Thank you to Executive Director Kara Wooldrik of Portland Trails for her outstanding presentation at our weekly Westbrook-Gorham Rotary Club luncheon.  Portland Trails is a non-profit land trust with the mission of creating and maintaining a network of trails and green spaces that connect people with places.

With 70 miles of trails, Portland Trails turned 25 years old this year.  With a small staff of seven, they are an "umbrella organization" for many other trail and land trust groups throughout the Greater Portland area, including portions of the 28-mile Sebago To the Sea Trail that runs through the outdoor Warren Recreation area along the Presumpscot River. In the past year, they have seen 1M users of their trails.  The organization has over 1000 members, over 3000 volunteers and over 200 corporate partners – people powered conversation. They encourage removal of invasive species to allow the growth of native plants.

 

A top priority for the organization is to enable people-powered transportation – trails that help people move around, commute and run errands. Their magic number is ¼ mile. People are more likely to use the trails if they have access within ¼ of a mile. They have accomplished this goal in Portland and are now working on the same goal for Westbrook, Falmouth and other communities.   Future projects include connecting the Conant property along the river to the Riverwalk and creating a Westbrook to Portland trail – 22 miles along the Presumpscot River from downtown to downtown.

 

Jason Beever (L) with Kara Wooldrick (R) and

the book she signed for the Warren Library

 

Don't forget the ongoing Gorham High School Interact Club project.  From November 1 through November 22, they will be collecting latex free pediatric band aids (with characters, etc.), stickers, packages of crayons, and coloring books to support the new child life services section being implemented in the Emergency Department at Maine Medical Center in Portland.  Look for their collection boxes at:

 

· Chalmers Insurance Group – 65A Main St, Gorham
· Great Falls Construction – 20 Mechanic St, Gorham
· Mister Bagel – 13 New Portland RD, Gorham
· Hannaford – 99 Main St, Gorham
· Morgan Dental – 94 Main St, Gorham
· Willis Real  Estate – 34 E Main St, Gorham
· Gorham House of Pizza – 2 State St, Gorham

 

 

If your company would like to host a box, or you know a company that might be interested, please contact the lnteract Club President Aaron Farr immediately at aaron.farr@gorhamschools.org.   You may always drop items or cash donations at the Chalmers Insurance Group or bring donations to a club meeting on or before November 22.

 

We continue to support the district-wide literacy initiative by placing our decorated book crates in places where children may gather.  Our boxes are currently active at the Gorham Rec Center and at the Stroudwater Food Pantry. We removed our box from the Westbrook Community Center temporarily when our contact there left (and the box kept being moved behind locked doors), but we will be approaching them again in the new year to try again.

 

In the meantime, for our active boxes, we need children’s books (young readers and up to age 12, also books for older/elderly readers).  With a box at the Food Pantry, we are finding that we have need of books for older readers as they are, unfortunately, part of the clientele there.

 

 

Thanks to those who have contributed bottles so far to help purchase books that we will donate for each speaker. Keep them coming!!  

 

If you need more CLYNK bags, be sure to see Christine Johnson at the next meeting or find the pre-stickered bags in our closet at WRVC.