organizations, she decided to make her passion for ending hunger her occupation.
Kristen received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her Masters in Business Administration from Boston University, where she studied both entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. She serves on the board of the Cumberland County Extension Association and has been a board member and treasurer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine. She resides in Kennebunk with her husband and two sons.
03/14/14 BITS AND PIECES
The meeting began on a sad note, with PRESIDENT JOHN re-announcing the passing of EARLE LEAVITT's wife, Peg, last week. We are all invited to pay our respects to the Leavitt family at The Atrium at The Cedars facility, 640 Ocean Avenue, Portland, on Wednesday (3/19) from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
KATHY GRAMMER presented the invocation; RON BENNETT conducted the raffle….with our speaker's (Todd Winn) name being drawn, but he missed out on a raffle pot of $592, drawing the King of Diamonds. Then we all sang, “My Favorite Things” from the classic musical, “The Sound of Music.”
March birthdays were announced and we regaled the lucky spring Rotarians in song.
PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS ROSADO reminded us all how easy it is to form a team for the upcoming Maine Outdoor Challenge this June 2-4. In soliciting small donations online from friends and family, a team can be put together without the need for any extensive outlay of funds. It’s easy…and for a great cause. See KRIS for details.
Both PETER GOFFIN and PAUL TULLY are off on vacations of differing sorts this week. PETER is headed to the Orlando area to watch his son Ben, a junior at Hamilton College, play baseball for the week, while PAUL and his wife, Barbara, are headed on a 10-day cruise of rivers in The Netherlands and Belgium aboard a small (190-passenger) vessel. Have fun!
Auctioneer Tom Ranello |
Our “Spring Fling Auction" took place during the meeting and there was a lot of competitive bidding going on. | Ben Lowry |
Thanks for the donations from the many members and companies who contributed and the generous bidding by all. Special thanks go to LORETTA ROWE, EMILY McENTEE and ELLEN NIEWOEHNER for their organizational expertise; to TOM RANELLO for his auctioneering excellence and to the member volunteers who helped with the auction. Results will be reported as soon as all figures are tallied. (At right: Prez John Marr, Dave Seddon, Emily McEntee, Loretta Rowe and Ellen Niewoehner) |
ROB CHATFIELD, featured in a recent local business publication, has a sign on his door that reads: “You can teach a turkey to climb a tree, but I’d rather hire a squirrel.” Words to live by!
After a mention of singer Tony Bennett’s recent passing, RUSTY ATWOOD asked those at his table to recall their favorite live performance. The responses were varied, from Louis Armstrong at UMO (for CHRISTINE FORCE), to Jewell at the 1999 Woodstock (for DAVE SEDDON), to Ruth Brown opening for Ray Charles (for RUSTY), to Stevie Ray Vaughn (for ROB CHATFIELD), and to third-row seating for The Who (for BEN LOWRY). But the hands-down winner was RUSS BURLEIGH, who not only saw Luciano Pavarotti live, but dined with him after the show!
Editor's note: After an extensive investigation, the Editor of this Windjammer has discovered that Tony Bennett did not die, but a British politician, Tony Benn, did (New York Times 3/15/14). Our valued and intrepid reporter, Ben, accurately reported what took place at the Rotary luncheon, so there was no reason to change the written piece. Moreover, this Editor believes that all efforts to honor Tony Bennett, dead or alive, should be reported.
*03/14/14 TODD WYNN - HYDRO POWER IN MAINE
Our program/presenter for this Friday is Todd Wynn, Vice President of Operations for Brookfield Renewable Energy Group. Mr. Wynn is responsible for Brookfield’s renewable energy businesses in New England and Eastern Canada. In New England and Eastern Canada, Brookfield owns and operates more than 50 hydroelectric and wind energy facilities, totaling more than 1,000 megawatts of power. Brookfield also owns and operates a 330 megawatts high voltage direct current (HVDC) undersea cable which provides transmission between CT and NY.
Prior to Brookfield, Mr. Wynn was General Manager of Wind Operations at Enel Green Power where he managed the company’s wind generation portfolio throughout North America. Mr. Wynn also held several positions in General Electric, including Vice President, GE Energy Financial Services and several management positions within GE Wind Energy.
Mr. Wynn received a Bachelor of Science with Merit, in Mechanical Engineering from the US Naval Academy, Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island, and a Masters of Business Administration from Cornell University.
03/07/14 BITS & PIECES
PRESIDENT JOHN called the meeting to order and STEVE DITMER gave an invocation commemorating the death of Aristotle. Many of us are still pondering its meaning. TOBY COOK led us in the pledge to our flag.
PRESIDENT JOHN made sure to know that he didn’t want any telephonic caroling and urged everyone to feed the birds on the tables, the “2 cans.” (Yes, he really said that.)
LORETTA ROWE conducted the raffle and ERIC LUSK helped ensure that the jackpot keeps growing for next week, when he failed to pull the Queen of Hearts.
LORETTA also made a strong plea for donations for the “Spring Fling Auction” that will take place at our meeting this Friday, March 14th. If you have items to donate, Loretta needs to know right away, so please email her immediately. If you don’t have anything to donate but time, be a volunteer! If you are able to volunteer, please be at the meeting by 11:00 am.
It’s also time for you to make your request known about what committees you’d like to be on next year. You’re able to be on as many committees as you like, just select your order of preference. Please return them to LORETTA by March 28th.
HAROLD CRABILL introduced Deering High School President Ira Waltz, who introduced our Youth Service Award recipient, Kinyaa Josephine Luka. Josephine is an impressive student who fled from the Sudan and speaks six languages. She has many awards at Deering and boasts a 97 grade-point average. She also is a teacher’s assistant at Longfellow School and is a Docent at the Portland Museum of Art. She eloquently thanked the club for her scholarship.
PRESIDENT JOHN mentioned that he has participated in the upcoming career day at Deering High School. In his own unique way, he discussed the coaching interviewing skills given to students. This event occurs on March 12 and volunteers are still needed. Since no one quite followed what President John was trying to express, DAVE SMALL jumped in and explained what was needed. Basically, we’re still looking for volunteers.
If you can help, contact Dave.
It was on March 7th in 1876 that Alexander Graham Bell was issued a patent for the telephone. Steve Ditmer led us in a commemorative song with an old Stevie Wonder hit, “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” We sang much better this week.
03/07/14 EMPLOYMENT HELP FOR MEMBERS OF THE GUARD AND THE RESERVES
Bob Traill, Dennis Wellman andvTravis Hill |
Our speaker on Friday was Dennis P. Wellman, Employment Specialist for the Employer Support of Guard and Reserves, (ESRG), and Executive Director of the Maine Committee. ESRG was formed in 1972 by Presidential Proclamation. Part of its mission is to assist members and employers in resolving any problems, issues or concerns regarding rights of employment under the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Another part is to help the guardsmen and reservists find jobs.
ESRG is under the jurisdiction of the United States Deparment of Defense. It is comprised of a national committee composed of 55 states and territories and has the help and devotion of more than 4500 volunteers across the country. One of the programs it runs is HERO2 Hired (H2Hjobs). The purpose is to bring together potential candidates with employers who are hiring. Dennis' main responsibility is to facilitate such interviews and to help both sides reach a satisfactory result.
Among other things, employers who hire guardsmen and reservists may be entitled to tax credits. H2Hjobs is there to help applicants and members navigate the complicated shoals of federal regulation. In addition, it also provides a website where employers can post, without charge, available job openings.
ESRG, as noted, is staffed primarily by volunteers. Up until recently ESRG, in Bangor, had few, if any, employees available for outreach. However, it recently hired Travis Hill to do just that. He will be reaching out across the State, helping Dennis to educate members and employers about the advantages and benefits the ESRG offers.
At the end of the presentation, PRESIDENT JOHN mentioned that he had not seen many guardsmen or reservists being hired and hoped that the members of Portland Rotary who were able, would look carefully and consider seriously the people who guard(ed) our country as possible employees. ESRG focuses on those who exemplify "Service Above Self" and we wish them all success.
Spring Fling Auction - March 14, 2014
click on the link at left.
02/28/14 DENNIS KING - VISION MAINE MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS
As a sister corporation to Maine Health, the Maine Mental Health Partners (MMHP) was founded in 2008 to build and sustain a high-quality and integrated system of mental health providers serving 11 counties in southern Maine. These affiliated Maine-based mental health care providers are now a fully coordinated and seamless system of behavioral health care.
Clinical integration includes the “Care First” continuum for individuals receiving behavioral and mental health care. This integration provides timely access to care, especially when patients and families don’t know where to go, and includes a secure and confidential electronic record. This clinical and information integration will help MMHP to achieve the patient and family-centered goals of providing the right services, at the right time, for the right cost, for both acute care and outpatient services delivered close to home. This delivery system puts the individual first, with a focus on providing quality consistent with clinical outcomes, while managing the cost of care. “With every client, we envision that individual as a member of the community and this includes employment,” Dennis said.
Since 2008, the MMHP network has grown to include Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook, Spring Harbor Community Services of Greater Portland, Community Counseling Center in Portland, Counseling Services, Inc., in Saco, and Mid-Coast Mental Health Center in Rockland. The network includes primary care offices offering onsite mental health treatment and telepsychiatry.
Spring Harbor Hospital is a non-profit tertiary hospital providing acute care for clients with mental illness in Southern Maine. A goal of the integration is to achieve a standardized system of providing mental health care with a particular focus on clinical outcomes. Success is demonstrated by moving people through the mental health system seamlessly, by decreasing the time spent by individuals in the high level or most expensive care.
Currently, mental health care is difficult to coordinate. MMHP will transform the way care is delivered by reducing the number of times a client must be admitted into the system to one time a year and focusing on clinical outcomes across the care continuum.
On April 1, 2014, a new organizational structure will support the streamlined continuum and put the needs of the patient first. A visual mural was exhibited to demonstrate how complex the current mental health system is for those who must navigate through on their own. “Care First” will reduce the cost and time lost by those who need services by improving access and providing timely care.
A question was asked about how mental health can be accessed in the criminal justice system? Dennis explained the jail diversion program currently in place in Cumberland and York Counties where 'Assertive Community Treatment' (ACT) teams are in place to divert people to treatment rather than jails. Nevertheless, there could be much more done to coordinate care in the criminal justice system.
He described the drug abuse problems in communities as “epidemic,” appearing to be especially prevalent in rural areas. In all aspects of providing mental health care and for people of all ages, the most important focus is to put the patient first.
Mark Harris, Dave Smith, Dennis King and Julie L'Heureux
02/28/14 BITS AND PIECES
President John started the meeting calling on Russ Burleigh to present our invocation, who reminded us of a well-known Feb. 28th birthday boy, actor Charles Durning. Mr. Durning is a metaphor for our lives. Have we achieved ultimate greatness like George Washington, Gandhi or Nelson Mandela? Maybe not, but we soldier on in our uniqueness. Russ pointed out the many fine qualities of this soldier...actor...high achiever, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 90.
President John then asked former soldier Bob Traill to lead us in the pledge to our flag.
After lunch, President John reconvened our meeting, telling us about his attendance at the Frugal Feast dinner at Woodford's Church on Saturday, 2/22. Steve Stromsky further explained that the "feast" was a culmination of our "Stuff The Bus" program and that over $1000 was raised in food and cash donations for the Preble Street Resource Center. We are not done...yet, so please consider making additional donations. Contact Steve for additional info.
Ellen Niewoehner made some announcements about our upcoming 'Spring Fling Auction' that will take place at our meeting on 3/14....requesting donations that will be used in the auction. Do you have a weekend at your vacation home you can donate....any unwrapped gifts with a $25 value or more....services you can provide, like 2 hours of yard work....2 dozen cookies
you will personally bake? Put your thinking caps on, folks. Items received to date will be posted on the "Home Page" of our club website.
We will also need the help of volunteers on that day and there will be signup sheets on next week's tables or you can contact Ellen, Emily or Loretta directly to volunteer.
Loretta announced to the club that when Charles (Cuddy) Cohen, Club President 1980-81, passed away in 2007, he left a request in his will for his wife, Catherine, to pass along on her death. Cathy passed away in July 2013 and the club was informed that we were bequeathed an amount of $12,000+ to be used towards "The Rotary House" program, if it still existed and if it did not, the monies were to go for fellowship programs. So, thank you, Cuddy and Cathy, for remembering us. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing you, will remember you.
Jon Young, adeptly handling our raffle draw, announced that the pot was up to $552. Our speaker, Dennis King, drew Julie L'Heureux's name, but, alas, she drew the 3 of Clubs. The Queen of Hearts appears to be in winter hibernation.
Dave Small announced that our Rotary Club has
participated in a career day at Deering High School for several years, coaching interviewing skills to students and will do it again on the morning of March 12th. We need about a dozen volunteers for a couple of hours to help. If you can, contact Dave: dsmall@nelsonsmall.com or call him 775-5666.
A Portland Rotary Club standard - our weekly singing. Led by me (Bill), it seemed an easy pick when I selected "Smile and the World Smiles with You," or at least it did when I sang it to myself. Russ Burleigh, tickling the ivories, was convinced to play the tune that apparently was unfamiliar to the members. My leadership of that endeavor completely and utterly bombed. President John graciously pointed out that everyone was, indeed, smiling afterwards.
Introduction of visiting guests included: Mark Harris at MaineHealth, John Kowalski and Valerie Markgren. John confessed that he found us through Facebook....the wonders of social media.
*03/07/14 DENNIS WELLMAN - EMPLOYER SUPPORT OF GUARD AND RESERVES (ESGR)
Dennis P. Wellman is employed as the Employer Support Specialist for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program, Maine Committee. A DOD agency established in 1972 by Presidential Proclamation to gain and maintain Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve. Comprised of a National Committee of 55 States and territories with over 4,500 volunteers across the United States.
The ESGR's primary goal is to assist service members and employers in resolving Uniformed Service Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) concerns, issues or problems related to employment.
Dennis' main responsibility is to build and maintain a positive working relationship between military members and their civilian employers. He works directly with the employers, military members and their families on employment and reemployment issues for all seven guard and reserve branches here in Maine.
Dennis was born at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor and is the oldest son of (Ret.) Air Force veteran Paul Wellman. Dennis graduated High School from Penquis Valley in Milo and holds Associate Degrees in Human Resource Management and Electrical & Mechanical Technology through Community College of the Air Force, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Education through the University of Maine at Orono. He retired from the Air National Guard in August 2013 as the State of Maine Human Resource Advisor, which included a combination of 12+ years of active Air Force service and over 21 years of Maine Air National Guard service. Dennis recently completed 25+ years of employment with the State of Maine Department of Labor as a Career Center Consultant & Veterans Program Manager, assisting displaced workers, specifically veterans, with employment, education and training needs. He managed the $800 thousand federal veterans program grant.
He is a current member of American Legion Post 41 in Milo, Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 1761 in Bangor, the Disabled American Veterans, and a 27-year Appalachian Trail Club member.
02/21/14 OCEAN CLASSROOM FOUNDATION
Our speaker on Friday was Greg Belanger, Executive Director of Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF). PP Cyrus Hagge gave a short introduction in order to give the speaker his full time. With Greg, to provide his expertise, was Captain Emeritus, J.B. Smith. Greg said that Captain Smith knows more about sailing and ports than anyone. If you want to know where to stay, he knows. If you want to know where to get the best price for rum, he knows. OCF moved from Boothbay to Portland to keep the tradition of ocean sailing from Portland to the rest of the world alive. High school students sail on a traditional tall ship made of wood. The ship is a platform and the core program is a semester at sea to learn about life, the ship and the sea. The concept started as a college program originally, but OCF has now created a high school program.
This program is not a vacation, it is a fully acredited semester of school. The program includes math, history, literature, navigation and marine science. On board, there are certified educators. The students go through a typical high school semester, hundreds of miles offshore. This is not a sail-training program...its principle purpose is to create the next generation of leaders. Experiencing a global perspective, depending on one another, and sharing interconnected responsibilities that produce compassionate leaders. A traditional ship cannot function with just a few individuals. Kinsmanship is developed and experienced. Students learn to work as a team in the isolation of the ship on the ocean. OCF is a challenge for them. There is no cell phone coverage and no texting…so some students experience severe withrawal because of the loss of electronics.
Isolation, teamwork, and being part of an interdependent community help students to understand themselves. Life at sea can be intimidating...like going aloft to set the square rig sail. Students do it at night, at sea, but of course they are always using safety lines and harnesses.
OCF has rigorous academics and this is combined with traditional sailing tools. Sextant use teaches celestial navigation, and the math behind it. Of course, the crew has access to GPS, and satellites, with a state-of-the-art navigation system.
Last year, 12 countries were visited by the graduating class and they saw, first hand, abject poverty. Before approaching a country, they study the history and the current government, then see the actual country upon landing on shore.
Students also get involved in ad-hoc service projects. The projects would be developed on landing, but the Board of Directors have formalized the service program. Students now work with a Haitian orphanage, where several sailing crews have gone before. In this orphanage, many of the parents are alive, but separated...because the kids are in Haiti and the parents are in the Dominican Republic (DR). Several crews have worked in the same village at the same time. They have now finished the second school building, where student crews layed all the bricks. Prior to arriving, students read novels about Haiti and DR. Students have also visited the cocoa plantation in Nicaragua.
The voyage home is a time for reflection and all students are required to keep a journal. Their reflections allow them to really understand what they have learned. Students receiving education, coupled with service, make them goodwill ambassadors….good for the students and the people they help.
The sailing vessel, the "Westwind," is here in Portland for repairs at the new Portland Yacht services yard on Commercial Street. Greg is very proud that alumni have been very successful, both in marine fields as well as other fields.
Q&A from the members:
How much does it cost? $20,000 for a semester of high school, usually done in the junior year.
What drives the students to join OCF - from their own wants or their parents? The answer is both. If students are forced to participate because they need to be "fixed," it's difficult. If the student buys in to participating in the program, that is much better and if the kids stay two weeks, they are almost always hooked.
What is the scariest situation? Greg said that his imagination creates the worst situation. Man overboard is the scariest. Captain Smith tells us that it's usually one of the crew members who falls overboard, due to their own complacency.
Would you comment on the loss of Bounty? It was a tragedy. Greg said he saw the crew every day for weeks before. Robin, the captain who was lost, was a fixture in the sailing community. The Bounty has a different license than OCF. Bounty was an attraction vessel, which has much less strict requirements.
What about sea sickness…how is that handled?
Captain Smith says the best remedy is to sit under an oak tree. Sea sickness is an initiation ceremony. Most get over it in two weeks. The Captain is sick all the time, but he has never missed a watch. He says that eventually students feel good about watching others who have not gotten over the sea sickness yet.
Greg Belanger, PP Cy Hagge and Captain J. B. Smith
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*02/28/14 THE CHANGING FACE OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE - DENNIS KING, PRES. MMHP
Our speaker this week is Dennis King, FACHE, of Freeport, Maine. He is President of Maine Mental Health Partners, the integrated nonprofit mental healthcare delivery system of southern, central and western Maine. For the past 15 years, he has additionally served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook, Maine. Mr. King brings to his current roles more than 35 years of experience in the field of healthcare, including more than 30 years in senior administrative positions in Maine hospitals. He was previously the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Acadia Hospital, the only free-standing private psychiatric hospital in northern Maine.
Mr. King is the past President of the National Association of Psychiatric Healthcare Systems (NAPHS) and past Chairman of the Maine Hospital Association. He is a trustee of the Maine Community College System and previously served as Chairman. His life in Rotary includes being the Charter President of Casco Bay Sunrise Rotary Club (now known as the Portland Sunrise Club) and past member of the Houlton, Portland, Fort Fairfield and Bangor Rotary Clubs.
Dennis earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Maine, is married to Sandra Emerson King, a SeniorTax Manager at Baker Newman & Noyes and has two children and four grandchildren. He will be speaking about the way in which mental health services will be provided as the result of the merger of two large mental health providers in Southern Maine, among others, into Spring Harbor Hospital.
02/21/14 BITS AND PIECES
The annual Spring Fling Auction is nearly upon us (March 14) and Emily McEntee, Ellen Niewoehner and Loretta need your help! If you have a vacation house or a boat, or just some nice items sitting in your garage or basement that are new or in their original packaging worth at least $25, please donate them to this auction. And, as you head out for dinner, or to the movies, or to that favorite shop, please take a minute to ask for a gift certificate for our auction. All monies raised will go to the Portland Rotary operating account. Donations are not tax deductible. Be sure to let outside donors know that the proceeds will benefit Portland Rotary.
NOTE: On the day of the auction: please allow yourself a little extra time to leave the meeting. Check-out will START at 1:30 p.m., to show some courtesy to the speaker presenting his program and to give the auction committee time enough to compile the final results of both the live and silent auctions. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.
Dave Small is once again organizing a Portland Rotary participation in the annual mentoring day at Deering High School, March 12th, from 9:50 to 10:45 a.m. Rotarians are assigned a small group of students to discuss the in’s and out’s of job interviews, career choices, or wherever the discussion may lead you. Having done this myself (Ben) the past 4 years, I can attest to the warm reception that I have received from these great kids. These discussions, away from both parents and teachers, help them gain a new perspective as they contemplate life after high school. Please contact Dave to sign up for this truly rewarding experience.
President-elect Kris Rosado reported that the "Maine Outdoor Challenge," our club’s major fundraiser, is off and running, with 5 Platinum Sponsors already aboard at the $2500 level. We still need more teams to sign up, and this can be done without the need to formally solicit a team and collect from a small number of friends. With the new internet sign up, you can easily collect just a small donation from many friends with an even greater net result. Keep an eye out for an email from Kris on how to proceed with this simple form of participation for this most important event.
Our own Queen, Peggy Wescott, had the chance to select her namesake, the Queen of Hearts, in the raffle this past week. However, she wisely let the $514 pot grow by intentionally selecting the 10 of spades. Peggy knows that once the pot is ripe, she will swoop in and draw the winning card.
Kudos go out to Paul Tully who finished a 17-month effort to properly herald the installation of Bishop Deeley as the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Maine. Despite a heavy snow the day before the events (and spine surgery just two weeks prior), Paul worked hard to make sure that this internationally-covered celebration ran smoothly.
Steve Stromsky needs you! Every second Tuesday of each month, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., a dedicated group of Portland Rotary volunteers serves meals to the homeless at the Preble Street Soup Kitchen. This is your chance to pitch in and make an immediate impact on the Portland community. Please email Steve to volunteer: sstromsk@maine.rr.com
Speaking of our tireless Community Service Chair, Steve Stromsky, many thanks to him, our "Stuff The Bus" program is complete! Steve and his friend, Todd Zukowski (pictured at left), delivered all of the food that was collected to the Preble Street Resource Center on Monday. It was a sizable truckload, and then some, that the center truly appreciated receiving. Over $1000 in food. Special thanks to KeyBank for setting up collection boxes in their branches, so customers could drop off donations and, of course, special thanks to our Rotary Club members for their generosity!
*02/21/14 GREG BELANGER - OCEAN PROGRAM SAILING
Our speaker on Friday (2/21) will be Greg Belanger, Executive Director of Ocean Classroom Foundation (OCF), a 20-year-old non-profit organization that operates a fleet of traditional sailing ships dedicated to education at sea. Last year, OCF announced plans to consolidate its operations at the new Portland Yacht Services facility now under construction. Greg will outline OCF’s plan to collaborate with the Portland community and offer a vision for contributing to the growing vibrancy of the Portland waterfront.
OCF operates semester-at-sea programs for U.S. and international students. The students sail over 5,000 nautical miles, visiting more than a dozen island nations while completing an accredited course of study. The program is non-sectarian and committed to community service, compassionate leadership and an emphasis on the development of self-reliance within an interdependent community.
OCF has three guiding principals in the way it teaches students:
1) Full training and participation in the operation and life of the ship;
2) Training in the art and science of seamanship; and
3) Appreciation for the environment and ecology of the sea.
In late November of this year, Ocean Classroom concluded its 20th Ocean Semester with Proctor Academy….twenty years of safe, transformative, accredited education at sea….for almost 500 students who have sailed, lived and learned aboard, have shaped their lives and made friends forever.
Prior to OCF, Greg led an international program to sail the S/V Amistad on goodwill missions to Europe and Africa in 2007 and, in 2010, on a ground-breaking voyage to Cuba. He was a journalist at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans where he covered the environment and the fishing industry, and later, tenured as Professor of Journalism at Central Connecticut State University. He left academics in 2005 to start an internet-based exchange for the sale of sustainable seafood.
Greg has a B.A. in History and Philosophy from Alfred University; a M.A. in American History from University of New Orleans; and a J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law.
STUFF-THE-BUS FOOD DRIVE & FRUGAL FEAST
The Portland Rotary Club has partnered with KeyBank to ask for your assistance in helping those who struggle to fulfill their daily needs.
Community Service Committee Chair, STEVE STROMSKY, is spear-heading a food drive to "STUFF THE BUS" in support of Preble Street Resource Center (the local food pantry beneficiary). Here is a "Wish List" of items you might consider bringing to Rotary over the next 4 weeks, as we collect boxed, canned and non-perishable food goods. You may also drop off the donated items at Steve's office at KeyBank, Monument Square or any KeyBank in the greater Portland area:
- juice
- coffee and tea
- cereal
- pancake mix
- pancake syrup
- canned vegetables
- canned fruit
- canned soup
- canned beans
- chicken broth
- rice and/or pasta
- spaghetti sauce
- canned tomatoes
- canned tuna
- canned chicken
- sugar
- flour
- condiments (ketchup,mustard, mayo)
- vegetable oil
- salad dressing
If you would prefer to make a monetary donation because you don't like, want, or have time to shop for food items, you can make your check payable to: Portland Rotary Charitable Fund and put a memo on it saying it is for the "Stuff The Bus" food drive.
The "drive" will culminate on Feb. 22nd where all Rotarians in the district are invited to gather at the Woodford's Church for the 2nd Annual Frugal Feast/World Understanding and Peace Dinner. There will be a $25 cost, that includes a donation to the Rotary Foundation.
5:00 Social hour (cash bar, beer and wine)
5:30 Welcome
5:45 Dinner (soup, salad, garlic bread, greek pizza, dessert) catered by 'A Fine Kettle of Fish'
6:45 Program (speaker TBA)
Attire - New England winter comfortable
Entertainment by The Harbour Singers
Who should attend? All District 7780 Rotarians and their guests! Come to reconnect with Rotarian friends and make new Rotarian friendships. Come for the fellowship. Celebrate our district’s support of local food pantries. Be inspired by the stories of our speakers’ stories and share stories of engaged Rotarians who are changing lives.
Register at www.Rotary7780.org
Pay on-line by credit card or mail payment (check payable to Rotary District 7780) to:
Linda Morkeski, Rotary Frugal Feast, 7 Oak Street, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
For further details, please contact Steve at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
*FUTURE PROGRAM (ED REICHERT - USM MUSIC THEATER)
EDWARD REICHERT, Faculty/Musical Theater Vocal Coach in the USM School of Music since 2001,will be joined by a group of Musical Theater majors to perform a variety of Broadway selections for this Valentine’s Day meeting program. You will experience the breadth of musical styles that these up and coming performers need to study in order to make a career in musical theater.
ED is originally from Ohio and studied music and theater at the Aaron Copland School of Music/CUNY (B.M.) where he worked under the tutelage of composer/conductor Hugo Weisgall as both a vocal coach and stage director in the Opera Studio and Musical Theater Workshop. His NYC credits include numerous Off Broadway plays, musicals, operas, as well as many college/university productions and cabaret venues. (He even accompanied Wesley Snipes for his senior showcase at Purchase University and taught Lisa Lisa at a performing arts high school!)
Highlights since moving to Maine in 1987: 20 years in residence at Maine State Music Theatre; musical director/conductor for productions at Walnut Street Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Seacoast Rep, Portland Stage Company, The Fulton Theatre, Arundel Barn Playhouse, and Florida Repertory Theatre; producing the critically acclaimed Songbook Series at the Portland Museum of Art; conducting the Portland Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Evita starring Andrea McArdle; his collaborations with TONY Award winning composer Maury Yeston; and his long associations with vocalists Marie Pressman and Judith James. Ed has been a guest instructor and director at the University of New Hampshire/Durham (Regional ACTF Finalist for Blood Brothers), St. Joseph’s College, and Sacramento State University.
He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and has appeared onstage as “Manny” in productions of Master Class opposite Lucie Arnaz (SRT) and Rosemary Prinz (PSC). His favorite directing credits at USM include Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, Urinetown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Bat Boy, and Titanic. Ed is very proud of all of his current and former students’ accomplishments.
His ensemble performers will consist of:
Emily Davis (senior from Windham), Liz Kershenbaum (junior from North Andover, MA.), Eric Berry-Sandelin (sophomore from South Portland), and Cameron Wright (sophomore from Ellsworth). They are all Musical Theater majors in the School of Music at USM. And they are all playing roles in the upcoming production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" in March. They'll be singing a variety of music, with some favorite selections by Berlin, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart...to some newer composers...as well as a preview from Drood.
Emily Davis |
Liz Kershenbaum
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Eric Berry-Sandelin
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Cameron Wright
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*02/14/14 Meeting Was Canceled Due to Inclement Weather
02/07/14 BITS AND PIECES
D. Duane Pearce
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Friday's luncheon had its somber moments due to the passing of long-time member, DUANE PEARCE. His funeral service was held simultaneously with our meeting on this day. Attendance at our regular meeting was reasonable and table-talk, pretty much around the room, centered on pleasant reminiscences of DUANE and his 48 plus years as a Portland Rotarian.
PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS ROSADO, in the absence of PRESIDENT JOHN, called the meeting to order. RUSS BURLEIGH invoked the Deity to bless us all and led the group in a soft rendition of "America the Beautiful."
Director of Guidance Victoria Caron
YSA recipient Jenna Roberge
Harold Crabill
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First order of business was HAROLD CRABILL, Chair of the Youth Services Committee, getting the ball rolling by introducing Victoria Caron, Director of Guidance Services at Cheverus High School, who in turn, introduced the recipient of our Youth Service Award (YSA), Jenna Roberge. Jenna is a senior at Cheverus, active in extracurricular activities such as tennis and student affairs. She is also a long-time volunteer at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center. |
As a YSA recipient, Jenna got to select a charity of her choice to which the Rotary Club will make a donation in her name and she chose the "Make A Wish Foundation." Her proud parents beamed during the presentation. |
EMILY McENTEE conducted the raffle for $514 and drew JUSTIN LAMONTAGNE's name. JUSTIN, however, drew a number card instead of a face card, so the pot continues to get bigger.
RUSS BURLEIGH then reappeared to lead us in a rendition of Pete Seeger's "Blowin' in the Wind"...not bad. Our "scheduled" performer (BILL BLOUNT) was attending DUANE PEARCE's funeral.
STEVE STROMSKY announced that volunteers were still needed for this Tuesday night's regular dinner serving at Preble Street Resource Center, running from 5-7 p.m. PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS also announced that in addition to food donations for Preble Street, STEVE was now accepting cash donations from those who don't like to shop.
And lastly, a word about sartorial splendor….PRESIDENT-ELECT KRIS looked terriffic in a nice blue jacket...which happened to belong to HAROLD CRABILL. KRIS had borrowed it because he had forgotten his. HAROLD was also ready to loan him the shirt off his back. Talk about "Service Above Self."
02/07/14 MAINE CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE - CLAIRE BERKOWITZ
Rusty Atwood
Claire Berkowitz
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Our speaker last Friday was Claire Berkowitz, who is the Executive Director of the Maine Children’s Alliance (MCA). MCA advocates for public policies to enhance Maine’s youth and families which,in turn, enhances our youth’s health, emotional status, and intellect. Since the brain develops fastest in the early years, stable adult support to a child during that time is a building block for success as a future adult. Violence, poverty or neglect can cause issues long term and affects learning. Ms. Berkowitz’s current work with MCA and former work with the annual "Kids Count" publication provides her the knowledge to meet MCA goals and evoke positive change for Maine’s youth. Ms. Berkowitz presented the statistics from "Kids Count" to Rotary, comparing Cumberland County’s youth statistics to the rest of Maine. Some interesting statistics presented as follows: |
• The Federal poverty level for a family of four is $23,400. Maine’s children 5 years of age or younger live in poverty at a rate (24.2%) only slightly less than the US national rate of 25.8%. This rate is increasing.
• There are approximately 275,000 children in Maine, and 21.5% of them live in Cumberland County (the most kids as a percentage in the region).
• The number of teens in the Cumberland County homeless shelter is increasing.
• 45% of Maine children under 18 live in low income conditions (less than 2 times the poverty rate).
• SNAP (food stamps) benefits enrollment is dropping due to an increase in economic conditions.
• 70% of parents in Cumberland County have child care needs.
• The rate of single-teen pregnancies is down slightly.
MCA provides non-partisan leadership by providing legislative advocacy, comprehensive data on the health and well-being of Maine children, and collaborating with partners at the state, regional and national levels. It's apparent that MCA’s work is valuable to not only the children of Maine but also to the State, building a future work force that is both capable and sustaining.
01/31/14 THE MAINE WABANAKI - STATE CHILD WELFARE TRC
Our speaker last week was Arla Patch, Community Engagement Coordinator for the Maine Wabanaki. By way of introduction to the formation and the work of The Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), she gave us a harrowing account of the 600-year conflict between the indigenous people of, and the immigrants to, the North American Continent.
The TRC was formed on June 29,2012.
It has three purposes:
1. TRUTH: to document what happened to the Wabanaki children in the State welfare system;
2. HEALING: to give Wabanaki people an opportunity to share their experiences and begin the healing process;
3. CHANGE: to issue a report that includes recommendations for the best child welfare practice with Wabanaki children and families.
The five commissioners who were sworn in February 12, 2013 are: Matthew Dunlap, Secretary of State; Gkisedtanamoogk, a member of the native studies faculty at U Maine and the Wampanaog tribe; Dr. Gail Werrbach, Director of Social Work at U Maine; Sandra White Hawk, a member of the Sacungu Lakota tribe from Wisconsin and Director of the First Nations Reparations Institute; and Carol Wishcamper, a long-time Maine educator.
The commissioners have completed a six-month preparatory period and are focusing on each tribal community, gathering testimony and doing research. The Commission will work a total of thirty-six months, but the healing which is the "Justice" for Wabanaki people, will continue long after the Commission fulfills its mandate. What "Reconciliation" will turn out to be remains unknown but, as with "Justice," it will unfold for years across the state.
THE PASSING OF A FELLOW ROTARIAN
We are very saddened at the passing of D. Duane Pearce on Friday, January 31, 2014 at the Maine Medical Center.
Duane was a dedicated and proud Rotarian, having joined in 1968 and serving as the Club Secretary from 1990-2008. He was humbled when the Board of Directors presented him with a Paul Harris Fellow in 2008 for his Service Above Self to our club.
He will be sorely missed.
01/31/14 BITS AND PIECES
Those of us who heeded the Clarion’s call were in attendance. PRESIDENT JOHN convened the meeting and, by the power vested in him, proclaimed the fifth Friday of any month to be the "Significant Friday" meeting for our club on which to bring your "significant other" to our meeting. (More on that to follow over the coming months.) Inspired by Shakespeare, ALAN NYE invoked us with a prayer….brevity was the message….Amen. BEN LOWRY obliged PRESIDENT JOHN's request to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and KATHY GRAMMER set the tone for “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
PRESIDENT JOHN reconvened the meeting after lunch recalling this past week’s visit by Rotarian mentors to the Long Creek Youth Center. JIM and BARBARA WILLEY have been reliable mentors for 15 years. JOHN then pulled out a gift from the residents….a customized Monopoly board with a Portland flavor. HAROLD CRABILL asked if there was any special dispensation for the “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
We had two visiting Rotarians from the Sanford-Springvale Rotary Club, BARBARA SUTCLIFF and DISTRICT GOVERNOR-ELECT LAWRENCE FURBISH. Visiting guests consisted of the significant others of well over a dozen Rotarians, all of whom were welcomed from the podium.
EMILY McENTEE conducted the raffle, where the very-significant-other of MIKE FORTUNATO, Pat Fortunato was selected for a chance to find the Queen of Hearts in the dwindling deck of cards and grant the winning $492 jackpot. But, alas, her draw was disappointing, as the King of Clubs was picked and discarded.ELLEN NIEWOEHNER announced the Sweetheart Auction was to be postponed. It is now to be called the "Spring Fling Auction" and will be held the day before the Ides of March on Friday 3/14/14. Be creative folks….please contact ELLEN, EMILY OR LORETTA with your donations of in-kind services, time at your vacation home, a monthly supply of cookies, even a bottle of wine a week. She also announced another Rotary midweek ski getaway: Feb 6th at Sunday River, 9 am at the Southridge Lodge or noon at Northpeak.
PRESIDENT JOHN announced the Portland Sunrise Rotary Club’s annual wine tasting event, scheduled to be at Dimillos, Feb. 5th, 5:30 p.m. GEORGE CROCKETTregrets that he could not attend and free tickets to the event were given to LORETTA, CHARLIE FRAIR and ROGER FAGAN courtesy of GEORGE.
STEVE STROMSKY solicited food donations for the Preble Street Resource Center. The "Frugal Feast," a District event at Woodfords Church Sat. Feb 22 5:30, will culminate the food-drive campaign. More details and a list of food items that you can donate are featured below.KATHY GRAMMER made a plea for assistance with our Club’s Centennial Celebration 2015. We are looking for a nationally-recognized speaker to address our celebratory centennial assembly. If you can think of a candidate that suits our mission, and even better if you have a connection to someone, let Kathy know.
HAROLD CRABILL introduced Derek Pierce, Principal of Casco Bay High School, who then announced and introduced the Rotary Club's recipient of the Youth Service Award, Isabelle Handanos.
On Friday, January 31, JACK CARR and GLENN NERBAK attended the swearing-in of Kimara Nzamubona as an American citizen. Kimara is a mentee in Glenn's Portland Mentoring Alliance at Portland High School. Portland Rotary had arranged a scholarship for Kimara at Colby College and he graduates this Spring with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. CONGRATULATIONS to all
*02/07/14 THE STATUS OF CHILDREN IN MAINE: 2013 MAINE-KIDS-COUNT DATA BOOK, Claire Berkowitz, Ex. Dir. Maine Children's Alliance
Claire Berkowitz is the Executive Director of the Maine Children’s Alliance (MCA), a nonpartisan, data-focused organization that advocates for public policies that improve the lives of Maine’s children, youth and families. Since 1994, MCA has provided comprehensive data and information about the status and well-being of Maine’s children through Maine KIDS COUNT, a projected funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF).
Prior to becoming MCA’s Executive Director last month, Claire served as the KIDS COUNT Director for five years. During that time she wrote and produced five editions of the Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book and worked on many other reports, including School Readiness, Head Start, the 2010 Children’s Mental Health Report. Claire has provided data expertise on community efforts to improve educational outcomes for children through the United Way of Greater Portland and the Many Flags Promise Neighborhood in Rockland.
Claire moved to Maine in 1996 and worked at Bowdoin College for 8 years, first as the Assistant Director of Institutional Research and then as the Academic Program Analyst for the Dean for Academic Affairs.
Before coming to MCA, Claire worked for two community non-profits in Bath. As the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Bath United Church of Christ, she managed a partnership between the congregation and Tedford Housing, so that six units of supportive housing for formerly homeless families could be built. Claire then served as the Executive Director of the Bath Youth Meetinghouse & Skatepark (The Park), a one-of-a-kind nonprofit that serves as a safe haven and recreation center for youth in the greater Bath community.
Claire holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia and a Master’s in psychology from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
Claire serves as a Board member for the Wescustago Youth Chorale in Freeport and is a vocalist in the Vox Nova Chamber Choir. Claire lives in Bath with her husband, Ross, and their two daughters.
2014 MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE
June 2-4, 2014
L.L. Bean's Outdoor Discovery School, Freeport
This 3rd annual event benefits
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
and
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
There will be teams of five people to participate
in this three-day competition!
Each team will participate on just ONE of the days for three hours.
Sporting events include clay target shooting (with instruction),
fly casting, GPS orienting and archery.
For more information, click here.
For a copy of our flyer,
please click the "Maine Outdoor Challenge 2014"
under the DOWNLOAD section at lower left on this home page.
*01/31/14 MAINE-WABANAKI - STATE CHILD WELFARE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (TRC)
Our speaker this Friday will be Arla Patch, the Community Engagement Coordinator for Maine-Wabanaki REACH. She’s an artist, teacher and facilitator of healing using art. She’s been teaching art for 42 years and has written two books that combine photography with healing. Maine-Wabanaki REACH (Reconciliation, Engagement, Advocacy, Change and Healing) is a coalition of native and non-native people who support the work of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC was developed slowly over a period of years and is the first truth commission on the topic of what has happened to indigenous children in the child welfare system for the entire United States.
In 1999 when the federal government looked into Maine’s compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA 1978) and discovered high levels of non-compliance, efforts were made to educate social workers about native culture and history. These efforts improved the situation to a degree, but didn’t go far enough. That is when it was decided to have a truth commission on this history that we share.
The three goals of the truth commission are:
- To find out and write down what happened,
- To give Wabanaki people a place to share their stories and have a voice,
- To give the Maine child welfare system suggestions on how it can work better with Wabanaki people.
01/24/14 EIMSKIP - CONTAINER SHIPPING IN NORTH ATLANTIC
PETER GOFFIN introduced Petur Peterson, the Eimskip Station Manager for Portland as our speaker of the day. Eimskip, the Icelandic Steamship Company, moved their U.S. operations from Norfolk, VA to Portland, Maine for a number of reasons, including the shorter distance to Europe, a better infrastructure with the reconditioned International Terminal, and a better connection to the New England market. Eimskip is the largest and oldest shipping company, based in Iceland, having just celebrated its 100th anniversary.
While in the past, the International Terminal primarily served feeder services for other shipping companies, Eimskip has made a major commitment to their Portland operation to help expand the terminal for their refrigerated container business. They will also be expanding their own staff, providing needed jobs in Maine. There are currently two Eimskip ships calling at the terminal each month.
Mr. Peterson explained their various container lines operating in Europe and the scope of their interconnecting services providing a direct link from Portland to many European ports. He mentioned the latest Eimskip undertaking…..planning a Northwest Passage service with a Chinese company, an Article Sea Route. They are also exploring a planned expansion of business with Newfoundland, which could serve as an increased business path to the U.S.
The Eimskip business will require an expanded rail freight service to the International Terminal which can serve many companies in the Porland area. In addition to the ship's business, Eimskip has a growing freight forwarding business where they transship containers all over the world, being one of the largest transhippers of frozen fish.
Overall the teaming of the Portland International Terminal with Eimskip represents a partnership that can have great benefits for the State of Maine and Iceland. Maine and Iceland have many things in common from coastline to climate to population size and the future seems very p romising.
We are fortunate to have Eimskip in Porland and thank Mr. Peterson for his very comprehensive presentation.
01/24/14 BITS AND PIECES
The meeting started with DAVE SMALL giving the invocation, first quoting Gandhi on the definition of happiness is "when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony" and then, in acknowledgement of the freezing temperatures outside, quoting Dr. John Maxwell, that "most people are willing to change, not because they see the light, but because they feel the heat."
PREZ JOHN AND BILL BLOUNT led us in a rousing rendition of an acapella song. They were quite proud of themselves for singing with such gusto and congratulated each other!
PREZ JOHN then issued an edict that, because our next meeting fell on January 31, the fifth Friday of the month (only 4 in the calendar year), that Friday was significant, so the meeting would be named "Significant Other Day" and we were all encouraged to bring our significant others to prove to them we were not a secret society. GUS KARLSEN wanted to know if he could bring his wife instead...
Another question buzzing around the room was why JUSTIN LAMONTAGNE was so excited. It was BECAUSE he and his wife are expecting a baby boy in May to join his big sister! CONGRATULATIONS to everyone in this growing family and to a future Rotarian.
There was $467 in the raffle pot this week and LORETTA had a chance to win it, but didn't. She did draw a red face card, however, to show she's getting closer and closer.
Our luncheon guests included Jonathan Dawson, Trey Melbourne and 2nd VP BOWEN DEPKE'S son, Alex, who was out of school Friday while recovering from a hockey concussion. PREZ JOHN wished him a speedy recovery and quipped that he knew Alex would make a better recovery than he, himself, had made from his own concussion suffered from last year's accident during the "Trek Across Maine." Good luck, Alex, from all of us.
JAN CHAPMAN (Co-Chair of the International Service Committee) proudly showed us the Rotarian magazine featuring an article and centerfold photo submitted to RI about life in the Dominican Republic by our own member, JOHN CURRAN.
Our Rotary Club delivered 164 toiletries to Preble Street Resource Center and Hope House (a transitional residence for people seeking asylum). Keep traveling and keep donating!!
01/17/14 BITS AND PIECES
GARVEY MACLEAN started our meeting with our invocation. Our guests included Brent Noyes, son of PETER NOYES; Stella Patten, whom we all know as BOB PATTEN'S better half, and CHARLIE FRAIR'S dad, Paul.
RUSS and KATHY led us in the singing of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” in honor of our speaker, DICK HALL. Bob Dylan would have been pleased.
PHIL EVERETT drew the Ace of Clubs, but not the Queen of Hearts, as he tried take home the $444 Raffle pot. Loretta had given the deck a really good shuffle.
1st VP KRIS ROSADO shared the upcoming date of February 6 as the date of the re-gifting auction by the Rotary Club of South Portland at the Snow Squall. See Kris for details. He also said that our Club would be dilligent in sticking to committee budgets and urged all Committee Chairs to start forming their new budgets for the coming 2014-15 year.
AMY CHIPMAN gave us wonderful news about the Rotary Foundation. Our Club has now raised $7,500 of the $15,000 we are seeking for the Foundation. On top of that, half of our contributions to the Foundation come back to the District in the form of funds available for a wide variety of grants. Peter Johnson, District Chair of the Rotary Foundation committee, spread the news that last year $147,000 was raised by the District for the Rotary Foundation. This year $73,427 will be returned to the District, with the proceeds split in half and shared equally for Global Grants and Community Grants. Some of these funds were given to our own 3-H project.
EMILY McENTEE told us that the Sweetheart Auction, originally scheduled for February 14, has been postponed to March 14 and has become the "Spring Fling Auction." Proceeds will benefit our operating expenses. Donations of new items, or unopened gifts, can be made to EMILY, LORETTA, or ELLEN NIEWOEHNER. Volunteers are also being requested for helping with the plans and on the day of the auction. Donations can be brought to a Rotary meeting and given to one of our Team-of-3 ladies.Contact them with any questions.
DAVE SMALL brought us regards from DUANE PEARCE, whom he visited at Maine Medical Center. Duane is frail, but in good spirits and as always, is interested in what is happening at Rotary.
1ST VP KRIS and PP CYRUS HAGGE described the results of a visit with the Boys and Girls Club, where the upcoming Challenge was discussed. The Boys and Girls Club is providing a significant contribution of time and expertise for marketing and communications materials and has been the catalyst for the formation of a number of teams. Kris encouraged us to start getting our teams together.
The MOC will be here before we know it.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER MEETING JANUARY 31ST
January 31st is the fifth Friday of January (one of only 4 months in the calendar year with 5 Fridays). PRESIDENT JOHN would like to designate it as "SIGNIFICANT OTHER DAY" and asks each member to bring their significant other as their guest to our meeting this Friday.
01/17/14 ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCES IN MAINE
Our speaker on Friday was our own past president and second-generation Rotarian, DICK HALL, senior project manager for SGC, a company which builds and provides alternative energy. Dick, speaking with the authority that only comes from an in-depth knowledge of his subject, covered Wind, Tidal, Wave and Solar power.
Solar power in Maine is in its infancy with only 3-4 megawatts of power currently available. Solar requires six acres of land per-megawatt-generated in order to be efficient. Thus, it becomes problematic as to how much land would have to be acquired to generate sufficient power in the state. Tidal power currently has only one company operating in the state and generating about 150 killowatts of power. No Wave power exists at all in Maine although one project is in the very early stages of development. Both Tidal and Wave power are subject to serious damage during storms, so it is presently unclear where research and development goes from here. That bring us to Wind power, on and off shore.
There are currently 235 on-shore wind power turbines operating in Maine, generating 464 megawatts of power. This is enough to supply 220,000 homes with sufficient energy. Another way to look at it is that such non-polluting energy is akin to taking 100,000 cars off the road. Presently there are projects under way in the state which will generate anywhere from 4.5 to 132 megawatts.
Unlike Solar power, each turbine requires only three acres of land. Nevertheless, finding that available acreage across the state will present a problem. There are three companies in Maine currently developing wind farms: First Wind, Transcanada and Independence Wind. Together they have invested $765 million in operating farms and $431 million in permitted projects.
The construction of each job creates, on average, about 250 jobs. Maine has its own Wind Technician Training Program and 100% of the 2013 graduating class in this program found jobs. The reason all these jobs are needed is because of the huge mechanics of these turbines. The posts holding the blades can be anywhere from 356 to 590 feet high. The blades themselves can range in length from 118 to 246 feet long, depending on the amount of power being generated. In some cases the total diameter of the rotor will be bigger than the wingspan of an airbus.
Dick believes Offshore Wind Power is Maine's largest, untapped renewable resource. The posts can be anchored to floating foundations, minimzing storm damage and the turbines can be placed out of sight in water locations designated by the state. Maine Aqua Ventus, a project of the University of Maine, has received the permission of the State's Public Utilities Commission to proceed with construction of an offshore facility, thus making it eligible for a Federal grant in excess of $40 million dollars. Three other offshore projects are nearing completion in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
The future of windpower is filled with challenges, including political, financial and technological. Nevertheless, the potential of great progress is there.
*01/24/14 EIMSKIP - THE FUTURE OF CONTAINER SHIPPING IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC
Our speaker this Friday will be Petur Peterson, the Eimskip Station Manager. Petur moved to Maine in July 2013, shortly after the relocation of the Eimskip North American headquarters to Portland, Maine from Norfolk, VA. Prior to his arrival in Portland, Petur was the Station Manager at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in charge of the international airfreight logistics for Eimskip.
Eimskip just celebrated its 100th anniversary, having been founded on January 17th 1914 as The Icelandic Steamship Company, making them the oldest shipping company in Iceland. Today Eimskip has offices in 18 countries, as well as agents in many other strategic locations. Eimskip moved their North American operations to Portland because of the city's proximity to European markets and because of recent improvements that have been made on the waterfront. Nearly $8 million in state and federal funds will have been invested in the International Marine Terminal, including $700,000 in improvements to make sure the facility meets the needs of Eimskip's refrigerated containers and a $620,000 reach stacker.
Previous container shipping in Portland was a "feeder service," where Portland was linked with other steamship lines. The Eimskip service is different. They are using their own vessels and employees as well as offering direct service to Europe. They also offer "less than full container" service to local companies.
INCREASE MEAL COST - EFFECTIVE 01/01/14
Our weekly lunch cost at Rotary has increased to $15.00.
01/15/14 CORRECTION TO 1/10/14 B&P ARTICLE
The "Thank You Letter" that was read by Jim Willey was not FROM the Long Creek Youth Center, but:
… FROM the Maine Veterans' Home, thanking Rotary and the young people from the Long Creek Youth Center Cedar Unit for the hand-made Thanksgiving cards sent to the veterans, thanking them for their military service."
01/10/14 BITS & PIECES
RUSS BURLEIGH shared news that Brown Fox Printing has now merged with Time4Printing (Windham) as of Dec. 31, 2013, allowing him to retire. During the transition over the past three+ months, LORETTA ROWE was kind enough to lend him a hand. During that time Loretta had partnered with Russ to do a print job for one of her own customers for 3,000 folders. While Russ was transporting the folders back to the BFP office, he realized the tailgate on his truck was left open and a box was missing. Sure enough, there were about 1,000 folders scattered across the highway. Fortunately, two young men stopped and helped retrieve every one of them, but when Russ offered the young men $10 each, they declined. Russ wanted to pay-it-forward and made a $50 contribution to the Rotary club in honor of Loretta and the 2 young men. Thank you, Russ!
AL SARGENT led us in a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne, while RUSS BURLEIGH tickled the ivories.
JUSTIN LAMONTAGNE thanked all of the people who supported him in his "Annual Lobster Dip" on New Year's Day; he raised more than $2,000 to benefit the Special Olympics of Maine. Thanks for braving the freezing temps and mounds of snow, Justin! Brrrrr!
ELLEN NIEWOEHNER conducted the raffle, whereupon the elusive Queen of Hearts stayed in hiding from PHIL EVERETT…..and the pot continues to grow! While at the podium, Ellen gave us details of the Dunkin Donuts mug fundraiser. Buy a mug for $20, stop in to any DD in Maine and get free coffee in the mug every Sunday in 2014. All of the proceeds from the sale of the mugs will go to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southern Maine.
JIM WILLEY read a nice thank you letter from the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
We had two guests join our meeting: Eric Greven, a guest of Bruce Jones and Rich Cromwell, a visiting Rotarian from the Bath Rotary Club.
PRESIDENT JOHN announced that there will be a 'Mid-year District Leadership' dinner on Monday, January 27th. If you are interested in attending, please register online at www.rotary7780.org and then let President John know you are going to attend.
PRESIDENT JOHN also announced the upcoming date of February 22nd for a day our club will participate in a District-wide celebration of World Understanding and Peace. Our club is planning to get involved in supporting a local food pantry during that weekend (or during the month), with a plan to run a food drive. At the end of the day on Feb. 22nd, everyone in the District will meet at the Woodfords Church, Woodfords Street, Portland to join in a "Frugal Feast."
Cost $25 per person - includes a donation to the Rotary Foundation
5:00 Social hour (cash bar: beer and wine)
5:30 Welcome
5:45 Dinner (soup, salad, garlic bread, greek pizza, dessert) catered by "A Fine Kettle of Fish"
6:45 Program and announcement of 'Service Above Self' honoree
*01/17/14 ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCES IN MAINE
Dick fulfills the role of Project Manager at SGC Engineering LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Senergy Alternative Energy, Inc., a worldwide company with 20 offices around the globe. SGC is an 80-person multidisciplinary engineering team serving clients in the northeastern region of the United States and Eastern Canada. Its team provides high voltage design, interface support, and grid connectivity for independent power producers, large manufacturing facilities, and electrical utilities. Dick and his team have extensive experience in connecting utility scale wind, hydro-electric and gas generation projects to the grid. The US team has a proven record of serving a diverse client base including industry, government, utilities, and affiliated organizations as they respond to the demands of a changing energy environment.
Dick has 30 years of experience providing technical, managerial, negotiations, and regulatory compliance. He has worked on both public and private sector projects, with extensive experience managing a broad range of issues related to regulatory compliance. In addition to his role in Maine as Project Manager, Dick works on increasing the scale and number of clients and projects that use Senergy for fully integrated services incorporating combinations of power engineering capability with other disciplines and capabilities.
Dick has substantial experience in managing and designing projects from conception through construction and his presentation looks to be informative and fascinating.
01/10/14 CLUB ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT JOHN MARR, in his own special way, lead us on a look back over the first six months of his term, reminding us that when he first took the podium in July, he had no front teeth (after a nasty spill from his bike during the Trek Across Maine), so, for him to simply be at the podium in January, with a full set of choppers, is great progress! Only John can eloquently regale our group in this way, mixing in snippets containing phrases like “the definition of shrinkage” and “getting hammered” without missing a beat, and, happily, without losing the admiration from his adoring legions within the Portland Rotary Club. Each president brings with him or her a certain style that keeps us all entertained…..this year, we are enjoying the stand-up routine of El Presidente Marr, and we are all richer for the experience.
After the chuckling subsided, we began the earnest business accorded a proper Club Assembly, hearing from committee chairs or their proxy with news of our past year’s successes and the hopes for more philanthropic endeavors in the months and years to come. First up was 1ST VP KRIS ROSADO, covering for this year’s fundraising chair extraordinaire, MIKE FORTUNATO. Kris reported on where we have been and where we are going.
- The wine-tasting event last month drew a throng of over 60 guests and raised about $1000.
- The “Sweetheart Auction” (don’t call it a re-gifting auction) is in the works for February 14th (thus the name) with ELLEN NIEWOEHNER and EMILY MCENTEE back at the helm. Proceeds will go directly into our operating budget and items donated should have a minimum value of $25.00…so seek out some gift certificates, donate your time, baked goods, etc. and get ready to bid high on Valentine’s Day. If you need suggestions, ask Ellen or Emily.
- The Allagash Brewery beer tasting is on tap (get it, “on tap”) for April, so get thirsty, my friends.
- Lastly, and by no means leastly, The Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC), our signature event, is a “go” for early June, with Kris reminding us that there are ways to get involved:
2) you can work on getting teams;
3) you can seek auction items; OR
4) ALL OF THE ABOVE.
Next up to the podium were the spectacular team of JAN CHAPMAN and BRUCE MOORE, who are co-chairs of the International Service Committee, with reports of our numerous successes, including:
- raising, as a district, over $25,000 for the victims of the Lac Megantic rail disaster;
- pulling together almost $20,000 for the “Shelter Box” project to aid the families struck hardest by the typhoon in the Philippines;
- and of course, the projects closest to our hearts, the 3-H projects in the Dominican Republic, where we are now striving to help build a sound-proof room in the La Romana Hospital to aid in our hearing project; continuing in our ongoing efforts to supply clean drinking water in the bateyes for the working families in the cane fields, as well as, prosthetic hands that change the lives of so many.
- two clothing drives;
- feeding those in need at the Preble Street Resource Center, where, every 2nd Tuesday of the month, we pitch in to feed over 600 hungry mouths;
- the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen Thanksgiving dinner, where, on a rainy Wednesday in November, we fed 194 thankful souls;
- the Meals on Wheels program;
- the Salvation Army bell ringers at Monument Square;
- the Diaper Project, wherein GEORGE CROCKETT spearheaded the donation of over 900 diapers to needy parents;
- as well as, donations for the Salvation Army Christmas dinner.
- the ongoing and burgeoning efforts at the Long Creek Youth Development Center, where we spearhead a monthly project;
- to our “Youth Service Award,” which has now risen from a $500 to a $1000 award to a local high school senior who has exhibited “service above self”;
- the RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), where members RYLAN NIMOCKS (a RYLA alum) and BILL ROSS work to send worthy high schoolers to a leadership program at Camp Hinds in Raymond;
- the ongoing efforts of FRANK ROBBINS to start an Interact Club at Deering High School;
- our Immigrant Transcript Translation project; and
- our Reiche School summer snack program.
*01/10/14 CLUB ASSEMBLY - What is Happening at Portland Rotary?
The official Rotary International "Manual of Procedures" describes a 'Club Assembly' as: Meeting of all club members, including the club's officers, directors and committee chairs, held to confer on the club's programs and activities.
Postponed from last Friday, come to this Friday's meeting and find out what's happening in Portland Rotary! It's also a time for you to raise any concerns/issues you might want to address in front of the assembled members. Just like an old-time town meeting!
A great way to start the new year!
A few words from President John:
"It’s hard to believe that half the year has passed on to history. The journey, thus far, has been a splendid adventure, and well worth the effort. I now recognize what a privilege it is to be President of the Rotary Club of Portland and just how much fun it can be. I’m glad that I took Jim Willey’s advice and did not pass up this great opportunity. As I look back, I’m pleased with what we’ve accomplished and inspired to do more. I sincerely believe that the best is yet to come and that the seeds have been sown for the future.
We have a creative group with a remarkable history. My job has been to take notice of the cues and tapping the talent. Am I satisfied with what I’ve done? To some extent, but I want and need to do more, which is why I’m so excited about what’s to come. I think we have created a good image with our projects and found new talent within our membership to develop and grow our traditions. Our international partnerships are solid and vigorous while our local presence is profound and poised to achieve greatness. I think we too often forget the subtle achievements we have accomplished at home. Fortunately, we recognize the priceless value of our Rotary fellowship and friendships that we develop.
As we enter into this new year I hope that we will be inspired by the memory and legacy of great Portland Rotarians, such as Naj Lotfey. There will never be another Naj, but we can all be like him, if we are willing to dedicate ourselves as he did. Great people come about through great deeds and taking advantage of opportunity to give 'service above self' while living the “Four Way Test” as life’s model. At our assembly this Friday, I hope to draw upon your inspiration and determine what you want to accomplish during the next six months. I intend to highlight our achievements and have pivotal Chairs remind you of what they have been able to do because they have your support.
I want to, again, thank you for giving me the privilege to stand proud as your President and the opportunity to have more fun in this leadership role than I ever thought possible."
*01/03/14 CLUB ASSEMBLY - POSTPONED TO 1/10/14
The scheduled meeting and club assembly were cancelled due to inclement weather and will be scheduled on 1/10/14.
12/20/13 CHRISTMAS AT ROTARY
Pop Christmas music, Portland Rotary-style, came to the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay last Friday under the direction of impresario Russ Burleigh. He not only managed to squeeze reasonable resemblances of Christmas music from the gathered crowd, but also produced a wonderful cabaret with Kathy Grammer, Janelle LoSciuto, and pianist Jesse Feinberg.
Russ focused the show on pop Christmas tunes...the ones that create earworms when you walk in the mall during the shopping season…and provided some backstory on the creation of each. The presentation began with an homage to Frosty...the first victim of global warming.
Kathy and Janelle shared a wonderful rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Jesse then showed why he’s on the faculty of the Portland Conservatory of Music with a piano solo. Janelle shared “Let It Snow,” and Kathy sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
A guest appearance of the “Over Sixty & Under-rehearsed” quartet of Russ Burleigh, Bill Blount, Al Sargent, and Carl Capello took us through "A Winter Wonderland" with enthusiasm.
We sang together, made up words when the slides ran out, laughed as we struggled to find the key, and thoroughly enjoyed the musical offerings Kathy, Janelle, and Jesse shared, as well as the fun stories Russ provided.
Thank you all! Happy Holidays!!!
12/20/13 BITS AND PIECES
President John opened the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of long-time Portland Rotarian Naj Lotfey who passed away this week, followed by a beautiful rendition of “Bless this House” from the music committee.
Don Lowry said that after this last week’s weather, he is thinking about leaving for Florida early. Around our table, we were speaking of grandchildren: Peter Noyes has a new granddaughter, named Shiloh Abigail Noyes, born November 22nd, and I (Toby Cook) have a new grandson, named Arlo Casey Lennick, born December 7th.
Bill Blount announced that the new tennis schedule is out and he will be emailing it shortly. Stay tuned.
As an update, Duane Pearce is still at Falmouth By-the-Sea for rehab and showing steady improvement. His cell number is 756-4608 and the switchboard number is 781-4714. I am told by his son Michael that Naj had been in to see Duane about two weeks ago and they had a good visit. Duane holds that visit close to his heart.
We were joined at Friday's meeting by District Governor Carolyn Johnson. DG Carolyn announced that the district donated approximately $25,000 to the people of Lac Megantic. There were over 1,700 teddy bears and many more toys donated to all the folks that were so appreciative of the efforts and support from Rotary. DG Carolyn said that of all the projects that she and her husband Peter have been involved with, this was the most meaningful.
Ellen Niewoehner announced the Rotary ski date of January 16, 2014 at Sunday River. Mark your calendars. She also had the chance to try and win the $395 raffle, but could not find the elusive Queen of Hearts.
President John announced that the club had donated $1,500 to Portland High School to help pay for the costs of transcription and validation services for twelve refugee students, in order for them to graduate. The check was presented to club member Glenn Nerbak, Portland High School Mentoring Alliance.
Tom Ranello auctioned off the holiday table centerpieces for those that were lucky enough to win the bid on getting one to take home. Thanks as always, Tom.
Amy Chipman awarded a Paul Harris Fellow to Al Sargent. When Al won the raffle a few months back, he took the winnings ($800+) and added his own money to give the Rotary Foundation $1,000 and become our newest Paul Harris Fellow - his first. Congratulations Al and thank you from all of us at Portland Rotary.
PP Cy took the podium to re-announce the nominations for the slate of officers for 2014-15. After reading the nominations, PP Cy asked for any nominations from the "floor."
Hearing none, we voted on the nominations, as presented:
Kris Rosado, President
Bowen Depke, 1st VP
Laura Young, 2nd VP
Loretta Rowe, Secretary
Scott Blakeslee, Treasurer
Mike Fortunato, Sergeant-at-Arms
Mac Collins and Juliand L'Heureux, Directors with terms ending 2016
Janelle LoSciuto and Peter Ingram, Service and Memorial Fund Trustees with terms ending 2017
PP Cy hearing "None" (meaning nominations from the floor") closed the election of officers.
Thanks to Cy, as chair, and to the entire Nominating Committee for this wonderful slate.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
12/15/13 In Memory of…...
In Memory of
Najeeb S. Lotfey
July 2, 1932 - December 15, 2013
Najeeb S. Lotfey (Naj) passed away Sunday, December 15, 2013 after a brief illness with his family by his side.
Born July 2nd, 1932, the son of Elias and Lillian Hider Lotfey, both of Lebanon. Naj grew up in Portland at the foot of Munjoy Hill. He attended Portland High School, graduated Northeastern School of Accounting, and served two years in the Army at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.
He began his career as a staff accountant and built his legacy at the firm of MacDonald, Page & Co. where he practiced for thirty two years and retired as managing partner in 1995.
Naj was an active member of the community having served on the Board of the Finance Authority of Maine, the Maine Medical Center Annual Fund Raising Campaign, and most passionately, the Rotary Club of Portland Maine (just to name a few). Naj is a past president of Portland Rotary (1984-85) and was an avid historian of all things involving Rotary.
His greatest joy was his family, to whom he was a beloved husband, loving brother, cherished father and father in-law, and idolized grandfather.
A true craftsman, Naj enjoyed woodworking, jewelry making, stained glass, and lamp repair for his son's business. He had a gift for everyone, and whether it was a pair of earrings, a painted rock, or just a handmade card, it was truly "One of a kind." Naj was passionate about everything he did, and coined the phrase "A job worth doing, is a job worth doing well."
Relatives and friends may call at the Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland, Friday 4-7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday at 9:30 am from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress, St., Portland. Burial will follow at Brooklawn Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Portland Rotary Club Charitable Fund, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104
12/13/13 BITS AND PIECES
Dave Small prefaced his invocation with a 'googled' brief on Friday the 13th. He concluded the invocation noting that there is no dread, despair, darkness or hopelessness when Rotary meets on any Friday. President John hopped on Dave's affirmation and reported that the Biddeford Rotary Club's Lac Megantic project generated $25,000.00. John thanked Bowen Depke for his leadership in raising $1,200.00 for the project. He also thanked Don and Betsy Lowry, Jim and Barbara Willey, John Curran, Mike Fortunato, Frank Robbins, and Bruce Moore for the Holiday Party they conducted for the Cedar Unit at Long Creek. Continuing his rap on all that is positive, hopeful, and joyous in Rotary, President John then lifted up the "Windjammer Crew," noting Juliana L'Heureux's excellent write-up of the December 6th program.
Our Nominating Committee has the task of finding and nominating candidates for our slate of officers/directors and service fund trustees. The committee, led by PP Cy Hagge (chair), included 2nd VP Bowen Depke, Mike Fortunato, PP Paul Gore, PP Ben Lowry, and Paul Tully have put into nomination the following candidates:
President for 2014-15: Kris Rosado
First Vice President: Bowen Depke
Second Vice President: Laura Young
Secretary: Loretta Rowe
Treasurer: Scott Blakeslee
Sergeant at Arms: Mike Fortunato
2 Directors with terms ending 2016: Julianna L'Heureux and Mac Collins
2 Service and Memorial Fund Trustees with terms ending 2017: Janelle LoSciuto and Peter Ingram
At this Friday's meeting (12/20), the nominations will again be read and nominations will be taken from the floor, with a final vote being taken.
PP Cy offered a special thank you to the Nominating Committee for their hard work.
After President John welcomed our guests, Ron Bennett offered Steve Stromsky a chance to draw from our raffle for $367.00. Alas, he drew the Queen of Clubs! Steve then took the opportunity to thank the Salvation Army volunteer bell ringers and our Preble Street Soup Kitchen volunteers: Don Lowry, President John Marr, Paul Tully and Harold Crabill (and his daughter). Rotary's commitment is the second Tuesday of each month from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. He invited all who are interested in volunteering at Preble Street to contact him at: stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
In the chair's (Mike Fortunato) absence, President John thanked everyone for attending the Holiday Wine Tasting event on Thursday evening (at left greeting the attendees). Prez John indicated everyone seemed to have a good time (some more than others) and that we would hear the results from Mr. Mike as soon as all the figures were in. He also thanked everyone who made purchases that night, as 10% of the sales will come back to the Rotary club.
Emily McEntee tasting Dean's Chocolates at left.
Bruce Jones showing his appreciation(?) for having
the Wine Tasting event at Creative Pavilion (his work) to PP Cyrus Hagge and event chair Mike Fortunato.
President John called Joan Steinberg (Russ' wife) and Russ Burleigh to the podium. Joan thanked Rotarians for their donation of yarn, which she has turned into 100 pairs of mittens to be donated to WinterKids. This is her fifth year collaborating with Portland Rotary in this venture, with over 500 pairs of mittens being donated.
George Crockett wanted to convey a message to his fellow Rotarians….as the result of their generous giving, he has purchased 1300 diapers for the immigrant community. Thank you.
Justin Lamontagne is about to do his 10th "Lobster Dip" and is seeking sponsorship donations, all of which go to support the Special Olympics of Maine. Refreshing, Justin? We'll leave that up to you. He accepts checks or cash or you can donate on line at: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/justin-lamontagne/lobster-dip-2014. This is an easy, fast and secure site. You can also contact him at: justin@dunham-group.com
*12/20/13 THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
On Friday (12/20), our Rotary program will be our annual celebration of the holidays before Christmas. Kathy Grammer and Russ Burleigh will host the program and have engaged the services of Jesse Feinberg, a professional classical and jazz pianist who will play solos, accompany soloists and lead a sing-along by the club members and guests. A number of Rotarians will be featured artists, but the idea is to involve everyone as much as possible.
Pianist Jesse Feinberg is a recent graduate of the University of Maine at Augusta's Jazz and Contemporary Music Program. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Piano Performance, having graduated summa cum laude. He has taught Piano and Jazz Piano at The Portland Conservatory of Music and also teaches in his private studio. Previously, Mr. Feinberg worked as an accompanist and music director for Studio 48 - School for the Performing Arts in Brunswick, ME, including their performances of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Fame, and Aida. While living outside of Boston, he worked as a dance accompanist for The Boston Ballet School, Boston Conservatory, Jose Mateo's Ballet and Theater Company, Dean College, and The Walnut Hill School. He is active as a freelance jazz pianist, and resides on Great Island in Harpswell, ME, with his girlfriend and two daughters.
12/13/13 Amanda Crockett - Living a Dream
Our speaker last week was Amanda Crockett, daughter of our own George Crockett (both as clowns at left). Amanda is an acrobat/clown for Cirque du Soleil (Cirque). When she was introduced by her proud papa, George said she pretty much personified the old chestnut, "my child wants to run away and join the circus."
Amanda knew at age 9 that she wanted to be a clown, having watched her father dress like one for parades and parties. She also learned tricks of the trade from her father's close friend, Sam Kilbourn. At about age 15, she saw a live performance of Peter Pan and knew then that she also wanted to fly. Later she would quit college and begin the long, arduous process of training and learning her profession.
She performed alone or in troups around the world when in 2003, she got the chance to audition for Cirque. She did not pass that audition nor another one in 2005. In 2012, however, determination won out and she passed another audition. But, as she explained, passing an audition only means you are entered in Cirque's data base. You then have to wait for a call, when they decide they need someone for a particular program with your talent. Eventually she got that call.
She remarked that to be truly happy with your life, you have to love what you do and she does. Her dream of flying has come true in her act with Cirque in Las Vegas, as she flies over the live audience suspended on a wire. She's always surprised and awed by the celebrities just below her in the crowd.
When asked where she sees herself in 10-15 years, she replied that she would like to become a choreographer. It's always a pleasure to see someone as comfortable with herself as Amanda is.
Here is a picture of the "grown up" Amanda (out of costume) with her proud papa.
A New Look for the Windjammer
Our club has made the transition to a new style for "The Windjammer" - one that will more closely resemble and be better integrated with our website. We have tried to make the look and feel of the new version similar to those of the old Windjammer - please be in touch with Loretta, Dave Smith, or Erik Jorgensen if you have questions or any issues with the new system.
12/06/13 Changes to Insurance in Maine - ACA - Eric Cioppa
At this week's meeting, President John introduced Maine’s Superintendent of Insurance Eric A. Cioppa, who spoke about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Maine’s Health Insurance Market. He showed an amazing grasp of what he described as...and which is...an incredibly complex piece of legislation. Some provisions are already in effect. Since 2010, the ACA has abolished lifetime limits on coverage, children up to 19 years old are covered without exclusions for pre-existing conditions and can receive coverage under their parents’ private insurance plans up to 26 years of age.
Enrollment in the health insurance exchanges for individuals required to receive coverage in 2014, began October 1, 2013. The enrollment period extends until March 31, 2014. Coverage starts as soon as January 1, 2014. Medicare beneficiaries are not impacted by the Affordable Care Act.
Eric explained where the nation and Maine are at regarding the costs of providing health care. Cost of providing health care in the USA is nearly 20 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but this isn’t an indicator of quality. For example, Japan has the world’s longest life expectancy but their expenditures on health care are lower than the USA. In 2009, Maine was number 5 in the nation reporting per capita health care costs. Less than half of Maine’s population receives health coverage through private insurance. Other coverage is provided by Medicare, Medicaid and the military. Additionally, 133,000 Maine people are uninsured.
The breadth of the ACA affects all aspects of private health insurance. Everyone must be covered in 2014 or be subject to a penalty fee. Employers who provide coverage under the ACA law fall into two categories. Those with 50 or more employees are considered large groups while those with less are small groups.
Beginning in 2015, employers with 50 or more full time equivalents (FTE’s) must make coverage available to their full-time employees and their dependents. Coverage must be affordable, meaning the employees’ share of premiums cannot exceed 9.5 percent of their income (based on the cost of the employee’s coverage only and not the cost of family coverage). A full-time employee is defined as one who works 30 hours or more a week averaged over one month. Failing to offer the minimum coverage involves a penalty at $2000 per year times the number of full-time employees, minus 30. Employers offering unaffordable coverage also incur a penalty. Penalties, however, can actually be less than the cost of providing coverage.
A minimum Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) requires health insurance issuers to submit data on the proportion of premium revenues spent on clinical services and quality improvement. It also requires them to issue rebates to enrollees if this percentage doesn’t meet minimum standards. MLR requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of premium dollars on medical care for those who purchase individual plans; 80% for those enrolled in small group plans and 85% for those in large group plans. Preventive care is 100 percent covered.
Carriers for Maine’s Health Insurance Individual Marketplace are Anthem and Maine Community Health Option; small group market carriers are Anthem and Maine Community Health Options (MCHO),and large Group Market carriers are Anthem, Connecticut General, Harvard Group, Nationwide, Aetna Group and United Healthcare.
Individuals are mandated to obtain minimum coverage beginning January 1, 2014. Access to coverage is offered via a “no wrong door” or "single entry concept." Individuals are eligible for Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) subsidies based on a calculation of their income developed by the Federal government. The calculation also determines an individual’s eligibility to participate in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) programs. This determination qualifies an individual for Medicaid, CHIP, premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions. Dependents are not elegible for subsidies if they’re covered by an employer plan. Tax status determines subsidies for those who fall between zero and 400 percent of the Federal poverty level. Subsidies are zero for those who fall over 400 percent of Federal Poverty level. If a beneficiary underestimates their income, a rebate is issued; but if income exceeds 400 percent of poverty level, the entire subsidy must be repaid. The only places where subsidies are available are through the insurance exchanges. Reasonable insurance rates are contingent on recruiting young and health people into the plans.
Another provision to keep premiums affordable is the implementation of a Cadillac Tax, imposed when health insurance benefits exceed a certain threshold. This provision was put in place as an incentive for employers to reduce over utilization of health care.
Insurers will offer “metal tier plans” at these actuarial values (AV):
a. Bronze 60%
b. Silver 70%
c. Gold 80%
d. Platinum 90%
e. Catastrophic plans are available if premiums exceed 8 percent of a family’s income.
Out of pocket maximum expenses for co-pays and deductibles cannot exceed $6,300 per year for individuals or double that amount for a family.
Individual and small group health plans will cover essential health benefits including at least these ten categories: (a) ambulatory care, (b) emergency services, (c) hospitalization, (d) maternity and newborn care, (e) mental health and substance use disorder services including behavioral health treatment, (f) prescription drugs, (g) rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, (h) laboratory services, (i) preventative and wellness services and chronic disease management, and (j) pediatric services including oral and visual care.
A link to the Maine Bureau of Insurance where Mr. Cioppa’s power point presentation slides are updated is available at http://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance/
12/06/13 BITS AND PIECES
The meeting started with Paul Tully providing a moving invocation, discussing the importance and similarities of both Hanukkah and Christmas. Both holidays add much needed light and warmth during a period of time when the days are growing shorter and colder. Well done, Paul.
Prez John then introduced our visitors and had this week's raffle drawing, which was conducted by Frank Robbins. The elusive Queen of Hearts continues to remain hidden in the deck, as Charlie Frair tried to find her. The pot thickens! (leave it Loretta!)
Mike Fortunato reminded us not forget the Holiday Rotary Social Event this Thursday, our 2nd annual wine tasting, at Creative Office Pavilion on 141 Middle Street, beginning at 6:00 pm. For just $15 a person, you and your guests can taste over 40 wines, sample chocolate and cheese, and, best of all, share fellowship and holiday cheer with some of your best friends! No advance ticket sales needed. You may pay at the door with a check or cash. Proceeds to help our 4H project. Just call Mike Fortunato at 415-9762 or e-mail him at MikeFortunato@gmail.com….let him know that you’ll be there for what promises to be a wonderful event. And, it also happens to be “Merry Madness” in the Old Port that night, so start with a sip (or ten) of great wine…..then go out and enjoy some “Buy Local” shopping.
Jan Chapman reported that the International Service committee will be hosting a meeting on January 10th, 2014, which will feature Rich Cromwell of the Bath Rotary Club, who will be reporting on his exploits in Cambodia. Contact Jan or Bruce Moore for details at: chapmoore@myfairpoint.net
Be prepared to applaud this Friday when Cyrus Hagge takes the podium. Cy and his nominating committee have been working hard to come up with some amazing names to lead the club over the next few years, and they have succeeded. Per the club’s by-laws, we will listen to his thoughts this Friday and vote on the slate of officers on December 20th.
Amy Chipman is again working tirelessly on Rotary Foundation matters, cranking up momentum for our annual goal of $15,000. Circles of Five, Sustaining Members, and “Friends of Rotary” are pushing the total up by the week. If you have not done so, please contact Amy and give what you can, be it just a few dollars or more. Every little bit helps and is matched and then re-matched to create a powerful international force! The Lighthouse Amy uses to measure how close we are to our goal was created through the genius of Paul Gore.
Amy asks that we please don’t forget to write a check to the Rotary Foundation before year end if you’d like to take the tax deduction this year. We are also looking for two more Rotary members to step up and form our fourth “Circle of Five.” Don’t forget to email Amy at achipman@maine.rr.com if you would like to know how close you are to your next Paul Harris Fellow. The club will match your contributions to get you there!
Lastly and most importantly, Amy neglected to mention (and thank) last Friday that Paul Gore, in all his creative genius and printing prowess, is the creator of our magnificent Foundation goal “lighthouse.”
Laura Young and Jim Willey are working diligently to coordinate the history of Portland Rotary and its records into amazing presentations for our 100th anniversary. Please contact Laura at lyoung@mainecf.org…...or Jim at jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com…...and ask what you can do to help share the archives with our club.
Mike Fortunato pulled double duty from the podium last week, talking to us about a new project undertaken by the Rotary-supported “Friends of Long Creek” (FOLC). The group has gained access to a storage building just off-site and is hoping to fill it with “gently used” furniture for the young folks who are released. They are in great need of beds, couches, and general housing supplies. Please, please think of the FOLC when you down-size or buy that new piece of furniture.
Prez. John announced the long-overdue increase in our lunch cost. Effective on Friday, January 4th, 2014, the cost of our lunch meal will be $15. As President John pointed out, “Where else can you eat like a king and dine with a queen for just fifteen bucks?”
Loretta continued with an announcement about an important change in our parking at the Holiday Inn By-the-Bay. If you park either in the downstairs parking garage (only for mobility-challenged members with prior authorization established through her and the hotel) or if you park in the garage next door (owned by the Holiday Inn), EACH week, you will need to get a special parking pass/coupon from
Loretta that will allow you to park free. You can get the parking pass on check-in at each meeting. When you arrive, on entry to the parking garage(s), you will get a white ticket. On leaving the garage, you will need to insert the white parking ticket in the machine until it registers the cost, then insert the blue ticket, which will cancel the cost. EACH week, you will need to get a different ticket, as the magnetic bar code is dated and will only accept the current date ticket. This will only work for the next-to-the-hotel garage. Please let Loretta know if you have any questions or issues.
*12/13/13 AMANDA CROCKETT: Hat Juggler, Trapeze Artist & Physical Comic
Amanda Crockett started clowning alongside her father (member George Crockett) at age 9. At the same age, she could be spotted climbing up the kitchen walls and running laps around the house before dinner. Since then, she hasn’t slowed down. Her pursuit of the perfect blend of circus and physical theatre has taken her around the world. Growing up in Maine, she was surrounded by New Vaudeville, Mime and Juggling, and founded the "Three Meatballs" vaudeville trio with Sam Kilbourn before joining "Circus Smirkus" and getting her first, irresistible taste of touring. In 1999, Crockett graduated from the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater and continued her training at Celebration Barn Theater, San Francisco’s Circus Center and at Circus Trix in Australia. In addition to performing, she has been teaching Circus Arts and Physical Theater to kids and adults for over 10 years. She has been honored to teach in many places, including: The San Francisco Circus Center, the Clown Conservatory, The Second City Training Center, Aloft Loft, Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Anjos do Picadiero, Festival Mimame, Circus Smirkus, and the Flying Actor’s Studio.
Incredibly inspired by the clown’s brilliance and creating work that combines physical comedy with high-level acrobatic and object manipulation skills, Crockett is passionate about making motion into laughter. Her work has been featured in over a dozen countries spanning 5 continents. Highlight performances include: Cirque du Soleil; La Bauta in Venice, Italy; Shanghai's Oriental Arts Center; El Circo Cheapo Cabaret; Festival Mimame in Colombia; Anjos do Picadeiro in Rio de Janiero; the Edinburgh Festival; the Tasmanian National Circus Festival and the Krystallpalast Varieté in Leipzig, Germany, where she won the Audience Choice award in the 2009 Newcomers Show. Currently, Amanda is living in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she is a lead character and hat juggler in Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE.
She is sure to amaze and amuse, be it in the air, on the ground, or hovering someplace in between. She will tell us how a show comes together, how rehearsals are conducted and more inside information on how Cirque du Soleil manages to continually amaze us.
*12/6/13 CHANGES TO INSURANCE - Eric Cioppa, Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance
Eric A. Cioppa is the Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance, a part of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. Eric joined the Bureau in 1988 as a Statistician III and served as the Supervisor of the Workers’ Compensation Section prior to becoming Deputy Superintendent in 1998. After being named the Acting Superintendent in June of 2011, Eric was unanimously confirmed as Superintendent effective September 27, 2011.
Eric currently serves as a member of the Maine State Employee Health Commission, in addition to roles in various National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) working groups. He is the chair of the NAIC Advisory Organization Examination Oversight (C) Working Group and a co-chair of the NAIC and International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions Joint (C) Working Group. Eric is also vice-chair of the NAIC Financial Condition (E) Committee. Eric received his B.A. from Potsdam State University and his M.B.A. from Clarkson University.
Eric's topic will be on what changes for insurance are happening in Maine.
*11/29/13 NO MEETING THIS WEEK - HAPPY THANKSGIVING
11/22/13 Remembering the day that JFK was assassinated!
"Where were you?" was the special theme for this week’s program. Whether you were old enough to remember that fateful day 50 years ago of JFK’s assassination or know people who have shared their story, Russ Burleigh reminded us of the sorrow and confusion that radiated from Dallas and around the world. Who would have guessed Russ was curbside on the parade route? To set the atmosphere, the reports of the events from the front pages of newspapers and magazines of the day were available for viewing. There was also an excellent slide show of key moments in this sad chapter of American history provided by Kathy Grammer and a booklet with the remembrances of our fellow Rotarians, provided by Russ Burleigh.
Working with Russ on the presentation was Harold Pachios, who was working for Sargent Shriver with the Peace Corp at the time. His remembrances of that day were fascinating. He heard of the assassination while at a Washington drugstore and saw the White House flag lowered to half-mast thirty minutes later. Harold, who eventually became the Deputy Press Secretary for President Johnson, received a call from his boss, Sargent Shriver, to bring him Harold’s black tie for the solemn tasks to come. Because of his position, Harold was able to observe key moments of decisions by Shriver regarding the funeral ceremony, including the decision to have the visiting heads of state walk to the funeral at St Matthew’s to avoid causing a traffic jam.
Russ described the Texas tour route that brought JFK into the shadow of the Dallas Book Depository building. He provided a short history of the enigmatic Lee Harvey Oswald and the improbable Jack Ruby and how they came to intersect that day. And if the story sounded too strange even for fiction, we should all remember that although Kennedy’s Camelot saga ended in tragedy, the Camelot legend lives on in the collective consciousness of America. It was a very moving presentation.
11/22/13 Bits & Pieces
Prez John opened the meeting and Garvey Maclean gave the invocation, reciting the moving eulogy spoken in memory of JFK at his Memorial Service in Boston.
Up comes the multi-tasking master, Steve Stromsky, who reminded us that clothing can still be donated for the Parkside Neighborhood, in coordination with Portland's Sacred Heart Church on November 23rd. Drop a coat off at the Portland Dry Goods store and get a 15% discount on purchases of $150 or more. Steve wants sincere thanks to go out to the volunteers: George Crockett, Harold Crabill, Cyrus Hagge, Tom Ranello, Todd Zukowski from Key Bank, Gabby & Steve Stromsky, with a special thank you to George Crockett who turned our "diaper can" funds into 1300 diapers!
To our volunteers who signed up for the St. Vincent De Paul's Thanksgiving program on Wednesday, Nov. 27th, don't forget: "set-up team" - 8:00-11:15 am; "serving team" - 10:45 am-12:30 pm; "clean-up team" 12:30-1:30 pm. If you can/want to volunteer, but haven't signed up, contact Steve right away at stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com or call him at 671-6798.
Steve also announced that he still needs volunteers for the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Drive for the lunchtime (11:30 am to 1:30 pm) Monument Square bell ringing for the following dates: December 2nd, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 20th and 23rd. Please contact him if you can help during one or more of these dates at stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com or call him at 671-6798. Such a busy guy!
Mike Fortunato reminded us to mark our calendars to save the date of the Wine Tasting Event at The Creative Office Building, 141 Middle Street, on December 12th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We will be tasting over 40 wines of all varieties and tastes. Cost is $15.00 per person, payable at the door. Please reserve your place by sending an RSVP to michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
All proceeds will go to benefit our 3-H programs.
Jan Chapman gave an update on the results of the special Dominican Republic program that was held at SMCC on Sep. 20th…..announcing that a check for $1820 was donated to the SMCC scholarship fund and another $1820 was donated to the nurses' training program in audiology care in the Dominican Republic.
Thanks to everyone who participated and to Jan and Bruce Moore for a job well-done!
Tracey Merrill, Darla Jewett of SMCC and John Curran
Amy Chipman announced that she will be contacting sustaining Paul Harris Fellows for their annual contributions and thanked the "Circles of Five," also reminding the participants to send in their checks. She also encouraged members, if they haven't already done so, to consider becoming a sustaining member, where you pledge to contribute $100 annually to the Rotary Foundation. When your contributions total $1000, you will become a Paul Harris Fellow (or multi) and be recognized by Rotary International and the Club for your donation.
Sarah Gale from Portland High received this year’s Youth Service Award. Her acceptance speech highlighted the importance in the challenges of diversity. She received a standing ovation.
Sarah Gale & Harold Crabill
Jim Willey read a personally-created “Thank You” note from the resident youths in the Cedar Unit at Long Creek Youth Center. It was a touching moment. They described themselves as “Good hearts that lost direction”…... thanking Rotarians for appreciating who they really are.
Jim Willey and President John Marr
*11/22/13 WHERE WERE YOU ON 11/22/63?
Portland Rotary's Russ Burleigh will be joined by attorney Harold Pachios, a member of the law firm of Preti, Flaherty, Pachios and Beliveau, for a special program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Russ will provide details through a power point presentation about the events in Dallas and Harold Pachios will give an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at what was happening in Washington. Harold was then working for Sargent Shriver, head of the Peace Corps, and assisted in planning the funeral arrangements for the President. After the assassination, he moved to the White House as assistant to President Lyndon Johnson's press secretary, Bill Moyers. There will be mementos of the assassination on display, handouts of materials pertaining to the tragic event and some interesting tidbits of information you may have never heard before.
11/15/13 BITS & PIECES
Russ Burleigh opened the meeting with the invocation, and read the Gettysburg Address. Then came our pledge to the flag and our patriotic song.
Prez John notified us that Duane Pearce is recovering from Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and is at Mercy Hospital and with any luck may be sent to a skilled nursing facility soon. His son, Mike, says he really misses the gang at Rotary. He asked Mike to bring him his Rotary roster and the newsletters. Any well wishes would be greatly appreciated.
Prez John announced that 2nd VP Bowen Depke is spearheading the Lac Magantic relief initiative and it's progressing. Rotary will also be participating in the disaster relief in the Phillipines.
John Curran reminded us of our upcoming Thanksgiving program participation at the Long Creek Youth Center on November 21st from 6:30-8:30 p.m. If you can, and are interested in being a part of this event, please contact John at: curraj1@mmc.org
Mike Fortunato reminded us of our Wine Tasting Event coming up on Thursday, Dec. 12th at the Creative Pavilion. Cost will be $15 per person. Contact Mike for further information: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Guess who's name was drawn for the raffle: P.T. Gore? Is he lucky or what? Just not lucky enough to find the elusive queen of hearts….THIS time. And the pot grows!
Steve Stromsky reminded us that the clothing drive was over,
but if you still have clothing to donate, please contact him at:
stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com
He also requested volunteers for Wednesday, 11/27, at the St. Vincent De Paul's Thanksgiving program of prep/serve/clean up for the dinner offered to the many
people who are in need of a good hot meal this holiday. Then, of course, there is the annual
ringing of the holiday bells for the Salvation Army in Monument Square beginning
in December. Please contact him if you can help: stevan_j_stomsky@keybank.com or call him at 671-6798.
Kris Rosado thanked all the volunteers who were involved at "The Kids & Claws" dinner at the Boys' and Girls' club on Thursday evening and our very own Ralph Hendrix was the chairperson of the event:
Bill Ross
Tara Hill
Cyrus Hagge
Jim and Barbara Willey
John and Susan Gaudet
Kris auctioned off three boxes of left over whoopie pies to the highest bidders, then said the proceeds would benefit making one of the volunteers a sustaining Paul Harris Fellow. He proceeded to have our speaker draw a volunteer's name out of a box and announced that Susan Gaudet was the lucky recipient, but Amy Chipman (Chair of the Foundation Committee) advised us after the meeting that only members can be sustaining PHFs. We drew again, with Bill Ross becoming a sustaining PHF.
Jim Willey announced that the Centennial Celebration sub-committee...History and Archives…was in search of volunteers to review old Rotary files. After signing up, volunteers could then pick an item from their review materials and present it to the Club for a "5-minutes of Portland Rotary History" at our regular meetings through 2014. Sounds like fun. Contact either Jim at: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com, or Laura Young at: lyoung@mainecf.org
Before closing the meeting, Prez John had our speaker, Gary Crocker, laughing at one of his jokes. Our Prez also made another joke about the two donation cans on our tables, one for the Foundation, the other for Polio, being "toucans." He then flapped his arms like a bird.
11/15/13 HUMOR AND HEALING - with Gary Crocker
This week's speaker was well-known Maine humorist, Gary Crocker. He was definitely funny and entertaining. Before we go there, however, let's examine one of the two serious sides he presented. Gary told the story of appearing at a bank's Christmas party where he was to speak when the husband of a friend told him that he was leaving the room because he could not sit for more than twenty minutes without serious pain. But, before he could leave, Gary's act started. The man stayed for the entire performance, 45 minutes, laughing as we did on Friday. He told Gary afterwards that he felt no pain because of the laughter and, a few days later, that the pain did not return. "Humor Heals" is Gary's philosophy.
Whether a humorist is one who tells jokes or funny stories, Gary was funny under either definition. The Club loved him. To retell any of his stories would have required a reporter who took short hand: his presentation is fast, sometimes with a heavy Maine accent, sometimes without. For those of us who were there, a short mention of some of his stories should bring a chuckle: the bank robber wearing a hoody, the animal carcass that looked like the Town Selectman, the President of Guiness ordering a coke while drinking with his competitors. You can feel the smiles starting.
At the end of his stories, Gary talked about his friend and collaborator, Dan Bates. Together they had produced a CD called "Ballad of the Beantown Bosox," about the 2004 World Series which, of course, the Sox won. Dan passed away within the last year. In his honor, Gary gave each member of the Club a copy of that CD. It is said that to be a good comedian/humorist one must have an appreciation of, and empathy and compassion for, the human condition. Gary has all three in abundance.
11/08/13 BITS AND PIECES
Russ Burleigh started our meeting with a history of Veteran’s Day and read the poem, "In Flanders Field" by Colonel John McCrae, before giving our invocation.
President John had Bill Blount lead the pledge to our flag, followed by a patriotic song. We recognized Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan as soon-to-be grandparents. Russ reminded us of the JFK remembrance program our Rotary club is having on November22 and asked that we send our memories to him ASAP of where we were and what we were doing on that date. Harold Pachios will be a co-presenter at that meeting to help bring back some of the memories that occurred on that fateful day.
Bowen Depke congratulated the assembled for the $1200 raised to date for the victims of the tragic train wreck in Lac Magantic Quebec. If you would like to make a contribution to help, please make your check payable to South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club Charitable Fund. Talking of South Portland Cape Elizabeth Rotary, their annual selling of Christmas Trees/Wreaths will be taking place soon at Mill Creek.
Mike Fortunato reminded us of the wine tasting event at Creative Office Pavilion on Thursday, Dec. 12th. Cost will be $15 per person. Contact Mike for further information: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Next week is the last week of the clothing drive. Steve Stromsky will be parked in the garage at the Holiday Inn to accept more donations. The Portland Rotary Club's volunteer time at the Preble Street Resource Center is scheduled for November 12th, from 5:30-7:30 pm. Please contact Steve if you can help and/or need further information.
Our annual Thanksgiving Day serving of meals at St. Vincent De Paul’s soup kitchen is scheduled for Wednesday, 11/27/13 and we need volunteers. Steve also reminded us of our annual commitment to assist with the ringing of the Salvation Army bells in Monument Square beginning in December. It will be during the week from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Call or e-mail Steve to sign up at sstromsk@maine.rr.com or 671-6798.
George Crockett thanked everyone for the well wishes for the card he received after his back surgery.
Amy Chipman presented a Foundation Minute. November is Rotary Foundation Month. Why not start or, if asked, join a "Circle of Five"? (Contact Amy.) If you want less recognition, please consider becoming a sustaining member….$1/week will do it. Consider the Foundation Program….EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year). Any denomination of contribution…one donation made once a year, every year. Learn how you can be a part of the bigger picture of Rotary by becoming a sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation. The money comes back to our club in so many ways. For more information, contact Amy Chipman at: amy.chipman@rbc.com
The Raffle drawing was $267. Paul Frair's name was drawn from the pot, but he drew the Ace of Hearts. The Queen of Hearts still eludes those wishing to find her.
"Happy Birthday" was sung to our November babies: Ben Lowry, Jim Willey, Janelle LoScuito, Peggy Wescott, and Earle Leavitt.
Three former Rotarians came to the podium to be welcomed back as members: Rebecca Wright, Rusty Atwood and Don Zillman.
(Prez John, Rusty Atwood, Becky Wright, Don Zillman, Paul Gore and Dick Hall.)
The Centennial History and Archives Committee needs volunteers to help review past WindJammer issues that will be used for our Centennial Celebration displays. Things we are looking for in the past newsletters would include projects, Foundation grants, guest speakers of interest, etc. It will be a fun project. To volunteer contact either Laura Young: lyoung@mainecf.org or Jim Willey: jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
*11/15 Maine Humorist - Gary Crocker
This week's speaker is Gary Crocker, not the famed Zimbabwean soccer player you may have found on Google, but the famed native Maine humorist. Gary believes that humor heals and has taken his brand of humor not only to hospitals, but around the country. He has played to audiences of just four or to an audience of 30,000 Boy Scouts at the Boy Scout Jamboree at Brunswick Naval Air base. He has also entertained the Maine State Legislature because he is a registered lobbyist for, and an ardent fan of, the Maine Community College System.
Gary grew up in Northern Maine and first got interested in humor through the tales his Grandfather told him. However, Maine humorist and legend, Marshall Dodge, had the most influence on him and it was because of Marshall that Gary decided to be a performer. His first real performance was in front of the Rotary Club of Augusta in 1980.
Gary lives in Gardiner with his wife and manager, Ellen. He calls her "the most beautiful woman to come out of Cornville, Maine," and refers to her as "Muthuh.
11/08/13 -TEX TECH REVEALED
Ciaran Lynch, Chairman and CEO of Tex Tech, was our entertaining and energizing speaker on Friday. His message to our club was, “Maine is a great place to do business.” Tex Tech is a manufacturing company founded in 1904 and employs 150 Maine people. While Ciaran has been with the company since 1988, he still has a thick Irish brogue. “Maine people tell me I have an accent," he said, "have you listened to yourselves lately?”
Tex Tech is a $75 million business and has hired 30 new people in the past 18 months. Ciaran credits their recent success to moving the manufacturing of commodities off shore and focusing their Maine factory in North Monmouth on manufacturing niche products, such as ballistics, safety and composites, aerospace, filtration and tennis. They are the world's leading supplier of tennis felt, as well as the world's largest supplier of fire blocking layers for aircraft seating. “Every plane we board has a Tex Tech fire seat or other parts made in Maine.”
Ciaran explained that the global manufacturing market is changing rapidly and Maine should seize this opportunity to bring manufacturing back to the state. China’s model is not as competitive and they are no longer the manufacturing powerhouse they were 20 years ago. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart announced that it would commit to spending an additional $50 billion over 10 years on sourcing goods in the United States as part of an overall drive toward "American renewal."
Ciaran challenges Maine’s political leaders to have the vision to bring back Maine’s ability to “make stuff.” He has spoken with all of Maine’s governors about this opportunity and is concerned that politicians have short-term aspirations.Tex Tech supported the full-time salary for a position at Maine Trade Council to encourage foreign investments in Maine, but found too many people with narrow perspectives of what’s important. He’s concerned that the minute someone decides to be a politician their ego takes over and “once the ego takes over, you’re lost.” He described Maine’s current presentation to businesses looking to move to Maine as disjointed, just when Europeans are looking for operating bases and should be coming to Maine.
Ciaran said we have an extraordinary opportunity to create well-paid jobs. “Manufacturing has changed with modern mills using modern technology.” He challenges the notion that Maine is a bad state for business. “The decision to locate in a state is based on more than just tax rates and labor costs and a 5% swing of tax rates won’t make a difference to a business.” Maine has a highly educated workforce and a decent infrastructure to bring back manufacturing jobs. He’s not concerned about Maine’s energy costs either. Tex Tech cut their energy costs $750K a year by installing a wood-pellets system in their plant.
Ciaran ended his presentation by encouraging Rotarians to spread the message about Maine’s potential to everyone. He doesn’t know what the solution is to this problem, but hopes, with more people knowing about it, something will happen so we can bring jobs back to Maine.
11/01/13 BITS AND PIECES
Paul Tully led the invocation, talking about Admiral Bird, his purchase of Eagle Island and eventual donation of the island to the State of Maine. This was a perfect segue to our speaker, the Executive Director of Maine Island Trails, Doug Welch.
Kathy Grammar then gave us a rousing "God Bless America."
Rusty Atwood and Don Zillman were welcomed back as members of the Portland Rotary Club. Members who were not here when Don and Rusty were part of the club, will be pleased when they get to know these two returning members.
Do you remember "Mako," the Portland Police dog purchased by The Portland Rotary Club? According to President John, Mako is smarter than he is. When Mako first came to Portland, his native tongue was Czechoslovakian. Now he has become bilingual because he has successfully learned English.
November 22nd will be a very special program put together by Russ Burleigh. He is collecting remembrances of club members as to "where they were and what they were doing the day JFK was assassinated." Please send your memories of that day to Russ.
Nominating Committee Chair - Immediate Past President Cy announced members of this year's Nominating Committee for proposing nominations for the Rotary year 2014-15: Bowen Depke, Mike Fortunato, Paul Gore, Ben Lowry, Paul Tully, and Laura Young.
Kathy Grammar talked about the Portland Rotary Club Centennial social event on Tuesday, Nov. 5th at the Cumberland Club from 5:00-7:30 pm. The event includes meetings of the Centennial subcommittees…including History, Marketing, Events, and Service Projects. There are plans to video tape past presidents and long-time members for use during the Centennial celebration. Subcommittee chairs will discuss their activities and listen for new ideas.
Steve Stromsky reminded members that he will collect donations for the clothing drive.
Steve also announced two upcoming volunteer opportunities:
1) Working with the South Portland Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, Portland Rotary has committed to the 2nd Tuesday of every month to assist at the Preble Street Food Pantry. We need five volunteers for each Tuesday night.
2) Thanksgiving dinner signup sheets were available for signups for Wednesday, Nov 27th. We need volunteers for preparation, serving, and cleanup. Arthur (at St. Vincent de Paul's soup kitchen) tells us they expect a bigger turnout this year...up to 20% more.
Please contact Steve for more information and/or to volunteer for either of these projects.
Prez John told the club the sad news that polio is back in Syria due to wars interfering with the Polio eradication drive.
1st VP Kris Rosado's name was drawn in the raffle to try and find the Queen of Hearts, but alas, she continues to be elusive.
Harold Crabill announced that Deering High School reached out to Portland Rotary to form an Interact Club, with special focus on International Service. Deering is part of the International Studies School Network, so an Interact club focused on international service would be welcome. It was Bruce and Jan Moore who were initially contacted. Bruce got his start in Rotary through an Interact club. Harold announced that Frank Robbins will be a co-chair of the Interact Club and Frank still needs a co-chair. Contact Frank or Harold Crabill, if you are interested.
2nd VP Bowen Depke told the club about an opportunity to help the people at Lac Magantic, due to their tragedy from the train crash which destroyed their town center and killed 27 people….there are many kids in need. There are several ways to help though this District 7780 program:
• Adopt a kid by donating $100 to buy Christmas gifts for that child.
• $50 donation to a food pantry. With others providing matching-plus grants, the program gets $12 worth food for each $1 donated.
• $50 to be used for buying teddy bears, to be given where comfort is needed. Only one teddy bear gift is needed.
Signups were encouraged or send an email to Bowen at: bowen.depke@spireexpress.com.
Good-hearted Prez John volunteered to adopt one child.
Meredith Small gave a wonderful 'Foundation Minute.' She talked about the many reasons for joining Rotary. True to her other club’s tradition in St. John's, Meredith lead the club in reciting the Rotary Four-Way Test. Meredith’s minute was from her heart, when she shared how the fellowships and friendships in Rotary were made better by the great work of the Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation has six areas of focus -
• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease
• Providing clean water
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies
Meredith’s talk ended with her leading the song of the day…"The Happy Wanderer."
(For more info on the six focus areas of the Rotary Foundation, visit: https://www.rotary.org/en/areas-focus)
For just $2 per week, you can become a sustaining member. Please consider it. For more information, contact Amy Chipman, Chair of the Foundation Committee.
11/01/13 - MAINE ISLAND TRAIL ASSOCIATION AT PORTLAND ROTARY
Last Friday (11/1) at Portland Rotary: Maine Island Trails Association (MITA)
Doug Welch, the executive director of the MITA, has seen this organization flourish since its inception in 1988, when Dave Getchell came up with the idea of turning some of Maine’s 3000+ islands into one long 375 mile coastal waterway. Now rated as “North America’s Best Water Trail,” MITA will include over 200 islands in its next guide. The guide outlines the island location, gives the “rules” of the island as set by the private owner or land trust, and provides hints on enjoying the island, whether landing by kayak, sailboat, or power craft.
With over 3000 members, a staff of 7, five 18-foot metal-hulled power boats, and volunteers in the hundreds, Doug and his crew have now set out to allow for a journey beginning in Kittery and ending in the Canadian Maritimes in Cobscook Bay. They have certainly come a long way since the Portland Rotary Club worked on providing privies, with three dozen members volunteering, back in the 1980’s.
Teaming up with Rippleffect and other ocean-based education groups, MITA has become a national leader in the ever-growing chain of water trails, which now number over 300 in North America. So, grab your kayak, fire up your engine, or set sail on one of many adventures right here in our own backyard. Go to www.mita.org to get started with your plans for next summer!
*11/08/13 TEX TECH DOING BUSINESS IN MAINE
Our speaker this week at the Clarion Hotel is Ciaran Lynch, Chairman and CEO of Tex Tech Industries. Tex Tech is headquartered here in Portland, Maine. Their flagship manufacturing facility in North Monmouth covers 200,000 square feet and is also home to their technical and research and development centers. They have additional manufacturing facilities in Thailand. Ciaran will be talking about Maine, a great place to do business.
Tex Tech has been producing manufactured textiles since 1904 and has grown to the point where they manufacture over 7,000 products. Their major product areas of expertise include ballistics, safety and composites, aerospace, filtration and tennis. They are the world's leading supplier of tennis felt as well as the world's largest supplier of fire blocking layers for aircraft seating. Client companies include Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Gulfstream, NASA, BAE Systems, Penn, Wilson and Dunlop.
The following is a testimonial about their body armor which is made here in Maine: On June 17, 2013 Trooper Jarrod Lents of the Indiana State Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Black Oaks Armaments Gun Shop in Montgomery, Indiana. Upon his arrival, Trooper Lents was shot multiple times by the suspect who was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Although he was hit four times - once in the chest, side, back and forearm- which also hit his vest - Trooper Lents was able to draw his weapon and return fire, fatally wounding his assailant. Trooper Lents was airlifted to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville where it was found that all four rounds were stopped by his 'Second Chance Summit Level II SM01 armor,' manufactured right here in Maine!
Mr. Lynch, will talk about the business environment in Maine and compare Maine workers to those around the globe.
10/25/13 BITS AND PIECES
We met at the Clarion and on our way to the meeting room we passed by huge skillfully-handcrafted woven baskets that Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan were selling to support our Dominican initiatives. Great gift idea!
Where is President John ? Two meetings in a row President-elect Kris Rosado presides. Rumor has it that Mr. Marr might be found in Waldo County filling in for County Commissioner Waldo, who cannot be located at the moment.
Russ Burleigh gave the invocation. He spoke the words of his distant cousin, Bart Giamatti, former baseball commissioner, reminding us that like life there are ups and downs during the season, but the journey is well worth the effort. Bob Clark led us in the pledge to our flag and then, Al Sargent led us in singing our patriotic song "America the Beautiful."
Kris announces the visiting non-Rotarian guests, Paula Ross (Bill Ross' wife), former Portland Rotarians Rusty Atwood and Don Zillman and Andy and Patricia Fortunato (Mike's son and daughter-in-law).
Rotarian guests included Past District Governor Gary Speers and Past District Secretary Judy Speers from Damariscotta. We bade farewell to snow bird Kirk Duffy who is driving back to South Carolina. Thanks for joining us these many weeks, Kirk. We enjoy your summery affable company tremendously.
The "raffle"? It was overlooked in the importance of the busy program, but the member conducting the raffle made a decision to have a guest draw the winning name from the bucket before the end of the meeting. Victor Pizzuto's name was drawn, but alas, he did not find the elusive Queen of Hearts. So we can all breathe a little easier, knowing we still have a chance for next week's bounty.
Mike Fortunato announced that the Centennial Committee is sponsoring a social gathering for new members, seasoned members and prospective members, to meet at the Cumberland Club on Tuesday, November 5th, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. He asked everyone to contact Loretta BY Tuesday 10/29 lrowe@maine.rr.com, if interested in attending. Past presidents are encouraged to attend and look their best, as many attendees will be video taped and photographed.
Communication chair (Windjammer) Dave Smith asks us to be on the lookout during the WCSH Channel 6 weekly news broadcasts. The TV station, in its "WCSH6 WHO CARE" has chosen The Southern Maine Area on Aging, masterfully guided by our own Larry Gross, to receive their coveted "Agency of Distinction Award."
Al Sargent led us in an a cappella rendition of "My Wild Irish Rose," in honor of our Irish guests. We charmingly botched the somewhat unfamiliar tune, and should probably keep our day jobs, but you have to give us an "A" for the effort.
10/25/13 PRESENTATION - Friends Forever
PDG Gary Spear opened the formal program by introducing our “Friends Forever” guests. These young men and women, both Catholic and Protestant, come together for 2 weeks in Maine and learn to live together. They are housed together, travel together and hopefully become friends together....forever. While they may be natural “enemies" at home, they need each other here.
Two students spoke of their experiences in Maine and then all joined in to answer questions from the audience. One student mentioned that there are only 4% of the schools that are actually integrated in Ireland, that Catholic and Protestants attend together. All had different views, but said that this kind of experience was necessary in order to foster peace in their homeland.
The program has been going on since 1986 and has involved more than 1600 graduates. It is felt that the experience they take home with them will foster goodwill, respect, tolerance and friendship in the future.
As the meeting closed, 1st VP Kris announced that the Board approved a contribution of $1,000 in support the “Friends Forever” program.
SAVE THE DATE - November 5th!
SAVE THE DATE!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013, 5-7:30 pm
Portland Rotary Social
Tuesday, November 5th
5:00-7:30 p.m.
Cumberland Club, 116 High Street, Portland
In preparation for our Centennial celebration, join fellow Rotarians for a meet and greet - longtime Rotarians - new Rotarians - enjoy some fellowship and sharing of ideas! There will be a videographer interviewing some of our past presidents in preparation for our Centennial Year PR, archives and gala event. (Video taping will be scheduled in an adjoining room) Hors d’oeuvres will be provided with cash bar.
RSVP by October 29 to Loretta at lrowe@maine.rr.com.
Thank you! Kathy Grammer, Chair
11/01/13 WINDJAMMER EMAIL ISSUES
IF YOU ARE STILL NOT RECEIVING YOUR WJ THROUGH EMAIL, PLEASE CONTACT LORETTA.
11/01/13 - MAINE ISLAND TRAIL ASSOCIATION
Our speaker this Friday (11/1) is Doug Welch, Executive Director of the Maine Island Trail Association(MITA). When you hear the word "trail," you immediately think of hiking through the woods on a lovely fall day. MITA's trail is not the woods, but the water: Maine's gorgeous coast line. Founded in 1986, MITA now counts over two hundred islands along the coast, both public and privately owned, where boaters can come ashore, rest, eat, or just admire the beauty.
Doug has been the Executive Director since 2007. Prior to that he was a Vice-President at Youth Alternatives; before that he was with Island Alliance, a not-for-profit company developing programs for Boston Harbor National Park.
He received his B.A. from Weslyan and a Masters degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University. Doug lives in Portland with his wife Caitlin, daughter Genevieve, and Corgi Jack. He will be speaking about the first 25 years of MITA.
11/01/13 - ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK
Bits & Pieces Reporter: Dick Hall
Registration: Jan Chapman
Meal Ticket Sales: Janelle LoSciuto
Greeter: Bob Martin
Raffle: Emily McEntee
Invocator: Steve Ditmer
Music - Song Leader: Kathy Grammar
Music - Piano Player: Russ Burleigh
Sgt at Arms - Early: Mike Reed
Sgt at Arms - Late: Harold Crabill
11/01/13 THIS WEEK'S MEETING LOCATION
THIS FRIDAY (11/1) WE WILL MEET
AT THE HOLIDAY INN BY-THE-BAY
2013 ON-THE-ROAD LOCATIONS FOR PORTLAND ROTARY MEETINGS
If you would like to mark your calendars for our On-The-Road locations that are coming up for the rest of the year, here is where our meetings will be held:
Nov. 1 - Holiday Inn BTB
Nov. 8 - The Clarion
Nov. 15 - Holiday Inn BTB
Nov. 22 - The Clarion
Nov. 29 - NO MEETING
Dec. 6 - Holiday Inn BTB
Dec. 13 - Holiday Inn BTB
Dec. 20 - Holiday Inn BTB
Dec. 27 - NO MEETING
The dates in BOLD are scheduled board of director meetings. Any questions, please contact Loretta.
10/18/13 BITS AND PIECES
First Vice President Kris Rosado chaired the meeting while President John was away. Kris introduced his mother, June Rosado, from Walpole, MA, as his Rotary guest.
Janelle Losciuto led the Rotarian ensemble with a cappella singing of “God Bless America,” perfectly!
Lunch table chatter:
Ben Lowry posted pictures taken in beautiful Tuscany, Italy on Facebook, but you must “friend” him to see them. Worth the visit to his FB page to see him jumping and batting like an Olympian.
Chase Bowker, unfortunately, incurred a knee injury, so tennis is off his list of Rotary sports for now. We hope he heals well soon.
George Crockett volunteered to assist Juliana L’Heureux and Emily McEntee on the Good Cheer Committee. Whenever Rotarians are experiencing events deserving of congratulations or those we want to remember who may be ill or experiencing bereavement, please let one of them know, so they can send the appropriate recognition from our members.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
November 5th: Kathy Grammer announced an opening reception to kick off the Rotary Centennial, to be held at the Cumberland Club in Portland on Nov. 5th, from 5-7 PM. An RSVP will be sent out next week. Videos will be taken with past presidents to have on hand for all Centennial events. Email Loretta Rowe at: lrowe@maine.rr.com to reserve your spot; for more information, contact Kathy at: mezzogram@earthlink.net or kgrammer@foko.org
December 12th: Mike Fortunato announced the Holiday Wine Tasting event is scheduled for Thursday, December 12th at 6 PM, with 6 distributors and over 40 “high end” wines expected to be featured. Save this date! For more information, contact Mike at: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
Care Package: Kris Rosado and Harold Crabill are requesting Rotarians help supporting a community effort organized at their office to build a "Holiday Care Package" for the Maine National Guard 133rd Engineer Battalion and for Andrew Parker and his family. Care package contributions include donations of money, beef jerky, shaving cream and non-perishable items. Their Merrill-Lynch office is collecting items thru November 4th. This is a great Veterans Day project. An acknowledgement of the Rotary Club of Portland will be included in the care package.
Clothing Drive: Steve Stromsky announced a clothing drive for the Parkside Neighborhood, in coordination with Portland’s Sacred Heart Church. Clothes will be collected on the next four Fridays at our Rotary meetings.
Table Flyer Announcement: Girls Free Hockey Clinic.....for girls Fall 2013....full hockey equipment available and ice time is free for girls to give hockey a try. All ages welcome. Visit www.mgiha.org at the Maine Girls Ice Hockey Association or email mgiha2009@gmail or call 207-450-5363 and ask for Alex Agnew for more information.
10/18/13 PRESENTATION: IN THE LEGISLATURE
Portland Rotarian and former Director of the Maine Humanities Council, Erik Jorgensen talked with us about what's happening in the Maine Legislature and how he is learning the ropes as a newly elected representative. "It's the strangest job ever . . . on the drive to work, you hear on the radio what you have to do; on the drive home you get an evaluation of what you did!"
(1st VP Kris Rosado/Rep. Erik Jorgensen at left)
Erik was forced to learn quickly as he was appointed to the Appropriations Committee, where all the votes have to be unanimous, a bipartisanship goal is difficult to achieve and everyone, eventually, has to vote for something he/she doesn't agree with. Erik has learned that Democrats are from city districts and Republicans are from rural districts. Thus, there are good people on both sides, all caring about Maine, and there are very few with whom you cannot find some agreement.
Erik noted several legislative accomplishments: passage of a bi-partisian budget; avoidance of a shut down; payment of the hospital debt; passage of a workforce bill and an e-business bill; plus the development of a solid bond package. His list of disappointments include failures to pass a heath care package, an energy bill, and a sensible tax policy.
Erik offered some general thoughts about Maine noting that we are under-populated, aged, poor, and fascinated with local governments, which is not always in the State's best interest. Maine needs more people and could easily absorb a million more folks. Maine's workforce has been reduced by 20% since 1990 so that the two big challenges we have are the development/maintenance of a strong educational structure and workforce development.
In order to deal with these matters, Erik believes it would behoove the Legislature to change its rules and procedures and reduce the number of bills which come before it. Lastly, it should focus heavily on the development of a reasonable tax policy. At the end of his talk it was clear that both the Legislature and Rotary are lucky to have Erik as a member.
MISSED A PROGRAM?
You can watch our recent Portland Rotary Club speakers on the Community Television Network website:
http://ctn5.org/shows/rotary-club-speakers-series
You can always find the link on the Portland Rotary Home Page!
FROM THE WORLD OF TENNIS (update 10/21/13)
THE ROTARY DOUBLES TENNIS LEAGUE - 22nd SEASON 2013 - 2014
After week 6, here are the standings:
TEAM 1 D. Seddon D. Hall R. Asch K. Grammer |
TEAM 2
L. Gross
P. Noyes
B. Moore
E. Jorgensen
|
TEAM 3 B. Lowry F. Thompson C. Bowker H. Sawyer |
TEAM 4 J. Barns B. Blount D. Putnam L. Young |
TEAM 5 J. Bordeau J. Young A. Chipman R. Burleigh |
TEAM 6 S. Blakeslee K. Ray H. Herodes J. Carr |
|
0 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
10 |
10/25/13 FRIENDS FOREVER
Our speakers this week (10/25) will be fourteen youths visiting us from Northern Ireland, who are part of a year-long trip/training experience conducted by Friends Forever USA (FF). The organization was founded in 1986 by the Rotary Club of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and in particular Robert Reiche, one of its members. The purpose is to promote trust, empathy and friendship among cultures in conflict. Any given group will comprise Catholics and Protestants from Northern Ireland and/or Arabs and Jews from Israel. The very first group had only 10 participants. Today there are over 1000 youths who have been through the program. The youths are put into a structured life style, sometimes called a "Life Raft," where they live and interact together. They cook and clean, hike, do community volunteering and speak to both students in local schools and Rotary Clubs. The program is designed to make them inter-dependent, thereby fostering friendship.
In 2008 Robert Reiche received the "Service Above Self" award from Rotary International. Today, serving on the Friends Forever Board are eight Rotarians from seven different Rotary Clubs around New England.
10/11/13 THE PORTLAND MUSUM OF ART
Our speaker last week was Mark Bessire, Director of the Portland Museum of Art (PMA). His talk was short, but enthusiastic and focused. He described the museum as being a premier regional museum. This may have been modesty talking because PMA has a premier national reputation.
He said that the Winslow Homer exhibit in the museum has been one of their most successful as has the number of visits to his studio. He attributes this to Homer's paintings which seem timeless and have appeal across generations.
As is the case with many museums, PMA always needs money. Federal money is uncertain at best and state money is small, if any. PMA, however, is blessed with loyal patrons and a solid membership. Nevertheless, they have to be careful about what art they borrow from other museums. Depending on the value of the borrowed art work, PMA's liability insurance may turn out to be more than they can afford.
0ne anecdote he told had to do with the Detroit museum. Their collection is exceedingly valuable and the state is fighting the City for its worth. This has forced museums, on the 990 Tax returns they must file, to list the value of their collections at $1.
And finally, in response to a question, Mark said that PMA was in favor of the renovation of the park across the street by the new owners of the Eastland Hotel. It would help all of the businesses in the area.
By the end of Mark's presentation it was very clear that Portland and the entire State of Maine are lucky to have the Portland Museum of Art.
10/11/13 BITS AND PIECES
It was a fun Friday Rotary lunch at the Portland Museum of Art and we had an unusually large turnout. Dave Small's invocation was a Thanksgiving poem entitled “The Harvest” by Rev. Max Coots. It was wonderful and even got a round of applause.
We had two former members of Portland Rotary, Don Zillman and Tim Tower in our midst. Also Past District Governor Marty Helman was in attendance.
Harold Crabill mentioned the mentoring program at Long Creek Youth Development Center and the upcoming Halloween party October 30th to be held there. It will be from 6:30PM until about 8PM. Any and all are invited. Please contact Harold if you are interested in participating and for further details.
Kathy Grammer, in preparation for our Centennial celebration, invited fellow Rotarians for a meet and greet - longtime Rotarians - new Rotarians - enjoy some
fellowship and sharing of ideas on Tuesday, November 5th, at the Cumberland Club. (See separate notice in this bulletin.) Christine Force mentioned to said reporter that the Centennial program subcommittee is looking for a significant keynote speaker for the events surrounding the club's anniversary. They would welcome your ideas; contact Christine.
Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore, co-chairs of the International Service Committee announced there will also be a Dominican Republic travel group meeting coming up in the near future.
The raffle was $852 this week....and the winner was.....Al Sargent, whereupon he broke out into song.
There was recently a literacy trivia contest for LearningWorks and the team of Peter Johnson, Erik Jorgensen, Erik Lusk and Bowen Depke, won. Congratulations!
10/18/13 LIFE IN THE LEGISLATURE - Erik Jorgensen
Our speaker for Friday, Oct. 18th will be our own Erik C. Jorgensen, speaking on what it's like to be a freshman Maine legislator in a time of such polarization. Erik has lived in Greater Portland since the 1980's and a Deering neighborhood resident since 2000.
He was elected to the Legislature in 2012 and was appointed to the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs. In that role, Erik is one of 13 people responsible for developing and overseeing Maine's state budget. He has been particularly focused on working to make sure that urban issues, especially Portland's unique needs, are not forgotten in Augusta.
Professionally, he has spent more than 25 years working in Maine educational organizations, including as director of the Pejepscot Historical Society in Brunswick for ten years. From 1999-2012 he worked for the Maine Humanities Council, the last five-plus of those years serving as Executive Director. The Humanities Council is a state-wide nonprofit organization, Maine's affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. As a result, he has visited nearly every community in the State and learned Maine's problems from an array of community groups, schools, colleges, prisons, tribal entities, and local organizations.
Erik has been involved in organizational management for more than 2 decades. Non-profit organizations are businesses, and he has met payrolls, balanced budgets, and worked with government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. One of his most important strengths has been in working successfully with diverse groups of constituents in projects as varied as the Creative Economy initiative, the New Century Community Program (an inter-agency cultural funding initiative), cultural tourism development and various civic activities.
Erik has an AB from Bowdoin College and an MPA from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, for which he received the Henry Brooks Public Service Fellowship.
He has served on a number of boards and community groups, both local, state-wide and national. He served for six years on the board of directors of the Maine Center for Economic Policy; is currently serving on the board of Good Will-Hinckley and the Daveis Foundation; and is a former chair of the MPBN Community Advisory Board. Outside of Maine, his service has included the serving on the board of the Project On Civic Reflection, a Chicago-based program that uses literature and history to help provide insight into civic and community issues; and he has served on the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
10/11/13 Portland Museum of Art - Mark Bessire
Mark H. C. Bessire
Director, Portland Museum of Art
Mark H. C. Bessire became Director of the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) on March 1, 2009. Previously, Bessire was the Director of the Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine where he initiated a Collections Project Series, worked with departments to create cross-disciplinary exhibitions through a Synergy Fund, exhibited Chinese art to support Bates’s strong Asian Studies Program, and strengthened the Friends of the Museum program. At Bates, he was also a lecturer in the Humanities and Chair of the Committee on Public Art. As the Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine from 1998 to 2003, he organized many exhibitions there, including The Photography of Ike Ude and Eracism: William Pope.L, which traveled nationally and was accompanied by an MIT Press Publication. During his time at the PMA, Bessire has curated such exhibitions as Tanja Alexia Hollander: Are You Really My Friend? and Ahmed Alsoudani: Redacted.
Bessire holds a M.B.A. from Columbia University, a M.A. in art history from Hunter College, and a B.A. from New York University. He was a Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney Museum of Art and a Fulbright Fellow in Tanzania. He has published widely, including three books with MIT Press, has organized numerous traveling exhibitions, and has participated on national art juries. He is active in local, community, and national public art programs and also lectures on museum studies.
Bessire is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Maine Arts Commission, the Board of Advisors at SPACE Gallery, and the University of Southern Maine Board of Visitors. He is a founding board member of the non-profit organization Africa Schoolhouse, which is dedicated to building schools in rural Africa. Mark and his wife, Amy, an Associate Professor of Art at MECA, have two children and live in Portland.
10/04/13 BITS AND PIECES
You had to pay close attention on Friday in order to keep up with all the action: KATHY GRAMMER led us in invocation; we marked RUSS BURLEIGH'S 75th birthday with a rousing chorus of the birthday song (along with a cake); BOB CLARK secured two tickets to the Red Sox play-off game in an ad-hoc auction convened by PRESIDENT JOHN, who also pointed out the successful March of Dimes event conducted by JANELLE LOSCIUTO. He also called attention to the “Clock That [Now] Keeps on Ticking” in Monument Square and PAST PRESIDENT CYRUS’ accomplishments captured in the dedication ceremony video by the local news crews. The clock is now known as the Rotary Clock.
HAROLD CRABILL, Chair of the Youth Services Committee, announced that we have adopted the Cedars unit of Long Creek Youth Development Center and invited members to join in monthly outings to help mentor Long Creek residents. The first event is October 30th with a Halloween Party. Sign-up next week!
AMY CHIPMAN shared a "Foundation Minute" and asked for suggestions for non-members who are active in areas of the community that we might want to recognize as Paul Harris Fellows. These areas include: Peace & Conflict Prevention/Resolution; Disease Prevention & Treatment; Water & Sanitation; Maternal & Child Health; Basic Education & Literacy; and Economic & Community Development. Send the names of individuals worthy of recognition to Amy. She also pointed out that only one-third of the Club's members are participating in the Foundation as Sustaining Members. The goal is 100%.
STEVE STROMSKY, Chair of the Community Service Committee, is looking for volunteers to help maintain a consistent Club presence at the Preble Street Resource facility. Five people per month are necessary to help provide staff for meal service from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm. STEVE will coordinate the day and have a sign-up sheet next meeting.
SCOTT BLAKESLEE conducted the raffle and Loretta missed the $850 jackpot. She did remind us, however, to register for next week’s luncheon meeting at the Portland Museum of Art.
GUS CARLSON shared the Service Club Trophy from the MS Regatta; the result of $1,350 raised by the Club to support the mission of the MS Regatta.
RUSS BURLEIGH announced the need for more yarn for mittens to be knitted by his wife, Joan, and shared with children who need them. He also thanked everyone for his cake and birthday wishes, sharing the words of our own David Moody: “Never regret growing old; it is a privilege denied to many.”
BILL BLOUNT led the singing of “Rotary, My Rotary,” which amuses many of us.
For those of you who missed the Saturday Portland Press Herald, there was an article by Susan Lebel Young about the urge to gossip. At the end of the column she quotes the Rotary Four- Way Test as a way of stemming gossip:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Does it foster Good Will and Friendship?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
10/04/13 AGREE TO DISAGREE - Ethan Strimling/Phil Harriman
Ethan Strimling Eric Lusk Phil Harriman
Eric Lusk introduced Ethan Strimling and Phil Harriman, whom you read about in last week's Windjammer. The home-grown politicos agreed to respond to questions and statements posited by Eric, who acted as moderator. Ethan sat to the audience's far left and Phil to the far right, positions to which they are accustomed. A fair and balanced exchange was the promise by all three.
Moderator: Please comment on what many now are describing as one of our most polarizing moments in our nation's history and how we can deal with it.
Ethan: First I want to acknowledge Rotary and your good works. What you are asking me to comment on is a difficult situation. We have had several government shut downs. Our recent history has examples of struggles, like Tip O'Neill vs Ronald Regan and Newt Gingrich vs Bill Clinton. What makes our time different, appears to be an anger fanning the flames of our ideological divide.
Phil: I want to thank Rotary for inviting us to be here and affirm Ethan's compliments to Rotary and then take a moment to greet fellow high school class mate and championship athlete: Peter Goffin. This is the most divisive moment in our history citing the politics of the Civil War and Lyndon Johnson declining to run for a second term because of public division over Viet Nam.
Moderator: Why is our state government not quite as dysfunctional?
Phil: Because the state's constitution requires a balanced budget and diverse legislators must compromise between destablizing expensive programs and fiscal conservatism.
Ethan: I disagree. The balanced budget is the result of the efficiencies of a Democratically-controlled legislature. The legislature came within three votes of a state government shut down, like 1992.
Phil: Because of the need to balance the budget, ideologies had to be put aside.
Ethan: I agree...I admired several Republican legislators who voted a sales tax increase into the last budget.
Moderator: What lessons did the 2010 Democrats and 2012 Republicans learn from their respective wins and losses?
Ethan: Money pouring into many close races each time had a lot to do with it.
Phil: Democrats had good candidates in 2012. Republicans had a good message, but Democrats went into unstable districts accusing the vulnerable Republican candidates of voting for programs that Democrats had also voted for.
Moderator: What about the tradition of the independent candidate in Maine, does it fill a void?
Phil: I worked with Governor Longley who struggled against both parties. The void is that the public grows weary of partisanship. This gives power to the independent.
Ethan: The cult of personality is crucial to getting elected and staying in power. In 1994 Susan Collins' power was eroding. Angus King saw that and went to the right, after her electoral base. Compare his moves in 2012 when Democrat Cynthia Dill failed to attract and King went after her left-leaning constituents with his message.
Moderator: Ethan why don't you run as an independent?
Ethan: Because my values closely align with the Democratic Party. When you deviate from your values solely for personal gain, bad things happen.
Moderator: How do the both of you manage to keep things so civil?
Phil: Ethan has a good personality and is not dogmatic. He cares about public policy and we both agree not to get overly emotional when we explain our positions on topics of interest.
Ethan: We agreed in the beginning not to yell at each other. That's not the way it's done in Maine. Phil even sports a pocket square.(like President John) What's there not to like?
Moderator: Acknowledging that a lot can change, how will the next election go?
Ethan: Hillary will win the presidential election. If I had to bet, I would only risk fifty cents, but Governor LePage will get re-elected. His base is solid. He's doing what his party expects him to do. Both houses in Maine will stay the same.
Phil: The Maine senate could go to the Republicans, but that is a long shot The house will stay with the Democrats.
10/04/13 WHY CAN'T PEOPLE GET ALONG IN AUGUSTA? Ethan Strimling and Phil Harriman
AGREE TO DISAGREE
This week our speakers will be Ethan Strimling and Phil Harriman, those intrepid political analysts who appear regularly on WCSH to explain, or try to explain, politics in Maine. They will give us their insights as to why it is so difficult to just get along in Augusta.
Ethan Strimling was born and raised in New York City. From 1985 to 1987 he attended the Juilliard School of Theater in New York. Subsequently he received a B.A. Degree in History from the University of Maine and, in 1994, a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard. He began his education in politics by going to Washington DC after graduation to become a legislative aide to then First District Congressman Tom Andrews.
His first run for office in Maine was in 1999 for the Portland City Council, which he lost. However, he was elected to the Maine State Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006. During this period he served on the Labor, Taxation and Criminal Justice Committees. In 2006 he became Co-Chair of Maine's Homeland Security Task Force, and in 2010, he was appointed to the New England Board of the Anti-Defamation League, the first Mainer to hold such a post. Currently he is the Chief Executive Officer of LearningWorks, a major educational not-for-profit in Portland.
Phil Harriman, for over 30 years, has worked with family-held and nonprofit businesses in the areas of retirement planning, business continuation arrangements and estate planning. He started his career with Maine Governor James B. Longley’s insurance agency in 1977. In 1983, he and Michael A. Lebel formed an independent insurance and investment brokerage firm - Lebel & Harriman, LLP.
Phil is a graduate of Husson University in Bangor, Maine earning a B.S. degree in Business Administration, majoring in Insurance. He was awarded the Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant designations from The American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. He is a licensed and bonded life insurance consultant.
Philip Harriman is the former Chairman of the Yarmouth Town Council and four-term State Senator. During his senate terms he was the ranking Republican on the Appropriations, Health and Human Services, Utilities & Energy and Natural Resources Committees. Mr. Harriman is a co-founder of Lebel & Harriman, LLP, a business succession, retirement and estate planning firm located in Falmouth, Maine. He started with former Maine Governor James B. Longley's life insurance agency in 1978. He is the host of Inside Maine heard on 560WGAN News Radio and delivers political opinion and analysis for WCSH & WLBZ the NBC television affiliates in Maine.
Phil's hobbies include fly fishing, skeet, jogging and golf.
9/27/13 LONG CREEK YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER: Risk Reduction, Not Risk Management
Friday's Rotary meeting was held at the
Long Creek Youth Development
Center (LCYDC), one of the country's
premier youth detention facilities.
Our speakers were Jeff Merrill, Superintendent of the facility, and Jeff, a youth resident currently staying at the center.
Jim Willey, President John Marr and Jeff Merrill.
Jeff Merrill first talked about the history of LCYDC. It was created by the Maine legislature in 1853 and had undergone many changes over the years, not all of them positive. Finally, in 2002, the facility was rebuilt, modernized and made state-of the-art. Today it houses both young men and women, ages approximately 11-21, has 168 beds and a staff of 154. That does not count the multitude of volunteers who give their time to help out in so many ways. The center has an annual budget of about $50 miilion and it is currently operating at about 90% of capacity.
The facility has various levels of detention ranging from high-risk to low risk, each level with its own living quarters and rules. It is interesting to note that the youth that are sent to LCYDC, mainly by the courts, are sent for indeterminate periods of time. It is up to authorities at the facility to decide when an offender is ready for release.
If LCYDC had a slogan, it could be "risk reduction, not risk management." Along with medical care, the facility provides social services, educational testing, classroom instruction and sports programs. It also has a program that allows well-trained therapy dogs to come on the premises to help youths reduce their stress. In short, a supreme effort is made to treat the conditions that brought the youth to the facility in the first place, to give him/her care and compassion and to prepare them to be responsible people in the world outside the fences.
Our second speaker, Jeff, a current detainee , spoke to one of the ways in which care and understanding are provided: volunteer mentors. He spoke with affection and warmth about his own mentor and how that person had become not only his friend, but also his family. It was obvious that Long Creek had given Jeff something that had been sorely lacking in his prior life.
If you wish to learn more about volunteering, call Stephanie Netto at Long Creek, at 822-2605.
09/20/13 BITS AND PIECES
SMCC Culinary students cooked and served a delicious and beautiful feast for our meeting on Friday. (More pictures of the beautifully arranged and delectable cuisine.)
RAFFLE DRAWING: We had a slight change in our raffle program this week and held a 50/50 raffle, which Loretta Rowe won $84.
Liz and Roger Fagan and John Curran spoke about the 3-H projects – Hearing, Hands and H2O - in the Dominican Republic and thanked the four Rotary clubs involved in the program: Portland, South Portland Sunrise, Singer Island and South Portland/Cape Elizabeth. The Liz and Roger Fagan explained that they first started distributing hearing aids internationally in 1992 in India through a program they called, “Listen Up.” When they moved the program to the Dominican Republic, it was renamed “Hearts for Hearing.” For the Hands project, John reported that the group has distributed 165 hands in the past 2 years to those who lost their hands in acts of violence with machetes. John credits the Fagans for inspiring him to service and said the international service work is what attracted him to Rotary in the first place. Plans for the future of these 3-H projects are as follows:
• expand to another city
• evaluate past patients
• install 100 water filters
• construct hand washing stations and latrines in the bateys
• partner with vocational technical schools.
John, Liz and Roger invited other local Rotary clubs to join in this effort through their contributions, donation of supplies and/or joining a future service trip.
Following the Rotary lunch meeting, the Rotary Clubs of Portland and South Portland Sunrise, and SMCC hosted Hola: Republica Dominicana!: a Dominican Cultural Festival and Benefit Concert. Proceeds from this event provided scholarships for healthcare providers in the Dominican Republic and international and multi-cultural students who attend SMCC. The event included a powerful documentary, called “The Price of Sugar”, which showed the deplorable living and working conditions for dispossessed Haitians cutting cane by machete and the cultural strife this work causes. The afternoon continued with a Dominican Healthcare Initiatives talk by Moises Sifren, Administrative Director, Hospital El Buen Samaritano and ended with a concert by an energetic meringue band from the Dominican Republic, the Revalacion Marantha. A big thank you to the International Services Committee who organized this marvelous event.
ROTARY CLOCK: On October 3rd at 10 AM, the Rotary Clock in Monument Square will be dedicated. Mayor Brennan will be on hand. Rotarians are encouraged to attend the ceremony.
FENWAY PARK: Thanks to the efforts of Mike Fortunato, a group of 25 Rotarians and guests attended a Red Sox/Orioles game at Fenway Park last week...and it was a beautiful night for it.
09/20/13 SMCC - Ron Cantor & DR Int'l Program
Last Friday, as members of the Portland Rotary Club and South Portland Sunrise Rotary Club took in an amazing view of Casco Bay from the dining room of the Culinary Arts Building on the spectacular campus of Southern Maine Community College, we heard from the President of SMCC, Ron Cantor. Dr. Cantor shared the dreams and goals of this expansive technical college, which now has 7,500 students on two campuses and offers programs in 47 areas at just $88 per credit hour.
And this is some of the food we had as we listened to Dr. Cantor:
President Cantor’s remarks focused on the efforts that SMCC is making to bring students, faculty and programs together with both the greater Portland area and the southern Maine communities. In his words, “the college is the heart of the community and the community is the heart of the college.” The effort is to transform students through an inclusive, not exclusive, approach to school and learning.
We saw just a bit of this as we watched the two dozen
or so culinary students buzz around our luncheon tables, re-filling glasses, cleaning and telling their own stories. One of them was a young woman who grew up in Michigan but, after moving to Maine and studying culinary arts at SMCC, decided she never wanted to move far from Portland. It is this type of joy of learning and commitment to community that has allowed this small college to grow from just 2,800 students a decade ago to become the second largest undergraduate school in Maine. Its annual budget is about fifty million dollars and a brand new campus is under construction in Brunswick. Such expansion will accommodate the growing needs of two-year students who seek immediate employment within their chosen field, be that after graduation or merely after a course or two.
With SMCC’s motto of “empowering people to respond to a changing world,” the curriculum is not limited to classroom teaching and learning, but provides a “creative hybrid” of online courses and workplace learning that fosters student success and confidence. Dr. Cantor’s vitality was apparent as he outlined his passion for the school and the opportunity to lead by example. SMCC creates opportunities not only for traditional students, but also refugees and those who have sought asylum in our quaint little corner of the world. The “community footprint” of SMCC will be felt throughout the state and the region, as this former sleepy little vocational school powers its way to becoming a leader in sending well-qualified and passionate alumni into a welcoming workforce here in Maine.
09/13/13 DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S VISIT
At our Friday meeting at the Italian Heritage Center, our speaker was our District Governor of District 7780, Carolyn Johnson, a member of the Yarmouth Rotary Club. Her talk consisted of a series of descriptions of Rotary projects, both local and international, which demonstrate what Rotary is all about.
First she told us about "Project Reassure" in which the Yarmouth Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Yarmouth Police Department, checks on elderly residents who live alone. It’s all about remembering, recognizing and reassuring...plus it includes delivery of a Christmas gift basket around the holiday. Carolyn related a delivery she made to a woman who told her that this was the only present she would receive that Christmas, because her husband and all of her children were deceased. Truly a heart-warming example of Rotary reaching out.
She then told about her project to provide books to elementary school children in Guatemala. During the ceremony at which the books were presented, a banner was unfurled with the Rotary 'Four-Way Test' in Spanish. The leader of the school stopped the proceedings to read the banner, but translated it into the native language dialect spoken by the children. He finished by exclaiming that the Rotarians had brought them a new way of life!
We were reminded that the keyway in the inner circle of the Rotary wheel signifies Rotary’s sharing with others, and the notches on the outer circle signify the connection and reaching-out to and with others around the world.
Sound advice that we might want to keep in mind as we think about new club projects: engaging Rotary is getting families involved and making projects family friendly.
As examples of reaching out to other clubs, Carolyn described her trip to attend the inauguration of the new club in Dingle, Ireland, and floating in an air balloon provided by her Rotary hosts in Poland on Thanksgiving Day. Her talk made it very clear that we should wear our Rotary pin with pride, be ready to explain Rotary’s ideal of service and live the Four-Way Test. We need to show how proud we are to be Rotarians.....Rotary really does change lives, and the life which is changed the most may be our own.
Carolyn, former Portland Rotarian, now a Dingle, Ireland Rotarian, Ray Farrell and President John.
09/13/13 BITS AND PIECES
We were back at the Italian Heritage Center in mass numbers on Sep. 13, 2013. It was great to see former member and former mayor, Cheryl Leeman there.
Cyrus Hagge announced that the Monument Square Clock Project is nearing the final stages! After getting the clock installed, with a beautiful rotary emblem on the pole, the clock synced into a GPS system and began telling exact time this past week. The only pomp left is to have a ceremony with Mayor Brennan and other dignitaries in early October. We should ALL be very proud of this project, the importance of which will most likely outlive us all!
By the time you read this, about 30 Portland Rotarians, family and friends may have returned from a social outing at Fenway Park to see our beloved Red Sox take on the Orioles on Tuesday (9/17) night. Thanks so much to Mike Fortunato, who has spearheaded this and many other social events over the past year.
Speaking of Rotary social events, the 21st year of the Portland Rotary Tennis League started up this week, with 24 members and a dozen or so alternates enjoying the season, which will run into next spring. Bill Blount, who brought this idea with him from the Utica, NY Rotary Club has been and continues to be our esteemed and sometimes beloved commissioner.
Mark your calendars: our Portland Rotary Club meeting will be held at the Long Creek Youth Center on September 27th, with the meeting commencing at 12:00 SHARP and tours of the facility beginning at 1:00. We will hear not only from the head of the center, Jeff Merrill, but also one of the students. Please remember to NOT bring your cell phone into the facility and know that you will have to go through a metal detector to enter. Also, no children are allowed to join us for this event, which promises to be inspiring, thanks to the efforts of Mike Fortunato, Jim Willey and the rest of the active mentors within our club who do such amazing work with these kids. THERE WILL BE SIGN-UP SHEETS ON THE TABLES THIS FRIDAY FOR THOSE WHO PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING ON 9/27 AND ALSO SIGN UPS TO TAKE THE TOUR OF THE CENTER.
Author Lois Lowry has joined forces with Patty Hagge and her talented group at The Telling Room for a special program at The Hannaford Lecture Hall at USM on Wednesday, September 25th at 7:00 p.m., where she will speak on the inspiration behind her works, including the novel “The Giver,” the adaptation of which is currently in production in South Africa for a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges. Stay tuned for details as this project reaches the big screen in 2014.
Join the SP/CE Rotary Club for an auction, followed by a FREE production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” this coming Thursday, the 19th, at The Portland Players in South Portland. Please show up around 6:00 p.m. to make your bids on some amazing items in the auction, followed by the show at 7:30 p.m.
Susie Daniels, our newest member, got the call to draw the Queen of Hearts…but, alas, the elusive card lives to see another day. The pot grows even bigger…..
Ron Bennett offering Susie Daniels a chance at drawing the Q of hearts.
Jan Chapman was very happy to announce that we have garnered enough funds (thanks to Dick Giles and others) to purchase a bus for the vocational school in La Romana, DR, so that the students who want to go to school can now get to the facility. This is great news!!
Kris Rosado has held his first meeting regarding our major fundraiser, the Maine Outdoor Challenge. Keep this event in mind as you attend restaurants and enjoy the outdoors this fall. It’s never too early to ask for gift certificates from the establishments you visit.
REMEMBER TO CONTACT LORETTA AT: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432 IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THIS FRIDAY'S MEETING AT SMCC. SPACE IS LIMITED, SO RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.
09/06/13 MARY MAYHEW AND THE FUTURE OF MAINECARE
The hospital bed curtain was pulled aside Friday to reveal a state medical system struggling with a financial and service malaise. Mary C. Mayhew, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, gave us an inside look at the serious issues the her department faces. It surprised many to hear DHHS’s budget is over $3.4 billion with over 3,000 employees.
Her mission to eliminate the fractured, uncoordinated service structure that has developed over the years follows their mantra: Right Size, Right Service, Right Priorities.
To underscore the problem she provided some scary facts:
Fact: 1 in 5 Mainers receive Medicaid benefits (enrollment has doubled in 13 years).
Fact: Growth in Maine Medicaid program is crowding other General Fund spending (i.e. transportation, education, etc.). There has been an increase of over $1 billion in cost in the last 10 years while the enrollment has doubled.
Fact: The system is broken. Care delivery is uncoordinated, priorities are not aligned with funding, and the system is based on paying for volume, not results.
Commissioner Mayhew offered some fixes that DHHS is hard at work to implement. They include changing to a value-based purchasing system for better patient outcome at less cost and coordinating community-based care by reducing emergency department use. She noted 5% of DHHS users account for 54% of costs of emergency room services. Success in meeting these new priorities will require support for more in-home care, reduction in unemployment, and establishing performance measures in future health care contracts.
We wish her success in this important mission.
09/06/13 BITS AND PIECES
The meeting at the Clarion was crowded, making it necessary for the staff to set up an additional table and to have some members dining at the serving table. It was great to see such a wonderful turnout. President John is off to a terrific start, which may be one of the reasons for the good attendance. Coming to a meeting is worth the trip just to enjoy the entertainment value of our fearless leader.
The invocation given by Bruce Jones reminded us that there is no profit in putting off hopes for happiness to the future; we should all embrace happiness in the here and now.
Returning to the flock, Greg Hansel attended the meeting and even brought a guest, Jon Doyle. It was a treat to see Greg back, and here’s hoping that Jon will be coming aboard to join the Club.
The Club got a bit stronger with the introduction of two new members, both of whom portend to add some firepower to our projects. We had the pleasure of welcoming Sarah Joy, a former member of the Bangor Rotary Club, who was introduced by and works with Joel Gratwick, and Susie Daniels, an RN engaged in the health care delivery field, who was introduced by Ellen Niewoehner.
Prez John welcoming Sarah Joy
Ellen Niewoehner, Prez John and Susie Daniels
Luck of the draw? Charlie McKee got the chance to try and draw the Queen of Hearts for the $756 jackpot, but came up with the King of Hearts—oh, so close!
Leading up to introducing our speaker, Eric Lusk came up with a series of questions for the members, all of which were answered with a “Seven,” including the number of touchdown passes thrown by Peyton Manning in Thursday night’s Denver-Baltimore football game. We get the feeling that we are going to hear more about the Broncos as Eric, who appears to be a Denver fan, will be introducing more speakers in the future.
Mike Fortunato wants to let everyone know who is going to the Red Sox game on the 17th that the bus will leave at 4:00 pm from the Weathervane Restaurant parking lot at the Maine Mall, so getting there by 3:30 pm or a little after is probably a good idea.
Reminder for September 20th Meeting - Limited space/seating for the lunch portion of the day, which will be our regular meeting for the week. ONLY 84 meal tickets are available for $16. PLEASE CONTACT LORETTA ROWE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET FOR THE LUNCH ASAP. It will be a first-come, first-served event. All area Rotary clubs have been invited....so reserve your ticket now. Once the "spots" are filled, we cannot take additional attendees. Lunch will be served by the Culinary Arts Dept at SMCC.
And here is Dave Small conversing with Commissioner Mahew after her presentation.
09/13/13 District Governor Carolyn Johnson to Visit Portland Rotary
District Governor Carolyn Johnson is a member of the Rotary Club of Yarmouth, Maine and has been a Rotarian since 2001. Her introduction to Rotary was as a spouse, but she soon decided it was much more rewarding - and fun - to be a member of a club.
Professionally, Carolyn is an educator with more than 30 years experience. She taught and was a principal at the elementary school level. She was selected as a Distinguished Educator by the Maine Department of Education to assist schools in developing student support teams and anti-bullying programs. In 2006, she began volunteering with the Guatemala Literacy Project. This volunteerism evolved into developing a program to improve the quality of literacy instruction for indigenous children in Guatemala. This initiative has grown from a single school in 2007 to 38 primary schools serving more than 4200 children.
Carolyn was selected to be Group Study Exchange Team Leader to Poland in 2009. She has chaired our District's Literacy Resource, New Generations, Youth Protection and Foundation Transition Committee. Carolyn is on staff of the Rotary Leadership Institute, is a facilitator for Club Visioning, and has served on the District Training Team. As a result of her work with literacy initiatives, Carolyn has addressed audiences at Zone Institutes and Rotary International Conventions on promising literacy practices in developing nations.She was a keynote speaker at the 2012 Northeast PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar). In 2009, Carolyn was honored to be awarded Rotary's Service Above Self Award.
Carolyn has been involved with a number of community organizations, including Yarmouth Senior Housing, which provides safe, affordable housing options for elder citizens. She is on the board of Learning Works, which offers education opportunities for at-risk youth, immigrants and low-income families.
Growing up in Warren, PA, Carolyn attended Grove City College, where she met her husband, Past District Governor Peter Johnson (2001-02). After living in Washington, DC, Detroit, Guam and Wyoming. They moved to Maine in 1986 and make their home in Yarmouth. They are proud of their son, Andrew, his wife, Sonja and their two grandchildren....Hannah and Evan.
When not doing Rotary, they enjoy gardening, travel and a little golf. Carolyn has become interested in practicing yoga, enjoys walking and biking.
Peter and Carolyn are both Major Donors to the Rotary Foundation, are members of the Paul Harris Society and the Bequest Society.
08/30/13 BITS AND PIECES
Hadlock Field - a perfect day to be there - light, cooling breeze from left field, sunshine, white clouds and Dave Snow first in line for the food.
Table talk ranged from "where's our meeting next week," (schedule and locations listed on the Home Page and in the Bulletin), to Meredith Small describing some delicious food she's had recently (but not eating any lunch) and Herb Carmichael saying that his visit to Alaska wasn't all that great.
Past President Cy announced that on September 27, at 10AM, in Monument Square, the foundation would be laid for installing the refurbished, redesigned and practically new clock. WELL DONE, CYRUS!!!
President John introduced the young progeny who were guests. There was Katie, daughter of Laura Young and future marine biologist; Jordan, daughter of Scott Blakeslee and future professional photographer; Ryan, son of John Curran, who wants to play in the NFL; and Will, son of Eric Jorgensen and future Hedge Fund Manager. So...it would seem that the future Rotarians will be an eclectic group. Here they are,posing for a Russ Burleigh portrait with the two Sea Dog players who spoke to us, Matt Spring, catcher, and Bobby Lonnigan, reliever.
Loretta had a chance at over $600 in the raffle pot, but couldn't draw the right queen. Close but...and here are two Rotarians (Bill Blount and Dave Smith) discussing world peace at Hadlock Field.
George Crockett is seeking bedding, clothes, household items, hygiene products and baby items for the 40 residents of 129 Grant Street who were displaced by a major fire a few weeks ago. Rachel Horton of the Parkside Neighborhood Association has reached out to Portland Rotary, through George, and asked for help. If you can donate, call a member of the Community Service Committee or George directly. He will make sure they are delivered to Parkside.
08/30/13 A VISIT WITH THE SEA DOGS
LET'S TALK BASEBALL!
The Sea Dogs again hosted us at Hadlock Field for another meeting in the picnic area. Bill Blount led us with the same song he has used for the last 10 years at Hadlock Field, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Bill then introduced our speakers, Sea Dog catcher Matt Spring (returning to our Portland Rotary gathering from last year) and relief pitcher Bobby Lannigan. Matt said he enjoyed talking last year, and Bobby thanked us for a free meal.
Bobby wanted to be a pro ball player since he was young. Hard work and being in the right spot were the lucky combination which allowed Matt to achieve his dream. Matt complimented Rotary on work in the community and told us the Sea Dogs are constantly reaching out to help the community. Matt played 20 games against the Sea Dogs as a Rocket, but he was still warmly welcomed by team when he joined. He feels good to be part of a Red Sox-Nation team.
Matt was also very pleased to have such a warm community welcome.
Matt says that Bobby is a good addition to the team. Matt and Bobby are part of the breakfast club, which is unusual for baseball players, with a reputation of sleeping to noon. Matt and Bobby stopped at Starbucks on the way, so they would not be walking zombies. Matt mentioned that once he got pulled over in his car and when he told the cop that he was a Sea Dog, he got a warning, but no ticket. Portland Sea Dogs get free stuff. Thanks, Portland.
Questions and Answers...some interesting ones were:
Matt - With 5 games to make the playoffs, what is the hardest thing to achieve this? We need to win first to make five in a row. Every game needs to be won. The Sea Dogs are playing well now, so they have very good chance.
Bobby - Do you really follow signals? Yes, mostly I agree and occasionally wave one off. I need to trust the catcher, and I do trust him.
Bobby - Are you "in the zone" during games? I am totally focused once the call comes in for me to play. I don't hear cheering from family or friends because I'm totally focused on the pitching.
Matt - How are the big leagues different? The biggest difference between double A and the majors is consistency. Guys in the majors are able to consistently deliver every game.
Matt - How does Hadlock Field compare to other parks? The facility is the best in the league. The fans are great and their support from the stands is awesome. The player facilities are definitely the best in the league. We have an indoor batting cage and a weight room on site. Hadlock and Portland are First Class.....the best. Red Sox Nation is very good to its teams.
08/23/13 BITS AND PIECES
President John Marr convened the assembled. Kathy Grammer played the patriotic song and Toby Cook led us in the pledge to our flag. Russ Burleigh invoked us with a poem named Invictus by William Ernest Henley.
President John reminded us that we will be travelling for the coming weeks. Friday, 8/30, we will be at Hadlock Field to hear about our beloved Sea Dogs. See schedule below for other upcoming dates to mark on your calendar.
The Raffle drew Harold Crabill up for a shot at $678, but the elusive Queen of Hearts remained embedded within her coterie. Meredith Small led us in song with Kathy Grammer on the ivories. We sang Yesterday by the Beatles, which was challenging but memorable.
Put Sept 14th on your calendar for the annual Camp Sunshine clean up. This is a District 7780 event. And, on the same date the Portland Sunrise Club celebrates its 25th anniversary at DiMillo's.
More about September 20 - Brown Fox Printing and MEMIC are major sponsors for the Dominican event at SMCC. Limited space/seating for the lunch portion of the day, which will be our regular meeting for the week. ONLY 84 meal tickets are available for $16. PLEASE CONTACT LORETTA ROWE TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET FOR THE LUNCH ASAP. It will be a first-come, first-served event. All area Rotary clubs have been invited....so reserve your ticket now. Once the "spots" are filled, we cannot take additional attendees. Lunch will be served by the Culinary Arts Dept at SMCC.
John Curran showed us a brief clip on life at the Batee in the Dominican Republic, harvesting sugar cane by Hatians in subsistence living. They need our help. To attend the events that follow the lunch, the tickets are $20 - contact Jan Chapman.
Kris Rosado announced the first committee meeting of the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) for 2014 - to be held on Sept 11th, 12 noon at the Boys and Girls Club, lunch will be provided. Last year's event raised $44,000 in only its second season. Get on board!
Mike Fortunato tells us you missed the bus. The 9/17 Red Sox outing is all filled up. The 25 participants will meet at the Weathervane Restaurant parking lot at the mall to climb on board the bus at an appointed time (TBD). If you signed up as one of the participants, you will be contacted.
You Gotta Regatta......MS Regatta that is! Gus Karlsen announced that the Service Cup that was missing, has been located and once again has been won by ... any guesses? You got it...the Portland Rotary Club!!! We sponsored two boats at $500 each. Way to go Portland Rotarians!
Foundation Minute - Our club's contributions to the Rotary Foundation are the envy of our district. District Gov. Carolyn Johnson and her husband Peter, District 7780 Foundation chair, will be at our meeting 9/13 to see how we do it and share our methods with other clubs. Amy Chipman's enthusiasm is the initiative's greatest asset.
The 100th Anniversary History/Archives Committee of Portland Rotary needs your help. They are cataloging all of our club archives for the last 98 years. If you have any archives that you can share, please contact Jim Willey or Laura Young so they can be added to the collection.
08/23/13 ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION UPDATE
Last Friday we were fortunate to have as our speaker, Bill Kirkpatrick, Program Director of the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Bill has over 30 years experience in the health industry and clearly knows his topic material. The Maine Chapter is one of seventy nationwide whose primary function is to sponsor educational programs and increase awareness of the disease.
Bill drew a contrast between Alzheimer’s and the the typical aging process:
• Dementia is the decline in cognitive function, whereas Alzheimer's is a progressive disease.
• Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, constituting 60-65% of all dementia.
• Alzheimer’s is eventually fatal.
Over 5 Million people in this country have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. These are the risk factors Bill listed for the disease:
• Age
• Women live longer and so are more likely to have this disease than men.
• Alzheimer’s in the family can increase risk.
• General health - healthy body can lead to a healthy mind.
• Head trauma.
Bill talked at length about the 10 signs foreshadowing the disease and the importance of early detection:
1. Forgetting something recently learned.
2. Problems with developing and following a plan.
3. Difficulty in completing a task.
4. Losing track of time and place.
5. Trouble with visual images and spatial relationships.
6. New problems with words, speaking or writing.
7. Misplacing things and the inability to retrace steps.
8. Decreased or poor judgment.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.
10. Changes in mood or personality.
If you are worried about yourself or another, do not ignore the symptoms, see a doctor and get treatment early. Early detection allows you to plan, and early treatment, while not a cure (because there is no cure for Alzheimer's), can slow down the progress of the disease.
This was a very informative presentation. All of us in Portland Rotary are grateful to Bill Kirkpatrick for sharing his time and his knowledge.
08/16/13 TOM DOWD - CHANGE: INEVITABLE, GROWTH: OPTIONAL
CHANGE: INEVITABLE.....GROWTH: OPTIONAL
Friday, at lunch, we heard from Tom Dowd, a motivational speaker and member of the Toast Masters Club. He was introduced by our own Laura Young.
in what had to be one of the most amusing introductions we've heard all year, Laura imitated first a person scared to death of public speaking and then a person who absolutely loved it. Someone who could have given Billy Graham a run for his money. Tom Dowd could certainly do that. Striding from side to side as he spoke into a microphone pinned to his shirt, he used the pitch and tone of his voice, his rate of speech and his gestures to keep the atttention of his audience.
With his own ups and downs in corporate life as examples, he made several useful points. Public speaking breeds confidence and can change lives, so don't be afraid of it. To that end, Tom left corporate life in 2011 and became a founding member of the Toast Masters Club in Belfast. He has been honored by Toastmasters International and is a member of the National Speakers Association.
He believes that if you really want to change, you can. Never believe that your are simply not good enough. Change takes internal strength and patience as well as self awareness. You cannot ignore but, instead, must be willing to squarely confront negative feedback from your friends and co-workers......your failures and also your successes. You have to learn from all of them. Never forget the milestones that have occurred in your life, good or bad. Use all this information as motivation to change. In short, take responsibility for yourself and your actions and allow yourself to come out of your "comfort zone."
Tom also stressed the importance of family in making changes. He said his own wife and family were hugely supportive when he left corporate life, which made his change to independence that much easier.
08/16/13 TOM DOWD - EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING
With over 23 years of experience in the financial industry in management and leadership roles, Tom Dowd was most recently a Senior Vice President at Bank of America. In 2011, he started his own business on the side called “Thomas Dowd Professional Development & Coaching” where he helps people creatively find ways to differentiate themselves in the workplace and to find their individual paths toward success. The company tagline is: “Transform into who you really want to be professionally.”
Tom is currently the Vice President of Education for Dirigo Toastmasters Club in Belfast, Maine. As a founding member of the club, Tom has been involved in Toastmasters since September 2008. Tom has his Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG) and Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB), and High Performance Leadership (HPL) certifications from Toastmasters International. Tom was awarded the District 45 Outstanding Toastmaster for 2010-2011 representing over 100 clubs in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the three Eastern Canadian Provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Tom has also exhibited consistent success when competing at the division and district level in the Humorous, International, Table Topics, and Evaluation contests. He is currently the two-time reigning Table Topics District 45 champion (2012-2013). Additionally, he is a member of the National Speakers Association. Tom graduated from the University of Delaware in 1990 with a Communication degree, concentrating on interpersonal and organizational communication.
In September 2012, Tom published two books that have recently garnered recognition in the business field. The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World, a book detailing Tom’s own professional growth based on lessons learned in his career, received honorable mention in the business category at the 2012 New England Book Festival, while From Fear to Success: a Practical Public Speaking Guide received the Gold Medal in the Business Reference category at the 2013 Axiom Book Awards, Honorable Mention at the 2013 New York Book Festival, and Honorable Mention at the 2013 Paris Book Festival. An audio book of Fear is currently in the editing phase.
Tom lives in Camden, Maine with his wife and three daughters.
08/16/13 BITS AND PIECES
Hola, Republica Dominicana
The Rotary Clubs of Portland and South Portland Sunrise, together with Southern Maine Community College,
are hosting a Dominican cultural festival and benefit concert, Friday, September 20th at SMCC, South Portland Campus. This event will support scholarships for healthcare providers in the DR and international students attending SMCC. Bruce Moore urged Rotarians to visit www.breakwater-rotary.org to learn more about the events and ticket information. Please contact John Curran, if you wish to be a sponsor. LIMITED seating for lunch....you MUST pre-register for lunch tickets...no walk-ins...for lunch ticket registration, please contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432.
International Invocation
Leave it to Russ Burleigh to provide us a Muslim prayer on this last day of Ramadan. The prayer was called Eid al-Fitr. Rotary fellowship knows no boundaries.
His Holiness
Speaking of religious moments, President John revealed that our own Jack Carr was chosen from the congregation at a Michigan wedding vow renewal ceremony to stand-in for the missing minister (probably because he was the only one wearing a dark suit). It was rumored he also performs Bar Mitzvah’s and Brit Milah’s.
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Gus Karlsen gave us a laconic plea to support the annual 100-boat MS Regatta held on 8/17. At $50 per person, our Club members have consistently supported two $500 boats, eventually giving us a trophy cup. Contact Gus.
Queen for the Day
So close. Harold Crabill picked the Queen …of Clubs in hopes of winning this week’s pot of $620. A palpable sigh spread through the members. We trust it was a sympathetic reaction rather than just avarice delight.
TV Celebrity
Our own Justine Lamontagne was recently seen on TV speaking of the waterfront Sprague commercial property transaction in Portland.
Maine Outdoor Challenge
Kris Rosado alerted all who wish to be involved in this year’s planning of the Maine Outdoor Challenge fund raiser to mark their calendars for a meeting at noon on 9/11, at the Boys & Girls Club. Lunch will be provided.
Sad News
We learned, with saddened hearts, that Peggy Wescott’s husband, Paul, has passed away. Our prayers go out to Peggy and her family. There will be visiting hours at Jones-Rich-Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodfords Street, Portland on Saturday, Aug. 17th from 5-7:00 p.m. The funeral will be held on Sunday Aug. 18th at 2:00 p.m. at Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State St., Portland, with a reception following at the Cumberland Club, 116 High Street, Portland.
Rotary Invitation
President John reminded all, Rotary is not a secret. Please invite a guest to show them what they are missing.
08/09/13 COMMISSIONER AHO - Protecting our Environment & Natural Resources
Commissioner Patricia Aho, director of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), was introduced by Eric Lusk. Commissioner Aho is an attorney and a Maine native of Boothbay Harbor. She was appointed Commissioner of the DEP in September 2011. Prior to her appointment, she was the DEP’s Deputy Commissioner. Her career interests as an attorney has been focused on public policy. In her opening remarks, she complimented Rotary International and Maine Rotarians for their efforts to provide clean water throughout the world,especially their projects in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
As DEP commissioner, Ms. Aho’s focus is providing assistance for compliance with enviromental laws for all members of the regulated community and the public. She leads the DEP’s mission to prevent, abate and control the pollution of air, water, and land and to protect natural resources. Her responsibilities include stewarding Maine’s natural resources while ensuring a sustainable economy. Such regulation is essential for Maine's environment which includes thousands of miles of coast line, 5800 lakes and ponds, huge forests and, of course, fishing and farming. In addition, DEP certifies over 2100 gas stations and 2200 earth moving contractors who work near water in areas where regulations help to prevent soil erosion.
Portland is a focal point of the DEP’s work in Southern Maine. It is led by James Dusch, Director of the DEP branch office located on Canco Road in Portland. Portland has 25 miles of working waterfront, more than any other place in the state.
Other Maine DEP offices are located in Bangor, Augusta and in Presque Isle. DEP’s annual budget is $60 million and employs 400 people including scientists, engineers, geologists and environmental assistant specialists.
Public policy initiatives are in place to help coordinate existing environmental laws to make working waterfronts productive. The DEP supported bill LD 470, “An Act Regarding Working Waterfronts Projects.” The purpose of this bill is to encourage a sustainable economy while providing effective environmental protections and to support efforts to encourage working waterfront projects. This law will provide flexibility under the mandatory shore land zoning laws for the clearing of land associated with working waterfront activities, including project sites requiring remediation due to contamination.
Along with the working waterfront initiative, the DEP also supported bill LD 1490, "An Act to Amend the Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Laws." This law changes the regulations by which nonconforming structures in the shore land zone may be expanded, including a revised definition of “footprint.” This shore land zoning proposal is effective in the fall of 2013. Other initiatives include limiting ethanol blends in gasoline, supporting an holistic approach to materials management, and the creation of a Response Division, including a Rail Response Coordination team ready to respond 24/7 in the event of an accident similar to that in Lac Megantic.
More information about the DEP is available at the website: www.maine.gov/dep/index.html
08/02/13 BITS AND PIECES
Dave Seddon joined us today and will be a regular attendee in the future, as he is changing jobs. Best of luck and welcome to a very large club in Portland Rotary, filled with alumni of former companies.
Dave Small gave us the invocation. He is in the middle of downsizing his business, hoping to make life a little less stressful. Bill Blount then harmonized Home on the Range with Prez. John.
John Marr thinks he does not need the microphone to run the meeting, but he does....and the Club told him that. He confessed that he skipped announcing July birthdays in order to skip his own. He did, however, announce the August ones. His quote of the day: " the 4th is tough to say with these fancy new teeth"......smile John!
Past President Cyrus has become a grandparent and has reached a new level of grace, which encompasses only his inner self....not how he dresses. His grandson's name is Spike Sheldon Miata. Cyrus also had the chance to win the $539 raffle, but he didn't.
Mark your calendars - Sept 20th. We have a joint meeting with South Portland Sunrise Rotary at SMCC. Meeting starts at 12:00 Noon and is followed by a fundraiser for the Dominican Republic projects. The fundraiser includes a film, a presentation, music, and food. You will need to sign up ahead. The fundraiser starts at 2:00 PM. Please contact Loretta with your pre-registration and payment.
Kris Rosado announced a "Steak and Burger Dinner" at the Boys and Girls Club, Thurs. Aug 15th at 5-7:30 p.m. Signup as a volunteer to serve or send Kris an e-mail at kris_rosado@ml.com. He also auctioned off tickets for the Sea Dog's game against the Flying Squirrels. Dave Putnam had the winning bid of $250 with all of the money going to our own 3H project.
Janelle Losciuto introduced Katherine Tannus, a new March of Dimes employee, who intends to join Rotary.
Mike Fortunato then spoke about an upcoming night at Fenway Park, on Sept. 4th, to see the Red Sox play Detroit or the 17th to see the Orioles. If he gets at least 20 he'll rent a bus. Cost is $49 plus transportation. If interested e-mail him at michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com
08/09/13 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER PATRICIA AHO
This Friday, our featured speaker will be Governor LePage's Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Pattie Aho. The department is responsible for protecting and restoring Maine's natural resources and enforcing the state's environmental laws. The agency can trace its roots back to the Sanitary Water Board that was created in 1941. The purpose of that board was to study, investigate, and recommend means of eliminating and preventing pollution in waters used for recreational purposes. In Friday’s presentation, Commissioner Aho will provide an update on some of the current activities of her agency.
Commissioner Aho has led the Department of Environmental Protection since September 2011, previously serving as Deputy Commissioner. During her tenure she has focused on making improvements to assistance, compliance, and environmental literacy for all members of the regulated community and public. By establishing the first state-run Sustainability Division in New England to incorporate DEP’s many material management programs, such as product stewardship, recycling, composting and priority chemicals, she centralized programs that had similar goals into a structured division placing more emphasis and prominence on that work.
A top priority of Ms. Aho’s is improving efficiency and transparency throughout the department while maintaining high-level protections for the environment. This work has included a thorough review of the agency’s 200+ rules to identify outdated and unnecessary rules, the establishment of the audio-streaming for the public to follow the department’s rulemaking and comment sessions, and improving internal efficiencies.
Commissioner Aho is a native of Boothbay Harbor, and a graduate of Nasson College and Western New England College School of Law. Prior to joining the department, her career focused on many environmental and energy-related issues facing Maine.
She lives in Newcastle with her husband Ron and a very rambunctious Australian shepherd.
06/21/13 BITS AND PIECES
Speaking of prayers, Dave Small gave a rousing invocation as he gave the "sign of the cross-checking". For our Fellows not attending, here’s what you missed:
Our Father who art in Boston
Hockey be thy name
Thy will be done
The cup will be won
On ice, as well as in the stands.
Give us this day our hockey sticks
And forgive us our penalties,
As we forgive those who cross-check against us,
Lead us not into elimination
But deliver us to victory.
In the name of the fans, Lord Stanley,
And in the name of the Bruins.
Amen (editorial note: wish it had worked!)
Speaking of rousing, what about that great rendition we gave to “God Bless America”?
It must have been the outstanding acoustics of the Portland Public Library’s lecture hall. If only we could fit the Club into a shower stall, we’d get a recording contract.
Here's Tom Ranello sharing a laugh with our guest, his daughter Emma
Though Dave Small made everyone smile with his hockey prayer, not so for Charlie Frair who had a slap shot at the $479 raffle this week. Sorry Charlie!
Speaking of money, a big Thank You Very Much goes out to The Skerryvore Foundation, whose Board member Chris Robinson gave the Club a check for $1,500 as he scored 21 of 25 clay pigeon hits in the Maine Outdoor Challenge shooting event, to lead the Ripple Effect team to overall 5th place.
It’s now time to talk about the Clock Project. The foundation is expected to be installed in Monument Square in July while the steel base is awaiting its time in the foundry schedule. We hope to see the Clock installed by late August with its Rotary gear plaque shining in the noon day sun.
06/21/13 PREPARING FOR THE WORST
The dispensing of these supplies is handled at Points of Distribution (PODS). These fall into three categories: open,closed and mobile (drive-thrus). It is part of CRI's function to determine where these PODS should be located. CRI currently has 16 open PODS located within its area. Open PODS are publicly accessible, and closed PODS are located in buildings where people live or work, such as apartment buildings or hospitals.
Both the stockpile program and CRI rely heavily on the "Maine Responds" emergency health volunteer system and the Medical Reserve Corps to staff and operate the PODS. CRI also relies on volunteers. These volunteers go through a training program to enhance their effectiveness.
An important part of understanding this work involves decoding the language. Ms. Hager handed out a pocket-size operations guide developed by CRI. And like many civil defense and government operations, the language is peppered with acronyms, 13 of which appear before the first page, and which continue to pop up throughout the instructions.
Disaster preparedness is extremely important in today's world and our thanks go out to the people, like Ms.Hager (shown below with our own Juliana L'Heureux), who make it work.
05/03/13 CATCHING THE WIND
At our next meeting we will enjoy a timely presentation from James Tolan. Tolan is the President of U.S. Operations for Sgurr Energy, based in Portland, Maine. He joined Sgurr in 2009 and was promoted to his current position as president of this dynamic consulting firm. SgurrEnergy is a global renewable energy consulting firm, headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. His team in Portland are currently active in projects such as the Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Massachusetts and other renewable energy projects in Idaho, California, Nova Scotia, Ontario, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and have a staff member now working in Mongolia on that country’s first wind energy project.
Jim is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. His career has included marine engineering and naval ship design; land based combined cycle power and co-generation power projects, and more recently renewable energy. Jim moved to Maine in 1988 working on the BIW DDG 51 lead ship program. Later Jim worked in Portland engineering onshore power plants for approximately 15 years. Jim successfully managed the development and construction of the San Cristobal Wind Project in the Galapagos Islands.
Jim joined SgurrEnergy in 2009 and serves as the President of US Operations, based in Portland.
He lives in Bath, with his wife Francie and their three children.BITS AND PIECES From 4/19/13
Last week, we celebrated Harry Sawyer's 80th birthday!
Don’t forget – the Outdoor Challenge is coming! You can support this effort now by purchasing a raffle ticket. And if you like to fly fish, we have an opportunity for you! For $20, you can buy a ticket that will enter you into a chance to win a $1,000 fly fishing “rig” as well as a guided outing. There are only 150 tickets being sold, so get one (or five) while you can. Check with Kris Rosado - (207)-871-1911 or kris_rosado@ml.com
Jim Willey reminded us that the March of Dimes event, The March to Help Babies, is in need of volunteers. If you have time to volunteer on May 5th, within the timeframes of 7-9am or 9-11am, please call Jim.
Also, if you would like to help Deering High Students prepare for a job interview, please call Dave Putnam. This effort, consisting of mock interviews, will help students better understand the “do’s and don’ts” related to finding a job. Believe me, you have something to offer these kids.
Here's another shot of Harry, with Jane Sawyer looking on and Jim Willey in the background, wondering when the cake is going to be served.
The Clock Project continues to tick along, with a contract officially signed to have the clock in Monument Square repaired. Also, Cyrus will have a table as part of the next First Friday Art Walk near the Key Bank building in Monument Square so people can see the various faces of the clock, and learn more about the project.
4/19/13 ANNA ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, THE "FIRST LADY OF GOODWILL"
The model on which Goodwill operates was first developed in 1890 by Reverend Edgar Helm, a Methodist minister working with the residents of South Boston Settlement Housing. He created jobs collecting, sorting and selling donated goods. Helm’s motto: “Nothing goes to Waste” still works for Goodwill today.
We learned that a great deal of care and planning goes into the design and layout of the stores; shopper and employee safety is a prime concern. We learned that extensive research goes into where stores are located. Marketing is also an important element in Goodwill’s operation. “The Little Black Dress” campaign [which totally confused Queenie] has proved to be a great success.
We learned that one of Goodwill’s prime goals is to deliver fully trained employees to the labor force. As many of their employees have disabilities they partner with other agencies in the effort to train and coach employees in becoming stable workers.
We learned that the donated goods industry is a complex and layered enterprise which needs community support to keep it going.
BITS AND PIECES From Apr 12, 2013
Together we Spring Forward By the Bay. Next week, the Clarion calls don't you know?
50 Rotarians and 4 guests gathered. President Cyrus calls Dave Small (in photo with Judy Cavallero, Mike Fortunato, and our speaker) forward to invoke. Dave gave us a moment to reflect with a baseball metaphor on this moment in our time on the planet
Almighty God, you who are called the great umpire, in this game of life we are unsure as to what uniform we should wear.
While we may be Angels in spirit, in reality we are Giants in pride, Dodgers of responsibility, and Tigers in ambition.
When it comes to faith, we find ourselves in the minor leagues.
When it comes to good works, we strike out.
When it comes to knowledge of your word, we are not even sure of the ground rules.
Therefore, we are thankful for your mercy when we are in foul territory, for your forgiveness when we commit one error after another, for your uplifting spirit when we are in the pitfalls of a slump.
Oh God, let our game plan be your will and our response a sell-out crowd with standing room only.
And, when our number is retired here on earth, may we head for your home base and rejoice to hear you call out "safe."
Our Repast: Cyrus asks us to enjoy our fellowship
The table talk included final four reflections, Maine Hockey Coach regret, Squeaky Bennett, engineering professor at UMO--- the relevance you think? Father of who -maybe?? Clue you in in a moment. Gubernatorial relief by Bob Patten- Angus King now feels more relaxed seeing a full five finger wave from Mainers. When will Gov. LePage enjoy such acclaim? Best Karaoke in Portland? The Flask, first and third Thursdays.
Pres. Cyrus Reconvenes:
His hearty thanks go out to the Windjammer crew (you're welcome). No visiting Rotarians joined us but we were blessed with the attendance of Brad Depke, Brother of? Suzanne Umland of Freeport, Eric Tarbox, Executive Director of the Boy Scouts, and Rowlin Nemitz.
Cyrus took a moment to let us know the casual grace he brings to the podium would be fraught with anxiety were it not for the behind the scenes support he gets from Elise and Loretta. We all love you. Don't you know?
There is a disturbance in the force. Cyrus told us that Jon Young's dad and former member Mark Carpentier's dad, no longer walk the Earth with us. Full lives and great progeny. Our thoughts and prayers are with you friends.
While we are here:
19 of us are in the Dominican Republic with Hearts Hands and Hearing, helping our New World neighbors do simple things we so much take for granted in our lives of abundance. Listen to the music of life, quench our thirsts with non-toxic water and grasp our most simple desires with our hands. Cyrus reminds us that our help has raised $25,000 and other intangibles to put our fellow Rotarians in a helpful place.
We Sing as is our Wont!
Peggy and Ron Bennett, ok now you know, son of Squeaky Bennett (see above, your curiosity satiated) lead us in song. Ron, whose service in tax preparation is soon to be less demanding, asks us to sing all verses of "Happy Days are Here Again!" The writer regrets his acknowledged capability to lead the chorus astray with a troublesome key change.
We Gamble, and Dave Loses:
with the raffle proceeds sorely diminished by Lucky Loretta last week. Steve Ditmer comes forward and the speaker's helper selects the saintly Dave Putnam's gambit to draw from the full deck of 52. Alas Dave was cursed with the 8 of Clubs. Our treasure secure and club treasurer Scott Blakeslee relieved as the full $225 proceeds were exposed to our reserves.
A newer member with a disproportionate influence:
That would be Steve Stromsky. Steve has opened up his downtown branch of Key Bank to display the many faces of our Monument Square clock face before their eventual auction. That will take place on the First Friday of May Portland art walk. They will be there -- how's about you?
Maine Outdoor Challenge:
One man dynamo Kris Rosado, in a moment of weakness, showed us he could not be everything to every one. He was with family, not at our meeting, and we pardon. BUT... Cyrus and Hal Crabill announced updates - let's keep the momentum going! the next time you are at your favorite restaurant, ask the maitre D for a gift certificate! Vendors to your business might be happy to provide you with something of value, but you “gots ta ask!” How's about you form a team? the Bennett boys (sons of Squeaky?) are in. Team Oxford and the Transformers, the Wingnuts, Come on!! You can put a team together to beat these Bozos!!
Vocational Service on two fronts:
Dave Small comes forward speaking for son Eli's initiative at Deering High School, seeking volunteers for career day, May 15. You’ll conduct mock interviews, suggest to sophomores how to dress for their first summer job, and exceed expectations. Dave asked and got a few folks to sign on- be in touch with Dave for more information.
Longcreek Youth Center- Jim Willey and several other Rotarians are on the friends of Long Creek board. The writer has played softball and shared ice cream sundaes there on a great Fall evening a few years ago. How would you like to come over to the center Thursday May 9 for an informational meeting to see how successful the efforts are to rehabilitate Maine's temporarily wayward youth? Contact Jim.
The Community Service Committee reminds you that we have 2 collection days for clothing and bedding for the Burundis. This Friday April 19th and Friday April 26th. Bring items in and they will be picked up in the parking garage. Thank you.
04/12/13 ALLAGASH BREWERY - ROB TOD
Allagash Brewing Company started in 1995, as a one-man operation in a small space on the outskirts of Portland, Maine. Founder Rob Tod, in the photo, pouring a cold one for you, had worked in a brewery setting before and recognized a void within the craft brewing movement. While both German and British styles had become prevalent throughout the U.S., the ever-creative Belgian-styles were very difficult to find. Through his travels, Tod had sampled many of these unique beers and felt that the flavors and traditions of Belgium needed to be shared with the American drinking public. He designed a small 15-barrel brewhouse, gathered the finest array of authentic raw materials, and began his quest towards the production of traditional Belgian style ales. Rob sold his first batch of beer in the summer of 1995.
The first release from Allagash was Allagash White, modeled after the traditional "White" beers of Belgium. Also referred to as "wit" beers, they get their unique flavor from the use of wheat in place of barley, and the use of Curacao orange peel, coriander and other spices. Allagash combined these ingredients with their very own proprietary Belgian yeast strain to create the remarkably unique and refreshing beer that is today their flagship brand. My totally subjective observation: This is one of the best beers I’ve ever enjoyed. In 2011, Men’s Journal ranked Allagash White 5th in the top 24 beers in America.
Today, Allagash has six year-round beers in its portfolio, seven yearly releases, and numerous one-offs and keg only releases. Allagash continues to be successful by pushing the limits of beer and themselves. The company always strives to produce the finest Belgian inspired and experimental ales this side of the Atlantic. Allagash began as New England's original Belgian-Style brewery and has grown into one of the industry's most distinguished and well-respected brands.
Recently, Allagash Brewery has experienced exponential growth. From 10 employees in 2007 and beer production of 8,500 barrels, the company has grown to 60 employees and nationwide distribution. In 2013 Rob expects production of 60,000 barrels. Rob is not naïve about the challenges brought on by growth. As the workforce expands, communication with everyone becomes totally important. To sustain prosperous growth Rob asks every worker to be engaged in the company mission with passion: To craft the best Belgian inspired beers in the world! Allagash Brewery values innovation and quality and will never subordinate these to growth.
The company is one of the best corporate citizens in Portland, creating a fun, stimulating, supportive environment for all its employees. The company is an engaged member of the Portland community, being environmentally and socially responsible. The Allagash Tribute Series beers provide a great way to give back to groups and organizations in Maine. For every bottle sold, Allagash contributes one dollar to local organizations that make a positive impact on their communities. These beers are brewed once a year in limited quantities. Get them while you can!
As craft beer producers expand from 2,400 nationwide to possibly over 3,600 in the next few years, Allagash expects competition to be keen. An industry shakeout is always possible and every employee knows that doing the best possible job is important. Rob has done a great job positioning the company for growth and as a result Allagash is prepared for a bright future.
04/05/13 DON GOODING AND MAINE's ENTREPRENEURIAL SPRINGTIME
“It’s springtime in Maine,” Don Gooding (shown above, at left and with Peter Ingram, right) exclaimed at our Rotary Luncheon last Friday. Only Don wasn’t excited about tulips, putting snow blowers into storage, or baseball; he wanted to share his enthusiasm about the increase in entrepreneurial activity in Maine. Don has a good vantage point: as the Executive Director of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Don not only sees new enterprises, he is also instrumental in guiding and stimulating those folks who want to start and grow businesses.
A product of an entrepreneurial family, Don became involved with a number of new ventures after graduating from Yale, including one centered on a cappella music located in Southwest Harbor, ME. Today, Don combines his investment interests with his responsibilities at MCED which include teaching the very popular Top Gun, and Top Gun Prep courses which are designed to teach entrepreneurs the basics of running a business. Don leads the classes in Portland and Bangor, with attendees in far-flung spots connecting via laptop video.
MCED focuses on those innovative businesses in the state that are scaleable and have a real chance of success. Through its tools such as the Maine Business Incubator System (MeBis); the Mentor network, Lunch & Learn programs, Table Talk, and the Top Gun series, MCED has begun to build a strong network among the state’s entrepreneurs which it hopes will lead to a vibrant, diverse state economy. Don was particularly excited as a result of two recent efforts that highlighted entrepreneurial activity: LaunchPad, a business plan competition sponsored by Gorham Savings Bank and the Maine Technology Institute, and Startup Weekend, a global event bringing together innovators with ideas who spend a weekend developing a business model to pitch to a team of judges.
Asked what “summer” would look like in Don’s world, he responded that would come about when there were 1,000 new companies that were strong and large, with bigger revenues. “We have a ways to go to get there,” Gooding said. “But we’re well on the way.”
BITS AND PIECES From Apr 5, 2013
Our Meeting, April 5 2013: The Lunch Line. As always, we're grateful for Russ Burleigh's continued service with the camera.
Roger and Liz Fagan, Bruce Moore and other Portland Rotarians are soon on the way to the Dominican Republic to carry out the hearts for hearing, prosthetic hands and water filter Rotary project: Service Above Self is a noble thing!
Amy Chipman was acknowledged with appreciation for her fine efforts to raise money for the Rotary Foundation. Our Portland club is a leader in the District for members who are Paul Harris Fellows.
President Cyrus reported that the Monument Square Clock has gone to the “Promised Land” for repairs with the solemn promise that his image will not adorn the clock face.
Thanks to all who contributed. Splendid work!
Ben Lowry is practicing baseball indoors for the over 35 league (a.k.a. the forever-young league). Russ Burleigh on the keyboard got the boys of summer off to a good start with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game." H-m-m-m probably that was not all about Ben?
Reminder: Committee assignment sheets for next year are now available. Loretta will remind you early and often to sign up!
We have a very special surprise project coming up - if you think you know what it is, you are correct. If you don't but are curious, we need members who are interested in participating to attend a planning session next Friday after our regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Trust us.
If you want to be part of it, come Friday or, please contact President Cy.
And speaking of Loretta, she is shown above having finally drawn the Winning Queen! Congratulations on winning what had grown to become a most substantial pot.
A reminder: The Community Service Committee reminds us - "Do not forget to bring clothing and bedding to the meeting Friday for the Clothing distribution coming up. Thank you!"
The Rotary Club of the Fryeburg Area hosts the 1st annual Open Tennis Tournament May 4, 2013 at the Forest Acres Camp in Fryeburg in support of a variety of community service projects, provide scholarships and international programs that address health, poverty and hunger. BBQ Throughout the day, raffle prizes and cash drawings. For more information contact Bill Blount or use this link to the application:
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/4c3cc4a2f9887fa0d66cc8300/files/Rotary_Tennis_registration_form.pdf
03/29/13 CLUB ASSEMBLY
We had a wonderful Rotary club assembly last week. It started with President Cyrus talking about the Monument Square clock project. As of Friday 3-29-13 the Club has raised $25,000 for the restoration of the clock.
President Cyrus invited artists and faculty from the Maine College of Art (MECA) to our meeting. We had two faculty and three students (photo above) attend along with several examples of the artwork that has been used over the last many months to cover the clock face. MECA has been appreciative for their involvement and thanks the club and Cyrus for this worthwhile project. Those from MECA were released prior to the start of our Club Assembly.
Fundraising Committee:
We heard from Kris Rosado, Mike Fortunato and Rob Chatfield about the Club’s fundraising activities this year. The wine tasting event raised $2,500. The Sweetheart Auction raised about $3,000. There will be a beer tasting event in April or May at Allagash Brewing.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge will be June 3rd, 4th and 5th. So far there are $9,000 of sponsors and $16,000 of items for raffle. Kris played a radio spot for us that will be aired at least 80 times promoting the event. Last year we raised about $28,000 and this year Kris is hopeful that we can get closer to $60,000. Rob Chatfield has pledged to hound members night and day until members sell $10,000 of raffle tickets.
International Service Committee:
Roger Fagan talked about the history of “Listen Up” which dates back to1992 with a program in India. Fast forward to today and we now have “Hearts, Hands and H20” in the Dominican Republic. The next trip will involve two Rotary Clubs, and 17 volunteers. These good folks will deliver, test and fit over 100 hearing aids, 100 prosthetic hands and install 100 water filters for those in need.
Thanks to the two Rotary clubs, the $7,100 budgeted was met by a $7,100 grant from the Rotary District and a $10,650 grant from the Rotary Foundation. These are the monies that fund this worthwhile project. Many thanks to Roger and Liz Fagan as well as all the volunteers for their dedication and selflessness.
Foundation Committee:
Amy Chipman set a goal of raising $12,500 from members this year. She reports that the committee is at $12,090 so far. By the end of the meeting she had another check for $410 which means we have achieved the goal in 9 months. She further reported that the $10,000 that the club invested in international projects has turned into over $56,000 through grants from District and well as the Rotary Foundation. How great is that?
Amy invited up front all of the newest Paul Harris Fellows (from this year) to be recognized. Nan Sawyer, Tom Ranello, Kathy Grammer, Dick Hall, Cyrus Hagge, Jim Willey, Ron Bennett, Dave Snow, Russ Burleigh, Gene Story, Liz Fagan and Emily McEntee. Thank you, and congratulations to all.
Centennial Committee:
Kathy Grammer talked about the two “blue sky” committee meetings that they have had so far. The 100th anniversary of Portland Rotary Club is coming up in 2015. Planning for the celebration has begun. There will be four areas of focus: History; Service project(s); Events; and Marketing (or PR).
Kathy, with the accompaniment of Joe on the piano, dedicated the song “You’ll never walk alone” from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, to our friend and fellow Rotarian, Nan Sawyer. Nobody does it better than Kathy.
Tom Ranello along with Mark Stimson surprised Nan Sawyer with a Paul Harris Award. We were all thrilled to recognize Nan (photo above) for all she means to Portland real estate and Portland Rotary. Nan asked the Windjammer editor to share her heartfelt appreciation to the club for her recognition.
We will hear more from the many other committees at our future meetings.
Bits & Pieces:
George Crockett is continuing the clothing drive and will pick up any and all donations after the meeting.
The Boys and Girls Club is having an event on April 6th. They need additional folks for clean-up afterwards. Any and all volunteers are welcome.
The Rotary District Assembly is also on April 6th. Any and all are welcome to attend. President Cyrus said that he has the privilege of presenting our club project Hearts, Hands and H2O to the District Assembly. He couldn’t be more proud to do so.
THIS WEEK TOO: PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS!
LAST WEEK: MAINE TODAY MEDIA's NEW CEO, LISA DeSISTO
Friday's speaker Lisa DeSisto, shown at center in the photo above, with Juliana L'Heureux, Laura Young the introducer, along with PPH's Mark Straffin and Courtney Spencer
Friday's featured speaker, to an almost completely filled room, was Lisa DeSisto, CEO of Maine Today Media which owns the Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram and other newspapers upstate.
All told, Lisa said, Maine Today reaches over 300,000 Mainers a year, either through print, online, or both. Lisa hails from Massachusetts and when she was recruited last Fall she was working for the electronics side of the Boston Globe. She accepted her new position not just because of the challenge, but also because Maine represented a better quality of life.
Once upon a time, Lisa said she was a waitress at a restaurant in Boston where Rotary met. She served their food but was never allowed into their meetings. Finally, today, she was allowed into a meeting. She praised Rotary for its good works and said she was glad to be there. Rotary, in turn, was glad to have her.
MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE 2013
Don't Miss Portland Rotary's Biggest Fundraiser of the Year, the 2nd Annual Maine Outdoor Challenge, June 3-5 2013, at the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School In Freeport. The event offers a range of outdoor activities for people of all skill and experience levels. Develop a team from your office, club, or family members! For more information, download the event brochure or continue reading below.
BURUNDI CLOTHING DRIVE: SPRING EDITION
The Community Service Committee is eager to enlist your help again to help our new Burundian neighbors. Last fall the Portland Rotary members were great in providing winter clothing and bedding for the Burundi community. Now spring is here and the seasons have changed again. A clothing distribution day is scheduled for May 4th. So we are asking you again to review your closets and find clothing you no longer need. But this time it is for the warmer season for all family members, so leave that winter coat where it is!
The Committee would welcome any extra bedding or towels you may have in addition to clothes.
We will start collecting them starting at the March 16th meeting and every meeting thereafter until April 26th. Bring your clothes to Rotary and we will take them from there. We will also be looking for volunteers to set up on the morning of May 3rd and on Saturday May 4th form 9-2:30 to help with the distribution.
This is a good opportunity to meet more of our new neighbors!
BITS AND PIECES
President Cyrus arrived at the Holiday Inn at the normal time, only, for some reason, we’d been victims of a scheduling glitch! The room was empty, with no chairs or tables! In a dazzling display of improvisation, the hotel staff scrambled to get us set up and fed.
According to President Cyrus the fundraising part of the Monument Square Clock Project is essentially done. He feels that the goal of $25,000 has been met. We will hear more on this project soon. Well done Mr. President!
Paul T. Gore will be celebrating his granddaughter Bridget’s 1st Birthday on March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day.
George Crockett announced another clothing drive for the Burundi Project for May 4th. They need clothing of all sizes as well as bedding and kitchen supplies. George also said the clubs green “Clink” bags are available again.
The Maine Outdoor Challenge has been set for early June. Wednesday, June 5th will be the Lobster Bake, Awards Banquet and Live Auction. Registration is now open with $7K raised so far and another $12K in auction items donated. For more information or volunteer opportunities see Kris Rosado.
Kathy Grammer reported on the Centennial Committee. They have met once so far and have another meeting scheduled for this next Wednesday for 7:30AM at 477 Congress Street, in Bowen Depke’s office.
The raffle was at $709. this week and remains unclaimed. Stay tuned next week for an even bigger amount.
Amy Chipman reports that fellow Rotarian Bill Leavitt is in the hospital. She was uncertain as to the nature of his illness. Our prayers and best wishes are certainly with him. In addition, Amy told us that at the Club Assembly on March 29th, there would be group recognition of this year’s Paul Harris Award recipients.
The Club Assembly on March 29th will also be the opportunity for Committees to update the membership on all ongoing projects. We look forward to it.
Finally, hear this: Members are travelers! You have set a modern Rotary record. As of last week you have saved and had delivered 5000 personal toiletries to the Preble Street Resource Center. They serve 600-700 people daily and these items make their lives a bit better. Congratulations – and keep them coming!
MARCH 8: PETER MILLS AND THE WORLD OF THE TURNPIKE
We were honored last week to have as our guest Maine Turnpike Director Peter Mills (shown above with Roxane Cole), who set out to teach us a few things about Maine’s favorite toll highway.
Many of the current policy issues surrounding the pike (America's second oldest turnpike) are rooted in history. One needs to go quite far back in time to understand. Common question: "why are those tolls still on that road? I thought the 1941 bonds that created the highway would eventually be paid off and we would be free of tolls!”
Bonds were taken out, and were, in fact, paid off in 1982. After that, the “keys to highway were turned over to the legislature”. Since then, the turnpike has been self-supporting, with a portion of toll money going to the state’s general highway funding mix, as the gas tax has proven to be unpredictable and insufficient for predictable road maintenance. One example of Turnpike funds supporting non-Turnpike projects has been the bridge work on the Piscataqua. While it’s not the Turnpike itself, those bridges are critical infrastructure for all of Maine’s residents, and Turnpike revenue helps the state meets its responsibilities for its share of funding on this type of project
Most of Mr. Mills' presentation covered the topic of tolls and the byzantine way in which they are calculated. Why does it cost more to go home than it does to come down from Lewiston? What about the new highway speed tolling system in Gray? Many of today’s toll strategies can be traced back to the days of the old paper tickets on the turnpike. The best way to avoid inconsistencies and to save money is to simply come up with the $10 or so needed for an EZ Pass, and to sit back and let the savings roll in. And if you use the ‘pike with any frequency, you will save.
Lewistonians often lament that they need to pay to travel, while those of us in Greater Portland don’t. As to why we can't put a toll on I- 295, it’s because of the Federal money that paid for 295: you can't pay a toll on a federal highway. That said, if 295 is ever widened, that will likely be paid for through some sort of toll funding. Don’t expect to see any major highways anywhere being built in the future without tolls, Mr. Mills told us.
In the long term, he expects to see more and more electronic tolling and less cash, especially given how an EZ Pass is now good from here to North Carolina and westward. Currently, however, Maine still sees 38% of its tolls paid in cash, which is a much higher level than on most other toll roads.
(Special thanks to Laura Young for taking notes during the editor’s delayed arrival!)
MARCH 8: MAINE TURNPIKE AUTHORITY'S PETER MILLS
Our speaker this week will be Peter Mills, the recently appointed Executive Director of the Maine Turnpike Authority, whose presentation will focus on America’s failing transportation system. Clogged highways, deteriorating bridges and other factors are combining to create a massive infrastructure liability that needs to be dealt with in some sort of systematic fashion.
Mr. Mill's career has spanned many years in both public service and the private sector; he left a successful law practice in Skowhegan to take on this new responsibility last year. Since he joined the Turnpike, his accomplishments have included budgetary and management reforms, as well as improvements to the road itself, such as the advent of high speed tolling, starting this Spring in Gray.
After graduating from Harvard he entered the Navy serving in both destroyer groups during the Vietnam War as well as strategic arms intelligence. His public career includes 16 years in Maine’s State Legislature and a run in a Republican gubernatorial primary election. He lives on a 390 acres tree farm in Cornville with his wife, Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills, and two English setters. Let’s give Peter a warm Rotary welcome -- but no EasyPass on our Q&A.
BITS AND PIECES
Our opening hymn “God Bless America” led the first meeting of March, the month when spring, hopefully, brings some snow relief.
Although President Cyrus wished he could tell us that his visible right shoulder immobilization brace was the result of a ski mishap, it really happened when he was walking his beloved dog, Mazie. Unfortunately, he slipped on winter’s ice, causing injury to his tendons. Ironically, the shoulder injury, to his dominant right arm, brought out some unrecognized ambidextrous abilities. Nevertheless, it’s been difficult for him to manipulate chopsticks while enjoying Asian food, he says.
Leading the invocation, David Small quoted the theologian John Wesley (1703-1791) who wrote, “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, for as long as ever you can.” David reminded us how these actions are sure fired ways to help us become model Rotarians. He concluded, “As Nike says, ‘Just do it!’. Amen”.
District Governor Marty Peak Helman (shown above, with Peter Goffin)reminded Rotarians to sign up for the District Conference on May 17-18 at the Spruce Point Inn in beautiful Boothbay Harbor. Early bird registration discount ends on March 13th. She promised gorgeous weather because all activities will be held indoors. Check the Clubrunner District 7780 website for registration information. http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Home.aspx?did=7780Governor Marty thanked everyone who helped with the World Peace and Understanding dinner.
Justin Lamontagne’s name was drawn by our guest speaker Robert Freson. Justin’s lucky chance drew the King of Spades. Our card deck shrunk by one, but the potential winnings grew.
President Cyrus led the club’s thankful recognition to the Honorable Erik Jorgensen’s continued excellent work publishing the weekly “Windjammer” newsletter.
Rotary’s Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) presentation was led by John Marr, President Elect and chair of the club’s Youth Service Committee. This year’s RYLA award recipient is Johanna Koster, 17, a Deering High School senior. Her parents Roy and Jean Koster and Ira Waltz, the Deering High School principal, accompanied Johanna to receive her award. Mr. Waltz described Johanna as a class leader who participates in three sports and as vice president of her 2013 class. She achieved high honors through her leadership with Girl Scouts of America and participated with the international “Up With People” educational organization. “Johanna is a generous and dependable student who maintains meaningful and production relationships with people,” said Mr. Waltz. Johanna dedicated her $100 award to the work of her church’s Serve program. Johanna says the scholarship money she received will support her college education, where she hopes to study visual arts. Above: Johanna with her parents and the busted-up President Cyrus.
President Elect John also reminded Rotarians about the ongoing good work of the Youth Services mentoring program, supporting students at the Long Creek Youth Development Center.
Friday, March 29th, is a club assembly when some of the program will report the progress on the restoration of the Monument Square municipal clock. Currently the committee has raised $23,000 for the project. Check the Portland Press Herald article website
The Clock is going to get one more new face - Dig Deep! (Special thanks to Russ Burleigh for this!)
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Monument-Square-clock-tower-to-get-a-make-over.html
FEB 22: A VISIT WITH LOIS LOWRY
With one of her grandsons in the foreground, Lois Lowry speaking to Rotary.
The introduction of Lois Lowry by her son Ben was a real treat. Ben told us that he has listened to her speak many times. He has heard her speak before thousands, but never before has he had the chance to introduce his mom. Ben did not squander this opportunity and gave a warm and heartfelt introduction to “Just mom growing up” He told us that she always had a creative side, shown through family portraits, writing stories for kids at home and other great creative stuff. Ben told us that Lois participated on the TV show Jeopardy, but missed the sports question and came home with a set of encyclopedias.
Her first book was Summer to Die, in 1977. Ben told us that Lois moved to Boston after the divorce and since 1977 has written 40 books, some as singles but several as part of series of books. She has multiple series of books. Number the Stars- released in 1989, was the book earning her first Newbery Medal. In 1993 - The Giver – earned her the second Newbery Medal. Jeff Bridges is currently working to transform this book into a movie. Ben proudly told us that Lois has won numerous awards over the years, she is an avid gardener, a reader, completes the NY Times daily crossword, takes family trips together, lives in Cambridge, and is planning a move to Falmouth.
Lois completely lived up to the introduction by Ben. She told us she could use the full ½ hour to tell anecdotes about Ben, but chose not to do so. She did tell us about the time in 1985 or 1986 when she and Ben had lunch with Red Sox Wade Boggs and his wife. Wade brought a book on baseball and autographed it for the two of them. Wade was in awe of Lois the writer; Lois was in awe of Wade, the professional athlete.
Lois is always asked where she gets the ideas. Now she is starting a new book while living in Bridgeton. This is a period of high anxiety, worrying about not coming up with an idea. She shared that many thoughts come from her unconscious. It gets buried sometime and then it surfaces. She said that a new idea came last week, and she started to write this week. Quickly she told us she never discusses a story until it is finished.
Son- This book is the fourth and concluding book in the quartet that began with The Giver. The idea came from a story in the Press Herald a long time ago. Kurt, 4 years old in 1975, went to a campground, was riding his hotwheels, and somehow wandered off. The parents could not find the child. He was discussed endlessly in the news. Dogs were brought in to search, volunteers searched, helicopters were used, but the child was never found. Lois always wondered how the parents could pack up and go home. How they could possibly restart their lives. This was in Lois' mind for 30 + years, and it surfaced at the start of The Giver. At the end of this story a child steals a baby, and the tale ends with an ambiguous twist. What happened to the boy and the baby? Two follow-up books pick up the story, offering some clues as to what happened. In one there was one sentence where the baby is alive and well, 8 years later.
Lois has a style of beginning each book by introducing a character. The reader then learns of that character’s needs and wants. The story goes through the obstacles to getting to the needs and wants. The trajectory of a tale is to find, to achieve, to attain, to overcome, and then reach the needs and wants at the end. In Son- Abe asks Jonas again and again, why parents allowed him to be taken. Abe enjoys being a bit of a problem child. He liked to be troublesome. In the development of the story, Abe states the "I will find a way" Turns out that Abe is a product of a dystopian society where children, at age 12, are assigned their life tasks. They would be assigned to become doctors, scientists, or birth mothers. Listening to Lois read portions of the book, we learn that Claire, 14 years old, became the main character. The story is about Claire after the birth of Gabe. Abe was taken away from her, as was the custom, at birth. Later Abe left the group so that he was a lost child once. At the second loss of Abe, Claire is experiencing the emotion of having a child disappear. This story derived from the Portland Press Herald stories about the lost boy.
For Lois the ideas are in her head. Then something magical happens and the book writing process begins. She uses no index cards and no outlines. She finds that index cards and outlines make the process of writing become dull. Lois just lets the magic happen. Lois told us about a book she wrote some years ago- Silent Boy. That book began from photo, showing her grandmother, one of 4 sisters. One married a banker, one married a doctor, one married a lawyer, and the last one became a photographer who wore trousers, and smoked cigarettes. Another story came from a photo from that great aunt. The photo was a farm boy, in 1911, with a cap over eyes, looking at camera, with an odd posture and look. Lois created that boy in a book, Jacob. He looked as if he had done something terrible, that he had not meant to do it, and he was ashamed. He could not speak. His condition would now be called autistic, but the term did not exist then. This photo formed what he had done. Lois needed to decide who would tell his story. Lois chose a six year old girl to tell the story, which is the concept of the unreliable narrator. The six year old narrates a story she does not understand herself.
Lois told us that every writer dreams about having a rave review of book on the front page of the New York Times. For her, it actually happened. It is clear that Lois loves what she does. Portland Rotary is glad she shared herself with us.
BITS AND PIECES
With schools out for the week and a major childrens' book author on hand, we had lots of future Rotarians at our meeting: Laura Young brought her two daughters, Megan and Katie; Erik Jorgensen brought his son, Will; and Ben Lowry brought his two boys, Grey and Rhys (not to mention his partner Laurie and his mother, our speaker, who is shown with the kids in the photo above.
We had two Rotarian guests,Bill York and Doug Shauf, both from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary. Doug's cell phone rang when he was checking in, causing Loretta to give him a stern warning that he should turn it off because, if it went off during meeting, President Cyrus would fine him. Doug complied. Bill,on the other hand, was interested in how much money from the raffle was kept by Portland Rotary.
Speaking of the raffle, Paul Gore again got the chance to win {does he put glue on his tickets?} He lost....strike 37...
Bob Traill and John Houghton were overheard discussing their upcoming trips, John back to Florida,home of the white Pelican, and Bob, a cruise on the Adriatic in June.
LAST WEEK: LISA POHLMANN OF THE MNRC
Last week’s speaker was Lisa Pohlmann, Executive Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). The NRCM is Maine’s leading Environmental advocacy organization. It has been around for 53 years and has over 12,000 members.
We learned that NRCM is involved in every environmental issue in Maine, but focuses on four key areas: protecting watersheds and lakes; reducing toxic chemicals; promoting clean energy; and protecting the north woods of Maine.
NRCM promotes policy on the environment, based both research and science.
Current issues that NRCM is working on:
1. Reversing the “rollback” on environmental regulations;2. Eliminating the 2012 law that loosened mining regulations;
3. Restoring the native fish, Alewives, to the St. Croix River;
4. Reviving the Penobscot River fish habitat, through the removal of two dams;
5. Investing in energy efficiencies:
6. Preventing Tar Sand oil from flowing through Maine;
7. Promoting “Land for Maine’s Future” by lobbying for the release of funds for government purchase of land
8. Promoting “Product Stewardship” for used paint;
9. Tracking and promoting the federal policy changes to clean air and climate change;
10. Facilitating new conversations about National Parks and recreation areas.
NRCM has 22 people working hard throughout the State of Maine. Lisa wanted to leave us with at least one lesson, and that lesson is, that public involvement is the key to maintaining a clean and safe environment in Maine for future generations.
Lisa Pohlmann is a wonderful speaker as well as passionate about her work. We were fortunate to have her as our guest this past Friday.
BITS AND PIECES
Amy Chipman, our indefatigable Foundation Chair, reports that we are off to a great start in 2013, and our donations are doing a world of good. Thanks to all sustaining members. Please do consider The Foundation this year.
The annual World Peace and Understanding Day is Saturday, February 23rd. This District-wide event is capped with a wonderful dinner at The Woodford’s Church for $25. Please contact Dick Hall immediately if you are interested in this heart-warming event.
Michelle Mitchell is recovering for a stroke she suffered about ten days ago and returned home from the hospital on Friday, the 15th. She thanks everyone in the Portland Rotary Club for their support and well wishes and looks forward to a speedy recovery and a return to our Friday meetings.
As we all know, Kris Rosado is quickly gearing up for our 2nd Annual Maine Outdoor Challenge. Kris, who filled in admirably for President Cyrus this past week (photo), has tabbed Rob Chatfield to the position of “Raffle Czar”. While the corporate and team support has been strong to date, the committee will be looking for each member of the club to pitch in as we quickly approach this spring event, our major fundraiser for the year.
The Rotary Ski Group was in full swing for Valentine’s Day, with six Rotarians making the trek to Sunday River. Bill Blount, the organizer of these great social events, tells this reporter that the conditions were excellent and all attending did make it home in time to share the Valentine Spirit with their loved ones. If you’d like to be added to the e-mail list, please contact Bill.
There was a Tony Manhart sighting at Rotary last Friday! Tony, who has been very busy with his work at Perkins Thompson and hasn’t been able to join us much over the past year or so, stated that he is hopeful of getting back again soon. We miss you, Tony! Erik Jorgensen also was there, having emerged briefly from the State House. And it’s great to see Dave Snow back in our midst.
Speaking of returns, for the third week in a row, Gus and Ann Karlsen were back from Naples Florida and joined in the festivities, including the Sweetheart Auction. Gus is back for a few more weeks so make sure you say hello.
Eric Lusk reports that his new baby, Margaret, is already sleeping through the night at 10 weeks and that he and wife Holly are enjoying their new bundle of joy. Eric states that he’s lost all of his baby weight and he has “outsourced” the nursing duties!
Ben Lowry’s name was called for the Queen of Hearts raffle last week. The pot will grow again this week after Ben drew the 4 of clubs.
FEB 15: PROTECTING THE NATURE OF MAINE: NRCM's CURRENT INITIATIVES
NRCM is Maine’s leading environmental advocacy organization, with a 53-year history of accomplishments and more than 12,000 members and supporters across Maine and beyond. Lisa brings to her leadership role a deep passion for the environment and a strong record of successful advocacy for Maine people. Lisa joined the NRCM team in 2000, as a member of the board of directors, later serving as board president, deputy director, and, in 2011, became the executive director. In Lisa’s 32-year career in Maine she has worked as associate director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy, and as the executive director of New Hope for Women, a midcoast Maine domestic violence organization. Lisa has a Master’s from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. A resident of Jefferson, Lisa has had a lifelong love of the outdoors, and regularly kayaks, hikes, skis, and camps across Maine.
THIS WEEK: SWEETHEART AUCTION
This week, bring your checkbook, because it's our annual REGIFTING AUCTION, Postponed for a week by last Friday's weather cancellation. Bid early and bid Often!
BITS AND PIECES
PSO Executive Director Lisa Dixon, Marketing Director Marjorie Gallant, Maestro Moody, Sales Director Allison Earnhart, introducer Kathy Grammer
When the curtain parted at our meeting at the Clarion Hotel, out stepped a future star: our President-Elect, John Marr, for his debut performance as Club leader in President Cyrus’ absence. He conducted the meeting like a Maestro laced with dry humor and a meeting tempo to rival an Italian railroad schedule.
John was covered in red hearts and badges. At first we thought he was promoting the coming Valentines’ Day Sweetheart’s Auction at our next meeting on February 8th, but he quickly reminded us all that February is the American Heart Association’s heart health awareness month and today was ‘Go Red for Women’ day to remind us all of the warning signs of heart problems. When in doubt ‘shout 9-1-1’. This reminded all of us to keep Michelle Mitchell, who was recently hospitalized, in our prayers for a speedy recovery.However, John created a segue to the auction: when his announcement of lost gloves from our last meeting was not claimed, the auction committee quickly snatched them up for another auction treasure. This subtle message goes hand-in-glove with the need for all members to search for lost gifts around the house to bring to next week’s meeting and don’t forget to email Emily McEntee or Elise Hodgkin a description of the item and an offer to volunteer to help at this fun event.
And of course, our hearts go out to Bowen Depke who sought the queen of hearts in his selection from the raffle deck of cards, only to be aced out.
Speaking of cards and broken hearts, Loretta, is planning a Rotary road trip to Oxford Casino in the near future, so let her know of your interest.
Rotarians were also on a roll this week with our first, annual Bowling Night. It strikes us that many thanks should be given to our activities committee led by Mike Fortuato and Rob Chatfield for fun and fellowship in the alleys and gutters of Portland’s Back Bay.
Kris Rosado announced our main fund raiser this year, the Maine Outdoor Challenge, will once again be held at the LL Bean’s discovery school in Freeport on June 3,4, and 5 with an award ceremony Lobster Bake after its conclusion. You will all remember the grand award is a traveling trophy with the winning team’s name on a bronzed LL Bean boot. Kris is looking for suggestions for a name for this trophy. It is not too early to sign up for a team with Harold Crabill.
Please review the Paul Harris Fellows directory that can be found on the meeting tables to ensure it has your name and dates correctly and advise Loretta accordingly.
Glenn Nerbak reminded us of the mentoring work members of our Club are doing with the diverse population of students at Portland High School. He still needs a mentor for a young Iraqi and a Burundi. It takes about an hour a week to make a difference for a lifetime.
District Governor Marty also reminds us we should be looking locally for our service projects. She is suggesting helping our neighbors in need through the local food pantries or other agencies on February 23rd which is World Peace and Understanding Day. Also, this month’s District Newsletter had a great article and photo of our Club’s efforts in helping the local Burundi refugee community. Well done, George.
George also reminded us that MEMBERS DID IT AGAIN!! In response to a brief request members donated 18 blankets to the meeting last week to keep some Burundians warmer. Thanks to John Marr, John Curran, Mike Fortunato and the others who helped.
And finally, our Maestro led us in a rousing happy birthday song for this month’s Rotarian celebrants; however, our performance of the Happy Wanderer was left off the agenda as evidence of the unused song lyrics on the tables. Given past performances, maybe that is a good thing.
FEBRUARY 1: THE MAESTRO
Portland Symphony Orchestra Maestro Robert Moody entertained Rotarians with his jovial presentation about how he became an orchestra conductor. He is currently in his 5th year as the 12th conductor of the PSO.
Maestro Moody didn’t grow up in a particularly musical family. Nevertheless, music found its way into his life at an early age. When he was in the 3rd and 4th grades, attending his native Greenville, South Carolina elementary school, it was a young classmate (probably one of the Maestro’s first fans) who put his name on a list of students who were referred to a string instrument teacher. As it turned out, Moody was surprised when he learned to enjoy studying string instruments. Although he was initially interested in playing bass, his instructor encouraged him to study the cello.
Eventually, he earned his academic degree as a dual major in cello and voice from Furman University. Understandably, Maestro Moody is a strong advocate for supporting arts education in all schools. “Music education is incredibly important and helps make for a well rounded individual,” he said.
He was drawn to professional conducting after he enjoyed an experience working with a children’s summer music camp and won a competition leading the faculty orchestra. “Leading an orchestra convinced me that conducting was what I wanted to do,” he says. Moody’s graduate degree is from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, NY, where he majored in conducting.
A conductor’s baton has particular characteristics, explained Maestro Moody. As an extension of the conductor’s arm, the baton must durable and lightweight, thus allowing for comfortable agility. He prefers a cherry wood baton; each one costs about $25... It’s important for the baton to be an effective metronome without adding weight to the conductor’s arm, especially during long performances, like the popular Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Conducting incorporates a series of universal hand signals understood by musicians throughout the world. A conductor’s baton creates a communications bond between the community and the orchestra. “A baton helps the conductor to create telepathy,” he said. “A conductor’s baton communicates with the orchestra and chorus, creating a chemistry and electricity between musicians, performers and the audience.”
Before conducting any musical score, Maestro Moody becomes entirely familiar with every aspect of its sound. Rotarians were treated to a glimpse of his color coded musical score for the upcoming performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, scheduled for this week at the Merrill. He displayed how multi-colored highlighter pens accent each section of music, which is how he visualizes the score before conducting performances.
Maestro Moody’s career requires a highly mobile lifestyle. His position as the Music Director of the PSO is shared with the Winston-Salem Symphony in North Carolina (where he’s a member of the downtown Rotary Club). He commutes regularly between Portland and Winston-Salem during the orchestral September-May season.
LAST WEEK: VISIONS OF PORTLAND
Portland, to those of us who live and work here, is a vibrant and beautiful city that always seems to be reinventing itself. Consequently, it’s always a pleasure to get a current snapshot and a glimpse into the future. There are few who can give a more accurate picture and sense of what’s to come than Greg Mitchell, the Economic Development Director of Portland. Greg, as a "hometown boy" and graduate of Cheverus High School, takes his job personally and despite the politics, loves every minute of it.
Unlike many cities in the U.S., Portland is growing and is expected to continue to grow which places a premium on housing and impacting the future development of the city. It is quite likely that we will see taller buildings in the future in order to accommodate the residential needs. The need to balance the aesthetics and living needs of the city, particularly the peninsula is going to be a challenge. Portland is not only distinguished in terms of growth, but as well in the area of cultural diversity, with 40 different languages spoken in our schools, and education, with or 42% of the population having Bachelors degree or higher. We have over 10,000 students in the city, and USM and UNE are significant sources of development. The rich cultural diversity carries over to the tax base which is 44% commercial and 56% residential and our business mix is enriched and enlivened with a huge arts and cultural community.
Mitchell is quick to point out that Portland, for a city it’s size, is incredibly well connected. He pointed to the Portland Jet Port as just one part of a transportation hub. Along with the airport we have the Amtrak and Concord Bus station which is an overwhelming success, in terms of ridership and economic stimulus. Furthermore, the ferry service between Nova Scotia and the U.S. is being rekindled and quite likely to be coming back to Portland. In addition there’s the growth of the container terminal and the western part of the harbor. The success of the Ocean Gateway terminal is clear, with 60 ships and over 80,000 passengers expected this year. The traditional fishing port may not be as prominent but the ties to the waterfront are permanent, according to Mitchell.
Some of the most exciting projects in the city is the Midtown/Bayside projects which are currently contracted to Federated Companies, and will include a 700 space garage for those who say there’s no parking in Portland. That project alone is expected to be more than 75 million dollars in construction expenditure. Furthermore, the Thompson’s Point development project remains ever active and is anticipated to be about 100 million dollars before it’s completed. Of course, there’s the face lift being given to the Cumberland County Civic Center which will revitalize the downtown and add cache.
Lest we think that Portland is only the peninsula, Mitchell let us in on plans to create a Portalnd Technology Park on 26 acres situated between exit 47 and I 95. It will be devoted to information and biotechnology with around 9 buildings creating the clusters. The City of Portland is growing in good ways and the best is yet to come, according to Greg.
THIS WEEK: THE MAESTRO
This week, we hear from a bona fide local celebrity, Maestro Robert Moody, the man in tails who conducts the Portland Portland Symphony Orchestra. Since his appointment as Music Director in 2008, Robert Moody has gained renown for the Portland Symphony through outstanding performances, innovative programming, and deep-rooted community collaborations. Highlights of his tenure with the PSO have included critical and audience acclaim, a fully revamped “Magic of Christmas,” a sold-out gala concert with Renée Fleming, and the establishment of important new works through commissions and premiere performances.
Moody is a frequent guest conductor with orchestras across the United States. Guest conducting appearances include the symphony orchestras of Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Pacific, Louisville, Memphis, Ft. Worth, Virginia, San Antonio, Buffalo, Oregon, Charleston, Naples, Stamford, Anchorage, and many more. Summer festival appearances include Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Chautauqua Festival, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, PortOpera, Oregon Bach Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, and Skaneateles Festival in New York.
Maestro Moody has conducted numerous top classical and pops artists in concert. These have included Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Renée Fleming, Van Cliburn, André Watts, Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Robert McDuffie, Lynn Harrell, Yuja Wang, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Zuill Bailey, The Canadian Brass, Doc Severinson, Celine Dion, The Manhattan Transfer, Martin Short, Chris Botti, Chris Thile, and many more.
A champion of new music, Moody is proud to have played an instrumental role in the commissioning and premiere performances of several important new works for orchestra. These include several works of composer Mason Bates: Free Variations for Orchestra, Ode, Rusty Air in Carolina, and Desert Transport. Also included: Travels in Time for Three by Chris Brubeck, Concerto for Mandolin and Orchestra “ad astra per alla porci” by Chris Thile, and Sabar, a concerto for African drum ensemble and orchestra, composed by James DeMars.
Moody has the honor of serving concurrently as Music Director for the Winston-Salem Symphony (since 2005) and Artistic Director for Arizona Musicfest (since 2007). From 1998 through 2006 he served as Associate, then Resident Conductor of The Phoenix Symphony (AZ). In 2009 he completed a ten-year tenure as head of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s “Discovery” concert series. Prior to 1998, Maestro Moody served as Associate Conductor for the Evansville (IN) Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director and founder of the Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, conductor for the Interschool Orchestras of New York, and apprentice conductor for the Landestheater Opera House in Linz, Austria.
Born and raised in Greenville, SC, Moody took up the cello in the 4th grade. His voice and cello studies throughout high school (including three years of study at the Greenville County Fine Arts Center – one of the first public high schools for the arts in the nation) took him to Furman University, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Church Music, with performing emphasis in both voice and cello. He received his Master of Music Degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied with Donald Neuen.
When not making music, one is most likely to find Robert Moody snow-skiing, hiking, running, or involved in other outdoor activities. He was a founding member of The Phoenix Symphony Running Club, completed his first marathon in 2004, and participates annually in both the “Mistletoe Half Marathon” in NC and the “Beach to Beacon” 10K in Maine. For the 2011 Beach to Beacon, Robert finished with a time of 50:01; his personal record!
BITS AND PIECES
The meeting was held at the Clarion and the food was delicious.
The meeting was started with a short and very nice thought by Bruce Jones.
Mike Reed introduced his wife Sylvi.
Ilse Yanis and Jim Price joined us from the Breakwater Daybreak Club, visiting Rotarians.
We participated in a rousing chorus of the song - "If You're Happy and You Know It".
Ellen Niewoehner conducted the raffle worth $579. Ben Lowry pulled the wrong card. Good job, Ellen.
Ellen also announced the upcoming Regifting Auction to be held on Feb 8, which is the same day as the Valentine Musical Program. Please be sure to notify Ellen if you can donate an item to auction. Arrange to get it to here in advance, if possible, or AT LEAST contact Ellen or Emily with a description and value, so we can include it in the program and be prepared. The committee still needs volunteers starting with setup at 10:00 AM.
Cyrus announced that Steve Stromsky was successful in getting a $1500 donation from Key Bank for our Monument Square Clock Project. Cyrus also announced on Feb 4, there will be a press conference 3:00 PM, 1 Monument Square. All Rotarians are invited to join.
John Marr corrected Cyrus pointing out that our award is not the Student of the Month. It is the Youth Service Award for outstanding commitment to community and service above self. (Little does John realize, but this opens him up to every little correction we can all think of next week when he is subbing for Cyrus)
John introduced the Chevrus Principal, John Mullen and then introduced the student, Matt Cushing. Matt was described as a good person, with a quiet demeanor, who is a great school citizen. Matt is a scholar, an athlete (indoor/outdoor track and football), and a Key club member who donates 10-20 hrs per year. As a Boy Scout, Matt earned his Eagle scout Award. For his Eagle project, Matt gave 85 hrs to planning and executing construction of the bridge on Bradbury Mountain. Since the bridge is part of the horse path, it needed to be sturdy. Matt also helps with Coats For Kids, and is a church volunteer. He has received the National Parks Award, the US Army Service Award, and The Marine Corps awards. Matt has applied to West Point and Annapolis. He has already been accepted to the University of Maine. Matt's selected charity is the Veterans' support group, Wounded Warriors.
New Rotarians:
Kris Rosado introduced Tara Hill, the Executive Director of Maine Cancer Foundation. She is a former Brunswick Rotary Club Board Member. She runs, swims, skis, and does triathalons. She is planning to hike the AT with husband soon. She also is planning to make a trip to Africa. Tara has 2 boys and one daughter.
Loretta Rowe said she was a proxy for Bruce Nelson, a 40-year Portland Rotarian. Loretta was introducing Bruce's son, Michael Nelson, a graduate of Marquette University, and currently working at Living Weath Partners. He is single and an avid baseball and basketball fan.
Jim Willey introduced Steve Ditmer, Commander of the Salvation Army, Portland. Steve is a previous Rotary member, having been a member of three clubs. Steve is applying to be a Mainer, as he claims that his ancestors were part of the settlement of Pemaquid Point 1635. Steve's wife is also an officer in the Salvation Army. He has many skills including plumbing, electrical, and auto mechanic. He previously served as Commander in Malden, Fall River, and Hempstead NY. Steve is a member of the faculty at the Salvation Army School. Steve has 3 kids, loves music, plays the trumpet, and has a delightful sense of humor.
Mike Reed explained that he and his wife Sylvi made a five-year commitment, of $1,000 per year to the Rotary Foundation. Each year, this entitles Mike to award a Paul Harris Fellow. This year, Mike and Silvi chose David Clough. Mike explained that although David officially is a lobbyist for the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), he would be better described as a State of Maine lobbyist. Mike explained that David has always worked on solutions for Maine's problems. David also has his own charitable organization. David received the first 2013 Portland Rotary Club Paul Harris fellowship. Rotary recently made a change and now gives the Paul Harris pin to both the recipient and the donor. Since this is the second year for Mike Reed, he received his Paul Harris pin with a blue sapphire.
And finally, "The Dude" reminded the club about the Bayside Bowling night, Monday night starting at 6:30pm. Proceeds will go to the Portland Rotary Charitable Account. By the time you read this, the event will be past, but the editors thought the Dude's visit was worth memorializing.
JAN 18: PINE CONE VALLEY
Our own Bob Martin, director of The Maine Technology Institute, Maine's publicly funded and privately run Venture Fund, took us on a whirl-wind power point tour of "Pine Cone Valley."
MTI has to date invested one hundred and sixty-two million dollars in a wide variety of technological projects, some with established companies and some with start-up companies including:
Jackson Lab's mice-growing project; Bigelow Lab's global research of plankton project; Advance Structures Institute's floating wind turbines; Tex-Tech's fabric protective armor; Falcon Foot-Wear's fireman's boots; Flo-Cam's fluid imaging; Cera Helix's development of the ceramic filter; Advance Composite's development of the one acre green-house; Pika Energy's devevelopment of the inverter which converts solar and wind energy to house-hold use.
In response to the question of what MTI has contributed to Maine, Bob believes it has been the creation of an innovative environment.
BITS AND PIECES
The Call to Order
56 Rotarians and six guests met in the lower level of the Holiday in By The Bay for the last time for three weeks. Hear the Clarion call fellow Rotarians.
The Pledge to God and Country-
Mike Fortunato led and we sang "America the Beautiful" accompanied by Kathy Grammer.
The Invocation-
Peggy Wescott presented and Old Scottish Prayer with their and her legendary ethnic thrift and brevity:
“God Grant that I may always be right
For thou knowest I am hard to turn.”
The repast-
And after- President Cyrus reconvened reminding us of the many conflicts competing for our precious time. Will the Pats game interfere with domestic harmony in your household if your family wants to watch Downton Abby?
Cyrus thanked the Jammer crew (you’re welcome) for getting out the newsletter and George Crockett for arranging a very interesting meeting with the Burundians.
The Guests-
Bruce Nelson introduced son Michael Nelson, Christine Force introduced Janelle LoSciuto and Amos Eno. Tara Hill was introduced by Kris Rosado, Steve Ditmer by Jim Willey and Russ Burleigh brought in Tabitha Swanson. Peter Moore was accompanied by Rob Chatfield. Welcome all.
The Happenings-
President announced that our 3H project in the Dominican Republic has been granted funding by the District. Hearing Hands H20.
Kathy Grammer alerted Kotzschmar Organ enthusiasts that a tour of the repair facility Foley Baker Company is scheduled for February 15, 2013 at their Tolland Connecticut location. See how meticulous craftsmanship is employed in the painstakingly exacting restoration of our beloved pipe organ. Contact Kathy for transportation options.
Ellen Niewoehner announced that the Sweetheart Auction is going to happen on February 8th, our meeting before Valentine’s Day! The event raised $3000 last year. Can Ellen count on your help to hit our goal of $4000? Look into your heart, mind, wallet and creative resources. Surely you have a donation, time, or talent? Your gardening expertise, singing lessons, a week at your vacation home? Treasure- a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant, that unwanted jewelry collecting dust on your dresser, last year’s exercise machine now converted to a clothes rack, the gift to you that … well, …. is not quite right and needs a new home with room to roam. Ellen is compiling a list of items to entice the membership to bring friends to the event who will bid high and bid often. Call or email Ellen today with your donations. And be sure not to miss this fun fundraiser.
Rob Chatfield- before a likeness of The Dude- alerted us to another fun fundraiser. January 28, 2013 at Bayside Bowl is designated to be Portland Rotary night. It is a regularly scheduled league night. Two lanes have been set aside for Rotary fun and look, you have to eat right? 5% of the meal take by the Bowl is slated for contribution to the Portland Rotary Charitable Fund. It would be very un-Dude-like for you to miss out on the fun.
On the subject of not missing out - January 17th at Sunday River, Look at these folks having fun. The beauteous day of God’s creation brought out the most attendees ever to a mid-week junket to Sunday River 11 skiers- can you identify the Rotarians and one guest in the photo taken by Kris Rosado?
The Raffle-
Jan Chapman conducted and Bob Martin drew the name of the inveterate selectee, PTG, to no one’s surprise. January 18, 2103 was not that punk’s lucky day however and the $544 pot grows as the Queen of Hearts remains embedded with her retinue.
The Firm Foundation:
Amy Chipman even more invigorated after the prior day's ski junket explains Rotary Foundation funding in detail. Amy said "The reason why I am up here today is not to ask for money but to thank you for all your generous donations and I also wanted to show you how your contributions get put to work!!" We applied for a matching grant from the Foundation, which has been approved, and we will be receiving $10,650. This money will help provide 100 hearing aids, 75 prosthetic hands and 66 water filters at the batey of Tocones de Cacata in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
So here’s the scoop:
The Rotary Club of Portland will coordinate the project and will contribute $5,000. The Rotary Club of Breakwater Daybreak and South Portland/Cape Elizabeth will contribute $2,100 so total contributions from our Clubs locally is $7,100. The District is matching us with $7,100, so now we’re up to $14,200. The receiving Club must contribute so the Rotary Club of La Romana, who is coordinating the project, will contribute $100 to the project, now we’re at $14,300. Are you with me so far?
So, how do we get to the $10,650 grant from the Foundation? Here’s the math:
The District contribution of $7,100 is matched dollar for dollar, $7,100.
The Clubs’ contribution is matched $0.50 on the dollar thus $3,550 is received from the Foundation which brings us to the total of the $10,650 matching grant from the Foundation.
So total dollars which will be used to fund these projects is $24,950!!
$14,200 contributed by the Clubs and the District
$10,650 from the Foundation
$100 from the La Romana Club in the DR
As a result:
100 kids will hear rain on the roof for the first time
75 people will have a new, functioning hand
66 families will have clean water
So a special thank you to all who contribute to our Rotary Foundation each year. Now you can see why it matters!!"
The Program:
And then Rob Chatfield came forward to introduce the speaker - a home grown product of our club- Bob Martin.
BITS AND PIECES
Bits and Pieces for the First Rotary Meeting of the Next Mayan Epoch!
SO THAT OLD ACQUAINTANCE IS NOT FORGOTTEN:
We were greeted by Christine Force: 61 Rotarians and 5 guests met in the lower level of the HIBTB. President Cyrus called the meeting to order.
WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD:
Garvey McLean gave us a brief history of practice of invocations "An invocation is an ancient tradition of prayer which seeks the support, the counsel, the indulgence of a Transcendent Presence upon the works of a body of people such as our Rotary Club. On the way to this invocation I was reminded by Joseph Coons, Rotarian from Bellingham Washington that several
men and women of science — Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Stephen Hawkins — all believed in the presence of God, particularly as manifested in the remarkable order of the universes.
Let us Pray:
Eternal Spirit beyond our sight yet deep within the mystery of our being, you have given humankind a strong desire to do good, to be honest, and to serve their neighbors. Help us, as Rotarians to faithfully fulfill our obligations to our community, our nation, and the world. Amen." Garvey concludes.
WE GIVE THANKS TO COUNTRY:
Russ Burleigh was asked to lead us in the pledge then Peggy Wescott played the patriotic song, "My Country ‘Tis of Thee".
WE ENJOY EACH OTHERS COMPANY:
Table talk: overheard at this scribe's table, immediate past president Jack recently lost his cat. As no second string cat was to be called up from the reserves, Jack and Pat strategized as to how to dispense with the abundance of surplus cat food from Sam's Club. Folks feed the birds, why not the mammals, in addition to the squirrels? So a feeding station was provisioned, frequented by opossum, with 3 deer, and two foxes at simultaneously at the bowl. Wild and crazy stuff. Our sympathies to Jack.
Speaking of cats, Erik Jorgensen reported that his cat, Mr. Johnson, recently underwent surgery to correct a congenital eye defect that had been causing him pain. Erik recommends the crack feline ophalmologists at the Portsmouth Veterinary Hospital.
On an entirely different subject, we note this week that Bob Martin, this week’s story editor, wrote and sent in his terrific piece about last week’s program, from Edinburgh, where he was visiting on business.
WE MEET NEW FRIENDS;
Dan Smith visited us from his Portland Sunrise Club; Peter Goffin brought in former Portland Rotarian and Charter tennis league member Kerck Kelsey, along with Andrew Emmertz and Monica Weeks. Joe Gray brought wife Marie, and Kris Rosado brought Tara Hill to meet us.
WE EXTOL OUR RICH TRADITIONS:
Al Sargent with President Cyrus at his side led us in the “Battle Hymn of The Republic” for our song, with Peggy capably accompanying on the keyboard. This was followed by “Happy Birthday” for January birthdays – a list that included Herb Carmichael, Jane Knapp, Tony Manhart, Don Lowry, Judy Cavallero, Dave Smith, and Amy Chipman (who was celebrating one ending in zero, we are told). Some of the January birthers are shown above.
WE TAKE CHANCES:
Matt Tassey conducted the $503 raffle and none other than Tom Sukley was chosen to choose from the dwindling deck. After a brief negotiation as to who should actually draw the card, Tom was convinced to accept the responsibility and selected the 10 of diamonds. The elusive Queen of Hearts remains safely embedded with her coterie.
WE DO GOOD WORK AND HAVE FUN:
President Cyrus gave us an update on the Monument Square Clock restoration project. The Portland Downtown District generously donated $2500; Bill Blount came forward to announce the first 2013 Rotary mid -week ski gathering at Sunday River, next Thursday, January 17, 2013. Join us at the South Ridge Lodge at 9 am. The skiing so far this year has been fabulous. Bill also announced the resumption of the Monday night tennis league play as well as the 2012 Fall Season Co-champions consisting of two 4 person teams: Larry Gross, Ken Ray, Dave Putnam, and Harry Sawyer; and Dick Hall, Scott Blakeslee, Jon Young, and Laura Young (no familial association).
LAST BUT VERY MUCH NOT LEAST: CRUTCHES 4 AFRICA!
Bruce Moore and Jan Chapman write: “Our Crutches 4 Africa project last Saturday was a big success! We moved a total of 167 sets of crutches, 180 walkers, 51 canes and 1 wheelchair to Saco where they’ll be loaded in a container for Africa in the spring. Thanks to Rotarians George Crockett, Larry Gross, Bowen Depke, Mike Fortunato, Jim (and Barbara) Willey, John Marr, Kathy Grammer and friend and Paul Tully for their help making this happen! John Marr’s best friend, Soleil, was there for moral support!! We also thank Elizabeth McLellan and Bob Convery at Partners for World Health for donating most of these mobility devices. We are continuing to collect mobility devices for this ongoing project. Thanks to all who have helped with this project!”
JAN 12: BURUNDI CLOSE UP
This past summer we had a brief introduction to the Burundian Community during our Burundian Drummers project at the Merrill. We found that there were 350-400 now in the city and most all fled their country to avoid persecution. Also that there are severe restrictions on their ability for them to earn funds or obtain a job when they arrive. For many we even found out where this smallest country in Africa is located.
This week we have a program to fill in more of the details and to meet the Burundians. The program was arranged with the assistance of Elizabeth Beane and Allen-Ewing Merrill of the Hope-Gateway Methodist Church, which has been very active in assisting the Burundi community.
Alphonse Ndayikenguruki was a television reporter and producer in Burundi for 20 years. He has been in Portland for three years and has obtained asylum. He will give a brief history of the political situation and talk about why people are leaving. This includes the role of the media and why so many journalists have had to flee.
Martine Dusabe is the daughter of a reporter and herself active in social issues-particularly regarding women, children and LGBT issues. Her family was often targeted by the government and rebels forcing her father to flee the country leaving his wife and 5 children behind. Then she had to flee as well. She has been in Portland for about a year and is seeking asylum.
Both Alphonse and Martine will answer the most common question. Why are the Burundians coming to Portland?
Noel Young is the asylum attorney with ILAP ( Immigrant Legal Assistance program). A summa cum laude graduate of Suffolk Law School, she was a corporate attorney before coming to Portland in 2011. She will outline the legal difficulty of obtaining asylum status.
JAN 4: DRAPER HUNT on HANNIBAL HAMLIN
Bob Traill and Laura Young flanking speaker Draper Hunt.
If there was a market for humorous stories about folks no one has ever heard of, Draper Hunt would hold the lion's share. "I heard an old man tell a story once, " Professor Hunt began; "One ran away to sea; the other became vice-president. Neither was ever heard from again."
Humor aside, Hunt's passion is telling the story of Hannibal Hamlin, a native of Paris Hill, who became a U.S. Senator from Maine and Vice-President in Abraham Lincoln's first term. "Very few people know of him," said Hunt. "He's usually the answer to obscure questions on quiz shows." Hamlin developed a reputation for being fiercely against slavery, which was a good fit for Lincoln's supporters at the 1860 Republican Convention in Chicago. Unlike the staged presidential Kabuki theater of today, neither Lincoln nor Hamlin were in Chicago for their nominations. While Lincoln did not like slavery, Hamlin was able to take a harder line. "It blights all it touches," he wrote, "it is a curse, a moral wrong, and hurts all those involved."
While Draper Hunt shared stories about Hamlin's political rise, he kept us all chuckling with observations about the historical role of the vice-president, recounting the observations of those who have served in that office or been President. "An insignificant office," wrote John Adams, our first Vice President. "Easy and honorable," observed Thomas Jefferson. "There is little to be said about it," said Woodrow Wilson. John Nance Garner offered scatological comments, and Harry S. Truman related that it was akin to a superfluous part of a cow's udder.
Hamlin did not like being Vice President either. For him, the job was not only insignificant as he had little contact with Lincoln and played no real part in the administration's policy or conduct of the Civil War. Worse, he had no patronage jobs to disperse. While modern-day politicians like the ability to move money to their districts, the 19th-century currency was patronage. Without a real power base, Hamlin had no jobs to allocate: Federal jobs were doled out by the President. Hunt shared correspondence between Hamlin and the wife of John C. Fremont who was looking for a new command for her husband. Hamlin wrote back expressing his vice presidential impotency.
Hamlin pressed harder with his anti-slavery position, which was not seen as helpful to Lincoln and others who were trying to reunite the Union. In 1862, Lincoln invited him to the Soldier's Home in Northeast Washington and read to him the preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Finding his life in Washington to be of no effect, Hamlin spent most of his time on his farm near Bangor. Feeling left out of the war effort, Hamlin spent time as a cook in a militia unit where he caught fish and made chowder. After an assassination attempt and a critical bout with small pox, Lincoln observed that Hamlin was his "best insurance against assassination."
Despite the drawbacks of the position, Hamlin wanted to be re-elected. Lincoln, however, had other ideas. In an effort to begin reconciliation, he stimulated an effort to have Andrew Johnson named the vice presidential nominee in 1864. Lincoln was worried about losing the election and he needed to have a strong Democrat on the ticket to gain Democratic votes. Had the election not been in doubt, Hamlin might well have stayed on. With Lincoln's subsequent assassination, he would have become President and not so inconsequential.
BITS AND PIECES
Cyrus Hagge called the meeting to order at twelve fifteen; Russ Burleigh intoduced a Holiday invocation with a brief sketch of a deeply depressed Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sitting in the study of his Cambridge home on Christmas morning in 1864. Upon hearing the the church bells of Cambridge, he penned a poem: "I heard the Bells on Christmas Day...". Kathy Grammer lovingly sang his words, invoking the spirit of hope and peace.
Cyrus welcomed our guest speaker, Andrew Harris, and two visitors: A Portland retiree Carl Cappello, the guest of Al Sargent; and a Freeport soccer player, Ryan Rosado, guest of Kris Rosado.
RAFFLE OOPS!
After dumping the raffle deck on the floor, Rich Campbell invited Kathy Grammer to draw the jack-o-hearts! Oh dear ever so close! Toby Cook looks on.
PORTLAND ROTARY CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE
If you are interested in helping plan the events of our 100th anniversary year, you can sign at our next meeting. You can expect to be involved in four quarterly meetings.
SPECIAL HOLIDAY TREAT
A pick-up quartet, described by one member as the "Over 60s and Under-rehearsed Barbershop Quartet", consisting
of Bill Blount, Russ Burleigh, Al Sargent, and our guest Carl Cappello offered a capella renditions of "White Christmas" and "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." Bravo! Bravo!
Later, the Club was inspired to offer a beautiful rendition of "Silver Bells." under the direction of Russ Burleigh and accompanist, Kathy Grammer.
WORDS OF THANKS
Cyrus was pleased to share a letter of thanks:
Dear Cyrus:
I am writing on behalf of the Welcome Immigrants Network, a group of concerned citizens working to meet the needs of Portland's many new immigrants. We wish to express the deep appreciation we feel towards the Portland Rotary Club and the work of George Crockett on your behalf, in making it possible for so many Burundians and other Africans to attend The Royal Drummers and Dancers of Burundi performance at Merrill Auditorium. It was very generous and greatly appreciated. -- Cushman Anthony
PLEASE NOTE
When next at a club gathering pick up a copy of the Portland Rotary brochure and pass it on to a friend or colleague or neighbor whom you think might be interested in joining our club
These festive Christmas Socks were seen on the feet of Peggy Wescott!
SEE YOU ALL IN 2013!
TWO WEEKS AGO: WHAT THE DICKENS?
Last Friday we had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Harris from the Portland Stage Company, where he is Artistic and Production Manager. Harris grew up in the Midlands region of the UK. He had the good sense to marry a Maine native, his wife Carole. She is the Marketing Director of Portland Stage.
Andrew spends a great deal of his time with educational outreach to the community and to schools in particular. His passion for the arts, is apparent and contagious.
Andrew talked mostly about one of his favorites, Charles Dickens. Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England in 1812, and suffered financial hardship that were critical to his formative years. The Dickens’ had been considered middle class by the standard then but fell into the depths of poverty. The themes of class and poverty were in many if not all of his most famous works. He became a journalist and branched off into other types of writing. Andrew told us about the one trip Dickens made to Portland, Maine in 1868. He was less than impressed with Portland initially, but felt more favorable toward our city after a successful performance at City Hall.
We were fortunate to have a period performance by Andrew Harris. Not only was he dressed in costume, his Midlands accent made everything seem more realistic and appropriate. He performed a reading from Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers, Chapter 29, The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton. This particular chapter was the basis for his later book, A Christmas Carol, published in December of 1843.
Now back to my role as critic. Andrew read the Chapter to us and was delightful in his performance. I think many of us could have sat there all afternoon and continued to listen. I suspect he commands the stage whenever and wherever he performs. He did Charles Dickens proud.
It was said of Dickens, “He gave the best performances of the best literature”.
Thank you, Andrew, for a very enjoyable reading.
THIS FRIDAY: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HANNIBAL HAMLIN
This Friday we have the pleasure of listening to H. Draper Hunt, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Southern Maine. The topic of our lecture will be “Abraham Lincoln/Hannibal Hamlin and the Civil War Vice Presidencies.” With the recent success of the Spielberg blockbuster Lincoln many people have been thinking about that presidency. What is less well known is the Lincoln administration’s connection to Maine, in the form of vice president Hannibal Hamlin (whom Lincoln did not meet until after the election).
Hamlin, from originally from Paris Hill, was a Hampden lawyer before beginning his political career, which included service in the Maine legislature, a brief stint as governor, followed by time in both the US House and Senate. A foe of slavery, he was a supporter of the Emancipation proclamation and the arming of African American soldiers in the Civil War.
Professor Hunt taught history at USM from 1965 until 1997 when he retired. He has published four books which include Hannibal Hamlin of Maine: Lincoln’s First Vice-President. His particular interests include Maine and Civil War history.
Professor Hunt has many honors and histinctions, including the USM Distinguished Faculty Award. It has been said of Professor Hunt that “he never seems to tire of lecturing about Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, and people never seem to tire of hearing his lectures.”
We will look forward to this lecture and hope the test afterward, won’t be too difficult!
BITS AND PIECES
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Here's December's Student of the Month, Jolwes Phanord, from Casco Bay High School, receiving his certificate from Scott Blakeslee. In the background is CBHS teacher Leslie Appelbaum.
CRUTCHES, HANDS, HEARING AIDS and ALL THE GOOD STUFF WE DO ABROAD
Jan Chapman and Bruce Moore write: "Thank you to everyone who signed up to help move crutches from the Partners for World Health warehouse in Scarborough to Saco for shipment to Africa. We plan to meet at 9am on Saturday, January 5th at the PWH warehouse at 70 US Route 1, Scarborough, package the crutches into bundles and transport them to Saco. Please contact Jan Chapman or Bruce Moore if you have interest in this project. "
They add that "our project in the Dominican Republic will take place in early April next year. In addition to providing hearing aids, audiology care, and prosthetic hands to people in need, we plan to install water filters in homes so families will have access to clean water. If anyone is interested in becoming part of our ‘3H Team’ please speak to Jan Chapman or Bruce Moore or anyone else on the team to learn more about this project. The more people we have on our team, the more water filters we can install!!
ROTARY OFFICERS 2013-14
The following slate of officers for 2013-14 for the Portland Rotary Club
was approved and voted in on Friday, December 14, 2012”. We are grateful for these members of our Club who are embodying the "Service Above Self" ethos!
PRESIDENT – John Marr
1st VICE PRESIDENT - Kris Rosado
2nd VICE PRESIDENT – Bowen Depke
SECRETARY - Loretta Rowe
TREASURER - Scott Blakeslee
SGT-AT-ARMS - Mike Fortunato
2 DIRECTORS – with terms expiring 2015
Toby Cook
Michelle Mitchell
2 SERVICE & MEMORIAL FUND TRUSTEES – with terms expiring 2016
Roger Asch
Justin LaMontagne”
THE BIG FAT ROTARY FOUNDATION DRAWING:
A number of club members have organized into "circles" through which they jointly contribute toward Paul Harris Fellowships over a number of years. Each year, one name is randomly drawn from each circle until all the circle members have been honored.
Foundation chair Amy Chipman writes: "All checks are in so we will be having our annual drawing, right after the membership meeting this Friday, to see whose name will be picked to win a Paul Harris Fellow for 2012!!" She asks that the following people please plan to join her at the drawing, which will be immediately following the membership meeting this Friday:
Circle 1
Amy Chipman
Circle 2
Peggy Wescott
Loretta Rowe
Russ Burleigh
Jon Young
Roxane Cole
Amy’s and Peggy’s names will be removed from the drawing since their names were drawn last year, meaning that there's a better chance to win. Amy says, "be there or be square, and thank you so much for your support!!!"
MITTENS, MITTENS, MITTENS, MITTENS MITTENS &c.
Here's a big picture to represent a big, generous labor of love. Bowen Depke, Mike Fortunato, and the one and only Rob Chatfield show off the latest batch of 100 knitted mittens made by Joan Steinberg. This has been an annual effort by Joan, who uses yarn donated by Rotary, to furnish mittens to kids who need them through WinterKids. Thanks, Joan!
DECEMBER 21: THE (PORTLAND) STAGE IS SET
At this week’s meeting our guest speaker will be Andrew Harris. Harris is currently an Affiliate Artist and the Production Manager at Portland Stage Company, as well as Artistic & Executive Director of, “Maine Most Enchanting Playhouse”, the Deertrees Theatre in Harrison.
Originally from the U.K., Harris now calls Maine home. He lives year round with his wife Carole who is a Maine native and currently the Marketing Director at Portland Stage. Andrew grew up in The Midlands, an industrial region of the U.K. into a household that was buzzing with news and literature. His father was a writer and journalist. He attended college in London in the early seventies, trained as an actor and an educator, and entered the workforce of both arenas, where he has been fortunate to work throughout his life.
A keen advocate for arts education as a tool for life, he was heavily involved in the creation of national examination courses in Educational Drama & Theatre in the U.K. He founded and successfully ran a touring company of medieval players that performed annually for over 15 years; he has worked extensively in repertory theatre in England, also as an education associate; and in schools and colleges as an Advisory Teacher and Theatre-in-Education Lecturer. Harris has been both Arts Centre Director and Arts Agency Director as well as serving on The Arts Council of Great Britain and the Maine Arts Commission.
His local on-stage appearances have been at Portland Stage Company and The Public Theatre, and on film with The History Channel. By his own admission, Andrew, enjoys pulling out the good old tried and tested, ‘performance chestnuts’, at this festive time of year – like the seasonal Dickens readings, and those of Dylan Thomas, Hans Christian Andersen, and C.S. Lewis.
The inspiration for his presentation and him joining us … will be drawn from one of the above!
LAST WEEK: REFLECTIONS ON JOURNALISM, BIG BIRD and MAINE
In the Photo: Ben Lowry, Irwin Gratz, and MPBN CEO Mark Vogelzang
Those who listen to Maine Public Radio have long heard the deep voice of Irwin Gratz, and now we have the face to put with it. Gratz gave the club some insight into his program, Morning Edition, and the journalism at MPBN. He said he enjoyed getting before this audience because it gave him an opportunity to get to talk with an audience rather than to talk to an audience. He loves his job because it allows him to venture forth into “fun and unique things” as part of his journalism. He’s been to the tops of bridges, in the cockpit of jets, and met many influential and interesting people. However, the thing that inspires him most is when his work, through the delivery of his fact-filled message, is able to help assure “…that justice be done right”. He is committed to journalism as a profession with a fine and noble purpose.
Gratz fully appreciates that the business of journalism is in a state of flux, especially the print media. Nonetheless, he feels that it is a viable profession and while the medium of delivery might change, the art of the profession remains intact. He points out that there’s more news available now than at any other time in history. That doesn’t mean, however, that the delivery is getting any better. He said the large producers are growing fatter and don’t seem to “have the chops” to go after projects that dig into controversial topics.
His base proposition for the profession is to be “ good and consistent gatherers of news and go to a variety of sources”. He opined that some do it better than others, but he refrained from maligning any source. However, he did cite Bloomberg News as setting a fine standard, albeit in a narrow band of business reporting. As news develops a newer financing model and goes into more subscription-based underwriting he is concerned that coverage might be more limited in scope. That was a good set up for the first question, dealing with news crossing over from objective reporting to opinion. His answer was that with the advent of cable news, the opinion-based model seems to have become the norm. He pointed out that the opinion press is neither a new nor inherently bad thing. He reminded us that Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” was an essay of opinion and deeply disturbing to the powers and many people of the time. Bottom line, according to Gratz, is that it is up to us to discern what is fact, fiction and folly (The Onion!).
Stay tuned, the world is changing around you.
LAST WEEK: PEARL HARBOR REMEMBERED
Earle Leavitt and Paul Eason beside the Peace Banner (Photo: Russ Burleigh)
It was 71 years ago to the day when Earle Leavitt was awakened by a strange sound in his barracks at Hickam Field, Hawaii, just a few miles from Pearl Harbor. As a newly enlisted 20-year-old in the US Navy, Earle had been given three choices for active duty: The Caribbean, The Philippines, or Hawaii. Picturing dancing girls in grass skirts, Earle was quick to choose the latter, never imaging that he would witness one of the most infamous attacks in the history of our nation. Wearing just his “skivvies”, Earle ran out into the bright sunlight of that Sunday morning and looked up to see hoards of low level attack planes bearing the rising sun symbol of the Empire of Japan. His life, and the lives of all Americans, would never be the same.
Joined by Dr. Paul Eason from Bates College, Portland Rotary was transfixed on our speakers as we listened first to an historical prospective and then the heartfelt remembrances of our own Earle, who “remembers it like it was yesterday.”
Like 9/11 so many years later, the defining event of the latest generation, an attack on our nation was long feared as Japan looked for ways to enter into aggressive negotiations with the United States, who had begun an embargo of Japan in August of 1941. With hostilities boiling in Asia and Europe, most feared an attack on the California coast or the Philippines in the weeks leading up to December 7th. Miscommunications within the leadership both in Washington and at Pearl Harbor were rumored after the attack, with some critics even convinced that Roosevelt and Churchill knew of some plans, but Dr. Eason feels that no real blame for the attack, which killed over 3600, need be rendered. For Earle, who served as a rear gunner and engineer, the remainder of the war was served at various islands in the Pacific, with no significant combat seen. Sunday, December 7, 1941, would serve as his clearest memory and one that we were honored to share with him at Portland Rotary.
SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR ROTARY YEAR 2013-14
1st VICE PRESIDENT - Kris Rosado
2nd VICE PRESIDENT – Bowen Depke
SECRETARY - Loretta Rowe
TREASURER - Scott Blakeslee
SGT-AT-ARMS - Mike Fortunato
2 DIRECTORS – with terms expiring 2015
Toby Cook
Michelle Mitchell
2 SERVICE & MEMORIAL FUND TRUSTEES – with terms expiring 2016
Roger Asch
Justin LaMontagne
BITS AND PIECES
WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED HERE!
Portland Rotarians met on Pearl Harbor Day 12/7/12, the "Date that will live in Infamy". 63 Members and seven guests met in the lower level of the HI-BTB. President Cyrus called the meeting to order, Peggy Wescott did a brief invocation concerning Pearl Harbor Day..Hal Crabill was asked to lead us in the pledge then Peggy played the patriotic song, America the Beautiful.
LET'S MAKE THIS SPECIAL WITH MUSIC
Bill Blount was asked to come forward to lead our song. In commemoration of the day two verses of “For those in Peril on the Sea”, well played by Peggy, was followed by December Birthdays. It was a long list, maybe love-children
conceived on or around Valentine's Day? Do the math. Notably President Cyrus is amongst the December babies.
TAKE A CHANCE
Loretta Rowe conducted the raffle, but the elusive Queen of Hearts remains safely embedded with her coterie.
NEW MEMBERS!
It was a special day as no fewer than three new Rotarians were welcomed to our membership.
Roxanne Cole introduced Christine Force. Christine was born in Bangor. She attended U- Maine but transferred to, and graduated from USM. She had14 Years in Marketing and Community Relations at Hannaford, and for the past 10
years she has managed fundraising in the nonprofit sector and is currently employed as Director of Development for the Resources First Foundation in Yarmouth. She recently launched a consulting business around marketing for small businesses (Dave Clough- you familiar with Christine?). She has a son in New York and a daughter in North Andover, MA as well as four grandchildren. Her partner, Tom Cox, recently appeared on 207 for his work uncovering the practice of "robo-signing" and other illegal activities in the mortgage service industry, and for his work on representing low-income people to avoid foreclosure. For this he was awarded the 2012 Purpose Prize, which recognizes people older than 60 who work toward the public good and rewards them with $100,000. Christine's hobbies: reading, gardening, fly-fishing, hiking, writing.
Justin LaMontagne introduced Russell Voss. Russell is an accomplished operations and IT leader with more than six years’ experience managing innovative projects. A native of Lansing, Michigan, he has lived in New Hampshire, Maine, California, Florida, Germany, and currently resides in Portland. He received a Master of Science
degree from Colorado Technical University in 2006, and has been a project management practitioner since. He is currently a Technical Project Manager with WellPoint Inc. Prior to WellPoint, Russell held the role of Corporate
Project Manager for the Customer Relationship Management division of Ford. He is an executive board member with PROPEL (Portland’s young leaders group) and is Director of Entreverge, PROPEL’s entrepreneurship recognition program, where the group pays tribute to the skills, passion, and commitment of greater Portland’s young entrepreneurs. He is also the Membership Committee Chair for the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber. His time away from work is spent volunteering within the community, spending time with family and backpacking with his dogs.
Last but not least, Kris Rosado introduced Philip Everett (pictured above with President Cyrus) Phil has been in in the restaurant and hotel industry for the past 25 years. He holds degrees from The American Culinary Federation, Champlain College, University of Vermont, and the University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Management. Phil has worked for exclusive properties such as the Chatham Bars Inn, Top of the Hub in Boston, and the Regatta Restaurants of Cotuit and Falmouth. He has called Maine home for the past 13 years working primarily in the Sunday River area, where he has owned his own successful restaurant, The Phoenix, for the past 10 of those years. Currently he is the Food and Beverage Manager for the Oxford Casino and is a partner in Banyan Tree Hospitality which operates two boutique hotels in Boston, MA.
He is newly married as of October and resides with his wife Rebecca, who is a nurse at Maine Med, in the Back Cove area of Portland. While they have no kids, they do share their house with 4 dogs, so actually, it is the dogs' house, and they just get to keep their things there.
Rotarians, when you see Christine, Russell and Phil at the next meeting - there is a lot to get to know here! As the Brits say "Chat them up." Make them feel at home. Those 15 minutes, from 12:00 Noon to 12:15 when President
Cyrus rings the bell, make it their shortest 15 minutes of the week!
WINE AND CHEESE EXTRAVAGANZA!
Rotarians and guests had an opportunity to "have some cheese with that whine". Last Thursday evening, Portland Rotary sponsored a successful Wine Tasting Event at Creative Office Pavilion's showroom. Over 80 folks, including fellow Portland Rotarians, gathered for a delightful evening in support of our Club's fundraising efforts in the Dominican Republic. Special thanks to Bruce Jones for a great evening of fellowship and fundraising. The fortunate attendees had a chance to sample (and buy) over 30 different wines and a variety of Cabot cheeses. Thanks again to all who joined in to help raise money for the 3H project: Hearing, Hands and H2O.
AND THE LOBSTER DIP...
Does jumping into Casco Bay on New Year's day sound like something you'd like to do? If so, you should do it. If not, you should help Justin Lamontaigne make this crazy act count. Justin writes:
"As many of you know, I annually raise money for the Special Olympics of Maine by participating in their Lobster Dip on January 1 at Old Orchard Beach. It’s a fun (and painful) experience for a really incredible organization. I’d greatly appreciate if you wouldconsider donating to my fundraising efforts. The easiest way is via my fundraising webpage here: http://www.firstgiving.com/
BITS AND PIECES
THE TAKE OVER!
Where was the Homeland Security? No one saw it coming. They looked so innocent and sincere, sitting there at various tables and chatting it up with us. Yet they turned out to be sleeper cells, not from the Middle East or Afghanistan, but from across the Casco Bay. These guys don’t even know for sure whether they come from Cape Elizabeth or South Portland but their presumed leader, Bob Flynn, had the audacity to take the mic from President Cyrus and teach him how to run a meeting! We knew, however, that right would win out and in the end we would get our club back. In the meantime, these up-starts put on quite an interesting show.
WANT TO SING A SONG?
The insurgents even decided to lead us in song, trying to use our own book. Unfortunately, President Bob, didn’t realize that a lyric is not a title and wondered why when he asked us to sing “Sleigh Bells Ring” nobody could find “Winter Wonderland” in the song book. But, of course, we have the secret ingredient and Kathy Grammer and Russ Burleigh rectified the gaff. It reaffirmed what a great job President Cyrus does conducting a meeting.
IT WASN’T A POWER BALL WINDFALL
One of our WWII heroes, Bob Traill, conducted the raffle this week and had $382 to give away. Roger Fagan, the hero of Hearts For Hearing, made the pull for the cause but plucked without luck and came up with the King of Diamonds. Sorry Roger, even PTG like to to have seen you win it.
HOLD IT, WE DO HAVE A WINNER!
Cyrus and Patti Hagge are going to become grandparents. They are finally going to be able to exact the fruits of their (hers?) labor and that pleasure that comes with grandparent revenge.
And in the births department, congratulations to Erik and Holly Lusk, who have a new baby daughter - Margaret Caroline, 7 lbs, 2 oz, born December 4 at 4:07 am (ouch)!
CROCKETT, CROCKETT, CROCKETT
Our unassuming and self effacing but indefatigable “do gooder” George Crockett was extremely busy. To begin with he was selling beautiful scarfs for the Hands project at the meeting. Prior to that he assisted in the gathering clothes and shoes for the Burundi community in such volume that they filled Cyrus’ store room. And , last, but not least, he got to boast on his daughters achievement of making her clown role part of the Cirque d Soleil, in Montreal. What a guy!
IN THE NEWS, BUT NOT UNDER INDICTMENT
Dave Clough was on hand for Senator Snowe’s final committee meeting in DC and was given notice in the local paper. Also mentioned in the print was Bob Clark, Executive Director of the Greater Portland Boys and Girls Clubs, because they opened an expanded facility at Riverton to help those kids.
LAST WEEK: A MOST UNUSUAL CLUB ASSEMBLY
Members of two clubs in the zaniest Club Assembly ever! Top: Bob Flynn in action; Middle: Roger Fagan in the Card Draw (No Luck!); Bottom: What's My Line?
The program for this past Friday (at the Holiday Inn once more!) was advertised as a Club Assembly, but it turned out to be unlike any club assembly seen before.
First, the meeting was hijacked by a “mystery chair”, who turned out to be none other than Bob Flynn, the President of the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club. After sending our own President Cyrus back to the cheap seats, Bob assumed control of the meeting, and soon revealed that almost every table in the room had been infiltrated by Rotarians from that club. It was an unexpected turn of events, and a fun opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from “South of the Border”.
We were then treated to an entertaining quiz show modeled on “What’s My Line” and presented by our South Portland-Cape Elizabeth guests. Five “mystery guests” were aligned at the head table and were subjected to yes or no questions based on clues which had been provided on each table. Gradually, we were able to reach some consensus around the truth from the less true (three members were in fact who they said they were; two were fakes). It was great fun, and we owe one to our South Portland-Cape buddies for sure.
DECEMBER 7: A DAY THAT SHALL LIVE IN INFAMY
This week, Friday, December 7th, the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, we are fortunate to have as our primary speaker Paul Eason, currently a visiting professor of Japanese History at Bates College. Mr. Eason, a native of California, is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. A Fulbright Scholar, he received his PhD. from Princeton in 2012. His research has focused on the history of modern Japan, including the effects of the Pacific War in daily life in Japan. His talk will be followed by some reminiscences by our own member Earle Leavitt who was a young Army Air Force gunner stationed at Hickham Field during the Japanese attack.
Dr. Eason relates that his grandparents and great-grandparents vividly remembered the attack and the panic/reaction it inspired on the West Coast. I personally remember that day very well. As a first grader in San Louis Obispo, California, the thing that I remember most about that time is that my pal, who was a Japanese American, suddenly disappeared, and I never saw him again.
Join us this Friday to learn more about this turning point in American history.
THIS WEEK: WHO's DOING WHAT
Editor - Toby Cook
Bits & Pieces - Garvey MacLean
Registration - Robert Traill
Meal Ticket Sales - Jacob Bourdeau
Raffle - Richard Campbell
Invocator - Bruce Jones
Sgt at Arms - Early - Michael Reed
Sgt at Arms - Late - Peter Noyes
THIS WEEK: WHAT's MY LINE?
In this still from an original "What's My Line" episode, a youthful Mia Farrow is guest before a blindfolded panel c.1966 that includes husband Frank Sinatra.
This week, it's one of our periodic club assemblies. But you won't want to miss this one. Instead of focusing entirely on club business like planning and organizing, President Cyrus is arranging another installment of the ever-popular "What's My Line" quiz game, in which we'll learn some new things about some of our fellow Rotarians. Last year, the game was a huge hit, one that had members in stitches as they learned new and different facts about folks they'd been eating and serving with for years.
When pressed to offer details about this year's program, President Cyrus was vague, saying only that there would be some unusual twists and turns. He described the program broadly as "Rotary Lite, a chance to laugh off some of our Thanksgiving calories".
So come on Friday, prepared for anything, and expecting to have fun. We can be pretty sure that the menu will not include turkey. Beyond that, however, all bets are off.
TWO WEEKS AGO: A CENTURY OF BEAN BOOTS
Steve Fuller and the iconic LL Bean Bootmobile, taking to the street.
The Club was in for a real treat when LL Bean’s VP of Marketing, Steve Fuller, gave us a peek behind the curtain as LL Bean prepares to mark its 100th anniversary. It all started when the orphaned Leon Leonwood Bean collected enough family money to create his first hunting boot and sold 100 pairs, of which 92 were returned and fully refunded. It was the third boot prototype to start the success story that today generates $1.5 billion in annual sales.
The anniversary strategy focuses on three major themes: Uniqueness, Relevance, and Community. To illustrate LL Bean’s uniqueness, their TV ads featured factory scenes with real workers showing skill and corporate culture put into each product. Steve’s creation of the Bootmobile and its subsequent success surprised even him. Another surprise occurred when LL Bean replaced the Fenway Park infield tarp with a new tarp with their 100th anniversary message. They decided to re-cycle the old canvass tarp by turning it into 1000 numbered boat tote bags. Their uncertainty of whether this was a good idea quickly evaporated when the first sales day found a line of customers around the block. All bags sold in 7 minutes with the proceeds going to charity. Similar successful anniversary products included Gifford’s ‘Muddy Bean Boots’ ice cream and the anniversary boot with Bean’s original red soles.
To insure LL Bean’s continued relevance in today’s Internet world, the company web site was changed to encourage more customer feedback. With today’s kids spending only one hour per day outdoors, the site sought photos of kids in the great outdoors. For every photo posted, LL Bean donated $1 to the National Parks to meet their “Million (dollar) Moments Mission.”
LL Bean’s focused most of its community service efforts on its hometown of Freeport as the sponsor of many local events such as the town 4th of July celebration, and donating half a million dollars to upgrading the community athletic fields. All of this reminds us why LL Bean’s business culture is the envy of the corporate world, as whenever they lose their business compass, the employees need to look no further than the motto on the wall, “If you get lost in the woods, come straight back to camp.”
Laura Young and Kathy Grammer with our guest, Steve Fuller
LAST WEEK: KELP, KELP, and MORE KELP!
Peter Goffin, sporting very stylish jeans as part of his company's today fundraiser for the Sandy Storm victims, introduced Paul Dobbins and his talk,
Growing a Future for Seaweed .
Paul Dobbins, President of Ocean Approved, an Aquafarms subsidiary, told us about the work his company has been doing to cultivate seaweed on a large scale, and to distribute it for retail and restaurant consumption. His company’s products are available in many local locations, including Whole Foods, Harbor Fish, and Lois' Natural Foods in Scarborough.
Aquaculture research is supported by numerous State and Federal Agencies. Paul mentioned strong support from ME Dept of Marine Resources, noting that they have been an excellent partner. Another major supporter of the work is Bigelow Labs. An unusual partnership comes from Bridgeport Regional High School in Connecticut, which has a research program. Kids are prepared, upon graduation, to be aquaculture technicians.
The underlying theme driving this industry is food demand - How are we to feed the world in 2050? There is not enough land to feed the growing world population. The UN says the world needs 5 billion metric tons of production more than we have now. Paul Dobbins believes that seaweed is a big art of the solution.
Seafood in general is a $10 billion contribution to the trade deficit now; the US is a net importer, with over half of what it imports farm raised. Demand for protein is increasing worldwide, and 28 countries are now farming seaweed, though this category has been slow to get started in the US. Seaweed is 40% of all aquaculture by weight.
In Maine we have three families of seaweed containing 210 species, and all are edible. Because seaweed is green, it takes in nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and Phosphorous (K). Seaweed produces oxygen (O2). Brown kelp is really green, (demonstrated by Paul putting the brown kelp into hot water where the green showed up). Kelp grows as a winter species, planting in the fall, growing through the winter with harvesting in the spring. This is a perfect cycle to provide opportunities for fishermen when their season for lobstering and other traditional fishing is at a low point.
There is a global market for seaweed, and the US is currently a net importer. Kelp farming can change this. What’s more, kelp farming improves the quality of the sea.
The company had its first commercial kelp harvest in April 2011. The farm raised is cheaper to produce than wild harvested, and better quality especially when used for commercial food production, where consistency is extremely important.
Kelp, which has spores like a mushroom, can be grown very effectively using a low-tech method starting with a single piece of mature plant and spores spread on strings. After 30 days one gets one-meter plants, and in six months one gets 6000 # of kelp from each original string.
Planting Jan 1 can yield a harvest April 1 of 8-12 ft plants, of very uniform size. Paul tells us that their goal is to make the process very easy using all local materials, in order to encourage many people to grow kelp. Admittedly, the season Dec 1- Apr 1 is difficult, with limited days, but there is significant labor available, including lobstermen and shellfish harvesters. Maine will never be as efficient as the Chinese boats, due to our multiple users of the sea. China harvested 5 milliion metric tons last year, almost all used to feed their people. In Maine we cannot interfere with the lobster industry. This is not a problem because general kelp farms are in different areas than attract lobsters. Kelp farming will be good support for the working waterfront. For a food company, farm raised kelp is an outstanding, high quality food product.
Currently the company is not making any money. There is lots of excitement, and luckily they have extensive financial support. All monies are plowed back into the company. They have inquiries from the World Bank, studying the economic structure, and determining how financing might be brought to bear on world markets. The Irish government is very interested in how Mainers are sharing the commons- kelp, tourists, recreational boaters, and fishermen all use the same place. There are many discussions on improving efficiencies, with a mission to maximize outreach to stimulate improvements.
PHOTO BITS AND PIECES
Mark Millar with our speaker, Paul Dobbins
Here are two recent photos of Kathy Grammer and Russ Burleigh in costume, re-enacting the first days of the Kotzschmar Organ, 100 years ago! Kathy is playing the role of Mrs. Kotzschmar, and Russ, that of Mr. Curtis. They are on stage at Saint Joseph's College.
Victor Pizzuto tries his hand at the card draw - no luck.
NOV 16: 100 YEARS OF L.L. BEAN
This Friday, we'll meet Steve Fuller, the Senior Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer for L.L. Bean. In this role, he oversees all marketing functions for the company including advertising, creative, customer planning, e-commerce, advertising, database segmentation, operations (printing, paper, forecasting) as well as L.L.Bean’s Multi-Channel strategic initiatives. Since taking over the company’s marketing responsibilities in 2002, Steve has helped L.L.Bean attract more new customers than at any other time in the company’s history. Most recently he has been asked to oversee L.L. Bean’s international business and move into China.
Steve has played a key role in the development of L.L. Bean’s “Outdoor Advantage Program,” the company's co-branded VISA card and helped turn it into one of the largest affinity programs in the country. He was also responsible for the establishment of L.L. Bean’s relationship with Subaru and the development of the L.L. Bean Editions in both the U.S. and Japan.
Steve is a Maine native and received his undergraduate degree from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He has an MBA from Boston College and attended Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He is a member of L.L.Bean’s Board of Directors and an annual speaker at the Tuck Business School. He is also currently a Trustee at Bates College.
BITS AND PIECES
Tom Talbot reports that he is still working on the distribution plan for his new Zombie Blast product which was featured in MaineBiz recently.
The Club sang the traditional Armed Forces Medley in honor of Veteran's Day. Russ Burleigh noted the 237rd anniversary of the Marine Corps.
Club members are reminded of the St. Vincent DePaul's Annual Rotary Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday, November 21st. 8-11:15 Set up; 10:45-12:45 Serving; !2;30-1:30 Clean up. Please contact Stevan Stromsky at stevan_j_stromsky@keybank.com to sign up.
The club's clothing drive for the Burundi families will continue through the end of November. Please bring your slightly worn clothes to donate at a future meeting.
Bowen Depke created flyers about the clock project that members can share with area businesses. An e-mail will be sent soon with an attachment of the flyer.
President Cyrus recognized the following Rotarians in the news: Bob Martin in MaineBiz and Erik Jorgensen in the Forecaster. The club applauded Erik on his recent election to the Maine House of Representatives. Erik said his orientation will begin soon and the swearing in will occur in early December.
Save the date for a Portland Rotary Wine and Cheese Fundraising event on December 6th at 6PM. Over 40 wines from 5 distributors will be available for tasting. Tickets to benefit Rotary's 3H project and will be held at Creative Office Pavilion, 141 Middle Street.
Amy Chipman alerted members to be on the lookout for a letter asking for gifts to the Rotary Foundation. She said the bottom of the letter will include the member's credit toward a Paul Harris Fellow.
Club members were encouraged to help our fellow rotarians in New York and New Jersey with their Hurricane Sandy clean up. Donations can be made at www.nynjrotary.org or mailed to Rotary Club of Wall Street, NY Foundation, 306 Gold Street, #12C, Brooklyn, NY 11201 with a notation on the check to be used for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Cyrus encouraged members to attend the Club Assembly on November 30th which will include the popular "What's My Line?" game. He also invited Rotarians to a district visioning event on November 15th at the Snow Squall, 6-8 pm. Club members Charlie Frair, Dick Hall and Bill Blount plan to attend. Finally, Cyrus shared that Senator-elect King pulled out $60 from his pocket to match Portland Rotary's contribution to Rippleffect.
NOV 9: THE FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE: OCEAN APPROVED!
This Friday, we'll hear about the food sensation that has exploded onto the Maine scene: Kelp! Portland’s Ocean Approved is the first commercial kelp farm in the United States. The cold Gulf of Maine waters are perfect for growing three varieties of kelp that are then converted into kelp noodles and other food products.
Paul Dobbins, one of the founders of Ocean Approved is Friday’s speaker, and he will bring us face-to-face with this fascinating business, on the cutting edge of aquaculture.
Kelp is a fast-growing winter crop. Ocean Approved seeds in the late fall and harvests in the early spring. Because kelp is a green plant, farming kelp improves the quality of water. Like other green plants, it absorbs nitrogen, CO2 phosphorus and other nutrients as it grows. Kelp farms also provide shade and structure (habitat) for many other marine organisms.The company’s research in creating kelp “seed” was funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Commerce through their NOAA agency and the Maine Technology Institute. In the fall of 2013, Ocean Approved along with its research partner the University of Connecticut will make available the “manual” for kelp farming for all those that are interested in entering this field.
Kelp farming allows us to grow a highly nutritious food without the use of fresh water, arable land or fertilizers. You won't want to miss this presentation.
NOVEMBER 2: GOVERNOR ANGUS KING
Cyrus and Angus: A President and a King (Photos: Russ Burleigh)
Last Friday we heard from former Maine Governor Angus King. By Tuesday night or Wednesday, you will likely already know whether he was successful in his independent bid to fill the United States Senate seat currently held by Olympia Snowe.
Regardless of our positions, we can all agree that Gov. King is a wonderful public speaker. I think this was the third or fourth time he has spoken to the Portland Rotary Club that I can remember.
Gov. King started by talking about his father belonging to the Rotary Club of Alexandria, Virginia. He has vivid memories of attending Rotary meetings on occasions with his father.
He then moved right into the campaign and why he decided to run for the US Senate. As he put it, “The reason I am running is the mirror image of why Sen. Snowe is leaving.” He says he is sorry she is leaving and “isn’t it extraordinary that someone of her caliber feels the need to leave for this reason?” The problem of partisanship and gridlock needs to be tackled, and he feels he may be the person to do it.
He talked about “The Clean Air Act” of 1970 that passed with a unanimous vote in the Senate. “Something has changed since then.” He talked about a man that told him, “you can be the first pole in a new tent” or another man who said “voting for you will be like voting for none of the above”.
Gov. King said his decision to run was not an easy one. It boiled down to two questions. Can I make a difference? The other was a more personal question, why would he want to leave Maine and move to DC? “Nobody in their right mind would want to do that.” His original plan was to get an RV and to again hit the road and travel around the country. He said some of the best advice he ever got was when he was 20 years old and it has been meaningful to him his whole life. An older gentleman he knew said to him, “When you get to be my age, you tend to regret things. Make sure that you regret the things you did and not what you didn’t do.”
Governor King talked about the many serious problems facing our country and answered a few questions from the Club members. He closed his speech with what must be his favorite Lincoln quote, from a letter to Congress on December 1, 1862:
“The dogmas of the quite past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise – with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”
BITS AND PIECES
There was a small crowd, and the Clarion still ran out of food on the buffet, but they learned from last week. They were ready and had replacements out in 2 minutes. Good Job!
There was great conversation at my table (which probably mirrored conversations everywhere else) about the upcoming “Kennebunk list”. Many thought no names should be released, but many felt it was the best idea to release the names. One member talked about a personal friend, whose husband was on the list, and its effect on the family.
Does anyone else feel we sometimes get too much information at lunch. Did I really need to know that MR. X needs to get up every night at 10, 12, 2, 4, 6. This in response to Mr. Y, who mentioned that he was up at 4 every night. Maybe we should tell District Governor Marty that we are, after all, an old man's club!
Cyrus announced that it was a sad day for Portland Rotary- Today is our last day with Kurt Duffy, as he is turning into a snowbird today. Good luck on the drive through the storm.
Meredith Small did a wonderful job with the raffle. She teased Amy Chipman into believing that she had a chance, but alas, she was a loser. – Thanks, Amy, for good sportsmanship.
Matt Tassey was a hero to Judy Cavalero, as he showed her how to turn off her phone. Too bad that Cyrus decided not to dial for dollars today.
The song was This Land is Your Land, with no less than seven leaders. It sounded pretty good to me. This fine photo of the "Rotary Choir" includes the seldom-photographed Russ Burleigh, who is usually on the other side of the camera. This was snapped by Bowen Depke
Today, in 2004 Game 3 of the World Series was won by the Red Sox with Pedro pitching.
Mr. Berry, Drew Berry, Debi Migneault (L) Mark Makes the Award (R) (Photos by R. Burleigh)
Mark Millar introduced the Portland High School Principal, Debi Migneault, who would introduce the student award recipient. Mark surprised her by telling her that Mark's agency, Casey Family Services, would be donating all their outdoor gear to PHS for its outdoor program.
Debi then introduced an amazing woman, Drew Berry who is this month’s student service award recipient. Along with great academics, and excellent service to the community Drew played Lacrosse and Ice Hockey 4 years at PHS. She was elected Hockey captain 2 years, class treasurer, continues to be an excellent student, participated in the Maine Youth Leadership program, and much more. Keeping high standards as a student, Drew has volunteered at Maine Med four years, and is now applying early decision at Bates. Mark invited her to volunteer to prepare taxes for low-income families in Lewiston next spring. Drew was accompanied by her proud mom and dad.
Steve Stromsky was not at the meeting but had Cyrus give an update on the Portland Rotary Community Service opportunity, the Burundi Clothing Drive. The Club wants to help these new neighbors handle their first Maine winter. Please bring any warm clothing to the Club meeting. Community Service Committee volunteers will sort it and deliver it to those who need it. - Any age, any size.
Cyrus is looking for whoever has knowledge of the St Vincent De Paul dinner on Wed before Thanksgiving. He cannot remember who chaired it last year.
Bowen was recording the speaker for broadcast this week - if you would like to become part of the Rotary Motion Picture Corps, please be in touch with Cy. No experience necessary! Or, if you missed a speaker and want to see the presentation after the fact (though, alas, not for a make-up), click here to visit the Channel 5 Rotary Program List:http://ctn5.org/shows/rotary-
THIS WEEK: ANGUS!
This week, we will hear from former Maine Governor Angus King, now running for Senator Olympia Snowe’s seat. As you will remember, Angus was Maine’s 72nd Governor, representing the years 1995-2003. Now campaigning against Charlie Summers (R) and Cynthia Dill (D) in the Senate race, Angus is running “full tilt” in his effort to represent Maine in Washington.
While King has spent most of his adult life in Maine, the former two-term governor was born in Alexandria, Virginia. None of his four grandparents went beyond the eighth grade in school but were determined that their children would go to college. His parents were both the first in their families to go to college. Both were teachers in the thirties and were profoundly affected by their experiences during The Great Depression. Unwilling to borrow money, his father Stanley King often said, “If we can’t pay for it, we don’t need it.”
Angus graduated from Dartmouth College in 1966 and earned a law degree at the University of Virginia Law School in 1969. He began his career as a staff attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Skowhegan, Maine. In 1972 he became chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics in the office of then-Senator William D. Hathaway.
Angus King was elected Maine’s 71st Governor in 1994, becoming the State's second independent governor. Four years later Maine people reelected King by one of the largest margins of victory in the state’s history. During his terms as Maine governor King focused on economic development and job creation. He also effected significant reforms in education, mental health services, land conservation, environmental protection, and the delivery of state services.
PLEASE NOTE: Portland Rotary is a nonpartisan organization. This presentation is the last in our series of speakers representing all the candidates for Maine's major offices.
BITS AND PIECES
"I won’t cheer if you don’t boo!" That was the four-way test solution offered at our table, as Austin Harris and Dave Smith, who apparently occupy different places on the political spectrum, agreed on an approach to the partisan nature of this week's speaker.
President Cyrus regaled us with memories of a better time for the Red Sox and offered a chance for the crowd to mourn the demise of the Yankees. A resounding shedding of crocodile tears followed.
The card draw was won, of course, by Paul Gore. Speculation ensued on why he keeps winning, but he had another chance today and still failed to find the queen. So even if the drawing is somehow rigged, it’s still not, in the end, showing results where they count!
Our Clock Project has received a nice boost according to President Cy – it got a big in-kind contribution from the City in the form of a re-built foundation. This has reduced the overall project cost by close to $5,000!
Jan Chapman said that the Burundi project was a huge success, and “made me happy to be a Rotarian”. She said the Club is eager to move ahead with the Crutches 4 Africa initiative – we need mobility devices and are still looking for a storage solution. She thanked George Crockett for his leadership on the project.
George himself continued the report - there were about 350 Burundian folk in attendance at the Merrill. Rotarian volunteers included Jim Willey, Peter Ingram, Bruce Moore, Jan Chapman, Mike Fortunato, Juliana L’Heureaux, Steve Stromski, Charlie Frair, Amy Chipman, Bob Chatfield, and Cy Hagge.
Last Call!! Please let Amy Chipman know as soon as possible if you’re interested in attending this year’s Foundation Seminar in Bridgeton, Maine. It’s this Saturday, October 27th, at the Lake Region Vocational HS in Naples. Registration opens at 8:00 am with continental breakfast, and ends after a light lunch at 2:00 pm.
The New Rotary Foundation: Starting in 2013, the programs that guide how we spend Rotary Foundation dollars will change. This District will have much more latitude in determining how we wish our Rotary Foundation funds to be spent -- whether it is on local projects, overseas projects, scholarships, service travel, or the like. Many of those funding decisions will be made at the upcoming District Foundation seminar. Everyone who participates will have the chance to help craft the Foundation programs that we will invest in over the next few years -- but you've got to be present to be heard! If you have a favorite Foundation program, local grants, international grants, travel opportunities or scholarship opportunities, now’s the time to come out and say so!
Amy can preregister you and the Club will cover the $10 fee, just email her at achipman@maine.rr.com. Go, it will be a great learning experience. So fill a car with your Rotarian friends and come on out. you will not be sorry!!
LAST WEEK: SENATE CANDIDATE CHARLIE SUMMERS
Erik Lusk introduced our speaker, Republican Senate candidate Charlie Summers, who described himself as the product of a small family business, a hotel-tavern in Illinois. His experience with Rotary started there, where, he used to “terrorize the place” running through the ballroom during club meetings.
His private sector career has included managing hotels and later owning a convenience store – which he described as “not an easy path to take”. He later worked as a regional manager for the Small Business Administration, all experiences that have helped him get a personal perspective on small businesses and the challenges facing them.
Charlie is running for Senate because he is concerned about the national debt and the prospect of what he believes is potential bankruptcy if we don’t get our debt under control. He agrees that we need to raise revenues, but does not agree with his opponents on how to do that. He feels “we are heading in the direction of Spain and Greece”.
In addition to his service as Maine’s Secretary of State, he’s been a naval officer whose duties have included time in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has come under fire – “that is something that gets your attention”. He believes his perspectives will help him with both understanding and an ability to lead in Washington. He wants to be in Washington, “not to serve a party but stand for something”. He believes that the “path of fiscal responsibility is likely a 25 or 50-year project”.
Among his views are thoughts on energy: “Our country was built on cheap and affordable energy – we need to get more energy here in the USA – coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear”.
He’s also a strong advocate for Veterans’ affairs, and believes his experience as a naval officer is greater than just supporting the troops. He is concerned about “backsliding” in Iraq – “we’re going to find ourselves in the Middle East regardless of who is President”.
He spent some time answering questions. On the Supreme Court, he said “I don’t want to have litmus tests on judges. I'd hope a nominee had a record of good jurisprudence and would review that”.
Secretary Summers was the penultimate speaker in the Club’s effort to get all of the candidates for Statewide office to speak with us. Our final guest, Independent Senate Candidate Angus King, will appear in two weeks’ time.
OCT 26: MAINE STATE CLIMATOLOGIST GEORGE JACOBSON
We hear about climate change all the time. Will downtown Portland sink beneath the waves of a rising ocean? Is our maple sugar industry going to move further north and out of Maine entirely? Are warmer winters going to make it harder to control pests? Will Portland end up with the climate of Annapolis?
The climate of New England and beyond has changed continuously in the past, and it is clear that such variability will continue. The dynamics of atmospheric and oceanic circulation are driven by forces acting at many different frequencies, all of which function in concert. Today we observe the consequences of human activities that are perturbing some of the natural systems on a massive scale. The critical question of whether these Earth systems respond at unprecedented rates or in novel ways can be answered only by understanding the long-term climate record.
BITS AND PIECES
President Cyrus opened the meeting with a moment of silence in honor of the 14 year old girl who was attacked on her school bus by Taliban. The victim, Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani advocate for woman’s rights to education, is recovering from gunshot wounds. To learn more about this horrific occurrence, please click here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578050451861386588.html
Roxanne Cole was chosen for the lucky card draw this week. After our recent jackpot, we're still back in the early stages of the competition. According to George Crockett it takes about five weeks for the Club to break even on the raffle, so please be generous and all buy many tickets. …. So what happened? Roxanne pulled the 9 of hearts, and the treasurere let out a sigh of relief! So close!
Here is Juliana L'Heureux as she provided us with a Rotary Foundation Minute. This and all photos this week were provided by Laura Young and her trusty cellphone - thanks, Laura, for jumping into the breach in the absence of our usual photographer, Russ Burleigh!
This week’s song was done a cappella. The Happy Wanderer was led by several of our best vocalists, from left: Al Sargent, Bill Blount, and President Cyrus. They finished without injury. We look forward to having the Rotary band (piano) back with us!
Coming soon! If you would like to see the inside of the Long Creek Youth Development Center, and learn more about how the programs within those walls work, please contact Jim Willey. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how Maine’s youth turn their lives around and get back on the road to success. Jim is emphatic: this is a tour and information session, not a solicitation or other type of request- just a chance to get to know a remarkable Maine institution. The date for the tour is Nov 8th, 4-6 PM. Interested persons should be in touch with Jim, at jimandbarbarawilley@gmail.com
ROTARY FOUNDATION OPPORTUNITY OCTOBER 27!
So let's fill up some cars with Rotarians and come on out and while we're at it, we can fill up the trunk with crutches, canes and walkers to send to Africa. Dennis Robillard plans to show up at the seminar with a truck to carry off your donations!!
LAST WEEK: DAVE TALBOT AND CRUTCHES FOR AFRICA
Rob Chatfield and Speaker Dave Talbot
How inspiring when a visionary leader identifies a need in less developed countries and energetically addresses that need, particularly when the charitable activities that make a difference involve Rotary!
Dave Talbot and his wife, Candice joined us last Friday to share their story about Crutches 4 Africa. While working on a documentary film in Uganda in 2005, he witnessed a woman struggling to be mobile with only a limb from a tree for a crutch. That image gripped his mind and engendered a vision: Crutches 4 Africa. On a subsequent visit and just by chance, they saw a large 4’ x 6’ sign at the headwaters of the Nile river that boldly displayed the Four Way Test.
Dave found out that those are values embraced by Rotarians worldwide and learned how Rotary has contributed to the eradication of polio in developing nations. Polio was the disease that partially crippled him at age 2 ½. He realized that a connection could be made through Rotary International to bring surplus mobility devices like canes, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs from the United States to Africa where such equipment is practically non-existent.
Both Dave and Candice have a passion for their mission and an authenticity based on a deep faith that spurs them to action. From a humble start in 2006 with the delivery of 235 pairs of crutches to the needy in Uganda, the support for the organization has grown so that by 2010, Crutches 4 Africa had delivered 10,000 mobility devices. In 2011, five containers of mobility devices (mds) were shipped and distributed. So far a total of 43,000 mds have been collected, often saved from landfills, and shipped to Africa. Dave and Candice have set an initial goal to ship and distribute 1 million mobility devices to help those in dire need.
Crutches 4 Africa was fortunate to receive a $50,000 donation from a private foundation in 2011 which covered the cost to deliver 5 containers. Today each container costs $10,000 to ship and on average has 3,500 mds packed inside. That puts the cost of each mds delivered at $3 USD each! Please share any ideas you have about funding sources to help Dave and Candice continue this effort. Incidentally, this is a labor of love for them; they receive no compensation for their work.
During his presentation Dave shared a video that showed the intake process in the United States. Often the mds are collected from individuals, one device at a time. Once collected in sufficient quantity, a 40’ container is filled and the mds are sent on their way to a recipient nation. Once the container arrives and clears customs, the distribution process begins. Rotary Clubs at the receiving end have been very helpful in reducing the cost of clearing customs and the Four Way Test allows little room for corruption and bribes.
So how can our Club help? Well, we have done so already. Our Rotary district has gathered more than 5,000 mobility devices to help fill containers. George Crockett, Bruce Moore and Jan Chapman have been involved in the collection, processing and container loading effort that has been done in our district.
On the recycling end, the key, according to Dave Talbot, is to make the drop-off of mds as easy as possible. There is plenty of room for individual initiative. David Walsh from the Casco Bay Sunrise Club made an arrangement with Shaw’s Supermarkets for two drop off sites at the stores in the Westgate and Northgate Shopping Plaza. Dennis Robillard, 468-0443, of the Saco Bay Club would welcome a call from any of our members who have mobility items to donate or who have a great drop-off or storage location in mind. Rich Cantz is already thinking about ways that Goodwill Industries could help in this recycling effort. A good idea, combined with passion, yields an abundant harvest. And as Dave often says, “every pair counts!”
OCTOBER 19: SENATE CANDIDATE CHARLIE SUMMERS
This week, we meet US Senate candidate Charlie Summers, who is running to occupy the seat of his former boss, Olympia Snowe. Summers is a familiar figure in Maine, having run three times for Congress, and served in a number of public service positions in our state.
He grew up in Kewanee, Illinois. His father was a small business owner, running a hotel and restaurant. Charlie worked in the family business as he grew up, receiving an Associates Degree from Black Hawk Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. In 1990, he was the first Republican ever elected to represent Maine’s 31st Senate District, which includes Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Saco and Dayton.
Summers left the state senate after two terms to become Senator Olympia Snowe’s state director. He held that position from 1995 to 2004, and was then appointed New England Regional Administrator of the Small Business Administration, in 2005 (this was a post that was also formerly held by Susan Collins). While there, he was named one of the nation’s “most influential people in SBA lending.”
BITS AND PIECES
Red Sox Demise
Always taking the high road, Cyrus suggested Red Sox fans learn from the past Lakers – Celtics series, in which after losing, the Celtics fans shouted for the Lakers to win in the coming division series. After suggesting the Red Sox fans could do the same for the Yankees there was a dead silence in the room. Sensing his doom, he reminded the Club that the Beatles’ first broadcast song 50 yrs ago was “Love Me Do”. Perhaps he was looking for a hug?
Dialing for Dollars
With an eye to fund raising and fine collection, Cyrus next launched a ‘sting operation’ by dialing a member’s cell phone out in the audience. Fortunately, Dick Hall’s phone was in vibration mode. Not to be outdone, Dick in turn dialed Cyrus’ cell phone, which, unfortunately, was also in silent mode.
Happy Dollars
A more successful fund raising program was then launched by Kris Rosado with the initiation of ‘Happy Dollars’ adjusted for inflation to $5. The members rose to the occasion with the relating of many recent happy events including this small sample:
Bowen Depke’s tale of his Rotary pin being spotted by a passerby who asked where we held meetings, to which Bowen said ‘follow me.’ Turns out the passerby was Bob Stroud, a Wisconsin Rotarian and District Governor.
Bill Blount recognized AMICA for providing a 100% matching grant for Paul Harris Fellowships.
John Marr kicked in $10 for applauding USM President Kalikow’s seeking local business’ input on their academic curriculum, and his Cook’s tour description of his Mediterranean odyssey.
Mike Fortunato threw in a twist with his ‘Unhappy Dollar’ to alert Club members to ignore spam messages a hacker sent in his name.
Michelle Mitchell got us back in the happy mood when she related she found out last week --on her birthday-- that her father’s cancer was in remission.
Harry Sawyer warned us he will shortly be turning 80 and plans to be a grumpy old man.
Kris Rosado’s son not only bagged a bunch of A’s on his report card but his reward of a new shotgun bagged his first goose.
Volunteers Needed
Steve Stromsky asked for 2 volunteers to provide usher services at the Burundi entertainment event at the Merrill Auditorium at 6:30 on October 18th.
Queen for the Day
The suspense is over. Peter Noyes picked the Queen with a winning Green ticket for $1227. Moments earlier a red ticket was pulled with Paul Gore’s name but the ecstatic moment was short lived when it was announced a trickster had pulled last week’s red color tickets. Too bad, Paul. Shortly following this tragedy, we all sang “Side by Side” and perhaps it was our imagination but many heard Paul singing loudly the line, “…Oh, we ain’t got a barrel of.. money…”
Nomination Committee
PP Jack announced the formation of Club President Nomination Committee and anyone interested in helping select a future President should contact Jack.
Building a Foundation
Carrying the momentum of her last year’s success, Amy Chipman, announced her committee’s plans for building an even bigger and better Foundation. You would think she was a Mason. This year the Club already has two ‘Circles of Five’ with another one brewing. The Club will once again be offering matching Club Credits for Foundation donations. Also, we are seeking nominations for non-member Paul Harris Fellowship Award recipients.
Rotary on the Air
Missed a meeting but wanted to hear the speaker? As we are now taping all speaker presentation for the local public TV station, you can now watch each speaker at 1:00 PM on Monday; 8:00 PM on Thursday; and Saturday at 5:30. The broadcast is also available on the web, 24/7 at www.CTN5.org.
OCTOBER 5: THEO KALIKOW, USM PRESIDENT
If The Portland Rotary Club were to employ a Program-Speaker-Rating-System, the October 5, 2012 meeting would receive a "Five-Star Plus" score. In her twenty-five minutes at the dais, the ever humorous, tell-it-like-it-is Theo Kalikow demonstrated just why she was called out from a two-month retirement to take over the helm of U.S.M. Dr Kalikow is a charismatic and collegial leader with a vision for U.S.M. and the courage and skill to make it happen. Her vision calls for developing creative connections between the educational, business, and artistic communities of Greater Portland. Already, in her brief tenure, a transfer agreement with Southern Maine Community College has been effected, which will allow two-year SMCC students to move on seamlessly to four-year programs at U.S.M.
The goals for U.S.M. are to further creative learning and extensive community engagement. With regard to the latter, it should be noted that last year 5,000 U.S.M. students delivered 70,000 hours of community service whose monetary value was more than 6.2 million dollars.
Collaboration and creative connecting involve lots of experimentation - keeping ideas that work and dropping those that don't. It involves getting USM faculty, staff and students to work together. It involves opening more campus programs to the community. Theo also has to balance the budget, give the State of Maine more value for its money, and develop philanthropic sources of revenue for the University.
Although Theo turned down our invitation to become member of Portland Rotary [her schedule would make it impossible to attend meetings], she showed herself to be a model of "Service Above Self".
OCTOBER 12: DAVE TALBOT AND CRUTCHES 4 AFRICA
Our speaker this week is Dave Talbot, founder of the innovative program, "Crutches 4 Africa".
He is a man who understands the challenges and frustrations of limited mobility. In 1955, the age of two-and-half, Dave contracted polio. Agonizingly, his diagnosis came two weeks after the announcement that a successful vaccine had been developed, but before the medication was available in the Denver area. Initially paralyzed, Dave slowly overcame the deadly epidemic. Over the next seven years he progressed, from a wheelchair, to crutches, and then braces on both legs. The braces were finally gone by the fifth grade.
He did not let his experience with polio stop him. David focused on athletics and lettered in two years in football, and was a varsity wrestler at Arvada High School. He excelled in Outward Bound in 1970 in the rugged mountains of Colorado. Two years were spent at Bethany College in Lindborg, Kansas where he was a soccer goalie.
In 1976, Dave married Candice Bodenweiser from New York. Together they foster-parented ten children [one at a time]. He returned to college, receiving degrees in Dental Hygiene and "open studies" from the University of Denver and later at Mankato State University in Minnesota. While at Mankato, Dave captained the fencing team, taught pottery, and earnd a medal in cross-country skiing. Working as a dental hygienist brought him the opportunity to work in Colorada, Minnesota, Mexico, Kentucky, and Israel.
Dave started a photography and video business in 1979, and continues with it today. While working on a documentary film in Uganda in 2005, he witnessed a woman struggling to be mobile without any mobility aids, and that was the beginning of "Crutches 4 Africa."
Currently, there have been 40,000 mobility needs adressed in 14 African countries and 9 countries outside of Africa. Portland Rotary is about to become involved in this effort, and recently George Crockett, Bruce Moore and Jan Chapman delivered 21 canes, 22 walkers and 28 sets of crutches to a warehouse in Saco where they'll be stored until there is enough equipment to fill a container to be shipped to Africa!
The International Services Committee will continue to gather crutches and related equipment - they still need to secure a storage site in or near Portland where they can store what they collect until a full truckload can be moved to Saco. Please contact Jan or Bruce if you have any ideas for a local storage site, and don't miss Dave's presentation on Friday.
MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Board of Directors Meeting
August 24, 2012
Meeting was called to order at 1:37 p.m.
Present: Cyrus Hagge, President; John Marr, 1st VP; Kris Rosado, 2nd VP; Loretta Rowe, Sec.; Scott Blakeslee, Treas.; Laura Young, Dir.; Eric Lusk, Dir.; Charlie Frair, Dir.; Bowen Depke, Sgt-at-Arms and Elise Hodgkin, Administrative Coordinator
Absent: Jack Carr, Past President
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of the July 20, 2012 Board meeting - approved.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
Reports reviewed by Scott Blakeslee, Treasurer.
BUSINESS:
• New membership applications - None received
• Resignations - None received
• Leaves of Absence - None received
• Terminations - Allison Stiles - approved
• Board elected new Director to fill Mark Carpentier’s vacancy due to extended Leave of Absence - Mike Fortunato has accepted - term expires June 30, 2013
• Change in location for archive records - Bowen has offered a location in his office building - will be viewed for adequate space and location by Loretta and report back to Board on further actions
• Service fee transfer from charitable account to operating account - Scott will review with Elise
• PHF names omitted from the roster will be published on a separate brochure for distribution after
verification is complete - all names will be reinserted in future rosters
• 100th Anniversary committee preparations - tabled
• Attendance requirements - we have a number of members who continue to pay their dues, but do not
attend regular weekly meetings - the Board is developing a separate “category” for these members
and will be discussing this issue further at a future board meeting
• Club General Assembly is scheduled for January 31, 2013.
ADJOURNMENT AND NEXT BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE
Meeting was adjourned at 2:17 p.m. The next regular Board meeting will be held on Sept. 21, 2012 at 1:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Loretta C. Rowe, Secretary, Rotary Club of Portland, ME
NOTE: These minutes were approved by the Board at the Board meeting of September 21, 2012.
BITS AND PIECES
We had thirteen visiting Rotarians from Louisiana and Mississippi joining us at DiMillo’s last Friday. President Cyrus exchanged banners with Donald Bryan, DG of District 6840, a member of the Ocean Springs, Mississippi club, noting the small lobster on the banner. This, of course, was a crayfish, and Cy's little bit of New England trash talk generated some good natured hoots of outrage from the Gulf Coast table.
From the land of the craw-daddy: our guests (L); DG Bryan and his "Lobster" Banner (R)
We were happy to welcome old friend Karen (Dempsey) Carney back to the Portland Rotary Club, hosted by Bill Blount. Karen was an active member of our club back in the 90’s but has moved to Massachusetts.
A familiar face who we welcomed back was club member Dr. Bruce Nelson, who was very pleased to be back.
Condolences go out to Bowen Depke and his family as Bowen’s sister passed away last week.
Laura Young had an interesting day this past Saturday, when she helped chaperone 600 Girl Scouts, who were attending an event at L.L. Bean, similar to our “Outdoor Challenge”. It is the 100th anniversary of L.L. Bean, as well as the Girl Scouts of America and, Laura noted, the 100th anniversary of the Oreo cookie, of all things. We will be hosting a representative from L.L. Bean in the next few weeks, who will discuss the 100 years of progress in Freeport. No word yet on a speaker from Oreo.
Justin Lamontagne forwarded a plea from The People’s Regional Opportunity Program (PROP) and Youth Alternatives Ingraham, who have partnered, to request aid in finding warehouse space in the downtown Portland area. If any Portland Rotary members can help in any way, please contact Justin.
Dave Seddon made note that Three Sons Lobster and Fish Market, who were forced into eviction due to the deterioration of their pier in the Old Port, is looking for a new space along the waterfront. If anyone has any leads or ideas, please contact Dave.
Dick Giles is gearing up for his return, on October 12th, to Singer Island in West Palm Beach, Florida. We will be saying farewell to a number of sun worshippers in the next month or two. Don’t these folks like the weather in Maine in January?
Amy Chipman, our stalwart Rotary Foundation chair, vows that she is gearing up for another strong year. With the remarkable accomplishment of inducting a record number of Paul Harris Fellows last year, Amy's committee is hoping to maintain the momentum. We are in awe of Amy’s passion for this work.
Jake Bourdeau and his wife Kelly are headed off for two weeks in Morocco. Jake, who is an avid surfer, notes that some of the best surfing in the world is in that region.
In other travel news, Ben Lowry is headed to Germany and Spain later this week to visit his brother’s widow and introduce his two sons to the joys of intercontinental travel. It has been 17 years now since Donald Grey Lowry, Jr. passed away. His memory lives on at Falmouth High School, where an annual scholarship is given in his name, thanks to many generous gifts from Portland Rotarians and others. Grey’s daughter, who was an infant when he died, is now 18 years old and heading off to college.
Kris Rosado was chosen to pull a card in last’s week raffle, which is now over $1200. He did not pull the queen of hearts so the pot grows.
OCTOBER 6: USM PRESIDENT THEO KALIKOW
This week, we’re having a change in direction, as our scheduled speaker, former USM president Selma Botman had a scheduling conflict. In her place and rising to the last-minute opportunity is USM’s current president, Theo Kalikow. Please be in time, because President Kalikow’s schedule requires her to present at the start of our meeting, not after lunch. Kudos to the Program Committee for so deftly managing these short-notice shifts.
Theo Kalikow assumed her USM duties in July, having been tapped after only about one month of retirement from her earlier job, by University of Maine System Chancellor James Page. She previously served as President of the University of Maine at Farmington from 1994 to 2012. According to Page,
“Kalikow is a guiding force in Maine’s educational and civic life. She is known for her tireless efforts to provide the kind of honest, active, forward-thinking leadership and deep commitment to education that has been the hallmark of her administration. With a tenure of 18 years, she was the longest-serving UMF president since the Farmington school became a four-year college in 1945.”
Under her leadership and directed by her deep commitment to education, UMF received top regional rankings in U.S. News & World Report for 15 consecutive years and was nationally recognized as one of 20 model universities committed to maximizing student potential in “Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter,” published by the American Association for Higher Education.
Known for her straight talk, sense of humor, and candor, Kalikow has picked up the reins at USM, Maine’s second largest university, and has jumped in to the challenges of moving that institution out of its recent, well-publicized struggles.
Kalikow earned her doctorate in philosophy from Boston University in 1974, her master’s in philosophy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970 and her bachelor’s in chemistry from Wellesley College in 1962. She also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University of New England in 2012.
SEPTEMBER 28: OUR CONGRESSWOMAN, CHELLIE PINGREE
Chellie Pingree at the podium (l) and with Erik Jorgensen, who introduced her
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined Portland Rotary on September 28 to share her accomplishments and frustrations during her two terms in office. Running for re-election to her third term, she clearly felt at home with Rotary and was eager to share the challenges she faces in Washington. She pointed out that the First Congressional District, stretching from Kittery to Camden, is very diverse, including Maine’s largest city as well as rural areas.
“There is a different atmosphere in Congress today and I wish I had an answer to the gridlock,” she said. “Maybe we just have to get through this election cycle.” Rep. Pingree reported that the outcome of the last session of Congress was “the least amount of bills of any Congress in 60 years.” She added that “while some may see that as a ‘good thing’, we did procrastinate on a number of issues that would need to be resolved in the “lame duck” session before this Congress dissolves.” Saying the members needed to find a middle course to approve some of these programs, she highlighted the importance of parts of the Defense Appropriations budget, sharing that Maine is the “sixth most defense-dependent State in the county,” referencing Bath Iron Works, Pratt & Whitney, and the Kittery shipyard. Rep. Pingree regards her seat on the House Armed Services Committee as significant for the state. “We have a saying in Maine that I keep repeating,” she said. “Bath-built is best built,” drawing some slight moans of Rotarian disagreement from the visiting Rotarians from Louisiana and Mississippi.
Congresswoman Pingree also serves on the House Agriculture Committee. “I am one of the few of its members who have actually milked a cow, or who raise organic chickens, pigs and sheep. I moved from Minnesota to Maine and became a sheep farmer on the island of North Haven, which led to my wool business, North Island Designs. You can also tell my colleagues that I have tremendous skills as a chicken eviscerator, which comes in handy during negotiations.”
She shared her efforts on the Local Foods, Farms and Jobs Act working to reduce the subsidies to large agri-business farms in order to provide funding in the bill to help local farmers and CSA’s, as well as to extend financing to allow young farmers get into farming. “The Portland Public Schools do a phenomenal job with local sourcing. They buy 30 percent of their food from local farmers.” She highlighted favorable demographic trends in Maine, “The average age of Maine farmers is going down, and the number of Maine farms is going up.”
She said that all of her efforts in Congress have been to help draft and pass legislation that is the result of collaboration with her Republican colleagues. “But the current House leadership is reluctant to move collaborative bills to the floor. Maybe this election will be a chance for the electorate to tell Congress to get some things done.”
Congresswoman Pingree clearly relishes her role as a Member of Congress. “I came here the hard way,” she said. “When I moved here from Minnesota in 1971, I learned about government from Town Meeting in North Haven. I waited four years before I got enough nerve to stand up and speak. Then I ran for North Haven Tax Collector where you learn an awful lot. Twenty years later, I got elected to the School Board. In the last four years, we have accomplished some good things: the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Recovery Act, the Affordable Care Act, the Energy Bill. But we have a lot left to do.”
CRUTCHES 4 AFRICA
The International Services Committee plans to kick off our club's involvement in this project soon after Dave Talbot's presentation on 10/12. We still need to secure a storage site in or near Portland where we can store the equipment until we get a truckload to move to Saco. Please contact Jan or Bruce if you have any ideas for a local storage site. We don't need much space...the size of a 10X12 storage shed would be adequate. We're very excited about our club's participation in a project with an international impact and one in which all our members can be involved. Be sure to hear Dave's inspiring words at the October 12th meeting and stay tuned for more info about how you can help Portland Rotary's C4A Project!!
WORLD WAR II STUDY GROUP THIS FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 21: POLICE CHIEF MIKE
LEFT: The Chief saying "Wipe that smile off your face or I'm running you in." - on the right, the Chief with his CompStat display.
Our new police chief introduced himself as ‘Mike’ and presented himself as a very approachable leader of the Portland Police Department. With the largest such department in the state with 200 employees including 162 patrol officers, Chief Sauschuck for a short while pulled back the curtains for our Club members to take a glimpse of the business of policing a city.
As with any business, crime fighting success is measured by the numbers. The Uniform Code Reporting of Part 1 Crime is broken up into two classes: (1) Violent (murder, assault, rape, & robbery) and (2) Property (theft, burglary, unauthorized use, & arson). The statistics of crime are submitted nationwide to the FBI’s ‘Comparative Statistics Report’ (CompStat) program. These reports show Portland is doing very well in fighting crime with last year reporting a 3.0% drop in crime compared to a 5.4% increase state wide.
Due to volume, property crimes, particularly theft and burglary, drives the statistics with alcohol abuse the major culprit. The violent crimes of robbery and assault primary sources are often substance abuse related as well, but usually associated with drugs. As violent crime has the greatest impact on the community’s perception of safety on the streets, it receives considerable attention.
Every Wednesday the Department reviews all recent crimes, searching for patterns and trends as early interdiction of persons committing these acts can have a significant impact on future crimes and their attending statistics.
Chief Mike also gave us an update of our mascot, Mako, the police dog. He is doing well and should be fully certified to carry out his missions in the K-9 Corp next month. He also commented on the Old Port being more peaceful this summer with the addition of walking patrols and the use of police cadets. There was a suggestion these statistics might be a bit skewed due to some of our members being on vacation during the summer and not frequenting their favorite haunts.
SEPTEMBER 28: OUR CONGRESSWOMAN, CHELLIE PINGREE
Chellie Pingree never anticipated a life in politics. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Maine, she raised her kids and ran a small business. She served on the school board and as the local tax assessor, and in 1991 she was approached to run for State Senate. She scored a remarkable upset and went on to serve four terms in Augusta.
Chellie Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1955 and graduated from the College of the Atlantic. After college, she moved to North Haven, to raise her family and make a living. Today, in addition to her political life, Chellie co-owns and helps manage Nebo Lodge, a bed & breakfast and restaurant on North Haven, which she started with several partners in 2006.
In 1996, Chellie was chosen by her peers to be the Maine Senate Majority Leader. Pingree's leadership in Maine politics led to numerous international appointments. She traveled to Hungary as an Eisenhower Exchange Fellow, served as a member of the White House delegation to observe elections in Bosnia, and was a member of a U.S. delegation to Northern Ireland, working with women political leaders there.
After leaving the Maine Senate, Chellie served from 2003 to 2007 as the National President and CEO of Common Cause, a non-partisan citizen activist group with nearly 300,000 members and 35 state chapters. In 2008 she returned to elected office with her election to Congress representing Maine’s 1st Congressional District, the office she now holds. In 2012, she is running for a 3rd term.
BITS AND PIECES
Today’s meeting opened with reassurance: There was no substance to the rumor that Paul (Gene) Tully was “lost at sea” (although, maybe he did fall in?). President Cy attended the Patriots game on September 16th. But despite intense mental concentration, he was unable to straighten the 42 yard field goal by the Pats in the last seconds of the game. It missed – game lost! Go Red Sox!!
The Invocation by Dave Small provided us with some explanation of the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We have ten days from Sunday, September 16th for introspection and to make amends for the sins of the prior year.
As part of the Rosh Hashanah ritual, the faithful dip apple slices into honey and say a prayer asking God for a sweet new year. The apple represents the Shekhinah (the feminine aspect of God). During Rosh Hashanah some believe the Shekhinah is watching us and evaluating our behavior during the past year. Eating honey with apples represents our hope that the Shekhinah will judge us kindly and look down on us with sweetness in the coming year. Too late for apples and honey now…..but maybe next year...# 5773 on the Jewish calendar. Thanks to Dave for sharing the meaning of the holiday season with us.
The first meeting for next year’s Maine Outdoor Challenge was held last week with great positive group energy in the room. This event is our major fundraiser…..so save the dates June 3-5th, 2013. May we have a gentle winter!
Heard at the tables: Michelle Mitchell and Jim Willey had lots to say about a great project several Portland Rotarians have been involved with. Our Club has adopted a residential unit that houses 20 youths at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, one of two youth correctional facilities in the State. Once each month Rotarians from the Club visit the unit for activities and a cookout. This initiative broadcasts a great message: We care about you as individuals and through our positive example hope to restore your faith in the future.
Bill Blount led us in song with rousing verses of When the Saints Go Marching In, to the usual amount of thunderous applause!
Cy dialed Peter Goffin’s cell phone….but Peter was too quick for him. He shut it off in the nick of time, thus avoiding a painful $1 fine.
The Drawing: Dick Giles pulled the 2 of diamonds. The $1,150 pot lives!!
Rich Campbell introduced Michael Sauschuck, Portland Police Chief. ...The chief was neither able to confirm nor deny whether Rob Chatfield has been banned from the Old Port.
BITS AND PIECES
Cyrus Hagge called the meeting to order at twelve fifteen; Bruce Jones offered a thoughtful invocation: "If Only . . ."; ErikJorgensen led the Pledge of Allegiance; and Kathy Grammar accompanied the singing of the National Anthem.
Shown here, deep in enemy territory are Yankees fans Larry Gross and Russ Burleigh on a recent outing to Fenway.
Cyrus welcomed our guest speaker: Senator Cynthia Dill and Visiting Rotarian Kirk Mc Duffy from Georgia. Cyrus went on to note that on September 14, 1954 The Soviet Union successfully detonated their first atomic bomb; and on September 14, 1990 Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. hit back-to-back home runs.
Cyrus announced that following the September 7 meeting Mr. Moises Sifren, President of Club Rotario Romana Rio Dulce [District 4060] presented the Portland Rotary Club with a banner and two pounds of Dominican coffee, which two members purchased for forty dollars to the Foundation and Polio Plus Cans. Mr Sifren was the guest of Roger Fagan.
Raffle: Loretta Rowe presented the the raffle with a pot of $1,065.00. Dave Putnam drew the two of diamonds.
The Monument Square Clock Restoration Project has received another $500.00 gift. The next item on the project's agenda is to meet with Mayor Michael Brennan.
The Dominican Republic 3-H Program [Hearing, Hands & H2O] has received a Rotary Foundation Grant of $17,400.00 which coupled with locally raised funds of $7,100.00, makes grand total of $24,500.00.
A Cyrus B. Demille Production: Mark Millar served as stand-in [sans make-up] for the television taping set-up. Rotary programs will be aired on The Community Access Channel on Thursday evenings at 8:30 p.m. If you are interested in serving as a camera operator please contact Paul Gore.
Another Video picture: Here is our speaker in person and, as captured by Russ, on tape being filmed by campaign aide Patsy Wiggins.
The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk needs Parade Marshals. The Parade will begin in Monument Square on Sunday October 14, 2012. Marshalls will need to report at Monument Square at 9:00 a.m. with their cell phones, to receive their route assignment and instructions. Depending upon their assigned location their services will be needed until 12:30 p.m.. If you can volunteer you may sign up at Friday's meeting or contact Andrea Doria @ adrt50@yahoo.com.
SEPT 21: FOREST CITY CRIME FIGHTERS
This week, the topic is crime in the Forest City, and our guest is a man who knows all too much about it: Police Chief Michael Sauschuck.
Portland and Maine are both fortunate to enjoy relatively low crime rates, but criminal activity does take place here, ranging from two-bit criminals who try to find unlocked cars in search of money and ipods, to much more serious drug-related, gang, and violent crimes. One important strategy to counteract this activity has been the use of a new statistical approach, known as CompStat.
CompStat is a multilayered tool aimed at crime reduction, quality of life improvement, and personnel and resource management. It uses Geographical Information (GIS) systems to map and identify problems, and allows the police to most effectively deploy their assets to resolve those issues. On Friday, Chief Sauschuck will give us a glimpse into the PPD’s use of this system.
Michael Sauschuck has been with the Portland Police Department for fifteen years. His career has included service in the US Marines, where he was sent to Camp Pendleton, San Mateo, California. During his five-year tenure, he served as a Corporal, then Sergeant within the Marine Security Guard in San Salvador, El Salvador and Moscow, Russia. After four years as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, Sauschuck joined the Portland Police Department in 1997, where he worked in a variety of specialties including the crisis intervention team, special reaction team and as a field training officer. Over the past decade, Sauschuck has received a number of awards for his commitment to the department.
In March 2011, Lieutenant Sauschuck was selected as the department’s Assistant Chief, where he served as Chief James Craig’s second in command, and directly oversaw criminal investigations, uniformed operations and emergency communications. Upon Chief Craig’s departure in August 2011, Sauschuck led the Police Department as Acting Police Chief, overseeing a department of more than two hundred employees and an annual budget of $13.4 million. He was selected as the department’s permanent Chief in January of 2012. Sauschuck earned Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of Maine in 1998.
And criminals, hear this: while it’s never a good idea to break into a police officer’s home, it would be a particular folly to break into chief Sauschuck’s, as he is married to fellow Portland Police Detective Mary Sauschuck.
LAST WEEK: A VISIT WITH CYNTHIA DILL
Cynthia Dill and Mark Millar
Last Friday, as part of Rotary’s ongoing visits with the major office candidates, we had a chance to catch up with Cynthia Dill, the Democratic nominee for US Senate. She opened her presentation with a few reflections on her grandfather’s extensive work establishing and leading a Rotary club in Carmel, NY.
She thought that the Rotary Four-Way test was, in fact, an apt lens through which to consider public policy, and hopes to bring that sort of approach to the Senate. One of the main themes of her campaign is the growing chasm between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in this country. She advocates for a progressive agenda, and notes that despite “gridlock” in Washington, several important legislative actions have managed to get through. One phenomenon about which she has been concerned is that of policy issues being championed by Republicans but abandoned by them when Democrats get on board – she cited several, the most famous of these being the Affordable Care act.
When asked how she would balance the budget, her solution includes repeal of the Bush tax cuts, the imposition of a financial transaction tax, and cuts to spending, including military spending. She also believes that the economy can be improved through increased investment in education and infrastructure.
Dill is a civil rights attorney who resides in Cape Elizabeth with her husband Tom and two children. After serving on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council for two years she was elected to the Maine Legislature in 2006 and to the State Senate in 2011. During her service in the Legislature she was noted for her leadership in promoting the expansion of broadband and internet access to rural areas of Maine.
In addition to her legislative and public policy work, Dill worked as the Director of the Common Cause Digital Democracy Project in Washington and often teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Southern Maine Community College. In August, 2011, she founded the Friends of the Maine Woods, a statewide organization that advocates for the study and creation of a Maine Woods National Park.
AUGUST 31: OUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR POWERHOUSE
Bob Patten, Governor Marty Peak Helman, President Cyrus Hagge, and Dick Hall
Following the Republican and Democratic conventions of the last two weeks, with all of their stirring rhetoric, there was no let-down as we heard from our District Governor, Marty Peak Helman, whose talk was as articulate and inspiring as any in either political convention.
Marty’s passion is for Rotary, and she cited the definition of Rotary found in the Rotary International strategic plan: “A worldwide network of inspired individuals who translate their passions into relevant social causes to change lives in communities.”
Although the Rotary Foundation is still the foremost private charity in the world dedicated to improving people’s lives, Marty noted that the major problem facing Rotary is declining membership. The membership in our District, 7780, has gone down from 2,200 to 1,800 in ten years. On an international level there were 1.2 million Rotarians in 2003, and there are 1.2 million today, but it is only gains in Asia that have offset losses in America and Europe. During that period Rotary gained a million members and lost a million. New members, mostly younger people, tend to join and drop out after 6 months to three or four years. According to Marty if this trend continues in a few years there won’t be enough left to talk about.
After noting that having the job of thinking big thoughts is the reason that she is getting the big bucks, Marty suggested that Rotary needs to move out of our familiar ways and to adopt new vocabulary. Maybe the basic local unit of Rotary should be called a project rather than a club. Club websites need to get away from the standard prose (such as this report I guess) and from the “grip and grin” photos. She said that Rotary websites, for the most part, are “flat”. We need to learn how to use social media for the best advantage. We should be open to a different kind of membership. There are people who might not be good club members, but might be great Rotarians.
Overheard: "Best DG Speech Ever!"
After citing the many wonderful Rotary projects in which she has participated, both internationally and in this country, Marty asserted that we will all find our passion in Rotary if we open our minds to it. All of the major Rotary projects, such as Polio Plus, began with an idea hatched by a single Rotarian in a single club.
She left us with a challenge: Don’t forget why we are Rotarians: that we have a passion for bringing improved lives to people in need.
SEPTEMBER 14: SENATE CANDIDATE CYNTHIA DILL
This week we will get a chance to become better acquainted with the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Maine. Cynthia Dill is well-known in legislative circles in Augusta, but is not as recognized state-wide as her two competitors for the senate seat. Her victory in the Democratic primary in June has propelled her into the spotlight and has made her a person we should get to know.
Dill is an award-winning civil rights attorney who resides in Cape Elizabeth with her husband Tom and two children. After serving on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council for two years she was elected to the Legislature in 2006 and to the State Senate in 2011. During her service in the Legislature she was noted for her leadership in promoting the expansion of broadband and internet access to rural areas of Maine.
In addition to her legislative and public policy work, Dill worked as the Director of the Common Cause Digital Democracy Project in Washington and often teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Southern Maine Community College. In August, 2011, she founded the Friends of the Maine Woods, a statewide organization that advocates for the study and creation of a Maine Woods National Park.
BITS AND PIECES
Bill Ross shared the good news that his daughter has been awarded a basketball scholarship to Binghamton University. Go Bearcats! He also passed along the not-so-welcome news that his role as a credit officer for Key Bank has been moved to another state, so Bill is looking for a new opportunity. Pass along tips and suggestions.
Roger Fagan introduced a group of special guests from the Dominican Republic who are traveling as a musical group in the U.S, raising money to aid in humanitiarian efforts in La Romana, the city where their Hearts and Hands work takes place.
Cyrus expressed his thanks to the committee chairs who presented at last week's meeting, and to the Windjammer crew for spreading the word.
Evelyn Blanchard, pulling this week’s raffle ticket asked, "who's the circle with a line?” Turns out it was the letter Q, and Peggy Wescott came forward to take a chance at the raffle, but Queenie came up with the 6 of Diamonds and the pot grows fatter.
Austin Harris was recognized for his 50th anniversary as a member of Rotary; nipping at his heels is Bob Patten, who has been in the club for 45 years.
A crew of celebrants, too large to be named, was feted with the singing of "Happy Birthday”, and Kris Rosado led us in the singing of his original song, "Be Proud."
In an auction that moved too quickly to be recorded, Tom Ranello auctioned off two passes to Dunegrass and Nonesuch golf courses, which left Harry and one other person a little lighter after lunch. Proceeds benefitted the Burundi Dance event.
George Crockett shared that the Burundi Dancers would appear at Merrill Auditorium on October 18 at 7:30, and volunteers are needed to work as ushers. Portland Rotary is also paying the way for local Burundians who want to attend.
The Monument Square Clock project will be the feature of a press conference soon-to-be announced. Cyrus is forming a small committee to to help raise interest and support. Harry Sawyer was recognized for his $500 contribution to the project.
And, the Fund-raising Committee will meet on October 19 at 4pm at the Boys and Girls Club House for a planning meeting.
LAST WEEK: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
President Cyrus gave us all a preview of coming attractions with an early General Assembly to hear from some key committee chairs on projects and goals to come. He quickly reviewed our Vision goals and our recent opinion survey to fine tune this year’s plan and set targets for the committees. It is clear our Club is maintaining its momentum of steady growth with future hands-on projects fostering community service through fellowship and goodwill.
Rich Cantz addressed the Vocational Committee’s work around the Club’s vocational roots to draw on our member’s talents to assist displaced workers; youth in transition; and connecting the unemployed with opportunities. This produced many positive suggestions of state and local resources to be tapped.
John Marr next reminded us of the success of the Youth Service Award program and the positive encouragement and monetary assistance it provides selected students from the area’s seven high schools and PATHS. In addition to improving our RYLA program, our mentoring efforts at local schools and Long Creek with our recent adoption of the Cedar Unit is expected to expand to provide a better future for all of us.
The International Service Committee also plans to continue last year’s momentum with expansion of the Dominican Republic field work by adding a water purification program to the Hearts and Hands project. John Curran stated plans are in the works to double the prosthetic hands fittings from 50 to 100. Special thanks go out to Roger Fagan for the recent grant submission and Dick Hall’s development of the Singer Island program.
Volunteers will be sought throughout the year by Community Service to provide more hands-on opportunities for the membership according to Steve Stromsky. We need members to assist at the upcoming Royal Drummers & Dancers of Burundi theatrical presentation as well as projects to provide Socks for the Homeless and the Wayside shelter.
Speaking of theatrics, our very own dynamic duo ‘Gunga’ (Bruce Jones) - ‘Din’ (Larry Gross) entertained us with their water boy skit setting a goal of one new member per month, which is no drop in the bucket.
The Communications Committee is planning a breakout year with improvements to our web site and Facebook page to engage and promote the Club and its goals. With Paul Gore and Erik Jorgensen leading the charge we will be spreading the word on cable TV; the local press; and through a timely and entertaining Windjammer. [One important omission (noted by the Editor) - when providing an "off the cuff" listing of Windjammer personnel, editor Erik Jorgensen omitted the man who provides the pictures and fixes the words for this issue and all: photographer/proofreader Russ Burleigh! Sorry, Russ - you deserve particular recognition for your week-in / week-out help in this enterprise.]
And of course to fuel all of this energy we need to follow the money. Our master financial wizards, Kris Rosado and Mike Fortunato, are brewing up a recipe for success with a bigger and better Maine Outdoor Challenge and a mid-winter fund raiser to foster fellowship indoors. Ideas are coming from everywhere and may include square dancing; cribbage tournaments; wine and beer tasting to name a few. With goals of $100k for the year and inflation beating $5 happy dollars in the financial forecast the Club is on a roll.
THIS WEEK: DISTRICT GOVERNOR MARTY PEAK HELMAN
This week, we'll be hearing from our District Governor, Marty Peak Helman. Her appearance in Portland is one that Dick Hall is particularly enthusiastic about:
"I have been honored to work with her this year and serve as one of nine Assistant Governors. The most important thing you need to know is that you do not want to miss her talk. Marty candidly talks about the issues within Rotary, and her observations on why they occur. She also talks about solutions. Marty has a passion for Rotary, and she can share that very well. I have heard her speech at another one of my clubs. I recommend it highly! You do not want to miss it!
Now, the obligatory redacted background info on the Governor:
Marty Peak and her husband Frank Helman joined the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club in 2003. They are Major Donors of The Rotary Foundation. Marty served as President of her club in 2006-07. In 2008, Marty led District 7780's Group Study Exchange team to the Philippines, and that year her club named her Club Rotarian of the Year. From 2008 to 2011 she was the District Grants Subcommittee Chair. She is also a facilitator of the Rotary Leadership Institute and active on the District Visioning Facilitation Committee.
Beginning in 2005, Marty and Frank volunteered and raised funds for Safe Passage and theCooperative for Education/Guatemala Literacy Project, literacy initiatives that aim to improve basic educational opportunities in Guatemala. Out of her experiences, Marty has written and published a book on education in Guatemala entitled, "Rewriting the Future," which was underwritten in part by a Rotary Foundation Volunteer Service Grant. It has been translated and published in Spanish as "Reescribiendo el Futuro."
Marty volunteered and raised funds after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. The Rotary clubs in Slidell, Louisiana, jointly honored her with a Paul Harris Fellow for her post-Katrina work. In 2010 and 2011 Marty took part in National Immunization Day trips to Nigeria, Mali, and Chad to immunize children against polio and, in the most recent trip, to fit patients with LN-4 prosthetic hands.
Marty enjoyed a successful 20-year magazine publishing career in New York City. Later, she authored articles and books on management and education topics. Since their move to Maine in 2003, she and her husband have been principals of a small non-profit foundation, and her Rotary classification is Non-Profit Executive.
BITS AND PIECES
Jim Willey brought Major Steve Ditmer, the commander of the Portland Salvation Army, to visit the club. Jim gave him a new member application since his membership was "pre sold" by former Portland Rotarian Terry Shaffer.
Bill York, from South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, asked President Cyrus to share the news that their club is raising money to keep Portland Players afloat and tickets will be available to auction at next Friday's meeting.
Congratulations to Bob Martin, who has been appointed by Governor LePage to head the Maine Technology Institute.
President Cyrus said he was "channeling Eric Lusk" when he chose his outfit this morning. So, the king of fashion himself posed at the end of the meeting with this colorful and busy ensemble.
Kris Rosado reported that "the Maine Outdoor Challenge is only ten months away."
Bob Clark thanked the following club members and their family for volunteering to serve dinner at Thursday night's Steak and Burgers Dinner to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine: Kris Rosado, Jim and Barbara Willey, Rob Chatfield, Mike Fortunato, John Gaudet's daughters, Tom Ranello's daughters, Judy and David Cavalero and Laura Young and her daughters.
Al Sargent led the members in a strong rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in honor of last week's visit to Hadlock Field.
Cyrus announced that the club is working with the Rotary Foundation to confirm the Paul Harris Fellows awarded by the club. The list in the roster was inaccurate and a new insert will be distributed soon. In the meantime, Loretta Rowe (Club Secretary) asks for members to help us locate past rosters from 1986 and before. We would appreciate it if you have copies of these rosters and can loan them to Loretta for a short period of time. We are trying to clarify and confirm ALL of our Paul Harris Fellow recipients that have been awarded this distinguished honor through our club. Please be sure your name is on the roster(s), for easy return to you. Rotary International is attempting to assist us, but their records are not entirely complete. If you have any questions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com or 883-5432. Thank you.
Cyrus reminded everyone that we are meeting at the Holiday Inn by the Bay again next week for our Club Assembly to discuss visioning, survey of membership and hear about plans for the year from the new committees.
The Community Services Committee has kicked off the Save the Clock project with the stealth artwork on the Monument Square clock courtesy of the Maine College of Art students. The seven sets of art will be shown prior to the public press conference about the fundraising effort. To date $6,000 has been raised toward a goal of $25,000 to repair the clock, foundation and maintain it.
Of course, the Queen of Hearts continued to charm our club treasury at the expense of our rafflers: here's John Marr moments before he joined the ranks of the defeated.
Correction from last week's Bits and Pieces: "The Grand State of Maine" song was written by David Snow's father and Rick Snow's grandfather.
AUGUST 17 2012: OUR VISIT TO HADLOCK
Players Brock Huntzinger (left), Matt Spring (right) and Bill Blount as introducer
On Friday we met at Hadlock Field for Portland Rotary’s annual trip to the ballpark to visit the Portland Sea Dogs. We had the pleasure of hearing from two of the players: Matt Spring, a catcher from Columbus, Georgia who signed with the Red Sox in March 2011; and Brock Huntzinger, a relief pitcher from Anderson, Indiana who was a Red Sox, 3rd round draft pick in 2007. Matt is hitting .213, 7 HR and 21 RBI’s, and Brock’s current stats are 3 wins, 5 losses, 4.36 ERA with 7 saves.
Both Matt and Brock started by welcoming us to the park and hoped we liked the food they chose for us. Both had nothing but wonderful things to say about the City of Portland. Matt said Portland is a great city and the best place to play in this league.
When asked “who really runs the game, the pitcher or the catcher?” In unison Matt said “catcher” and Brock said “pitcher." Now that was a surprise…………
When asked about their favorite major league catchers and pitchers, Matt admires Jason Varitek. “He sets the standard for a catcher.” Brock likes Roger Clemens and the way he brought passion and intensity to his pitching. He also mentioned Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez.
When asked about they key to making it to the majors, we heard, “Baseball is a business, just like with what you folks do. You must do your best everyday and hope for the best. There are a lot of variables and no guarantees.” Matt has two clichés he likes: “Life is not fair” and, “if you don’t like it, play better.” Hearing the cheering fans and knowing there is still a chance of making it, keeps them motivated. When asked about “being 13 ½ games behind" and their strategies for staying motivated, we heard, “Pride and character keep us going, we are not quitters.”
When asked: “Do you have agents other than your mothers?” Yes, agents are needed because they won’t take it as personally as their mothers would.
Matt felt that the pitcher was who invented the sinker twenty years ago ruined hitting.
Both agreed that “Derek Jeter is the classiest player of our era. At 42 years old, he is the type of player we would all like to become.”
When asked: “How do you keep yourselves in shape to play?” They have trainers, they work out, there is a complete gym at the park, and of course there are Sea Dog Biscuits.
They spoke highly of the resources they have access to: “The Red Sox provide everything to make it easier for you to achieve your goals."
Year after year we are entertained and impressed by the Sea Dog players who come to talk with us. This year was no exception.
THIS WEEK: GOING TO THE DOGS
Don’t forget! This week we meet at the Portland Sea Dogs. This is always a terrific event, as we have the opportunity to hear from one of their many up-and-coming players or coaches about the ins and outs of playing professional baseball, or running a minor league team. It's always interesting, all while sharing a burger or a dog, and good cheer. Just go to the main gate and signs or ushers will direct you to the meeting site.
BITS AND PIECES
WE BEGIN
President Cyrus Calls the meeting to order and Russ says “Oh yes we can” sing our patriotic song a capella- “Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies” as Old Glory makes it just in time for the pledge. President Cyrus then enjoins us to enjoy our barbecued pork dinner and blueberry cobbler for dessert.
LET THERE BE MUSIC
Russ Burleigh then led us in song with In the good old Summer Time. Ever creative Russ narrated the difficult verses and the assembly then strongly belted out the familiar refrain. Who is Tootie Wootsie anyway?
THE RAFFLE:
Cyrus had the name pulled who was not PTG.; Don Lowry’s name was drawn for a chance win the $987 raffle prize. Don pulled the three of hearts. The pot grows.
CYRUS’ MIDDLE NAME
We find out more about the pres. Cyrus Yawkey Hagge, a direct but distant relative of the same family who owned the Red Sox for a spell and were previous investors in the Milwaukee Brewers where Cy’s family hails from. Cy was disappointed upon the passing of Jean Yawkey that no check from the Estate found its way into his bank account but it appears that his division of the Yawkey lineage fell out of contention a generation or two ago.
TENNIS ANYONE?
Sweetheart deals will be made in smoke filled rooms to select the fall’s competitive Portland Rotary Doubles tennis teams. League play commences its 20th season Monday September 10 at 5:30 PM at the Racket and Fitness Center.
TABLE TALK
Visiting Rotarian Kirk found us at the Clarion and again joined us from South Carolina. Don’t forget -Next week we go to Hadlock field and then back to the Clarion. It may look like we’re trying to be confusing, but variety is the spice of life, and it helps keep our minds nimble.
MATH AND REAL LIFE:
The population of the United States today at a few seconds after 2:29 PM EST will be 314,159,265. ( http://www.census.gov/
314,159,265 is also pi times 100 million. I knew you were just dying to know that.
AUGUST 10: CHATFIELD IN AFRICA
Charlie Summers, current Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, was not able to speak at our meeting last week as scheduled, so we heard from our very own Rob “Summertime” Chatfield, telling us about his past work in West Africa.
While in West Africa, Rob taught business for Suffolk University. Noticing five Rotary clubs in the area, he quickly learned the value of the Greeter “role” at their meetings, helping him to navigate the language barrier and new environment. Also, Rob reported that he had perfect attendance while there! Does that statement pass the Four Way Test?
Rob was exposed to several fundraisers while visiting these Clubs. Given the complex and serious issues related to orphans in that area, one of the local Clubs decided to host a fundraiser “circus” event. In addition to the traditional acrobats and jugglers, the event featured orphans’ art work as part of the event. As a follow up, the Club then asked the kids to make holiday cards with their art, raising $4,000 by selling both the cards and the actual works of art. What a success!
Additionally, one Rotarian held an outdoor movie event at his house. The fundraiser was catered and well supported, all while raising $3,000. To note: the Club had 25 members, and their goal was to raise $25,000 annually.
To learn more about Rob’s adventure and lessons learned, please visit Rob’s blog, The Whitest Guy in West Africa at: http://chatinafrica.blogspot.com.
Rob, thank you for punting for Charlie Summers last week! You did a great job!
LAST WEEK: CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE JON COURTNEY
Jon is a small businessman – owner of dry-cleaning stores in the Sanford area. He is currently serving as Maine Senate Majority Leader. He noted that he’d started to really enjoy the legislature once he stopped questioning his political opponents’ motives - he talked about the need to provide respect on all sides, certainly an important missing piece in the national scene. He spoke briefly about some of his accomplishments in the legislature, and noted that much of what took place was done with bipartisan support. He pointed out the contrast between Maine’s legislative environment and that in DC, where there are “good people with good intentions – but total lack of results”.
He is concerned about passing the national debt along to our children and grandchildren and wants to simplify government and reduce barriers to business. “Government debt has the potential of snuffing out our economic growth. We need to create a culture where job creators are encouraged to make the pie bigger”.
He was generous in allocating considerable time to questions from the audience, which covered a wide range of policy topics, from how he would approach undocumented immigrants: “We need to embrace the diversity of the country but immigrants need to come in through the front door”, to the issue of political action committee fundraising: “We always need to protect free speech.”
On the issue of term limits, he’s not considering them on the Federal level, but does believe that they have not had a positive effect in Maine, handing power to bureaucrats. On entitlements, “we need to make tough decisions, but they need to be bipartisan.” He does not intend to sign the Norquist tax pledge, but notes his record is as a tax cutter and believes we need to simplify the tax code. He’s pro-life. He believes that the Affordable Care Act was “A terrible step in the wrong direction” and thinks that the law needs to be repealed and replaced by market-based reforms. He noted that it was passed without bipartisan support.
As he’s been out and about in the district, running for Congress, he's found it to be an honor and something of an adventure. He reports that he has enjoyed talking to people on Main Street. He's "amazed by how many nice, fine people are out there."
THIS WEEK: WHO'S DOING WHAT
Editor: Jack Carr
Bits & Pieces: Donald Lowry
Registration: Paul Gore
Meal Ticket Sales: Richard Campbell
Greeter: Robert Traill
Raffle: Jacob Bourdeau
Invocator: Bruce Jones
Music: Al Sargent (Kathleen Grammer)
Sgt at Arms - Early: Justin Lamontagne
Sgt at Arms - Late: Scott Blakeslee
BITS AND PIECES
Talking at the table, I found out that Mark Millar is staying upbeat as he is trying to continue to serve his clients and his staff. Casey Family Services will be around only until the end of the year.
Larry Gross sold his house and will be moving to the Eastern Prom. For a while he is renting the house he used to own.
When President Cyrus stated that the Korean War ended more than 50 years ago, his 2nd VP Chris Rosado corrected him to say hostilities ended then, but the war continues.
Cyrus did mention that Bugs Bunny has been around 70 years, with no corrections from Chris.
The pictures of Portland flashing on the screen while Cyrus was at the podium, were very nice. Probably he was running them from his I Phone.
Laura Young brought two guests, Charlie Frair brought one, Russ Burleigh had two. Also Kurt Duffy was with us again.
Herb Carmichael won the raffle but Jan said “Augh!!!” when he missed the card.
Gus Karlson will be pleased as Portland Rotary is sponsoring two sailboats ($500 each) and one dinghy ($50) in the MS Regatta.
Russ announced, for the second of three times (and that's going to be it, he promises), that his wife Joan is still looking for yard to knit mittens for kids.
Before Cyrus was done announcing that silver reading glasses were found, guest Kurt was headed to pick them up.
Meredith Small led the club singing Grand Old Flag. We always seem to do better on the patriotic songs.
Cyrus made up at South Portland Cape Elizabeth, but he really does not need any makeup. Can't get enough Rotary, Cyrus?
Erik Lusk made his debut in orange pants with the crowd requesting that Cyrus fine him for his pants. Cyrus did not, and neither did Sergeant-at –Arms, Bowen
Bruce Moore reminds us that The International Services Committee and DR Team will be meeting with Bob Beaumont, President of the Rotary Club of Topsham Espresso, following our club meeting on 8/3 to discuss his experience with water filters in the Dominican Republic.
Loretta tells us the print file got corrupted so the Rosters are delayed. They will be here next week.
Mark Millar told us all about the WWII weekend on Peaks Island, and invited the whole club to his place for a drink. And the photo above shows that people took him up on the offer:
Here, Portland Rotarians Mark Millar, Peggy Wescott and Charlie Frair with Charlie's parents (his dad a past Rotarian and frequent Portland Rotary guest) on the porch at the Fifth Maine Regimental Museum on Peaks Island, Saturday July 28th during the weekend community commemoration: "Peaks Island Remembers World War II."
The three-day event was the product of a joint partnership of the Fifth Maine Regimental Museum, Trefethen Evergreen Improvement Association, Peaks Island Land Preserve, Brackett Memorial Church and Randall-MadVane Post American Legion Post #142, and Ladies Auxiliary. It took many winter and spring months of preparation.
A NEW BOARD MEMBER:
Due to Mark Carpentier’s request for an extended leave of absence until December 31, 2012, the Board of Directors felt it necessary and wise to replace him as a director for the Portland Rotary Club. His directorship term expires June 30, 2013.
The Board has selected a new director, Mike Fortunato, and Mike has accepted the position.
We look forward to having Mike join us on the Board.
LAST WEEK: KRIS HORTON AND THE PUBLIC MARKET HOUSE
Kris Horton, co-founder of The Public Market House at 28 Monument Square, offered a whirlwind review of her five-year-old business, which opened following the demise of Portland's original Public Market. The Public Market House is an effort to carry on the vision of an in-town market in Portland by providing a community gathering place that celebrates Maine people, food, and agricultural traditions while joining the on-going effort to revitalize Portland’s downtown, incubate small businesses, and involve the international community.
The Community Kitchen (in the basement and operating 24 hours a day) and Second-floor gathering area have proved very successful in helping new businesses to get started for a wide variety of folks: Kama Souptra, Granny’s Burritos, Market House Coffee, Spartan Grill, Maine Squeeze, Pandora’s Oven, Adelina’s Dominican food, and others. The first floor features permanent market stalls and tables that can be rented by the day for smaller vendors, such as immigrants who grow and sell specialized agricultural products.
The Market House is looking to buy their building to expand their incubating space and day table operations, as well as seating capacity, which is currently limited to 49. The Market House is a great downtown meet and eat space. Drop in and enjoy!
In the Photo: Erik Lusk and Kris Horton. Erik's trousers caused a stir.
AUG 3: JON COURTNEY, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE
Jon Courtney, Maine State Senate majority leader, has been chosen by the Republican party to challenge Representative Chellie Pingree for Maine’s First Congressional District Seat in November.
Mr. Courtney, a resident of Springvale, is married with three children and three step children. He is a graduate of Marshwood High School; and owns Courtney Cleaners in Sanford, Kennebunk, and Portsmouth, N.H.
Mr Courtney has served in the Maine House of Representatives 2003-04; the Maine Senate, 2005-12; assistant Senate majority leader, 2009-10, Senate majority leader, 2011-12.
He has been invited to address Portland Rotary in his capacity as a candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives: speaking to such matters as “Why is he running?” “What does he see as the key issues?” And “What does he hope to accomplish in Washington?”
Join us on Friday as we kick-off our “Listen to the candidates” series.
PLEASE NOTE: As a non-partisan organization, Portland Rotary has extended speaking invitations to
all the major candidates running for First District Congress or the US Senate. All of those who express interest in appearing before our club will be given the opportunity to do so. Please see our upcoming speaker list for more information on dates.
BITS AND PIECES
At the start of the meeting, President Cyrus proposed a quick 20 minute meeting to allow Rotarians the opportunity to enjoy the fabulous weather. The Club declined the offer, but it sure was tempting!
Many thanks to the Windjammer volunteers for all of their hard work. It is looking terrific and is enjoyable to read.
The raffle for the week was set at $789, putting some serious beans on the table. Rob Chatfield gave it a shot but came up short with the 7 of hearts. Nice try, Rob! The song of the day was, well, simply the song of the day. Not good, not terrible. And we did manage to complete it without injury. I will say that many of us may never hear the song, Downtown, quite the same again.
Russ Burleigh announced that he is, once again collecting wool for his wife, Joan's, knitting project. She is working on 100-150 pairs of mittens for the youth who attend Winter Kids. If you would like to support this project, please contact Russ or simply bring your donation of yard to a meeting.
The WWII group will be meeting this week. Artist George Guzzi will share some of his work with the group. The meeting starts at 11:15am.
Just an FYI! If you are trying to pay your Club dues online, the “button” on the website is not currently working. But as Mike Fortunato will point out, the Club still accepts good old fashioned checks, mailed with those 45-cent sticky things that they used to use before e-commerce.
President Cyrus announced that the Club is currently looking for people who are interested in supporting the MS Regatta, along with other club members, though the co-sponsorship of a boat. We need six more $50 sponsorships allowing the Club to sponsor two boats. Interested? Contact President Cyrus directly. President Cyrus took a moment to share his personal Rotary Minute with the Club. Recently, he did some digging into his family’s history to find that several of his family members were also involved in Rotary, and, in fact, were also Club Presidents! Upon further reflection of his time with us, President Cyrus shared that he is happy that he “stuck around” after we moved the Club meetings to the Italian Heritage Center (the Club almost lost him during that move). He also provided his insight related to all of the parts of the community that the Club touches. From baseball at Longcreek to working at the Salvation Army daycare, it’s all the little things that happen that really add up to important community impact. Thank you, Cyrus, for your thoughts and insight. We are all glad that you are still a part of this great Club!
LAST FRIDAY: IMPROVING PORTLAND's DOWNTOWN
We enjoyed an informative presentation from Jan Beitzer, Executive Director of Portland’s Downtown District (“PDD”) and Doug Fuss. Doug Fuss is President of (“PDD”) and owner of Bull Feeney’s, known as one of the Best Irish pubs in New England. Doug helped us understand the important role of PDD in maintaining the quality of downtown life. He shared the history of the organization, how it is structured, and its accomplishments.
In 1992, downtown leaders recognizing that large suburban office parks and regional shopping centers under single ownership offered strong competition and a very efficient environment in which to conduct business, formed Portland’s Downtown District (“PDD”) as a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization.
PDD represents the District defined by the Old Port, Waterfront, Government and Arts Districts to establish the area as a clean, safe downtown while building and promoting a vibrant business, residential and tourism destination. Over the last 20 years PDD has been eminently successful in defining the District as a well-managed place to work, visit, live and invest.
PDD is established as a business improvement district (“BID”), which allows self-assessment on properties within a defined geographic area. BIDs are a funding mechanism, not a specific set of programs. The Board, which meets monthly, decides on the programs and budget.
The Board has established on-going goals for the organization:
- Ensure a clean and attractive downtown
- Maintain and improve downtown safety
- Promote and market downtown
- Advocate for policies that accomplish our mission
- Effectively operate and administer our organization
The PDD has done well in furthering these goals. Among the accomplishments that Doug touched upon:
- PDD Produced and funded a downtown branding and marketing campaign: Portland – How Maine Does a City.
- Developed and currently maintains the website www.portlandmaine.com generating 12 million hits per year!
- Produces the free Downtown Directory.
- Annually produces 11 free events including the Old Port festival and the Portland On Ice mid-winter event.
- Created a Nightlife Oversight Committee to monitor and maintain a vibrant and safe nightlife.
- Provides outdoor maintenance – 12 hours daily – which includes litter pickup, graffiti removal, planting of summer flowers, and sidewalk snow removal.
- Developed the Park and Work and the Park and Shop program.
- Advocated for an ordinance encouraging expanded outdoor dining.
Downtown Tomorrow
Doug and Jan affirmed that PDD will maintain the shared vision for a vibrant and economically prosperous downtown held by all stakeholders and that it will continue to be bold and forward-thinking as in the past.
How Can Rotary Help? Jan Beitzer has a few suggestions:- As a Service Club, Rotary could volunteer to maintain one of the several garden spots enhancing the downtown. Good news here: The City has a watering truck which provides need moisture three time a week.
- Continue the Clock restoration initiative. Jan looks forward to the restoration of the Monument Square Clock.
- Those Rotarians with a stake in the quality of Downtown life should advocate with the Mayor and City Council in support of PDD. initiatives.
JULY 27: KRIS HORTON & PORTLAND's PUBLIC MARKET HOUSE
The Market House carries on the vision of an in-town public market in Portland by providing a community gathering place that celebrates Maine people, food and agricultural traditions while joining the ongoing efforts to revitalize Portland’s downtown, incubating small businesses and involving the international community.
With the dominance of big box stores and internationally owned supermarkets, the new public market provides the people of Portland with an important alternative shopping experience – an inner-city outlet for Maine food producers in the heart of Maine’s largest population center.
Bits and Pieces
More Pictures from the Opera-Rama last week:
Under the skeptical eyes of his wife, Jan, Bruce gets his own aria...
And then it was Earle Leavitt's turn to hear from Eliza Bonet
Soloman Howard
A climactic rendition of Habanera from "Carmen" by Eliza Bonet (all photos: Russ Burleigh)
Our marketing efforts are certainly paying off with headlines and TV news stories in local and state-wide media regarding Portland Rotary’s $6,600 gift to the Portland Police Department for Mako, a/k/a Roto, the new police dog who visited with us on July 6th. This is the kind of notoriety that our club seeks as we look to increase visibility and, with that, increase membership.
Remember to keep grabbing those Clynk bags from the badge table to all Rotary meetings. Fill them with your recyclable empties and the drop them off at any local participating store. This is an easy way to help our club!
The annual MS HarborFest is approaching and Gus Karlsen needs your help once again in sponsoring the winning boat(s). Last year, we sponsored three sail boats! For a donation as little as $50, you can help the cause and even sign on as a deck hand for a day of fun on Casco Bay.
Russ Burleigh once reminded us that his wife, Joan, will be accepting all yarn donations for her “Ball of Hair Pillows” as she prepares to begin knitting dozens (hundreds?) of pairs of mittens for Winterkids. Please get Russ any yarn (wool is preferred) and he and Joan and once again warm some children’s hearts and hands.
Dick Giles was called up by Naj Lotfey and, ta da, he picked a Queen out of the deck for $651…but, alas, it was the wrong queen. Paul Gore seemed pleased.
The club celebrated the birthdays of Jack Carr and Julianna L’Heureux, singing a rousing Happy Birthday to our July birthday Rotarians.
Dues notices were sent out last week. Please remit at your earliest convenience.
David Ciullo is our newest Portland Rotary celebrity, with a Saturday afternoon radio show, “HR Power Hour” from 2:00 to 3:00 on WLOB radio. For details, please visit HRPowerhour.com.
Mike Fortunato has had a productive month with his children, marrying off his daughter at the Colony Inn in Kennebunkport (with Bruce Jones conducting the ceremony) and then, two weeks later, having his son get engaged, with a wedding date set for next summer. Congrats to Mike and Pat.
Paul T. Gore (aka “Mr. Lucky”) has sold his house and is downsizing to a one-level home in Gorham. Paul and Colleen have been enjoying their new (and only) granddaughter, who is now four months old, as they get set to move in with Paul’s in-laws while they get the new house ready. Good luck, Paul!
The World War II Study Group is planning a program for Friday, July 27 at 11:15 in a room TBA. Guest speaker is military artist George Guzzi of Boston (with a summer studio at Pine Point, Scarborough). George's works hang in every major military museum in the country as well as such prestigious venues as President and Nancy Reagan's home. He will bring some limited edition prints of his works, all signed by the veterans who flew the missions depicted. Admission is free - bring a guest. This will be a very impressive presentation.
A reminder that President Cyrus will hold his first Club Assembly on August 31st. Please show your support and plan to attend and participate.
Last Week: the Opera in All of Us
Eliza Bonet and Soloman (yes, with an "a") Howard, members of the PORTopera Company, lifted our spirits and soothed our souls with their incredible voices and passion for music. Introduced by Dona D. Vaughn, Artistic Director, Eliza and Soloman took turns with songs and arias from a range of composers. Soloman’s deep, powerful bass shook the foundations of the Holiday Inn when he sang “The Impossible Dream,” while Eliza enthralled everyone with her spirited “La Habanera” from Carmen. “When will I love you…” she sang as she moved through the room and teased Rich Campbell, Jim Willey, Bruce Moore, Don Lowry, Harry Sawyer, and especially, Earle Leavitt.
Dona shared that PORTopera is not a simple regional company, but is known throughout the opera world for the quality of its productions and casts. “These singers have Metropolitan Opera experience,” she said. “PORTopera is better known in the opera world than in Portland. What happens here in July is very widespread. The arteries of our activities go everywhere through reviewers, agents, who all descend on Portland for the season.”
PORTopera is presenting Madama Butterfly on July 25 and 27 in Merrill Auditorium. “Butterfly is the number one opera in the world,” Dona said. “The set is grand opera, the costumes are grand opera, and some are from the Met. But only balcony seats are left!”
In closing the program, Dona said that opera wasn’t for everyone. “Opera is for people who are in touch with their passions. Opera is a great test for seeing if you are in touch with your emotions. If you are afraid of losing control, opera is not for you.” Pointing to Lisa and Soloman, she said, “These are ‘baby’ opera singers. If you smiled, or laughed, or got still and lost yourself for an instant today, opera is for you.”
Last Friday, we were all opera lovers.
THIS FRIDAY: Improving Portland’s Downtown
Few things are as vital to a city as the strength and livability of its core downtown. This week, we have the opportunity to hear from Jan Beitzer and Doug Fuss, the leaders of Portland’s Downtown District (PDD), the group responsible for promoting and marketing our city’s center. Jan is the Executive Director of PDD, and Doug is the President of its Board of Directors.
Jan Beitzer brings a wealth of executive experience to her role as Executive Director. In addition to leading the daily activities of the PDD, she serves on the boards of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Port of Portland Cruise Ship Consortium, Portland Buy Local, and Portland’s Police Civilian Complaint Review group. Her background includes a stint as Executive Director of the Lancaster (PA) Downtown Investment District Authority, and significant work at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a variety of management roles, including General Manager of Tunnels, Bridges, and Terminals. She is a graduate of California State University in Humboldt, and earned an M.S. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Doug Fuss came to Portland in 2001 to pursue his dream of owning and operating an authentic pub with the purchase of the old Seaman’s Club in the Old Port. Transformed into Bull Feeney’s, the pub has become known as one of the best Irish pubs in New England. Doug’s civic leadership includes appointments by the City Council to the Nightlife Oversight Committee (NLOC), the Community Police Advisory Board, Portland’s Business Diversity Task Force, the Downtown Noise Task Force, and most recently, the Food Truck Task Force. A 1986 graduate of Yale University, Doug spent 20 years in the advertising and market research field at Bloomingdale’s, Proctor & Gamble, Leo Burnett, Subway and John Deere.
PDD’s primary goal is to make Portland’s downtown a better place to work, play, live, and invest. Jan and Doug will share with us their strategic plan for accomplishing their mission.
NEW PROJECT: Rotarians Work to Save the Clock!
SAVE THE CLOCK!
Portland Rotary's first community project after we move to the Holiday Inn will be to restore the Monument Square Clock. We have worked out all of the specifics with the City of Portland and we now need to set up a working committee to under take the project. The first step is to set up a working committee to organize the effort. On Friday May 6th right after the meeting we would like to set up the committee. If you are interested please attend or contact Cyrus @ chagge@mac.com or 775-7442.
Joe Gray Receives Paul Harris Fellowship - April 8
Cy Hagge Presenting Portland Rotarian and recently retired City Manager JOE GRAY with a Paul Harris Fellowship.
Photo Courtesy Russ Burleigh
How Do I Find My Information?
End Polio Now! displayed on PMA
Portland
Museum of Art and a very public show of Support for Portland Rotary and
Rotary International's Polio Eradication Effort!
Thank you, PMA!
NOTE: 03/13/15 AFTER PROGRAM WRITEUP
Maine has the 12th highest electricity prices in the United States. Natural gas and oil are the primary fuels for more than 70% of the electricity capacity in Maine. However, Maine has one of the highest renewable standards in the nation, requiring 40% of total retail electricity sales to come from renewable resources by 2017. Maine is also highly dependent on fossil fuel products to heat its homes, buildings and factories. Maine businesses and residences are approximately 75 percent dependent on fossil fuels for heating purposes and nearly 100 percent reliant on petroleum for transportation. The high percentage of households and businesses that depend on imported sources of petroleum drains dollars out of the state. The price and supply of oil in Maine are driven not only by the market forces of supply and demand that influence other commodities, but also by U.S. domestic and foreign policy decisions. Other market forces have a large impact on the petroleum industry, including product seasonality, curtailments (such as refinery outages), and acts of nature.
06/14/13 BITS AND PIECES
Peggy Wescott (“Queenie”) reminded us with her invocation to value the life we are able to enjoy as members of Portland Rotary insulated from the turmoil of a polarized world and that we should not forget the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Cyrus Hagge promises an outstanding “swan song” at his final meeting as President of the Club on June 28th. All are encouraged to attend.
The MAINE OUTDOOR CHALLENGE showed increases on every level according to Kris Rosado. This year we fielded more teams and raised in excess of $43,000 which will be shared equally between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and Portland Rotary. Of the amount received by the Club, approximately $11,000 will be donated to support the 3H program, hearing hands and H20. Local support from our Club can be leveraged as much as 4:1 from other sources.
The Salvation Army is offering an opportunity to help resettle homeless veterans. The VA can provide housing, but no living necessities such as pots and pans, kitchen utensils, sheets or blankets. We are welcomed to donate any NEW household goods to this cause at 297 Cumberland Avenue, Portland or send a donation to “Home Sweet Home” The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 3575, Portland, ME 04104. For more information contact Jim Willey.
Don Lowry in a 7th Paul Harris Fellow recognition, made the donation in the name of his son, Ben Lowry and Bill Blount was presented with his 3rd Paul Harris Fellow award.
We had three visitors from near and far this Friday….from Mesa, Arizona to South Portland.
Emily McEntee held the winning ticket for the $448 Rotary drawing….but, aw shucks…no queen of hearts. Sorry!
Appreciation was offered in conversation at almost every table of the fine work done by Rotarians to make a difference in our community and the world. So be it in the effort in the Dominican Republic by Roger, Liz, Bruce and Jan, among others, or the combined effort of Rotarians to make the Maine Outdoor Challenge a great fundraising success, all of us were inspired and uplifted by a superb job, well done.
As we prepared for an excellent presentation by participants in the Dominican Republic 3H program, Janelle LoScuito and Kathy Grammer lead us in the Song of the Day: Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.
John Marr looking tough!
06/21/13 PORTLAND'S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
This week we will meet at the Portland Public Library and hear from Caity Hagar, the program coordinator for the City of Portland’s “Cities Readiness Initiative”, a program that deals with training and exercises for mass dispensing of medications and other essential resources in the Portland Metropolitan Service Area. Caity, a 2005 Bates College graduate, should be an interesting speaker in a novel environment at the library.
The Cities Readiness Initiative is a federally funded program designed to increase bioterrorism preparedness in the nation's larger cities. The goal is to minimize the loss of lives during a public health emergency by rapidly dispensing medication to the entire population within 48 hours of the decision to do so. Maine CRI encompasses the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and includes York, Cumberland, and Sagadahoc counties. Maine CRI works with local and county emergency management partners to plan for medication dispensing through Points of Distribution (PODs).
Prior to her position with the City of Portland, Caity was the Director of Emergency Preparedness in Augusta where she provided technical assistance related to public health preparedness and response to Maine Community Health Centers (CHCs).
Come learn about what goes on behind the scenes in Portland to insure our safety in the event of a biological threat. Seem unlikely? Well, the systems that Caity and other emergency preparedness professionals develop and implement dovetail with plans for other emergencies. Ever wonder what would happen if there was an avian flu outbreak in Portland? Is there a Tamiflu distribution system in place? Caity may touch on these interesting and important topics as well so join us at The Portland Public Library on Friday for what promises to be an interesting program.
06/07/13 BITS AND PIECES
Portland Rotarians complimented the delicious June 7th lunch served during our “on the road” meeting hosted at the Maine College of Art, on Congress Street in Portland.
A lunch buffet menu included chicken breast and carving board sliced lean beef with pasta, potato, and caprese salads, assorted sliced gourmet breads and a generous selection of finger desserts.
Rotarians continued the buzz about the successful Maine Outdoor Challenge on June 3 and 5 led by our energetic committee chair, Kris Rosado. One would think a busy Rotarians like Kris would rest after leading such a worthwhile effort. Nevertheless, even after a fun filled evening on June 5th, following the two days of competition at the LLBean Discovery Camp, and an awards ceremony at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, topped off by a lobster feed, Kris really wanted to hurry home and watch the Boston Bruins game. He remembered to record the Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey game. So, instead of resting, Kris stayed up until 12:30 AM to watch the Bruins, who won a nail biter shut out of Pittsburgh, winning with only one goal scored in the third quarter! As a result, the Bruins are now poised to win the Stanley Cup.
Ellen Niewoehner’s experience at the Challenge included the opportunity to shoot for the first time. Although Amy Chipman didn’t hit a clay target, her shoulder received a memorable bruising from the rifle’s recoil. On the other hand, Jack Carr managed to hit two launched clay targets with one round, a feat the LLBean instructor said was a first (however, no double points were awarded).
President Cyrus praised the success of the Outdoor Challenge and extended heart felt congratulations to Kris Rosado for his leadership, along with dedicated committee members including Mike Fortunato, Harold Crabill and many volunteers. John Marr recruited eight of the 31 participating teams. “We did great and, now, all we can do is get better!” said Cyrus. Kris will announce the final fund raising results when all receipts are tallied and, at the same time, he’ll announce the first meeting of the 2014 Challenge. Those who took pictures of any Challenge events can send them to Cyrus via email attachment, at chagge@mac.com,, to be displayed in a slide show.
Jan Chapman led the $428 raffle and Bill Ross was chosen for the chance to win the money. Although Bill drew a hearts card, he managed to miss the magical Queen of Hearts. Therefore, the June 14th jackpot grows larger.
Rotarian birthday greetings for June were sung for George Crockett, Peter Goffin, David Ciullo, Laura Young, Roger Asch, Paul Gore, Ralph Hendrix, Thomas Ranello, Justin Lamontagne and Charles McKee.
Loretta Rowe introduced her 6-year-old grandson, Tanner Edson, as her guest. Tanner just graduated from the first grade at the Windham Christian Academy. Six non-Rotarian guests and one visiting Rotarian were among the meeting attendees.
Flag Day is the occasion of our June 14th “on the road” Rotary meeting, scheduled at the Clarion Hotel, 1230 Congress Street, in Portland, at 12 noon.
06/07/13 A MECA TREAT
This past Friday we met in a classroom of the Maine College of Art (MECA) and were treated to an excellent meal and a very interesting program presented by our own member, Don Tuski, who is the President of the college. For those of us who may have had little more than a dim awareness of the existence of this gem in our midst, Don’s presentation was a very welcome revelation.
The great history and description of MECA’s programs were included in last week’s Windjammer and also covered by Don in his address. Of note, the size of the building, the former Porteous Mitchell and Braun department store, at 150,000 square feet, is impressive, but the scope of the academic programs is what makes this institution such an important contributor to the character of Portland. The school is listed among the top 25 art destinations in the country.
Don provided a long list of the benefits of an art education including development of an ability to see the world more thoughtfully, to come up with new, authentic, original ideas, to bring attention to the unnoticed, to learn the value of sheer hard work, to foster an intense and passionate approach to projects, to combine process, execution and great ideas and to become a problem solver and entrepreneur.
The 350 degree students are studying in 11 majors and are offered 3 degree programs. 71% of the graduates are working as professional artists. 50% of students entering as freshmen will graduate. Tuition is $18,000 per year with an additional $9,000 to live in one of the school’s three residence halls. Continuing studies and a pre-college program are also offered.
MECA occupies a prominent place, along with the PSO, PMA, PORT, Portland Stage et al., in making Portland a true cultural center, something which enhances the quality of our lives and brings us a sense of pride in our community.
05/31/13 New Members Program - GUESS WHO?
At last Friday's meeting, the new Rotarian class of 2012-2013 led the program with a round of "Guess who?" It was a lively, entertaining program led and organized by Janelle LoScuito. Below is a short version of the game we played. Can you guess the Rotarian?
New Rotarian #1:
My craziest life experience was being stalked by a bison. My favorite childhood toys were Wonder Woman comic books.
New Rotarian #2:
I have been skydiving 9 times and also caught a foul ball at Fenway. I have 5 tattoos that are Chinese symbols for mountain, water, speed and family.
New Rotarian #3:
I am the proud father of triplets. The most embarrassing album I ever owned was Le Freak by Chic.
New Rotarian #4:
Backpacking through Europe for a summer is on the top of my bucket list. I owned a Spice Girls CD once which found a better home at Goodwill.
New Rotarian #5:
My first job was selling night crawlers when I was 8 years old. We have 114 years of Rotary in my immediate family!
New Rotarian #6:
Nights during college I drove a Boston cab. I'd love to travel to New Zealand.
New Rotarian #7:
I recently moved to Portland without knowing anyone. When I was young I wanted to be a farmer.
New Rotarian #8:
I once avoided being robbed in the middle of the night on a train somewhere between Italy and Switzerland with the assistance of a kind Romanian. I owned ALL of Donny Osmond's albums.
New Rotarian #9:
If I could trade places with anyone, past or present, I would be Robert Frost or Leonardo da Vinci. If I ever decided to write an autobiography, it would be called I've Made a Career of People Underestimating Me.
New Rotarian #10:
I lived in Europe in 2005. Once upon a time I owned the soundtrack to Robinhood.
New Rotarian #11:
Worst album I ever owned: Tom Lehrer. If I could learn to do anything, I would learn to be a superb golfer.
Mastermind Janelle LoSciuto with presenter Tara Hill
Did you guess?
Justin Lamontagne
Chris Force
Frank Robbins
Janelle LoSciuto
Jan Chapman
Carl Spang
Rylan Nimocks
Tara Hill
Don Tuski
Russell Voss
Al Sargent
06/07/13 PRESENTATION AND TOUR OF MECA
This Friday's meeting will be held at the Maine College of Art (MECA) with Executive Director Don Tuski providing an introduction to the art school along with a discussion on why creativity is important in society. After the lunch meeting, tours of the art school will begin at 1:30pm. There will also be a three day art sale happening at MECA.
Maine College of Art (MECA) was founded in 1882 as part of the Portland Society of Art. An organized curriculum was established in 1911 and the first diplomas awarded in the 1920's by the School of Fine and Applied Arts. In 1972, the School's name was changed to Portland School of Art, and its mission redirected to educate professional visual artists. A core of highly qualified faculty was recruited and a two-year Foundation Program was developed.
In 1982, the School separated from the Portland Society of Art, which also managed the Portland Museum of Art, to become an independent organization with its own Board of Trustees. In 1983, the College purchased and renovated the Baxter Building, the former home of the Portland Public Library.
In 1992, Portland School of Art was renamed Maine College of Art to better identify its status as a degree-granting, New England institution. In 1993, the College purchased the five-story landmark Porteous Building at the center of Portland's downtown Arts District and began a phased renovation project to create updated, consolidated core facilities for the College.
MECA is one of 37 private, non-profit, degree-granting professional art colleges in the country, and one of only 18 such colleges not affiliated with a larger academic or arts institution. The College awards the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in ten studio majors: Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration Metalsmithing and Jewelry, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Woodworking & Furniture Design. MECA offers a rigorous Foundation Program that provides intensive training in the fundamentals of drawing and design prior to the major. Required courses in Art History and Liberal Arts constitute fully one-third of the degree programs, and are taught from the perspective of the artist. The academic and the creative are indivisible at the College. Programs are designed to equip students with the skills, visual insights, self-confidence, and discipline traditionally associated with the independent professional artist and designer.
MECA's distinctive Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program combines on-campus summer intensives with off-campus supervised studio work. Launched in 1998, it was the first program of its kind in the country. Visiting faculty are leading artists and designers, and give public lectures.
The student body is currently approximately 350 BFA and MFA degree students. About 30% of the students come from Maine, and 70% from New England. Over 95% of undergraduates receive financial assistance.
Full and part-time BFA faculty number 65. All studio faculty are professional exhibiting artists. Full-time and visiting artist appointments are filled by national search. The College maintains a small student to faculty ratio in its degree programs, creating an intimate teaching and learning environment that allows for the individual attention required in quality visual arts training.
Maine College of Art annually serves more than 2000 adults in the region through more than 200 credit and non-credit public courses in its year-round Continuing Studies program. Over 300 teenagers and children participate in MECA's Saturday School and summer classes begun in Portland in 1973.
06/28/13 BITS AND PIECES
Bob Traill has had a busy week: he's moved into a new condo, brought Lindsay Jones, manager of Bonnie Staffing in Portland, to the Rotary lunch, {and, of course, paid for her lunch} and handled the raffle at the lunch.
Rich Campbell got the opportunity to win the $408 . He did not live up to his name-- he lost.
Who knew Garvey MacLean was such a big fan of Star Trek? Is he angling to become head of the Federation?
Our regular attendee from the Georgia Rotary, Kirk Duffy, was again at the lunch. President Cyrus decided that because of Kirk's good attendance record he should become an honorary member of Portland Rotary. It was approved unanimously. On his way out Kirk said the easiest way to remember his name was to call him Captain Kirk. He and Garvey need to talk...
Carolyn Johnson, the District Governor-elect of District 7780, was a guest at the lunch and seemed to enjoy the goings on.
At the end of the lunch, President Cyrus asked those who had worked on different parts of the Maine Challenge to stand as he read off the categories. By the time he finished his list nearly every member in the room was standing. A cooperative effort--- well done!!!!
05/17/13 B&Ps PHOTO ALBUM
The team traveling to the Dominican Republic included 17 people representing 3 Rotary Clubs: Portland, Singer Island and Breakwater Daybreak
The youngest recipient to date: a two-year-old boy. 75 hands for the people of Domincan Republic were distributed on this trip
which makes 165 hands in total since we first started this project two years ago.
80 water filters were installed.
This man has a LN-4 hand and was fitted in his right ear with a hearing aid. 120 hearing aids were dispensed.
Pictures from the Take Over meeting at South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Club and hearing to take back the Portland Head Light:
Pictures from the Allagash Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting Tuesday night:
09/06/13 EDUCATE MAINE
Tanna Clews and Jay Collier of Educate Maine with introducer Laura Young and President Cyrus
Tanna Clews, the Executive Director of Educate Maine, spoke to the Portland Rotary last Friday. Educate Maine (EM) was created in December 2011 by the merger of the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education and the Maine Compact for Higher Education. EM is a business-led organization whose mission is to champion college and career readiness and increased education attainment.
Their specific goals are to:
Increase the number of students receiving college degrees
Use learning results to structure and improve programs
Support proficiency based learning
Conduct the Maine teacher of the year progrm
Run the Maine college transition program which assists adult education students to attend and graduate from college. This program has a higher grad rate than the average community college rate
Support the Alfond scholar foundation, which gives $500 to a 529 account for every baby born in Maine.
Educate Maine's newest program is called Project > Login
Tanna told us that Maine's challenge is in the education of computer science students. Info tech is the highest growing job market but 1/3 of the jobs are now being outsourced offshore due to an insufficient number of trained people in Maine. To combat this, 7 CEOs have banded together, after they themselves had to move data centers out of ME
The 7 CEOs, together with USM and UMO, looked at the supply and demand for IT jobs and found that the 10 year supply of graduates is 201 bachelor's degrees and 590 master's degrees, while the demand will be 1800 graduates. This shortage of 1000 jobs cannot be filled with the current projection of Maine graduates. Currently in Maine there are unfilled job openings for 806 IT professionals. In Maine, the lowest unemployment rate is in the IT field, which is currently less than 3%.
Seven companies, including Idexx, TD Bank and WEX, came together in February 2013 with money to support programs. They took on the Project>Login program. The vision is to create a vibrant well populated computer science program supported by jobs to keep Maine graduates in Maine. Educate Maine is planning to use the same template to address other workforce shortage areas.
Maine, like many other states, suffers from low interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in high school. For IT professionals, the Maine higher education system of colleges have only 50-70 graduates per year, while the hiring need in Maine is 500-700, just from the seven largest employers. In the future, Project> Login hopes to raise high school interest and engage community and college systems to establish programs so that all openings are filled by Maine graduates. To do this, Project>Login must double the number of graduates in four years to 142 per year.
Tanna stated that "Business leaders are laser focused and they will not fail." If Maine can keep all entrants into the Maine college IT program, the goal will be met.
Program goals include:
Increase the number of students who enter a STEM degree program
Establish a network of paid internships, as past experience indicates that 70 percent of interns get job offers from the company where they interned.
Entice graduates to stay in Maine with exciting and interesting careers
Maintain a website with computer-related activities, camps, legos, robotics, and careers
One notable success includes brokering agreements between three community colleges and USM and UMO. USM now offers statistics and discrete math, which is more applicable to the job needs and is less rigorous for students. The program has received consistently positive feedback around the state. Since February 2013, there have been five college receptions where 20-80 students attended each and 7-15 employers participated. In adddittion, 59 paid internships were posted on website. The program has been featured in numerous magazines like MaineBiz, in the daily newspapers, and by The Associated Press.
Tanna encouraged everyone to go to Project login.com. There are sections for students, parents, educators, businesses, and other employers. In the future, there will be a posting of Internship 101, to help other firms create their own internship programs. Tanna said there is no clear research on why students are not interested in computer science. This is a national problem, ie, interest in STEM. She speculated that there are no home role models for many, nor exposure to career knowledge. She says we need to get the message out that coding is cool. Check out the website www.code.org Better yet, get a young person to check it out. Tanna said that many organizations are looking at stimulating intrinsic motivation. She said that the best ways to connect to a young person is to spark their own interest so they will explore the field themself.
Roxane Cole stated that she is impressed by the horsepower behind this Project>Login opportunity. Tanna said "Forever there will be a tension between business and education on who is responsible for training."
05/24/13 EDUCATE MAINE PROJECT>LAUNCH
Tanna Clews is the Executive Director of Educate Maine, a business-led, statewide education advocacy organization whose mission is to champion college, career readiness and increased education attainment. Educate Maine was created from the merger of the Maine Compact for Higher Education and the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, for which Tanna served as Executive Director.
Since the inception of Educate Maine in December 2011, Tanna has worked with the Board of Directors to more than double the organization's operating budget. As a result, Educate Maine has increased its policy and advocacy work, as well as begun administering two additional programs: Project>Login and the Maine Teacher of the Year program.
Tanna is a graduate of Smith College and received her JD from Northeastern Law School. She started her career working in state and national politics before moving over to the non profit sector, first in development and then management. Prior to joining the Coalition, she was the Executive Director of La Napoule Art Foundation, an international organization with based in the U.S. and France. She lives on the Seacoast with her wife and two young children.
05/17/13 SAILMAINE - Jeff Cumming, Exec Director
SailMaine Executive Director Jeff Cumming
Last week we had the pleasure of listening to two speakers from SailMaine: Jeff Cumming, the Executive Director, and Chris Robinson, a board member. Both were passionate about this organization and their involvement.
SailMaine was started in 1996 as a non-profit that supports sailing in Maine, at the grass roots, community level. In many ways, SailMaine gives public access to sailing to people who otherwise might never have that opportunity. In fact they provide over 30,000 hours of public access to sailing each year. This organization promotes a sense of community by connecting people of all ages and abilities to the coast of Maine through fun and affordable sailing programs.
SailMaine offers programs for youth between the ages of 8-18, regardless of the ability to pay. For those who like the numbers, here you go.
800 registrations per year
600 of these are for youth programs
14 different high school programs
40% of the high school age sailors are girls.
Approximately 150 boats are in the fleet.
Adding 12 J22’s to the fleet this year.
There has been a 48% increase in adult programs.
SailMaine is the largest sailing program north of Boston.
SailMaine reaches out to the community by working with other non-profits as well as local business. Two examples are their joint program with RippleEffect and the Corporate Regatta that takes place each fall. This summer SailMaine will host the USODA Opti New England competition, which will bring over 300 sailors to the Portland area. We were treated to a 5 minute video created by the Southern Maine High School Team a sa way of thanking their coaches. As Jeff said, “not only do participants learn basic sailing techniques they learn life skills." In fact, a recent survey of participants showed 52% learned accountability, 63% said the program gave them more confidence, 68% thought it was good exercise and 63% learned a sense of community. What a wonderful organization and thanks for sharing it with Portland Rotary.
SailMaine Board member Chris Robinson
05/17/13 BITS AND PIECES
In the invocation Bruce Jones treated us with a parable about business sense vs. common sense as propounded by an old Indian.
It was reported that a fun time was had by all as a contingent of our members invaded the Cape Elizabeth-South Portland club in an attempt to repatriate the Portland Head Light. Alas, the lighthouse remains in Cape Elizabeth! (See the Photo Album below for pictures.)
Rylan Nimocks’ father graciously favored us with an example of the Arkansas version of the English language. Contrary to expectations, he sounded like he would fit right in in Maine without any problem.
Bruce Moore and Jan Chapman, just returned from a trip to South Africa, gave that country rave reviews, so here is another destination which many of us should add to our bucket lists.
New member Janelle LoSciuto led us in a hearty rendition of Edelweiss, but Kris Rosado disabused us a bit by relating that from his service in the Army he learned that no one in Austria or Germany has ever heard of this song!
Rob Chatfield reminded us that we have to sell or buy the raffle tickets for the Great Outdoor Challenge which were assigned to us, so let’s get this done before Rob comes down on you like a ton of bricks (maybe not quite the right metaphor, but you get the idea)!
05/17/13 SAIL MAINE
Join us this Friday to hear more about SailMaine, located just east of the Ocean Gateway Terminal, from Executive Director Jeff Cumming and board member Chris Robinson.
SailMaine is a non-profit organization formed in 1996 to support sailing in Maine at the grass-roots, community level. SailMaine connects people of all ages and abilities to the coast of Maine through fun and affordable sailing education, recreation, and competition, which stimulate individual growth and create community.
SailMaine provides over 30,000 hours of public access to sailing each year, focusing on youth ages 8-18 (600 of 800 registrations per year). SailMaine offers programs for junior sailors in the summer, high school racing teams in spring and fall, adult instruction, a Special Olympics program and soon an adaptive sailing program for sailors with disabilities. With its scholarship programs SailMaine provides sailing opportunities for the entire community, accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay.
SailMaine will hold a number of special events during summer including its SailFest weekend with its annual Shakedown Regatta on June 8 and an Open House on June 9. August 5 through August 8 SailMaine hosts the USODA Opti New England competition. And in September it is the annual Corporate Regatta among teams from over a dozen local businesses.
05/10/13 BITS AND PIECES
With Rotary spirit flying through the air, our own Bill Blount led us through a lusty rendition straight out of the Rotary Song Book of ‘Rotary My Rotary’ with the first verse sung word-for-word with gusto, “ Thy praises high I love to SIN….”. We noted the other guest Club members were equally loud as was the Governor.
But the wages of sin go sometimes unrewarded when Carl Spang presented the Raffle card deck to Marie Williams who tried to pull our Queen and settled for a Jack allowing $314 to remain in the pot. We heard our Treasurer in the background murmur, ‘Thanks be praised’.
Speaking of Carl, a ‘well done’ was chorused by all when it was announced his company, Falcon Footwear, received a Business of Excellence award from Governor LaPage.
And speaking of running gags, Roxane Cole introduced Vanna White, aka Paul Gore, to present a special gift to a man, who would give you the shirt off his back, our own George Crockett, a sports commemorative T-Shirt reading “Yankees Suck but Red Sox Suck More”.
On a more serious note, Dave Putnam, introduced Catherine McCauley’s president, Peg Downing, to present our monthly Youth Service Award. We honored Lindsay Owen who was described as ‘joyful’ and one who stays involved with school activities. She named the Center for Grieving Children to receive the money allocated to her and she received an extra $500 toward her future at Pace University.
And who can forget the Kris and Mike show! Not if those two have anything to say about it.
Kris Rosado reminded all about the Lobster Bake tickets for sale for the awards dinner following the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) less than a month away. We still need some more gift certificates so don’t be shy in asking for one at the next restaurant you frequent so that we can exceed our current goal of $60k. The Lobster Bake will be June 5th at Wolf Neck Farm in Freeport starting at 5:30 p.m. with wine and beer available for purchase. Dinner will be a full Maine Lobstah feast with lobstah, steak or chicken available. All dinners include 1lb. of clams, coleslaw, dinner roll, drawn butter, corn on the cob, watermelon, dessert, lemonade or ice tea. Tickets are $30 for the lobstah or steak dinner and $25 for the chicken dinner. We will be selling tickets at our Friday meetings and encourage everyone to invite their friends and family to join us for a great evening of food, music, live auction, raffles, and lots of fellowship!!
And to warm up for MOC’s outdoor adventures, mark your calendars and follow Mike Fortunato’s suggestion to join us in fellowship at our annual visit to the Allagash Brewery for beer tasting and tours on Tuesday, May 21st. It is going to start at 6pm and will be in the new retail and tasting room. There will be light snacks and tours of the brewery and its new addition. The event is to benefit our Club's 3 H programs in the Dominican Republic. Admission will be $15.00 and we will be accepting only cash or checks. Please bring your friends and family to this fun evening of fellowship! Questions can be directed to Mike Fortunato.
For our newest members, don’t forget to turn in your Survey and Photos.
For those who haven’t heard, Duane Pearce’s wife, Mary Jean, took a tumble and a get well card might just bring a smile.
05/10/13 LONGHAULER'S LUNCHEON
A full room with "Longhauler" visitors and Club members
Our District Governor, Marty Helman, introduced a new word to the Rotary lexicon, ‘Longhauler’. She wanted to recognize the Rotarians we have come to count on; who live the spirit of Rotary; who have discovered what many have yet to learn, namely, giving back has its own rewards. Indeed giving back creates its own health tonic, and helps us all to live better, for longer.
To honor these Rotarian Longhaulers who have given more than 20 years of service she presented a certificate as testimony to their gift to the Club. As this was a District recognition, Marty invited other clubs to send their Longhaulers to join us for lunch and receive their certificates with us. Eight clubs including Scarborough, Limerick, Sebago Lake, Wells, Brunswick, South Portland/ Cape Elizabeth, Biddeford/ Saco, and Kennebunk sent representatives.
It was a special lunch. It reminded us while it is very worthwhile to keep looking forward to new programs and ways to help our community, we should never forget our tradition of Service Above Self has led to a legacy that has planted the Rotary flag in more countries than the United Nations, helping the helpless, and caring for those in need. We are a Club not held back by tradition but recognized the value of adding women to our ranks to change our image of a stuffy, old man’s club. To illustrate the point, Bob Traill and Jim Willey, gave short presentations showing they are still fresh with young men’s ideas and spirit.
And when Jim recalled why he stayed in the Club he remembered his first motivation to join was to help his new business by following a prevailing motto, ‘He profits most, who serves best.’ The idea that fellowship was equally important was met with the exclamation ‘Banana Oil’. But now looking back after 30 years, he realizes it was fellowship that was the glue binding him to the Club.
Marty got it right. When we travel on the highways with the big trucks, those Longhaulers not only see a bright future ahead through the windshield but also remember why they are on the road in the first place by glancing from time to time in their rear view mirrors to remember where they came from.
District Governor Marty Helman introducing the idea of the Longhaulers
Bob Traill with his take on the history of the club over the past several decades
Jim Willey also provided his own historical perspective.
5/10/13 SPECIAL LONG-HAULERS MEETING
District Governor Marty Helman, and friends, when she spoke to our club last fall
This Friday Rotarians from throughout our district will join us at the Holiday Inn by the Bay for a special celebration and recognition of those who have chosen "Service Above Self" through Rotary for 20 years or more. District Governor Marty Helman will be leading this Longhauler's Luncheon which will include testimony from two of our own "Longhauler's" about their experiences plus recognition of our members and other Longhauler's throughout the district. It is sure to be a heart-warming event and be sure to say hello and welcome our visiting Rotarians from near and far.
05/03/13 HISTORIC OPPORTUNITIES IN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Bob Patten and Peter Ingram with our speaker Jim Tolan
Jim Tolan, President of SgurrEnergy a global renewable energy consultancy, spoke to our club on Friday about some of the alternative energy projects led by the Sgurr team including a Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Massachusetts as well as thousands of other renewable energy projects around the US and the world.
“Historic Opportunities” are being developed with low cost natural gas energy obtained from shale. Jim explained how recent improvement in drilling technology called hydraulic fracturing (called fracking) has led to significant increases in domestic natural gas production obtained from sedimentary rock formations called shale.
Due to the profusion of natural gas from shale, the opportunities are growing for US manufacturing companies to reduce the cost of their energy, thereby, potentially, becoming more productive and competitive with lower cost international competition. Moreover, abundant natural gas supplies could even be exported. Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) is particularly needed in Asia to meet growing demands and to respond to the Japanese nuclear power problem, post the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Natural gas is a viable low cost alternative to fossil fuels. Currently, the price of natural gas is decoupled from that of crude oil. Additionally, natural gas provides access to lower cost fuel for electrical power generation and transportation. Natural gas abundance in the US provides for greater domestic production and energy security. As an intermittent renewable energy resource, natural gas-fired power plants can respond and compliment swings in power demand. Although fracking produces an abundance of natural gas from shale, the long-term effects of the process to ground water and geologic formations is not well understood.
SgurrEnergy is also involved in wind power projects. Jim briefly described the Horse Butte Wind Project in Idaho, where 32 wind turbines (windmills) generate electrical power for about 25,000 homes.
Before building on shore wind farms, several environmental considerations are evaluated. Residential developments near the wind farms are evaluated for the potential of noise pollution from the rotating turbines and “shadow flicker”, where the circulating blades cast shadows into homes at various points throughout the day.
Offshore wind power may be coming to the East coast as the ability to build floating platforms for wind farms becomes realistically and financially possible.
A solar energy plant in Easthampton, Mass, is located on 12 acres of landfill. Landfills are good locations to place solar panels because the acreages are flat and exposed to maximum sunlight. Easthampton’s solar plant supports 9,600 panels providing 600 homes with electricity.
Jim Tolan is a graduate of the US Merchant marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. He moved to Maine in 1988 when he worked for Bath Iron Works. He currently lives in Bath with his wife Francie and their three children.
05/03/13 BITS AND PIECES
ONLY HARRY!
"When you make it to enjoy your 80th birthday, you don’t stop the celebrating," boasted Harry Sawyer at the table during Friday's meeting. We couldn’t agree more, Harry, you are an inspiration to us all. In fact Paul T. Gore reverentially suggested that he was a graduate of the Sawyer School of Protracted Public Performance and can make any introduction into an hour long program.
NOBODY DOES IT (FECUNDITY) LIKE RUSS
When it comes to invocations you can always be certain of a learning moment when Russ Burleigh does the invocation. With the month of May upon us, Russ advised that May is for Mary and harkens back to the Greeks and Romans. Both recognized May as being the turning point of the weather and thus the growing season and new birth. Of course, with birth comes motherhood and thus we celebrate Mother's Day during the month of May. Russ left us with a lovely poem by Robert Soule, calling forth the vigor and fortunes of May.
WHAT A DAY FOR GUESTS
We were privileged to have Tracey Merrill, incoming President of the South Portland Sunrise Club, with us as our sole visiting Rotarian. However, we almost had 5 guests but 3 of the 5 like us so much they became members before the end of the meeting.
FORTUNATO NOT OF GOOD FORTUNE
Mike Fortunato deserves better luck with all the great deeds he does. The poor guy coordinates the Po' Boy Poker Night and never wins. Today he thought his luck was about to change, because after all these years his name was chosen for the raffle. But, alas, the Queen eluded him and with his luck he did pluck the nasty nine of spades. Better luck next time, Mike, as we Sox fans love to say.
WHY NOT STAND UP FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
With the new month upon us, President Cyrus noted that Bills are bountiful in the month of May. He called off the names but none of the Bills rose to their feet and none of the other recognized did so, as well. We care not that they sat it out. We belted out Happy Birthday to them with appropriate gusto.
Frank Robbins introduced by Paul T. Gore
Rylan Nimocks introduced by Bruce Jones; Suzanne Umland introduced by Larry Gross
MAY THE MONTH OF ABUNDANCE
President Cyrus, The Clock Man, knows that time is running out on his term and is determined to stack the new member deck for the incoming administration. He brought to the podium THREE new members at this meeting! Paul Gore kicked it off with the introduction of Frank Robbins. He was followed by Bruce Jones, who introduced us to Rylan Nimocks. And, the lucky number three was brought to us by Larry Gross, who introduced Suzanne Umland. We will post bio information at a later date.
Welcome new friends!
THE MOC IS COMING
Tank Commander, Kris Rosado, reminded us that the Maine Outdoor Challenge will soon be here and advised that this years event, if you can believe it, is going to be better than last year for sure. The raffle, auction items, and gifts are far better that previously, including a fly fishing expedition with all the equipment included. If that’s not enough for you, Mike Fortunato is doing a reprise of the famous Maine Lobsta Bake as part of the event. Tickets for lobster is a mere $30, as is the steak, and the poultry option is priced at $25. If you want tickets contact Loretta Rowe at lrowe@maine.rr.com or see her at a meeting.
SUCCESSFUL CLOTHING DRIVE
The Community Service Committee thanks all those who contributed some items to assist our new neighbors. On May 3rd we joined the Parkside
Center and the Falmouth UCC Church in supplying clothes and bedding to a very large group of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. In this modest effort
Rotary made the lives of many a bit easier. Special thanks to Steve Stromsky, Harold Crabill, Tom Ranello, Rich Campbell, Cy Hagge and George Crockett.
04/26/13 THE PEACE WARDEN - Rev. Kate Braestrup
When you think of the Maine Warden Service, you probably don’t get a warm and gentle feeling. However, if you heard Reverend Kate Braestrup at our last meeting that is likely to be the image you would recall. Reverend Kate came to her vocation guided by the inscrutable Divine Hand. She was the wife of a Maine State Trooper Drew Griffith who lost his life in the course of his duties. As a trooper, Drew experienced much of the tough and ugly edges of this society, but rather than to be hardened by the experience he was drawn to seek a new vocation when he retired from the force. When Kate was confronted with the early and tragic demise of Drew after 11 years of marriage and left with 4 children between the ages of 3 to 9, she did not draw back but rather took it as a beckoning and decided to enter the seminary and become a Unitarian Universalist minister.
In 2001, Kate was an ordained minister and knew that she had a special calling. Again, The Divine Hand took hold and guided her to the Maine Warden Service as their Chaplain. The Service realized that tragedy, whether it be part of the wilds of nature or otherwise, inflicts great pain and requires kind attention. Whether it is the family or a veteran Warden the impact of trial or loss requires a special voice to bring calm and resolution. Wardens are called upon to deal with some horrific scenes, not unlike other public safety officers, and while strong and resolute they are often troubled by the experience and in need of comfort. Reverend Braestrup, with her unique background, can respond with an understanding that few others can match. When a family is confronted with a loved one lost in the woods, particularly the young or mentally infirmed, they are panic stricken and in need of stability, and this is where the Chaplain makes the difference.
One might think that Reverend Kate would be of stern and monastic bearing given what she has gone through, but that is far from the case. She is a fountain of humor and compassion, more likely to make you laugh than to make you pray. She caused us to laugh by telling us, “animals always make sense, but people don’t” and “drunk and stupid is job security for law enforcement”. The author of four books, she admits that she draws from her family life and as such her kids tell her not to relate their stories because they are “copywrited”! Because of her unique experience and gentle way, she was requested by the Connecticut Warden Service to minister to 11 of their corps involved in the Newtown tragedy. Maine, it turns out, is but of only 3% of the public protection service forces to have a Chaplain. We are quite fortunate to have Kate on our side and in our midst.
BITS AND PIECES From Mar 29, 2013
LAUGHING OUR WAY TO HEAVEN
Bruce Jones did the invocation this week and had us laughing our way into God’s good graces. Of course, not wanting to jeopardize his commitment to the Four Way Test, he told the truth and admitted that his wife provided him with “The Paradoxical Commandments" by Dr. Kent M. Keith, who wrote them when he was only 19 years old. A couple of examples of the Commandments are: “People are illogical, unreasonable, and self centered. Love them anyway!” and “If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway!”
ROCK N’ ROLL
It turns out that the season opening of Fat Boy Burgers in Brunswick rekindled memories for our maven of Good Cheer, Julie L’Heureux who recalled that when she and Hubby resided in Brunswick the club put on a Sock Hop capturing the ears and feet of Rotarians and making some money for the coffers while promoting fellowship and fun. Since the greater Portland clubs are looking for a collaborative fund-raising function, we may have danced into a new idea. What do you think?
THEY DID IT AGAIN
President Cyrus gave kudos to the Windjammer crew for another Pulitzer worthy edition of the Windjammer and noted that State Representative Erik Jorgensen often has to pump this out while arm wrestling with other politicians up in Augusta. In support of his effort we give him meeting make-up credit. Even better than that, in true Rotarian fashion, a team headed by Ms. I Can Do That, Laura Young, has agreed to assist him while he finishes our work in Augusta.
AN OFFICERS AND A GENTLEMAN
You may have noticed a few more Salvation Army uniforms in the Portland crowd of late. We’ve been hosting 9 Army Cadets and one of them came as the guest of his boss. We hope that he will stick around because Damon has a magnificent voice.
OH, YES, THOSE VOICES
Basso profoundo BLOUNT led us in a song we all knew for a change. This week, in honor of our guest speaker who has found a new home in Maine, we sang “Home, Home On The Range” and seldom was heard a dissonant verb and the smiles were sunny all day. Did you know that Stephen Foster wrote the song? Brilliant Bill did and clued us all in.
GUEST GALORE
What better way to show friendship than to invite them to a Rotary meeting. We had 9 guests this week, including Charlie Frair who brought himself and his father Paul. Special recognition to Bruce Jones who advised that his guest will soon be introduced to the club as a new member. Thanks for proving the power of bringing a guest to Rotary, Bruce.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT SATURDAY MORNING?
No need to stop and think about it, just sign up to go to the District Assembly at UNE. The club will pay the $30 fee and you’ll get breakfast and lunch along with fellowship and inspiration. Please advise John Marr (jmarr@memic.com) if you’d like to join in.
THE TIME HAS COME AGAIN
Remember that great song, by the Chambers Brothers, from the Sixties? If so you may remember the clock in Monument Square? Thanks to Cyrus the City of Portland will be back on time. Cyrus announced that an anonymous donation of $500 came in and balanced the clock restoration budget and the fund-raising is done. We should all make sure that we tell people that it's a Rotary Clock. We made sure we gave Cyrus a standing ovation for bringing forth the project and getting it done within his administration. Nobody can follow in those footsteps!
A VERY SPECIAL ASSEMBLY
Our phenomenal Foundation Chair, Amy Chipman, has announced that we will be giving 10 Paul Harris Fellows at our assembly. Please come and recognize this distinguished group. How can you not be proud to be part of such a great club? Bravo!!!
TENNIS ANYONE?
Bill Blount was contacted by the Rotary Club of the Fryeburg Area to invite Portland Rotarians to play as singles ($10) or doubles ($20 per team) at a Tennis Tournament on Saturday, May 4th at Forest Acres Camp in Fryeburg. The Open Tournament will feature ladies and gentlemen's singles, doubles and mixed doubles and will support Harvest Hills Animal Shelter. Registration forms will be available at future Friday meetings at the registration desk.
BITS AND PIECES
President-elect John Marr filled in for President Cyrus at last Friday's meeting entertaining us with his quips and foibles. He thanked the Windjammer crew Toby Cook and Erik Jorgensen for another great job and expressed appreciation to Erik for "pulling off the magic" by getting the Windjammer out in time again.
During the Invocation, Russ Burleigh paid tribute to recently deceased American pianist Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn and shared a personal story of meeting Van Cliburn and his mother for lunch.
We wished Loretta Rowe well and speedy recovery following her minor surgery. The visitors to the club included Rotarian members from the South Portland Sunrise Club and another from a club in Bloomington, Indiana and a young USM grad and commercial realtor that the man about town, Harold Crabill, recently met. To our new friend from Indiana John Marr asked, "Do they run meetings as effectively in Indiana?" to which he received the faint praise, "You're doing ok."
Rich Campbell gave banker Victor Pizutto the pleasure of not picking the Queen of Hearts to the delight of the money-craved audience.
John Marr just returned from PETS last week and encouraged members to consider their committee assignments for next year. He also proclaimed that his first act as president will be to cancel the meeting on July 5th.
Kathy Grammer introduced new member Janelle LoSciuto to Portland Rotary. Janelle is the senior community director at the March of Dimes Maine Chapter. She also teaches voice lessons from her home and recently joined Kathy as a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing which should give us another much needed boost for our attempts at singing each Friday.
Speaking of singing...with Russ Burleigh as lead and Kathy Grammer on the keyboard, we sang a rousing rendition of "Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in honor of the upcoming Irish holiday. The gusty performance led Larry Gross to conclude that "bar songs are our type of songs."
Kris Rosado spoke about the Maine Outdoor Challenge on June 3, 4, 5 and asked members to contact him if they know a governor, senator, or celebrity they can invite to participate in the challenge for free so Kris can build a team around them.
Bowen Depke spoke on behalf of the Community Service Committee to remind members to bring donated clothing to the meeting for a clothing drive for the Burundis the next two Fridays.
Spring Cleaning?? Crutches Needed!! Spring is almost here even though it hasn’t felt like it this week! The International Services Committee is still collecting crutches, canes and walkers for the Crutches 4 Africa Program. Please contact Jan Chapman or Bruce Moore if you come across any mobility devices you’d like to donate and we’ll arrange to get them from you!. Thanks so much!
Amy Chipman says: "Mark your calendars for Good Friday, March 29th. We will be doing a group presentation of Paul Harris Fellows at the membership meeting which will also be our Club Assembly. We will honor the following recipients for their generosity to the Rotary Foundation and for making this world a better place!!:
Bill Blount
Austin Harris
The Club Assembly on March 29th will also be the opportunity for Committees to update the membership on all ongoing projects. We look forward to it.
Mark Millar looked tan and relaxed after spending the past two and 1/2 weeks skiing in Vail and Beaver Creek after finishing up his work at Casey Family Services on February 14th.
Finally, we learned that David Ciullo has a radio show called the HR Power Hour on WLOB and the cans got a little heavier after two cell phones went off during the speaker's remarks.
THIS WEEK: PORTLAND'S ECONOMY
We are pleased to welcome back to the dais, Greg Mitchell, economic development director for the City of Portland who will speak about Portland's economy. Mr. Mitchell became director in 2008 with twenty years working with municipalities and businesses to support economic growth. Prior to taking on the directorship, he served as economic development consultant at Eaton Peabody Consulting Group. While with Eaton Peabody, he forged public-private partnerships associated with downtown mill redevelopment projects in Augusta, Biddeford and Waterville, business park projects, large scale wind farm projects and served on a consultant team to prepare the Brunswick Naval Air Station Base Reuse Master Plan.
In his tenure with Portland, he has focused on the Bayside redevelopment, construction of the Portland Technology Park, and the rehabilitation of Maine State Pier. He has also been charged with leading regional economic development efforts in keeping with the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce's initiative.
Mr. Mitchell earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Norwich University and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University where he also completed work for a Master of Arts in Economics. Mr. Mitchell lives with his wife and two sons in Yarmouth.
UPCOMING IN OCTOBER - THE BURUNDI PROJECT
Portland Rotary’s Community Service committee is pleased to announce a unique opportunity for the club to foster a deeper connection with some new residents of the city. Portland’s Burundians are asylum seekers who were driven from their homes by political pressures, often with the threat of imprisonment or death.
An important part of Burundi culture at home is ceremonial drumming. Portland Ovations is bringing The Royal Burundi Drummers to the Merrill Auditorium on October 18th. Through a special arrangement with Ovations we are able to purchase tickets so as to offer free admission for any Burundis who wish to attend.
We are closing in on 300 tickets taken as of September 19. Twelve club members will be assisting in the seating and welcoming of the ticket holders. It was pleasing to hear one PHS student say, “It will be great to have a real connection with home”. For more information please contact Steve Stromsky, the chair of the Community Service Committee
RECORD NUMBER OF PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS INDUCTED
OUTDOOR CHALLENGE!
Bid Early and Often
Click HERE For the MOST CURRENT LIST OF AUCTION ITEMS!
October 2011
Rotary gets a visit from United Somali Women of Maine, October 2011.
Laura Young, Cyrus Hagge and Fatuma Hussein.
F. Lee Bailey
The Man Who Defended O.J.: Noted Defense Attorney F. Lee Bailey appeared at Portland Rotary on June 17th, the Day after the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Bailey, a former Hockey player himself, was wearing a jersey worn by former Bruin Brad Park in the 1970's (photo: Russ Burleigh)
GOLF TOURNAMENT
August 22nd – 2011 Rotary Golf Tournament - will be held at the Falmouth Country Club with an 8 AM shotgun start. Click to Visit the Tournament Web Page