Relay for Life - NEW!! The Gorham High School Interact Club is seeking donations for the team they have entered in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life to be held a University of New England Biddeford on Saturday April 8 (see more details in the story below).
Donate to our Club's Charity through Amazon Smile – 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.
CLYNK for Literacy – Ongoing - Keep those cans and bottles coming! Drop off your filled CLYNK bag at any Hannaford. Thanks to those who have contributed bottles so far to help purchase books that we donate for each speaker. If you need more CLYNK bags, they are available at each meeting. Update: Payouts happen at the end of each quarter. As of Sunday 3-26, our balance was $79.34. If you have any full bags you haven't had a chance to return, please do so by mid-week to boost our first quarter check!!
District Literacy Project – Ongoing - We continue to need new or gently used children’s books (young readers and up to age 12, also books for older/elderly readers) to fill our distribution boxes at Westbrook Community Center, Stroudwater Food Pantry and Gorham Rec Center. Good sources of books include yard sales, Goodwill, and other thrift stores. Also stores like Books A Million have "remainder" books. Your generosity supporting literacy in our community is appreciated.
Accept the Foundation Challenge Match- The match challenge for donations made to the Rotary Foundation has been renewed for 2016-2017. The club will match any donation to the Rotary Foundation, dollar for dollar up to $100 in that member’s name. For folks who newly sign up for Rotary Direct (automatic monthly payments from credit card or bank account) the club will add a one-time $25 donation to the Foundation. If you have not yet made a donation in the 2016-2017 Rotary year, please consider accepting this challenge!! To donate on line, go to https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-foundation
With our planned celebration of St Patrick's Day canceled due to inclement weather, we worked diligently with Chef Limoggio and other folks to identify an alternate date when our program elements could be available. We are pleased to say that we will WELCOME SPRING with dinner on Tuesday April 4. There will be no lunch meeting on April 4 prior to the rescheduled dinner event.
On Tuesday April 4, beginning at 5:45PM, the Westbrook High School Jazz Combo will entertain us. Dinner will begin promptly at 6PM, while the band continues to play. The entree will be Pork with Bacon and Apple Cider reduction (full menu will be made available shortly). Vegetarian Reamen and gluten free options will also be offered. For more info and to sign up: http://westbrookgorhamrotary.org/event/welcome-spring-dinner/ Or you may sign up at our next meeting.
There will be a short program starting at 6:50PM. PDG Sheila Rollins will make a presentation to our club for 2015-2016 accomplishments, followed by the induction of our two newest members Scott Linscott and Becky Albert who will say few words about themselves. Their Classification talks will happen at a future date.
Finally, Bill Chadwick will provide us a report on his recent trip to Guatemala, our District Grant, and other works accomplished on that trip. We plan to wrap up promptly at 7:30PM.
District Training Assembly - April 8, 2017 at USM Hannaford Hall. All Club Officers are encouraged to attend, and there will be special sessions for Presdidents-Elect, Secretaries, Foundation Chairs, Grants administration and more. $25 Sign up at District website http://rotary7780.org/event/copy-of-district-training-assembly--usm/
2017 District Conference - May 19-21, 2017- Samoset Resort, Rockport ME. For more information and to sign up: http://rotary7780.org/event/copy-of-district-training-assembly--usm/
2017 International Convention - June 10-17, 2017 - Atlanta GA - Georgia World Congress Center - http://www.rotaryconvention2017.org
District Changeover Ceremony - Camp Hinds in Raymond - 5-10PM - The changeover ceremony will be followed by supper and the RYLA graduation ceremony
The Gorham High School Interact Club has entered a team in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life to be held a University of New England Biddeford on Saturday April 8. As of Sunday March 26, they had raised $750 towards their $1000 goal, and are currently among the top three fundraising teams for this event. Won’t you help them meet their goal?
Cancer affects all of us, and we want to stop it. That’s why teams have come together to fundraise for the American Cancer Society at a Relay For Life event. Donations go toward patient programs and groundbreaking research that can help save lives. And the event honors the lives lost to cancer, celebrates survivors and their caregivers. Together, we can help make a difference.
Use this link to go directly to the Gorham Interact page:
A record number of over 200 local high school students attended the 2017 District 7780 Interact Conference at Scarborough High School on Saturday March 25. The students had a full morning of activities and break-out sessions, culminating with an inspirational talk by Travis Roy. Both Gorham and Westbrook Interact clubs were represented.
The day started with an “ice breaker” where attendees were asked to switch tables and sit with folks they didn’t know. They then were asked to share a truth and a lie about themselves for others to guess which was which - good fun and a discussion starter.
To open the conference, District Governor Marge Barker addressed the gathering encouraging everyone to use the conference as an opportunity to meet new people and listen for ideas to bring back to their clubs. Finally, she offered several quotes from Ghandi including: You must be the change you want to see in the world.
The day continued with break-out sessions on topics like Polio Plus, Effective Fundraising, Community Service, RYLA, and Youth Exchange, among other topics. Lunch was provided with donations from many local businesses, including Romeo’s Pizza, Pat’s Pizza, and Amatos, as well as the Scarborough Rotary Club.
After lunch, the key note speaker was Travis Roy, well known motivational speaker originally from Yarmouth, who suffered a career ending spinal injury with his first appearance on the hockey ice for Boston University over 21 years ago. He spoke about how goal-setting has been important in his life. Early on, he set goals that he worked towards as he achieved successes in hockey. After his accident, the goal-setting habit has served him well as he has achieved success with his public speaker career and with his Foundation. The audience gave him a standing ovation.
Westbrook Interact L-R:
Sopa Mongu, Morgan Kendall, Rhiannon Doiron, Ricardo Ma;
Beni Twahira Shimra, Ameer Jawdat, Adviser Dr Bruce Dyer,
Bruce Wildes, Director of the Cumberland Woodbank was our guest and speaker on March 21. The Cumberland Woodbank is an all-volunteer program that collects and processes donated hardwood logs and firewood, and provides firewood or fuel to those in need. Bruce told us that the Woodbank started in 2007 in one small trailer with no heat. Last year, they handled over 100 cords of wood, about 85% of which was sold to generate cash to provide fuel to 35 homes around Cumberland County.
Donors to the woodbank include property owners who have hardwood trees that have come down on their property, as well as developers who are clearing land. Their wood yard is located at RA Pierce Excavating in North Yarmouth and they are currently building inventory for next year. Due to the lower cost of fuel this winter compared to past years, they have been able to set aside some funds against future needs.
Many local companies, like Idexx, provide volunteers each year to help process the donated wood. Other local businesses have donated equipment to allow the wood to be more easily processed, stacked and transported. In addition, some equipment has been purchased with grants.
In January 2014, the Cumberland Woodbank launched a campaign to raise $20,000 to fund an endowment. Fundraising continues with their goal in site. This endowment will be used specifically to fund fuel assistance in perpetuity. Each year they hold a “bankquet” to raise funds for operations and to add to the endowment fund.
There are about 40 woodbanks across the United States, with six in Maine. Bruce stated that he would like to see a new one in the Westbrook-Gorham area and one in the Saco area.
We have been receiving many requests to provide programs this year so have not assigned members to specific weeks as we have done in the past.
If you have an idea for a program, please contact Christine Johnson. We are currently seeking programs for two dates in May and are also looking out into July.
Here is the list of upcoming dates with speakers and their sponsors:
3/28 - Christine Johnson - Katie Brown, Executive Director - The Locker Project
4/4 - No lunch meeting - Welcome Spring Dinner - New Member Induction & Cuatros Cayos Guatemala Project Update
4/11 - Karen Collins & Rev Mutima Peter - Intercultural Community Center
4/18 - See you at the Road Race on 4/17 - No Meeting
4/25 - Club Assembly
5/2 - Kate Wight - Jacquie Lortie - Gorham Village School
5/9 - Jason Beever - Meris Bickford Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
5/16 - WHS Interact - Dr Bruce Dyer & Students
5/23 - TBD
5/30 - TBD
6/6 - David S. Nealley- Publisher MAINE SENIORS Magazine
6/13 - Andrew Turcotte - Russian Sister City Updates
6/20 - Betty Balderston - Elder Abuse Prevention
6/27 - Changeover Ceremony - Welcome Dr Bill Chadwick as our new President
7/4 - No Meeting - Happy Independence Day
7/11 - No Lunch Meeting - See you at the Lobster Boil
Portland - Fridays 12:15PM at Holiday Inn by the Bay or Clarion
check website for current week's venue
Portland Sunrise - Thursdays 7:15AM
Cumberland Club 116 High St Portland
Falmouth - Mondays 4:30PM
American Legion Post 65 Depot Rd Falmouth
Scarborough - Tuesdays 5:45PM
Cabela's 100 Cabela's Blvd Scarborough
Sebago Lake Rotary Club - Thursdays 12:15PM
Dena's Lobster House & Tavern 765 Roosevelt Trail Windham
OR you can always claim a make up by attending Rotary-sponsored events of our club or other clubs like fundraisers, selling Christmas Trees, by volunteering at our Golf Tournament or our Road Race, or by attending District events or training. Just let our Secretary Mike Foley know when you have participated in any of these activities at mfoley@me.com
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