March 10, 2016 West Bay Rotary
Posted by Jen Harris
on Mar 14, 2016
West Bay Rotary
Connecting Cultures
Gretchen Oster – Coordinator
Annabelle Williams
Sam Maltese
Sophie Ernst
Sarah Fisk
10 day trip
Tokyo (2 nights) & Aomori prefecture (10 days)
1889 Maine Ship ran aground off the coast
19 drowned and 4 were rescued
1994 Maine became a sister state
Student Ambassadors
Applicants must demonstrate core values
Grit, Kindness, self-control, responsibility
Must complete an essay
Serve as Goodwill Ambassadors
Learn about culture, promote friendship
100% of the cost of the trip is fundraised by the students – they have to raise $30,000
They have raised $27,000
If you wish to support them - visit Sendkidstojapan.com
CRMS – make checks payable
How many people applied – 34 applicants, 10 selected
Wendy Zwecker
Works at Camden Real Estate – they give lots of money to community groups
Early years are about change
Born in 1971 in Fort Riley Kansas
1 of 5 sisters
Lived at 7 army bases by the time she was 13
Learned that she needed to adapt to change quickly
During her high school years she immersed herself in academics, clubs and sports
Graduated with high honors in top 5% of my class
Learned that She had to work hard
College Years
Central Texas College
Moved back to Maine after 2 years
Resumed studies at University of Maine in Portland
Learned to be flexible and reevaluate her goals, remain positive
Mantra for life play as hard as you work and work as hard as you play.
Spent a lot of time outdoors.
Surrounded myself with people who liked to be outdoors
Moved to Camden Maine in 1995 after backpacking England and Ireland
Met husband Sam at that time – he was very grounding for her.
1996 – applied to MBNA
Quality Assurance
Fraud Liaison
Assistant Manager
Settled down and started a family – learned to manage time and responsibilities
3 daughters – all extremely athletics and outdoor driven
Zoe – Junior
Samantha – sophomore
Lea – 9 years old – missing her younger sisters.
Ragged mountain ski club
West Bay Rotary
MSSN – board of Directors
In 2005 she left MBNA and started working at Camden Res Estate
Wanted excitement, flexibility
Needed a challenge & wanted to have fun
Camden Real Estate fit the bill
One of the top producers since the birth of her daughter
Handle 20-30 sales per year
20 active buyers
FIL – Sal Zwecker – did not have any influence on her choice to join rotary
What brought you back to maine? Just needed to get away & reconnect with herself
How long in real estate? 11 years
Next week
Leyman scott classification talk
Camden Conference students
John becoming a full member of Rotary
Buckets for Mason on a Mission – Susan leaves next week
Mark Masterson – community service
Hospitality House – crew went out to the basement of the barn – got some shelving installed, etc.
Habitat for humanity
House rebuild – all interior work, no heavy lifting
Need 6-7 more people in the afternoon.
Barry King – Bowl For Kids Sake – Big Brothers Big Sisters
Tom Albertson – April 23 – 9a – 2p – shred event – as well as electronic waste on a donation basis.