4th Annual Southern Maine Cornhole Invitational - Saturday October 13, 2018 1-6PM. At Gorham Sports Center. Benefit for Gorham Business Exchange and WESTBROOK-GORHAM ROTARY. Order a custom set of boards for $250 (ordering deadline Oct 1) which are yours to keep with carrying case. Enter a team of two for $50 (through Oct 10, $60 after). Fun for friends and family with prizes for both top and bottom tier teams. Our club is looking to sign up 10 teams and sell 10 boards. Please share with your friends, colleagues and with local businesses. To sign up a team or order your board go to: https://gorhambusiness.org/cornhole-tournament .
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: Sept 26, Oct 10 & 24, Nov 14 & 28, Dec 12 , Jan 9 & 23, Feb 13 & 27, Mar 13 & 27, Apr 10 & 24, May 8 & 22 and June 12. Any date changes will be announced in the Scribbler. Time: arrive by 1 PM depart by 2:30 PM, unless otherwise noted.
Rotary Night Out - Our next Rotary Night out will be Tuesday Oct 16, followed by Tuesday Nov 20. Both starting at 5:30 PM. Oct 16, we will meet at Mister Bagel 609 Main St Westbrook. Nov 20 meeting location TBD. Future nights out will be the third Tuesday evening of the month, with exception of December.
Tips for Charity Luncheon - Friday December 7, 2018 - Part of the annual Festival of Trees. Come join the Rotary table at the Westbrook-Warren Church. Two seatings at 11:30 AM or 12:20 PM. Contact Christine Johnson to reserve your spot now! Always a fun time.
The Locker Project - THIS WEEK!! 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 September 26. 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 Look for Back-to-School dates shortly.
Visioning Meetings – Discover Downtown Westbrook. THIS WEEK. Tuesday September 25, 2018, 5-7PM at Walker Library - Westbrook Vision: Promotion. First of three visioning meetings focusing on a specific topic. This meeting will focus on the way we promote our downtown in order to draw more visitors, residents, and businesses. If you cannot make the session, you can still share your ideas by emailing info@downtownwestbrook.com.
Maine Marathon - Locker Project - Sunday September 30 - The Maine Marathon is making a generous donation to the Locker Project and they need folks to volunteer on race day in Portland. They need 15 people for the both of the following shifts: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Meet at the Volunteer Tent near the entrance to Pedro Ballfield at 30 Baxter Blvd. At 8:45 am the volunteers will be in place to start handing out medals at the finish line. If you're available for 4 hours that day, or even 2 or 3, please sign up here: https://bit.ly/2Dk7w5N Volunteers will receive a coupon for a 2019 Portland Sea Dogs ticket, as well as $5 in Maine Track Club bucks that can be redeemed for discounts on MTC merchandise or club races and events, and more.
Visioning Meetings – Discover Downtown Westbrook. Tuesday October 2, 2018, 5-7PM at Walker Library – Westbrook Vision: Design. Second of three visioning meetings focusing on a specific topic. Design is all about the appearance and aesthetics of the downtown: everything from facade improvements to plantings to Complete Streets updates and more. If you have ideas on visual improvements you'd like to see in downtown, please join us at this meeting.
Socktober - October has come to be known by its alternate name "Socktober", when schools put out a call for socks for kids of all age levels K-12. If you find a great deal on new kids' socks (or underwear), bring them to any meeting in October or drop them at a school of your choice during regular school hours.
Reading Friends - Starting soon!! Our program at Village School Gorham - Starting in October. Commit to one day a week from about 8:50-9:50 on a weekday morning of your choice for the number of weeks of your choice. Or share duties with a partner. You will be assigned up to 3 students in either 1st or 2nd Grade who will read to you for about 15 minutes each. If you have not volunteered in the school before, you will need to complete the school-based background check at: https://www.gorhamschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=456678&type=d&pREC_ID=990378 If you have questions or need assistance with completing the form, please contact Christine Johnson cejinmaine@gmail.com
Read With Me - All three Elementary Schools Westbrook - Starting in October. Commit to one day a week on day and time mutually agreeable in selected school. Or share duties with a partner. You will be paired with two students with whom you will read 15-20 minutes each. If you have not volunteered in the schools before, you will need to complete the school-based background check. https://www.westbrookschools.org/volunteer If you have questions or need assistance with completing the form, please contact Christine Johnson cejinmaine@gmail.com
Run the Ridge Trail Race – Saturday October 20, 2018. Benefit for Discover Downtown Westbrook. Early bird registration is just $20 through the end of Labor Day weekend with discount code RTREARLY. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/671770303157442/
Can Tabs for Ronald MacDonald House – Ongoing - Thank you for continuing to collect can tabs.Please bring your collection to any meeting this spring/summer. Pat and Cliff Plummer and looking forward to accepting them for Ronald McDonald House.
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.
Crutches 4 Africa Container Load - Saturday October 6. 21 Gooch St, Biddeford. Come for an hour or two anytime between 9AM and 1PM, or stay all day. Any help that you can give to the Saco Bay Sunset club would be very much appreciated. This will be our District's 7th container to be shipped to Africa. A big accomplishment!
Foundation & Membership Seminar - Saturday November 3, 2018 - 8AM. Husson College Westbrook. Educational seminar designed for Membership Chairs, Foundation Chairs, and other club leadership interested in these topics. Sign up details soon.
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.
On September 11, 2018, we were honored to have Sgt 1st Class Scott Hamilton, a member of our local National Guard’s 262nd Engineering Battalion located in the armory across from Westbrook High School, as our special guest and speaker. He was introduced by Rotarian Phil Spiller, who was a young Navy aviator in 2001.
On September 11, 2001, Scott was a 27-year old National Guardsman based in Sanford. He was at work when the first plane hit the tower. He recounted that it was a confusing day with no one really knowing what was happening. All they could do was watch and try to prepare. At the time, the National Guard was under funded, still training with equipment from the Vietnam era. Their top commander was only a 3-star general, with all other branches having higher top rank.
In 2003, he was called to duty for the Iraq War. Training at Fort Dix was basic and nominal before deployment. They shipped out, but had to wait 3 months for their equipment to arrive. He noted that this equipment had canvas tops and no armor. They were fortunate not to lose anyone on this deployment.
By the time he was called up again in 2010, things had changed. They were well-funded and had top of the line equipment. It had been recognized that the National Guard brings a strong skill set to the missions with electricians, plumbers, mechanics, doctors, teacher, and other professionals. By 2011, the top commander of Army National Guard was a 4-star General, on par with other services. He told us that 9/11 had showed how our National Guard was not well prepared for potential missions, but now they are.
Thank you SFC Scott Hamilton for your remarks and remembrance of this somber day in our country’s history - the 17th anniversary on the largest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Scott was born and raised in Buxton and continues to live there with his family. He has served our country for 28 years, all in the Army National Guard.
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 November.
Here is the list of upcoming speakers and programs:
* 9/25 - Golf Classic Rain Date - No Lunch Meeting
* 10/2 - Club Assembly
* 10/9 - WHS Interact - Tentative
* 10/16 - Rotary Night Out - Program TBD
* 10/23 - Ariana Bailey - Classification Talk
* 10/30 - Heather Perry - Superintendent Gorham Schools
* 11/6 - Scott Linscott & Christine Johnson - Our Website Updates
* 11/13 - TBD
* 11/20 - Rotary Night Out
Don Zillman - Prof of Law at UMaine Law School
Program in recognition of Armistice Day Nov 11, 1918
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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