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Speakers
Jun 27, 2017
Jul 04, 2017
Jul 11, 2017
Jul 18, 2017
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in Maine
Jul 25, 2017
Gorham High School Interact
Aug 01, 2017
The New Rotary Year
Aug 15, 2017
Westbrook Downtown Coalition
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Annual Lobster Bake
Home of Henry Saunders
Jul 11, 2017
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
 
Board Meeting
WRVC Board Room
Aug 01, 2017
10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
 
Annual Golf Classic
Gorham Country Club
Sep 19, 2017 12:00 PM
 
Rotary Links
Rotary International
RI President Home
About Rotary
Joining Rotary
Rotary History
Rotary Foundation
For New Members
     The Four Way Test
      Of the things we think, say, or do:
            First, Is it the truth?
            Second, Is it fair to all concerned?
            Third, Will it build goodwill & better friendships?   
            Fourth, Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Milestones
  • Judith Reidman - Birthday 6/21
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Next Board Meeting
First Meeting of 2017-2018 Rotary Year
8/1 10:30AM at WRVC
All members are welcome at Board Meetings
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Stories
Upcoming Opportunities
Polio Plus – Please give generously to our cans thru June. As we approach the end of this Rotary year, let’s not forget that the fight to end polio continues. Polio cases are down year-to-date over last year with 3 cases in Afghanistan and 2 cases in Pakistan. With double matching help from the Gates Foundation, we will lick this disease. Our Polio Plus cans will be emptied after our meeting on June 20 so funds can be submitted prior to year-end.
 
Golf Tournament Committee Meeting – This year’s golf committee chair Ethan Johnson will hold a brief meeting after the regular Club meeting on Tuesday June 20.  Anyone interested in helping with the tournament, which will be held on September 19, please plan to join this brief meeting.  As a reminder, it is time to focus on securing hole sponsorships and signing up teams.
 
ICC Benefit at b.good restaurant- Join Intercultural Community Center on Tuesday June 20, at b.good, 200 Gorham Rd, South Portland from 6-9PM. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Intercultural Community Center of Westbrook. 
 
Westbrook Middle School – Rotary Service Award Wednesday June 21 6PM - Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 471 Stroudwater St, Westbrook. WG Rotary will be presenting the Annual Rotary Service Award to a boy and girl from the graduating 8th grade class who best exemplify the Rotary motto “Service Above Self” as voted by the WMS faculty.  As part of this year’s presentation to the students, we will also be presenting a new plague to the school and a book will be donated to the WMS library in honor of each winner.  All members are welcome to attend.
 
Pediatric Care Recognition Thursday June 22, 2PM at Maine Medical Center. Gift of Life and Rotary will celebrate and recognize MMC and staff for the work they did for our Panamanian heart patients this past winter. See details in story below.
 
RYLA Volunteers – Registration volunteers needed on Sunday June 25.  See details in the story below
 
Summer Lunch Program Kick-Off EventFriday June 30, Walker Field 3-5PM, 3 volunteers needed. This event is designed to make sure that the community is aware of the program and the feeding sites and to have some fun. Walker Field is off Brown St near St Anthony’s (St Hyacinth’s). To volunteer, contact Christine Johnson cejinmaine@gmail.com
 
Summer Lunch Program – Once a week on your chosen day M-F from June 26 through August 23 (no service July 3-4). 11:45 to 1PM. Feeding sitesHigh School, Middle School, Westbrook Point, Intercultural Community Center, and Walker Field. To volunteer contact Barbara Nichols at: nicholsb@westbrookschools.org
 
Summer Concerts in the Park - Once again, legionnaires will be selling grilled and other food items at every Wednesday night concert in the park from July 5th until August 21st. Please come enjoy the free music and support your local veterans at the same time.
 
Lobster bake set up – Early notice: Volunteers are needed Sunday July 9 at the home of Henry Saunders to ready the area for our annual lobster bake. 15 Long Point Rd, Standish ME. Time to be announced.
 
Ronald MacDonald House - Ongoing - Pat and Cliff Plummer are back and collecting can tabs for RMH. Aluminum can tabs from beverage cans, pet food cans, tuna cans, etc, all are worth money in quantity. Please consider saving your aluminum tabs over the summer and bringing them to a future meeting. The Plummers have been working on this project for quite some time and would appreciate our help this year.

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.
 
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. 
RYLA Volunteers Needed
Date:   Sunday June 25th – RYLA 2017
 
Place:  Camp Hinds – 146 Plains Road Raymond ME
 
Time:   7:00 am to 1:00 PM   
 
7:00AM    Dining Hall opens for quick buffet light breakfast
 
7:30-9:00 Registration Set Up and Registration (some students show up early)
  1. Rotarians in Parking lot greeting parents and helping to sort luggage
  2. Registration tables in Tabor Pavilion
    1. Sign in – final form collection if needed
    2. Medical table – for students that require Meds during Camp
    3. BBQ – ticket Table
    4. Parent Info Table – Including Info on Rotary (need a person to coordinate)
    5. RYLA supplies (water bottle, t-shirt)
    6. Take Parents on Quick Tour of Camp Hinds to show the dining hall and answer questions about Rotary. (This is new and will be totally dependent on the number of Rotary helpers and the weather.)
9:00–9:30   Final Registration and Registration Clean up
9:30–11:00 Rotarians Experience RYLA – 2 senior staff members will give a tour of the newest Facilities at Camp Hinds and have Rotarians experience the COPE elements (weather Permitting)
 
11:00–1:00  Gather at Dining Hall for Opening Ceremony and Lunch (12:00). 
1:00             Depart
 
To volunteer, contact ASAP: 
  Danielle Treadwell – Sanford Springvale President Elect
  207-651-2142
You're Invited
Feeding Hungry Kids at WHS
On Wednesday June 14, four Westbrook Gorham Rotarians helped hand out food during the semi-monthly Locker Project food distribution at Westbrook High School.  Executive Director Katie Brown sent along a nice note:
 
“The Locker Project is so honored to work with the amazing Westbrook-Gorham volunteers at our twice-monthly produce distributions at Westbrook High School. We ask for 2 volunteers and 4 show up, and they are always the most helpful bunch. As the students are filling their bags full of fruits, vegetables and breads to take home to share with their families, the Rotarians are encouraging them and engaging in conversations about how to prepare certain foods, what life was like at WHS 20 years ago, and what the heck an ugli fruit is. The Rotarians have helped to de-stigmatize the taking of free, fresh food so desperately needed by so many students, and we couldn't be more grateful.”
 
A huge thanks to Scott Linscott, Becky Albert and Pat & Ciff Plummer.
 
 
 
There will be more opportunities to help during the summer.  Food distribution will take place at one of the summer lunch program sites.  Watch here for details. Regular semi-monthly food distribution at the High School will begin again when school resumes in the fall.
Fire Chief Provides Sister City Update
Fittingly, the day after the 30th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's "Mr Gorbachev - Tear down this wall" speech ushering in the end of the Cold War within a few short years - Westbrook Fire Chief Andrew Turcotte, accompanied by Deputy Chief Steve Sloan, spoke to our club about the most recent "layer" of the Greater Portland - Archangel sister-city program - and the 7 individual visits over the past 1.5 years. 

The fire / EMS / rescue / forestry / warden exchanges between our two sister cities have served to further strengthen the bond which was tied almost 29 years ago on November 18, 1988 - in a signatory between Archangel's Mayor Stanislav Potyemkin and Westbrook's Mayor Phil Spiller - in this apolitical, grassroots friendship devoid of national disputes 
 
L-R: Steve Sloan, Phil Spiller, Chief Andrew Turcotte,
Bill Chadwick
Together We Celebrate
More than 40,000 Rotarians from 174 countries gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 10-14 to renew friendships, find inspiration, and celebrate The Rotary Foundation’s 100 years of Doing Good in the World.  The Polio Eradication Initiative took center stage several times during the convention as we count down to zero new cases. Rotary Estimates that it will cost $1.5B to finally eradicate polio. There were also many opportunities to celebrate 100 years of our Foundation, which was proposed by Arch Klumph at the 1917 International Convention also held in Atlanta. There was even a birthday party with cake and ice cream!
 
 
Key note speaker on Monday morning was Bill Gates, representing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. During that general session, the Gates Foundation pledged $450M to the Polio Eradication Initiative over the next three years, including $300M in two-for-one match of Rotary donations of $50M each year. Other countries and organizations sent representatives to announce their pledges, including World Health Organization, CDC, United Arab Emirates, European Union and Canada- bringing the total three-year commitment to $1.2B!
 
 
Also announced during the convention was an expanded branding initiative the will kick off July 1. Clubs, Districts, and Zones are encouraged to use the tagline Rotary – People of Action with hashtag #peopleofaction in social media and any promotional materials. Key messages will begin with “Together We” followed by words like Inspire, Celebrate, Eradicate, Educate, etc. The People of Action campaign will be available at Rotary brand central and can be customized by clubs and districts to fit their projects and communities.
 
President Jason Beever attended, along with his wife Linda.  Club Admin Christine Johnson also attended with her husband Willie. General sessions were well attended each day, with wonderful speakers like John Cena - WWE Champion Wrestler and Polio Ambassador; Bill Gates - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Ashton Kucher - Founder of THORN; Ambassador Andrew Young; Kasim Reed - Mayor of Atlanta; Jack Nicklaus - Champion Golfer and Polio Ambassador; Brittany Arthur- President of Hamburg Rotaract; and many officers of Rotary International.  The multiple break-out sessions held each afternoon proved very popular, as well. 
 
 
 
Read more...
Speaker Assignment List
We have been receiving many requests to provide programs recently 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 August and beyond. 
 
Here is the list of upcoming dates with speakers and their sponsors:
  • 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
  • 7/18 - Matt Collins - Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
  • 7/25 - Aaron Farr - President GHS Interact Club - Ethan Johnson
  • 8/1 -  Club Assembly
  • 8/8 -  TBD
  • 8/15 - Shannon Cilento - Summer Intern Downtown Wsbk Coalition - Phil Spiller
  • 8/22 to 9/5 TBD
  • 9/12 - District Governor Dave Underhill - Bill Chadwick
  • 9/19 - Golf Tournament - No Meeting
 
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Missed a Meeting?   Make up online at Rotary E-Club One
 
Or at one of these other local clubs in our area:
 
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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