February 23, 2017 Meeting of West Bay Rotary

Past President Jane Lafleur presented today. She is program director and consultant for Lift 360, previously serving as ED of Friends of Midcoast Maine. Lift 360 seeks to build leadership in individuals, businesses and communities. She shared some of what she has learned studying millennials, using Pew Research. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996 and in 2015 overtook the “boomer” generation by number and in the workforce are the largest cohort by age. They tend to be more highly educated than prior generations. Earnings are higher for those who are college-educated compared to educated members of prior generations. More millennial are living with their parents, which is having economic implications, and the primary reason they are doing so is debt. They are not as connected or “moored” to institutions and are not religiously affiliated. They have a high level of optimism about their economic future. There are more moving back to Maine into areas where there are living and working spaces that are affordable and walkable. She described the co-working and incubator space at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, including 95,000 sf of space for technology industries. She feels optimistic about Maine’s ability to tap into this generation’s energy.

Buckets on the table are in honor of Vera Gardiner, Ken Gardiner’s wife, for oncology at Waldo County Hospital.

Mark thanked everyone involved in Toboggan Nationals/Parking/Chili Challenge. The net for the weekend was around $7,000. The Sea Dog was a good venue for the Chili event. Steve Dailey thanked everyone for helping on parking.

Duck Derby tickets are printed for the May 27 event. Peter Berke will be looking for sponsors.

There is a fellowship brunch from 10-2 at Jan Campbell’s house on Sunday. Her house is next to the drive for Oakland Parks on Route 1 in Rockport.

Sandy is going to the leadership seminar next week, let him know if you’d like to go, Saturday from 9-2.

District 7790 Conference from May 21 – 22 in Quebec is coming up, and there’s information on the website for the District.

March 25-31 will be a Week of Rotary service according to John Germ of Rotary International.

Tuesday, March 28, 7a and 8a for Youth Exchange and International Service committee, respectively, will be meeting at the church.