Portland Rotary Windjammer April 2, 2025 (Mar. 29, 2025)

BITS AND PIECES | By Zach Newell

WELCOME: President Patty Byers rang us in, Dave Small opened our meeting with a thoughtful invocation, followed by Justin Lamontagne leading us in the Four-Way Test.

GUESTS: A warm welcome to our sole guest, Mike McGovern, introduced by Dan Fahey.

RAFFLE ROLLS: Penny Harris oversaw the raffle, with a hefty $441 pot! Laura Young’s ticket was drawn, but alas, the 3 of spades kept the pot growing. Math whiz Bowen said $16 more dollars added makes it $457.

INTERNATIONAL: Erik Greven made a passionate appeal for next year’s global grant. An international services committee meeting will be held after the April 11, 2025, business meeting.

FLAGS FOR HEROES: We are inside the 100-day mark, and exciting things are happening. Charlie Frair gave an enthusiastic pitch for Flags for Heroes, highlighting that this is our largest fundraising event, and needs our full support. Notably, one of our goals is to build on donations from outside the club by inspiring community and the public to honor their personal heroes. We then heard from Bowen Depke (photo) who shared a heartfelt tribute to his parents, emphasizing their dedication to community service and the state of Illinois. His father, known affectionately as “Bulldozer Bob” was a dedicated public servant who exemplified a commitment to helping others. Later, guest speaker Mike McGovern added to the discussion by invoking the name of past member Naj Lotfey, an early leader in the fight to beat Polio.

YOUTH SERVICES: John Thompson provided an update on the District Learning Assembly, set for Saturday, April 5th. Click Here To Register! Learning opportunities for all Rotarians and specialized training for various club roles The club will pay the $30 registration fee. Please email Patty to attend.

While at the podium, John also announced that we’ve already received seven applications for the RYLA retreat up at Camp Hines, Windham.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS: Zach Newell invited all to join us for a collaborative cleanup of Camp Sebago with the Salvation Army on April 26th, 9 AM - 5 PM. We’re partnering with Standish, Westbrook-Gorham, and Cape Elizabeth-South Portland Rotary clubs.

Jan Chapman followed by announcing upcoming Mental Health First Aid training. Stay tuned for details!

HAPPINESS: A chorus of happy dollars filled the room! Highlights included: Bruce Moore’s appreciation for a voice at Lyseth School, Jack Shrader, in honor of Mike McGovern. Greg Hansel, for the Rotarian magazine, and Jim Willey, sharing his daughter's safe experience during a major earthquake in Thailand.

ROTARY PICKLEBALL CHALLENGE! Here's a fun opportunity to help raise up to $500 for Portland Rotary. Bill Ross (L) and Scott Gorneau (R) have agreed to take on all Portland Rotarians in a Pickleball match with the losing team donating $100 to Portland Rotary. If you're up for the challenge, grab a Rotarian partner, some fans and spectators, and email by clicking Scott or Bill to schedule a match. Good luck! Game On!

POLIO PLUS: Dick Hall brought to our attention the opportunity to be a part of the PolioPlus Society by making a commitment to an annual donation to fund. Currently, we have 8 members in our club – Bill Blount, Patty Byers, Jan Chapman, Amy Chipman, Leslie Clark, Dick Hall, Bruce Moore, David Small, Jim Willey, and Jon Young Information sheets were on the table, and levels start at $100 per year. A straw poll from Dick showed 4-5 members willing to become the newest members this week! If interested, email Dick Hall. We’re making a real impact in our community and beyond. Thank you to everyone for your dedication and participation!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MIKE? Portland Rotarian Mike Fortunato was spotted on Deerfield Beach, Florida on clean-up duty for the Rotary Club of Deerfield. Being a former member of that club we'll trust he's doing his usual good community service with them and not at the request of the local sheriff. Mike should be returning to his Maine base later this spring.

LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: Mike McGovern - Polio Update From the Top! | By Tom Nickerson

Mike McGovern, Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee, met with the Club to give a status report on Rotary’s Polio Eradication efforts. Mike opened by telling the story of how former Portland Rotarian Naj Lotfey helped get the effort started with a simple donation many years ago. He shared how while the eradication of polio is a global collaboration, it is truly a local story that relies on local decisions. The story is local because the ground game to complete this effort is primarily a door-to-door activity, often led by neighbors. The parents’, especially the mother’s decision to vaccinate is the most critical part. Without parents and community leaders believing in the need to vaccinate, Rotary will never be able to finish the last mile.

The World Health Organization reported only 190 cases world-wide in 2024; Mike stated that we are now down to less than 100. Mike discussed some of the efforts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Africa. In Pakistan, they vaccinated 45.2 million children under the age of five, for a vaccination rate of 90% in all but one area. In Afghanistan, despite the return of Taliban control, vaccinations continue. In Africa, there is no more wild polio, but Covid enabled the return of some cases; luckily the continued vaccination efforts are keeping it under control.

Fundraising continues to meet its goal of $50 million annually. This averages out to $1,500 per club. Once Rotary raises the $50 million, the Gates Foundation contributes an additional $100 million. Governments around the world also contribute, bringing the total funds available to $900 million. Mike stressed that maintaining the fundraising is critical because governments, including the US, are starting to scale back funding and there is no guarantee how long the Gates money will be available. Rotary understands the challenge and is constantly evaluating its delivery methods to keep innovating and becoming more efficient. Rotary is effective because it is not political; this allows the vaccination efforts to be accepted in all areas. Without broad access, it would be impossible to finish the work. Mike closed with an answer to a question about polio in the US. He noted that there was a case in greater New York City, but the high vaccination rate in the communities kept it from spreading. At the end of the meeting, Dick Hall, asked for members to consider joining the Polio+ society, which is a commitment to donate $10 a month until polio is eradicated and a number signed up. Mike’s talk underscored how important the work of Rotary is in the world. (Photo- Patty, Doreen Rockstrom, and Mike!)