Locker Project Fresh Food Distribution – In this school year, produce distributions at Westbrook High School will take place the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month with additional days as needed: Feb 13 & 27, Mar 13 & 27, Apr 10 & 24, May 8 & 22 and June 12. Any date changes will be announced in the Scribbler. Arrive around 12:45 PM depart by 2:15 PM, unless otherwise noted.
Cumberland County and Sebago Lake Region Ice Fishing Derby 2019 – Saturday & Sunday February 16-17. A fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Sebago Lake. For more information: www.icefishingderby.com
Rotary Night Out - Our next Rotary Night out will be February 19 starting at 5:30 PM. Mister Bagel 609 Main St, Westbrook. Prime Rib Dinner!! Members $10. Cash bar. Program PDG Sheila Rollins - Rotaract Project in Puerto Rico. On March 19, we'll have our annual dinner at WRVC (see below).
Rotary Field Trip - Tuesday February 12, 2019. 11:30AM. My Place Teen Center, 755 Main St. Due to preparations for the American Heart Association Luncheon, we will not be able to meet at WRVC on this date. We'll be upstairs at MPTC. Enter through front door. On-street parking Main and Foster Streets. Please consider bringing a snack donation. See Current & Upcoming Opportunities.
Winter Dinner at WRVC - Tuesday March 19, 2019. 6PM. Each year we have a special evening meal at the WRVC Dining Room. This year, this dinner will become our March Rotary Night Out. Register now at: https://westbrookgorhamrotary.org/event/winter-dinner-at-wrvc/
22nd Annual Gorham Business Exchange Marketplace – Saturday March 30, 2019, 10AM-3PM. Visit and support local businesses. Admission is free. There will be about 80 booths representing all kinds of businesses who provide products and services to the people and businesses of Gorham. Lots of entertainment including bounce houses and games for the kids. Food court supplied by local businesses. If you’d like to register your business as a vendor, go to: Gorham Biz Exchange 22nd Annual Marketplace
New RYLA Registration – Sunday June 23 starting at 8:30AM. Camp Hinds, Raymond. Volunteers needed to help with registration and collecting forms as students arrive. For more information contact: Phil Giordano at Philtastic7780@gmail.com
Food Drive Competition at Blazes Burgers – Final week!! January 20 through Feb 11, 2019. Blazes Burgers is partnering with Westbrook High School and Middle School for a food drive. Bring a food item for either school and receive 10% off your order. The schools receive points for items donated and the winning school will receive an extra $50 donation from Blazes. Suggested donations include: Cheese crackers, granola bars, Ramen noodles (both block and cups), mac & cheese cups (microwave), easy microwave meals, breakfast cereal or mini cereal boxes, applesauce (small containers), cans/cups of ravioli or other pasta, fruit cups, pudding, cereal bars, goldfish, canned soup, pasta, sauce (no glass jars), tuna snack packs, and trail mix.
MPTC Food Drive – My Place Teen Center is asking for donations of healthy snack foods - pretzels, granola bars, Cheezits, Pop Corn, breakfast bars, fruit snacks, terra chips, etc. Bring your donation to any meeting or bring them on February 12 to our “field trip” meeting at MPTC.
NewAltrusa Doughraiser at Uno – Monday-Thursday February 18-21, 11AM-11PM each day. Bring your coupon and UNO will donate up to 20% of your check. Dine in or takeout. 280 Maine Mall Rd, South Portland. Look for coupons at an upcoming meeting or download here: http://www.altrusaportlandgivesbooks.org/doughraier.html Also, bring gently used books for teens and adults. These books will be headed to Long Creek Youth Development Center and Cumberland County Jail.
This week is club assembly and we are introducing a format that some long-time members of the club might recognize from the past. We ask that members sit at the table of the committee they are on, or an area of service that they are interested in.
For our first try with this format, tables will be marked with one of four areas: Youth Service – includes RYLA, Interact, Rotaract, Youth Exchange, Road Race; International Service; Community& Club Service – includes local projects/activities, Public Relations, Programs and Membership; Vocational Service – includes House Project. These categories can always be adjusted as needed.
The hope is that this format will increase communication and engagement of members across the club. We hope to see you there!
Mike McGovern, Past Rotary International Vice Present, Chair of the Nominating Committee for RI President, Chair of Rotary International’s Polio Plus Committee, and member of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, was our guest and speaker on January 29.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. Mike recounted meeting a young girl in India during a speaking engagement a couple of years ago. He didn’t understand at first why she was there, until she was introduced as the last child in India to have contracted polio. He told us that he was moved to have met her and that seeing her brought this fight against polio into clear focus. Fortunately, she had no visible remaining signs of the disease.
He went on to remind us that during our first polio fundraising campaign that began in 1985, Rotary had a goal to raise $120M to demonstrate to the world that we were serious about helping eradicate this disease. Rotarians blew by that goal, raising $247M. In 1998, there were an estimated 350,000 cases in 125 countries. Now, in each of the last four years there have been under 100 cases in the world, and in fewer villages than ever before. In 2018, there were 33 cases identified, but these were found in only one small area of Pakistan and a couple of small areas of Afghanistan.
Much of the funding to continue the fight come from the CDC, USAID, and from many countries like Canada, Britain, and United Arab Emirates - and this funding is not just fighting polio. The infrastructure we helped put in place was key to fighting a recent Ebola outbreak. Rotarians continue to contribute through donations, but also by lobbying governments to continue their support. In addition, there are Rotarians on the ground in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rotary pays stipends to about 150,000 polio workers for supplemental immunization activities (SIA) in up to 60 high-risk countries. Sadly, 43 polio workers and security personnel have been killed in the last three years in this region.
Mike told us that the key to the final eradication of polio is the Taliban. Rotary is working with the government of Qatar to help win the hearts and minds in those communities. It is estimated that there are 1M children who are not reachable in three provinces. Polio workers have no access since door-to-door vaccinations were suspended. To be fully immunized, each child needs 2 drops of vaccine delivered at three different times. Once the last case is identified, we must continue vaccinating and monitoring for three more years before WHO can certify that the world is polio-free.
To get us all revved up for the Superbowl, a very talented Culinary student, Julia Zampini created this amazing desert... Patriot themed. In fact, she may have actually made a couple of these! Beautiful and delicious!! Thank you Julia.
At the end of 2018, the Gorham High School Interact Club held a drive to collect activity items for patients at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. They asked their school mates to bring donations of new items to gain free entry into a series of basketball games on the Friday before Christmas. In addition, some Westbrook-Gorham Rotarians also donated to the drive.
On January 22, 2019, these donations were delivered to the Hospital. W-G Rotarian Ethan Johnson and Interact Adviser Neile Nelson assisted with the delivery. Great job!
Thanks to all who returned bottles & cans during the last quarter in our Westbrook-Gorham Rotary tagged bags. 27 bags were “clynked” for a total of over $108 gross receipts. This was down a bit from the 35 bags returned in the third quarter, but up from the second quarter. On an annualized basis, we bring in just short of $400 net of expenses.
Please consider picking up a bag to fill at our next meeting. Income from CLYNK helps defrays the cost of purchasing books for our two libraries that we ask our speakers to sign
The Locker Project - Fresh food and baked goods distribution in Westbrook. In this school year, produce distributions at Westbrook High School will take place the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Next opportunity Feb 13 arrive by 12:45 for set up. Help lay out food on tables and interact with the kids to encourage them to take items. You will be a welcoming presence, making sure people know they are invited to take food. Everyone is invited to bring food home with them. If you can help on any of these dates, please contact Christine Johnson. For more information, or to donate, visit their website: mainelockerproject.org
Children's Books for Pantries - We continue to supply new and gently used children's books to food pantries about every two weeks. We have been fortunate to obtain a regular supply of used books from Goodwill Buy the Pound. We also periodically obtain new books from a couple of sources at little cost. However, the need is always greater than the supply. If you, a family member, friend or colleague have children or grandchildren who have outgrown their books, we'd love to have them to share with children who will love them. All ages from babies to young teens. We can also always use large print books for older readers. Bring to any club meeting or contact Christine Johnson for pick up.
Can Tabs for Ronald MacDonald House - Thank you for continuing to collect can tabs.It's and easy way to help a wonderful organization! Just keep a small plastic bag or small jar in your kitchen, on the counter or in a drawer. As you go to toss your returnable can into your CLYNK bag, simply twist off the tab first.
CLYNK for Literacy - Ongoing - Don't forget to keep filling those bags to help fund the children's books we ask our speakers to sign for the Baxter and Walker Libraries. Extra bags are always available at our meetings. If you have been working on filling a bag for a very long time (6 months or more), please consider returning it and starting a new one. Thank you for your ongoing support of this fundraiser!
Donate to our Club's Charity through Amazon Smile – Ongoing - If you order items from Amazon.com, even if not very often, you can help Westbrook Gorham Rotary Club Charities. Go to http://smile.amazon.com/. Search for our Charity and select it. You may need to login to your Amazon account before being able to finalize your selection. Then, when you shop Amazon.com (always starting from http://smile.amazon.com/) a portion of every purchase will be donated to our charity.
New Grants Management Seminars 2019 – two in-person options for District 7780. Monday February 25, 6-7:30PM, Deering Memorial Community Center, 39 Main St, South Paris or Monday March 18, 6-7:30PM, Southern Maine Community College, 29 Sewall St Room 102, Brunswick.
District Interact Assembly - Saturday March 23, 2019 - Oxford Hills High School. Interested Rotarians are welcome to attend. More details to follow. Snow Day March 30, 2019.
New Wrap-A-Smile Quilt-a-thon - Saturday March 30, 9AM to 4PM, Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club House, 66 Montgomery Rd, Boothbay Harbor. Join Rotarians & friends in creating fun quilts that will be donated to Wrap-a-Smile, the charity started in our District which over the past 15 years has sent over 25,000 quilts to comfort children undergoing Rotaplast and other Rotary sponsored surgeries around the world. Novice quilter? No problem! This is a great time to learn the basics! Bring your own sewing machine and materials; irons/ironing boards and some supplies will be provided. Plus, we can always share! RSVP and learn details from Ann Dermanville, Wrap-a-Smile chair, quilts7780@gmail.com.
District Training Assembly - Saturday April 6, 2019. 8AM-1PM. York County Community College
New Rotary Leadership Institute – Saturday April 20, 8Am-3:30PM, York County Community College, 112 College Dr, Wells. Parts I, II, III and Graduate available. Recommended for all Rotarians, but especially those considering leadership positions. For more information and to register: www.rlinea.org
Rotary Fest (AKA District Conference) - Friday-Saturday June 21-22, 2019 - Fort Williams, Park Cape Elizabeth. Friday service project and cook out for volunteers. Saturday packed with fun and educational events for adults and kids, and another service project opportunity. DG John and the Planning Committee are working hard to make this a free event for all. Watch for more details.
District Changeover - Tuesday June 25. Camp Hinds. More details to come.
If you have an idea for a speaker or program, please contact Christine Johnson at cejinmaine@gmail.com or Phil Spiller at pdsflynavy@gmail.com . We are also interested in ideas for periodic evening meetings, service projects in lieu of meetings, or in-meeting service projects
We are now scheduling programs for February and March.
Here is the list of upcoming speakers and programs:
* 2/5 - Club Assembly
* 2/12 - Field Trip - MPTC 755 Main St Westbrook
* 2/19 - Rotary Night Out - Sheila Rollins - Rotaract Project in Puerto Rico
Rotary is about fellowship, as well as service to our community. Even if you must miss a meeting, you can remain engaged by attending Rotary-sponsored events of our club or other clubs like fundraisers, by selling Christmas Trees, by volunteering at our Golf Tournament or our Road Race, or by attending District events or training. Just let our Secretary know when you have participated in any of these activities at info@westbrookgorhamrotary.org
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