This Week: Wednesday Aug 16th Night Club Social In Yarmouth - "Fox and Fiddle Cafe", 317 Main Street! (No club meeting this Friday!)
Wednesday Night Social - August 16th! Jake Bourdeau came up to tell us about our Club Social on Thur 8/16. New Venue - "The Fox and Fiddle Cafe" located at 317 Main Street, Yarmouth, aka the Main Community Music Center. 317 Main is newly renovated with a multi-million dollar expansion and the inclusion of a new indoor cafe and outdoor deck area, and a music hall. We are planning to have some light live music and the option to chat indoors or out on the new deck. You will have the option to tour the new facilities including the new music hall. The Fox & the Fiddle Café has beer, wine, sparking wine, and mixed drink collection as well as coffee, espresso drinks, tea and other options. Light food fare is also available. Going to be a fun one! The Yarmouth Rotary Club is joining in, led by their President and former Portland Rotarian Rick Snow. Join in - 5:30p-7p! 317 Main Website
Social Special Guest: President Dick Hall invited all Rotarians to meet a special guest from the Rotary Club of Park Rapids, Minnesota, who will attend our social event. Scott Freitag is biking on a journey of 11,000 miles to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and schizophrenia. Check the website www.milesformoney.org for more information.
FLAGS FOR HEROES -
Your Chance to Share and Shine!
Now is the time to tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and other people you know that they can sponsor a flag and honor a hero in their life. Do not underestimate how powerful this is, and how much it will mean to others. It is a gift, it is emotional, it is meaningful. Embrace this moment. For details, watch and share our video with others: PORTLAND ROTARY FLAGS FOR HEROES.
Flag Sponsorships are available now thru September 1st, but that is just 3 weeks away. Make it a point to talk to people this week, and see how they respond. Chances are, they will be very thankful and excited to join in!
Bits and Pieces | by Juliana L'Heureux
President Dick Hall welcomed everyone to the Italian Heritage Center and opened the meeting by requesting Alan Levenson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Cyrus Hagge read a clever short poem for the moment of reflection. “I didn’t go to church today, I trust the Lord to understand. The surf was swirling blue and white, The Children swirling on the sand. He knows, He knows how brief my stay, How brief this spell of summer weather, He knows when I am said an done, We’ll have plenty of time together.”
NEWBORN: Maggie McGauley shared some happy news that they welcomed a baby boy last Wednesday 7/26! George Hirsch Hanson. They got home from the hospital after a few days and everyone is doing well. Congratulations Maggie, Michael, and George!
GUESTS: Tuck Barclay introduced visiting Rotarians Kevin Donaldson from the Rotary Club of McMinnville, Oregon Kirk Duffy from Savannah East, GA, Andi Summers and Carmen Poff who were guests of Nannette Ranger-Duncanson and Idella Glenn, the Vice President of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Impact at the University of Southern Maine, was the guest of Zach Newell.
PAUL HARRIS FELLOW: Rotary Foundation Chair Patty Byers presented Erik Jorgenson with a Paul Harris Fellow pin with four blue sapphires, an award given to recognize his generous and multiple contributions to the Rotary Foundation. (Photo Erik and Patty)
NO QUEEN: Dave Patterson led the Raffle, Jon Young tried to pull the Queen Of Hearts, but was unsuccessful in his bid to win $240. The pot grows.
NEW MEMBER! A new Rotarian member, Corey A. Masson, was welcomed. He was introduced by Niki Curtis. Corey is the Founder and Chief Equanimity Officer of five Active Recovery Community Homes in Maine – four in Maine and one in New Hampshire. He has a distinguished career and leadership experience in community service.
(Photo Corey and Niki)
BACKPACKS: Amy Chipman and the community service committee are filling 120 back to school backpacks. Along with help from the Maine Locker Project. A special event to help distribute the backpacks is scheduled on August 22, at the Boys and Girls Club. Stations will be set up where new Mainers can attend and be fitted for sneakers. This is an excellent project involving several non-profit agencies working collaboratively. Please click to email Amy for more information. (Photo)
Additionally, Patty requested for those on the Environment Committee to meet on August 25th, at 11:15 am before the meeting luncheon. In addition to the club’s tree planting, another subject be discussed is a tour/ to ecomaine, but a date is not scheduled.
FLAGS MAKE IMPACT: Paul Tully reported for Charlie Frair with help from Cyrus Hagge about the Flags for Heroes campaign. Flag sponsors are still being collected. This program is our Rotary club’s major fund raiser. A hero can be any person who has made a positive impact on our own lives or a tribute to someone in the community. Cyrus invited volunteers to help caulk the bases for the 50 additional flags to be displayed in the Maine Mall exhibit. Email Cyrus to help. Check the Flags for Heroes website to learn about the tribute and the Maine Mall exhibit. Information is at this link here.(Photo: Paul)
HAPPY: Rotarians sang Happy Birthday to our members who celebrated during July and August.
CORNHOLE: A printed invitation flyer was distributed by the Rotary Club of Falmouth to attend a Cornhole Tournament on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Throttle Car Blub from 11 AM- 5 PM to benefit the Yellow Tulip Project “Smashing the stigma around mental illness”.
Last Week's Program: Umara Balde - Life's Journey to Portland |by Erik Jorgensen
Umaru Balde: My Journey of Self Discovery from child slavery in West Africa to surviving human trafficking in the Sinai desert.
Friday, we heard from Umaru Balde, Portland’s director of Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A former victim of human trafficking when he was in west Africa, Balde spoke of his extraordinary story more than his job.
As a child, Balde lived with his family in the West African country of Guinea Bissau. There, tradition holds that young teens who are good students may be recruited to be “ambassadors of Islam” with the promise of education and a better future. The man who recruited him from his family turned out to be a charlatan, in fact a slave trafficker. Soon Balde found himself kidnapped and brought to Senegal, where he was made to beg for money in the service of the “scholar”. This was an organized activity, and kids who fell short of their financial goals were punished. (Photo Umara and Doreen Rockstrom)
The dilemma facing him was that if these kids escape and go home, families often think they might be cursed, and so won’t take them in. Balde escaped nonetheless, and when his family rejected him, he was taken in by an uncle.
Eventually, he got to school at 12. Then at 14 he was recruited by a military junta – becoming a child soldier. He ended up in Egypt, where he first got a degree in English literature and then went on to complete a philosophy degree. He wanted to be a pilot, but instead, had to study the Koran. Subsequently, he was arrested for participating in protests, only to be expelled from Egypt. He tried to go to Portugal but could not get there, so instead took “The Moses Route” across the dangerous Sinai Peninsula. From there it was more trauma, more trafficking into forced soldiership, some time in a camp, and then on to Tel Aviv, where his fortune finally turned. This led ultimately to still another degree and a visa to enter the U.S.
Balde’s story is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by so many of our “New Mainer” neighbors in the journeys that eventually brought them to Portland. As Balde noted, “poverty is a multi-billion dollar industry”, one that capitalizes on desperation. We are lucky that he navigated so many treacherous paths to get here, and thank him for sharing his extraordinary story with us.
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE: Would You Like to Join Us in the Dominican Republic?
Roger Fagan has announced that the International Committee would like to invite any club member to join our team traveling to the Dominican Republic in January 2024. The goals of the trip are evaluation and treatment of hearing loss, fitting of prosthetic limbs created using 3D printers, and providing the gift of clean water and solar lights to sugar cane workers and their families.
Direct flight from Logan at 7:08 AM on Sat, January 6, 2024 to Punta Cana via JetBlue Flight 2895, staying at Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus, All Inclusive, a four star gated secure resort in Bayahibe La Romana.
For four days, we leave the resort after breakfast to go either to the Audio clinic, the prosthetic Clinic or to the batays where we work all day.
We return at the end of the day to relax in the pool, the ocean, at the bar or around the resort. At least one day will be for sightseeing or just relaxing. Some have elected to extend their stay.
The cost is approximately $3,300 for a single and $5,000 for a double room. Most have booked through JetBlue Vacations which includes airport transfers. We strongly recommend travel insurance in case of illness, travel delays, or lost luggage.
We will get together several times to ensure all are trained to perform their work. This is a great service trip, with lots of Rotary camaraderie and fun. We are currently looking for someone to lead the prosthetics project so if you are interested contact Erik Grevin, or Roger Fagan to get more information.
Speaker Schedule
August 25 - Barbara Walsh, Children's Book Author
September 1 - No Meeting - Labor Day Weekend
September 8 - Flags For Heroes Dedication at the Maine Mall
September 14 - Rotary Social - Sea Dogs Game, 6pm.
September 15- No Meeting (Sea Dog Social the night before!)
Club Executives President Dick Hall President Elect Patty Byers Vice President John Thompson TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Tom Nickerson Board of Directors Bruce Jones,
Ben Millick, Quinn Slayton, Zachary Newell,
David Ertz, Maggie McGauley Sergeant-At-ArmsJake Bourdeau
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
Contributing Editors Jake Bourdeau, Erik Jorgensen,
Julie L’Heureux, Ben Lowry,
Zach Newell, Bruce Moore,
Tom Nickerson, Dave Patterson,
Tom Talbott, Laura Young
Program Chair Doreen Rockstrom Managing Editor Tom Talbott
Wednesday Night Social - August 16th! Jake Bourdeau came up to tell us about our Club Social on Thur 8/16. New Venue - "The Fox and Fiddle Cafe" located at 317 Main Street, Yarmouth, aka the Main Community Music Center. 317 Main is newly renovated with a multi-million dollar expansion and the inclusion of a new indoor cafe and outdoor deck area, and a music hall. We are planning to have some light live music and the option to chat indoors or out on the new deck. You will have the option to tour the new facilities including the new music hall. The Fox & the Fiddle Café has beer, wine, sparking wine, and mixed drink collection as well as coffee, espresso drinks, tea and other options. Light food fare is also available. Going to be a fun one! The Yarmouth Rotary Club is joining in, led by their President and former Portland Rotarian Rick Snow. Join in - 5:30p-7p! 
PAUL HARRIS FELLOW: Rotary Foundation Chair Patty Byers presented Erik Jorgenson with a Paul Harris Fellow pin with four blue sapphires, an award given to recognize his generous and multiple contributions to the Rotary Foundation. (Photo Erik and Patty)
NEW MEMBER! A new Rotarian member, Corey A. Masson, was welcomed. He was introduced by Niki Curtis. Corey is the Founder and Chief Equanimity Officer of five Active Recovery Community Homes in Maine – four in Maine and one in New Hampshire. He has a distinguished career and leadership experience in community service.
BACKPACKS: Amy Chipman and the community service committee are filling 120 back to school backpacks. Along with help from the 
FLAGS MAKE IMPACT: Paul Tully reported for Charlie Frair with help from Cyrus Hagge about the Flags for Heroes campaign. Flag sponsors are still being collected. This program is our Rotary club’s major fund raiser. A hero can be any person who has made a positive impact on our own lives or a tribute to someone in the community. Cyrus invited volunteers to help caulk the bases for the 50 additional flags to be displayed in the Maine Mall exhibit. 
As a child, Balde lived with his family in the West African country of Guinea Bissau. There, tradition holds that young teens who are good students may be recruited to be “ambassadors of Islam” with the promise of education and a better future. The man who recruited him from his family turned out to be a charlatan, in fact a slave trafficker. Soon Balde found himself kidnapped and brought to Senegal, where he was made to beg for money in the service of the “scholar”. This was an organized activity, and kids who fell short of their financial goals were punished. (Photo Umara and Doreen Rockstrom)
Roger Fagan has announced that the International Committee would like to invite any club member to join our team traveling to the Dominican Republic in January 2024. The goals of the trip are evaluation and treatment of hearing loss, fitting of prosthetic limbs created using 3D printers, and providing the gift of clean water and solar lights to sugar cane workers and their families..png)
