This week! Rotary Night Out - Sebago Brewing - Tuesday Oct 29 5:30PM. 616 Main St, Gorham. Invite your friends and colleagues to join us for a social night out at Sebago Brewing's Tasting Room. Light appetizers. Cash bar.
Veterans' Appreciation Lunch - Friday November 8, 2019 - Portland Rotary will be hosting its 5th Annual Veterans' Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, November 8, 2019, 12:00 noon at the Seasons Event & Conference Center at the Ramada Plaza, 155 Riverside St, Portland, Maine. Veterans free, others $25. Registration required. For complete information, go to the Portland Rotary Club website at portlandrotary.org and on the right side, click on Veterans' Appreciation Lunch or click HERE.
Westbrook's Veterans Day Celebration - Monday November 11, 2019. Ceremonies at Riverbank Park 11AM to honor all veterans. Celebration at American Legion Post 197, 300 Conant Street following the ceremony.
Dirigo Kids Annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser – Friday December 6, 2019. 5:30PM Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Ave, Portland. $65 per person/$500 per table. Sponsorship opportunities. Visit: https://dirigokids.com/
Annual Christmas Party - Tuesday evening December 10, 2019. 5:30PM at the home of Judith & Ed Reidman, 7 Enchanted Lane, Westbrook, ME. More details to follow.
Festival of Trees Tips for Charity Luncheon - Friday December 13, 2019 11:30 or 12:30 - We'll have our Rotary table again this year. Watch here for tickets to become available.
The Locker Project - TLP will be returning to Westbrook High School, 125 Stroundwater St, Westbrook, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, with some exceptions due to holidays. Arrive by 1PM for set up. Done by about 2PM after clean up. Check in and out at the front office. Upcoming dates include Oct 30, Nov 13, and Dec 11. An additional date may be added in Nov and/or Dec as we get closer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Christine Johnson.
Winter Gear Drive for Westbrook Schools – During the month of November, we’ll be collecting winter gear for kids. Hats, mittens, boots and coats for all ages. Scarves for older kids. Collected at meetings: Nov 5, 12 and 19.
Reading Friends - Read weekly with 1st or 2nd graders at Gorham's Village School, 12 Robie St, Gorham. Starting immediately. From about 9-10AM on a weekday morning of your choice. Some opportunities may be available for a later reading time. Even if you can only commit to a few weeks in the fall, winter or spring, consider joining this important work for literacy. If interested, contact Christine Johnson. Registration and a basic background check are required. Go to this link to register: Reading Friends Volunteer Form Village School Gorham for "child's name" enter Rotary Volunteer, under Teacher select "other" and enter "Reading Volunteer".
When District Governor Andy visited the Rotary Club of Westbrook Gorham on August 20, 2019 he awarded seven Paul Harris Fellows to new or advancing members. Pictured L-R: President Michael Foley, PHF+1; Foundation Chair Steve Rand, PHF+2; Bruce Saunders, PHF+2, Immediate Past President Deb Shangraw, PHF+3; Woody Beach, PHF+4; Wayne Lopez, PHF+7; DG Andy Glazier. Not pictured: Al Juniewicz, PHF.
Most of these folks use Rotary Direct, an easy way to give! A huge thanks to these and other member for their ongoing commitment to our Rotary Foundation.
After awarding several Paul Harris Fellows to advancing members, Andy got us to immediately “think differently” and shook things up a bit by moving to the back of the room as he began his DG address to the Club. He noted that Mark Maloney of the Rotary Club of Decatur Alabama is our Rotary International President for 2019-2020. His theme for the year is “Rotary Connects the World” and Andy spoke about the power of connecting with others through Rotary.
Andy and his partner Pamela Gray have had the opportunity to travel, meet people and see things they never would have otherwise. He spoke of a trip to Guatemala where they visited a community via a 2-track road. They were the only vehicle in town where health care was hours away. The school had shared desks and supplies. The two bathrooms – one for boys/men and one for girls/women – included a Rotary wheel on the wall and represented the only running water in the town.
He also spoke of the opportunity they had to visit Cuba and what they saw there. Their clearest memory is of children laughing and playing – they sounded the same as they do in Guatemala and as they do here. He recounted talking to parents in both countries who just want the best for their children.
He then moved on to remind us about the upcoming Rotary International Convention in Hawaii in early June 2020. The number of attendees is capped at 25,000, a low number for a RI Convention, so it is likely to sell out. If you are considering going, be sure to register soon.
The key initiative for this year is to Grow Rotary - involve more potential Rotarian in our projects and activities – be creative. There is a pool of potential candidates in every community, but that pool is limited by how we run our Club. Only so many can attend a meeting on a Tuesday for lunch which can take up to 2 hours out of the middle of their day. Others may be challenged by the dues or the location. There are many things we control that can restrict the pool of those who can actually join. We do a lot, but how much more could we do if we had more members?
Consider the example of the newest club in our District – New Voices Rotary Club. They were founded based on the common experience of RYLA. They are all under 30 and half are women. They live all over the US, with even a couple of members in Europe. They will meet in person only 4 times per year. They chartered in the spring with 33 members and have now grown to 46 in just two months!
Finally, he spoke about thinking outside of the box for the District Conference for this Rotary year. Instead of holding it in the spring, it will be a one-day event in this fall - Saturday October 5, 9AM-4PM at the Abromson Center of the University of Southern Maine. He asks each club to create a display table that speaks to the projects of our club. This event is ideal for both current and prospective members.
At the end of his remarks, President Michael Foley presented a small token of thanks to Andy and Pam - some elegant chocolates from Black Dinah Chocolatiers in downtown Westbrook.
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 McDonald 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.
Volunteer at Preble St – Register as a volunteer then select as few or as many volunteer shifts as you want. These can be working in the Receiving Center accepting, sorting and stocking donations; helping prepare and/or serve breakfast, lunch or dinner; sorting or distributing food pantry items; or other activities listed on the volunteer page. For more information and to learn how to register as a volunteer: https://www.preblestreet.org/you-can-help/volunteer/
If you have an idea for a speaker or program,look for a sign-up sheet and an upcoming meeting or contact Christine Johnson at cejinmaine@gmail.com or Phil Spiller at pdsflynavy@gmail.com .
We are also interested in ideas for service projects in lieu of meetings, or in-meeting service projects.
The following lunch dates are available for YOUR program. Sign up today!!