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West Bay Rotary Charitable Foundation

 Our Donation Application Procedure

Is ON HOLD for Now
 

 
Club Executives & Directors
President
Kim Milton
Secretary
George Abendroth
Treasurer
Kristen Lindquist
President Elect
Ken Gardiner
Vice President/Club Administration
Mark Coursey
Membership
Loriman Looke
Rotary Foundation
Etienne Perret
Sergeant-at-Arms
Leamon Scott
Sergeant-at Arms
Barbara Heard
Community Service
Mark Coursey
Community Service
Trina Kuykendall
Vocational Services
Jim Potter
International Service
Susan Dorr
Youth Exchange
George Forristall
Public Relations
Ray Fink
Public Relations
Deborah Fink
Sponsorships
Leamon Scott
Fellowship
Lisa Dresser
Executive Secretary/Director
Sandy Cox

Club Committee Contacts

(check WBR Calendar for actual dates)
WBR Club Meetings
Every Thursday, starting at 7:30am
Camden Congregational Church
55 Elm Street, Camden, ME
westbayrotary@gmail.com
 
Satellite Club Meetings
2nd and 4th Thursdays each month,
starting at 5:15pm @ Hoxbill's
5 Bayview Landing, Camden
 
Community Service
Mark Coursey 
mark@camdenlaw.com, 
2nd Tuesday held Monthly
Camden Law LLP Offices
20 Mechanic Street
7:30 am
 
Rotary Youth Exchange
George Forristall
george@forocean.com
Meetings per West Bay Calendar
Congregational Church Parlor
7:00 AM
 
International Committee
Susan Dorr  
SusanDorr@gmail.com
4th Tuesday held Monthly
Congregational Church Parlor
8:00 AM
 
Vocational Committee
Jim Potter 
PotterandAssoc@AOL.com
Meetings held as necessary
 
Public Relations Committee
Ray Fink/Deborah Fink
RFink@me.com or
dfink2@me.com
Meetings as needed
Develop/issue press releases
and social media management
 
Membership Committee
Chair: Loriman Looke
llooke@pbmc.org
Meets as necessary
 
Sponsorship Committee
Contact Leamon Scott
(lrscott73@gmail.com)
for Annual or Event
Sponsorship Opportunities
 
 
West Bay Board Meeting
West Bay Board Meeting
1st Wednesday Monthly
Quarry Hill Dining Room
7AM Breakfast Available
Weekly Greeters
March 12 - Richard Goff
March 19 - Suzanne Scott
March 26 - Laura Evans
 
April 2 - Lisa Dresser
April 9 - Jane Lafleur
April 16 - Marty Martens
April 23 - Mimi Edmunds
April 30 - Jan Abendroth
 
May 7 - George Forristall
May 14 - Loriman Looke
May 21 - Mike Pierce
May 28 - Noel Cox
 
June 4 - Chase Lasbury
June 11 - Deb Hitchings
June 18 - Kristen Lindquist
June 25 - Tim Dresser
 
West Bay Rotary Club of Camden, Maine
 
 
 
 
                                        
 
 
Upcoming Events
Weekly Speaker
April 30, 2020 Meeting of West Bay Rotary
President Kim Milton opened meeting, introducing guests – former West Bay Rotarian, Mark Masterson, along with our speaker, Debra Taylor of Sweetser. Mark Masterson provided the Thought for the Day, “If you’re searching for that one person that will change your life, try taking a look in the mirror!”
 
In lieu of a single organization at this time, the idea for Buckets on the Table are for you to make a donation of your choice…please give generously!
 
Debra Taylor of Sweetser briefed our Club members participating via Zoom about Sweetser, which is Maine’s oldest behavioral health organization, dating back to 1828. Sweetser’s mission is to provide quality treatment, support and hope to children, adults and families through a network of mental health, behavioral health, educational, and developmental services. Their vision is to help people create promising futures.  Local offices are in Belfast and Rockland, with over 900 employees and 350 independent contractors working at these and other locations around the state of Maine.  Sweetser has a single contact point (1.800.434.3000) for any client or referral source.
 
John Viehman and President Kim updated the group on the status of the West Bay Rotary Matching Challenge with United Midcoast Charities. As of the meeting, over $5070 has been donated against the the initial $5000 goal had been achieved. Congratulations to West Bay for the great work in helping to get these funds donated.
 
Tom Peaco informed the group that the 3 major festivals in the area have now been cancelled for this year (Lobster Festival, Blues Festival and Boats and Home Show).
 
Gary Walker and Jane Lafleur shared news that Mike Moore’s wife, Carolyn, is having open heart surgery tomorrow due to an aortic valve issue.  George was asked to send Mike’s mailing address to the full Club for get well messages and cards.
 
Next week’s speakers are George Abendroth on updated Club Constitution and ByLaws, and Ella Pierce, who will be providing a summary of the Midcoast Interact Club’s year.
April 23, 2020 Meeting of West Bay Rotary
Club Meeting of April 23, 2020
President Kim Milton opened meeting, introducing guests Mark Masterson, Richard Anderson of the Camden Rotary Club, along with our speaker, State Representative Vicki Doudera. Sandy Cox provided the Thought for the Day, with a Mae West quote: “ You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!”  Members were asked to send an email to President Kim about potential recipients for Buckets on the Table.
 
State Representative Vicki Doudera then briefed Club members participating via Zoom with an update of activities in the State legislature and related activities during the current pandemic. Vicki identified that the legislature last met on St. Patrick’s Day, and has stayed very busy dealing with a wide variety of issues for her constituents and also for the State, while monitoring via Zoom the State DOL, UMaine’s fall planning and some nationally-based calls.  She mentioned that a large majority of people she has spoken to are very anxious about how to make a living and how to pay bills going forward.  Vicki identified that a virtual phone bank to contact seniors over the age of 80 in our area has been successful in reaching out to check on the health and possible needs on a weekly basis. Vicki pointed out about Governor Mills working with the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont on future plans to reopen our states post-pandemic.  She gave kudos to the local banks in the area to help local citizens with the small business stimulus, though pointed out that while many applications were processed, there are still a lot that have not yet been done.  Vicki closed her comments before taking Club member questions that 89,500 unemployment claims had been filed as of the prior day.
 
Roberta Walker provided the Rotary Information Moment discussing the role that Rotary played in the promotion of peace-making starting at the 1926 convention and also the formation of the United Nations in 1945, where Rotary International served as observers and translators to help guide the process and assist in dispute resolution.
 
Richard Anderson from the Camden Rotary Club statused our Club members on the Rotariansserving.org website and the work on the Midcoast Rotarians initative. Sandy Cox, Leamon Scott, John Viehman and Deborah Fink have been heavily involved for West Bay Rotary.  It was noted that a disclaimer has been added to the website, given interesting daily articles are being posted (the disclaimer is to reflect that the articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rotary International or its Clubs).
 
John Viehman and President Kim updated the group on the status of the West Bay Rotary Matching Challenge with United Midcoast Charities. As of the meeting, over $3500 of the initial $5000 goal had been achieved.
President Kim identified that Etienne Perret is drafting a grant application for the Meals of Hope project, which would likely be conducted in the fall.
 
Final reminder to send photos per Deborah Fink’s email request before April 25th.
 
Next week's speaker is Debra Taylor of Sweetser.
April 16, 2020 Meeting of West Bay Rotary
President Kim opened meeting with Pledge of Allegiance and introduced our speaker, District Governor Suzanne Uhl-Melanson. 
Before DG Suzanne spoke, Jane Lafleur gave the Thought of the Day, which was a poem by Kathleen O’Hara called “And People Stayed Home”:
 
“And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper
someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow
and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal
and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselves.”
 
DG Suzanne spoke to West Bay about her travels to Guatemala for the District Global Grant project in 2019/2020, concerning Chronic Malnutrition.  This project targets women and children, and due to early funding the project was able to get started prior to full approval by RI of grant funding. DG Suzanne indicated that there will likely be 2 more similar grants over the coming 3 years.
DG Suzanne shared her slide presentation of the stove construction projects being built in the cooking huts of homes in the village of Pavit. The grant funds are being used to pay for the stone masons and materials for stove construction, with the labor performed by local Rotarians and villagers. DG Suzanne also indicated that she and her group also visited Simajhuleu, which is a larger village where other stove projects had been completed.  In this village, there is a training program for women involved with health promotion, where they are being trained in growing vegetables, food preparation and proper nutrition.
 
After DG Suzanne’s presentation and questions from West Bay Rotarians, Sandy Cox provided a status report on the Midcoast Rotarians initiative (Rotariansserving.org), which involves several area Rotary clubs, in addition to West Bay.  The initiative is a clearing house for identifying information, making donations, and seeking help or assistance.  Sandy indicated that there has been an initial surge of requests, but things have calmed this week, though the team expects an increase in requests for assistance over the coming weeks.
 
Sandy, President Kim Milton and John Viehman then discussed the newest project for West Bay Rotary, called the WBR Matching Challenge. West Bay has pledged up to $5000, to match donations made on the specific West Bay Rotary site on the United Midcoast Charities Rapid Response Fund website. In the first three days, over $3200 of the $5000 has been pledged by a number of West Bay Rotarians, and there is hope that each West Bay Rotarian will strongly consider pledging some funds, given the matching feature. Deborah Fink identified that there are articles now published in the PenBay Pilot, Bangor Daily News and Village Soup now, with forthcoming articles in the Free Press and Camden Gazette.
 
Lisa Dresser reminded those in the meeting to begin collecting their pile of donations for the upcoming Yard Sale project at the MRC later this summer.
 
Next week’s meeting speaker is State Representative Vicki Doudera.
We will again send an email to all West Bay Rotarians and any identified guests prior to next week’s meeting.
April 9, 2020 Meeting of West Bay Rotary
Posted by George Abendroth
 
President Kim called meeting to order at 7:30am, leading the Club in the Pledge of Allegiance.
 
Deborah Fink shared Barbara Heard’s Thought for the Day, and Jane Lafleaur volunteered to do next week.
 
Buckets on the Table this week is for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Starting next week, Buckets will be for the Backpack Program, led by Barbara Heard.
 
Our guest speaker was Megan Williams from United Midcoast Charities, an organization that supports the Midcoast non-profit community. Megan focused her remarks on the steps UMC is taking given the ongoing pandemic.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UMC has established a Rapid Response Fund. 100% of all donations received will go out as support for local nonprofits that are meeting the immediate needs of individuals seeking help in Knox and Waldo counties. The Fund is intended to provide stopgap support and anticipates the likelihood that local nonprofits will find themselves under-resourced to serve a growing demand for their services. Donations are now being accepted toward this fund.
 
Nonprofits seeking Rapid Response funding should email Megan with their need.
 
Megan also discussed the importance of urgent and responsive funds, recognizing the significance of ongoing operating funds for organizations dealing with the current situation. In that light, UMC will maintain the March 31 deadline for its regular annual grant submissions, but they are planning to accelerate this year’s review process and aim to distribute the 2020 grants by June, ahead of the usual distribution schedule. Getting funds distributed quickly to those working on providing food, housing, healthcare, and other basic needs to our community is UMC’s highest priority.
 
Sandy Cox overviewed the ongoing efforts to get the Rotariansserving.org website more populated, and highlighted the Midcoast Rotarians efforts to date, which include a tie-in for UMC’s Rapid Response Fund.
 
Gary and Roberta Walker joined our meeting, on the 11th day of their 14day self-quarantine after their return from Florida. Gary shared the Rotary Minute for the Club, talking about George Bernard Shaw, who should have been a Rotarian, based on his famous quote:  “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It ia a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.”
Joan LeMole spoke on the Interact Club’s status, and the desire to recognize the seniors in that Club, which will likely be done via a Zoom meeting on a future date.
 
It was announced by Tim Dresser that the Scholarship Committee is meeting via Zoom too, and plans to make its determinations by the May 20th deadline they established.
 
A Special Board meeting will be held next Tuesday morning via Zoom, starting at 7am, to discuss potential reallocation of spring funds, and working on a potential matching grant.
 
As the meeting ended, President Kim identified that DG Suzanne Uhl-Melanson will be our guest speaker at next week’s meeting.
 

EREY-EN-c

West Bay Rotary Goal is
100% Participation
for 2019-2020 Year

Site Pages
 
Links
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays:
  • Chum Berry
    May 2
  • Kim Milton
    May 3
  • Mike Pierce
    May 4
  • Tim Dresser
    May 4
  • Dolores Hyssong
    May 9
  • Tom Griffith
    May 10
  • Steve Dailey
    May 17
  • Roberta Walker
    May 21
Anniversaries:
  • Steve Dailey
    ELIZABETH (LIZ)
    May 6
  • Kristen Lindquist
    Paul Doiron
    May 17
Join Date:
  • Jane Lafleur
    May 11, 2006
    14 years
  • Barry King
    May 19, 2005
    15 years
  • Penny Dunning
    May 24, 2001
    19 years
ENDPOLIONOW_4p
Rotary Information
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Kenyan Rotarians take action to prevent spread of COVID-19 

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Italian club uses expertise to aid in coronavirus fight

Members help launch site so merchants can sell goods, organize supplies to make sanitizer, and provide food to health care workers.

Hacking a solution to the COVID-19 pandemic

Rotarians in Lithuania and the United States promote the use of bubble helmets to help patients avoid mechanical ventilators.