This Week's Speaker: Laura Young - "A Journey of Impact- Rotary in Action in India
This Friday, we’ll hear from Laura Young about her District 7780 Outreach Trip to India, an experience that brought Rotary’s global impact vividly to life. Through visits to service projects, meetings with local Rotarians, and cultural exchanges, Laura gained a deeper appreciation for the powerful ways Rotary connects communities and creates meaningful change around the world.
She’ll share stories from this dynamic and rapidly growing District 3191, highlighting the generosity, hospitality, and innovation of the people she met along the way. Portland Rotary Club is proud to be stepping into an international partnership on a Women’s Empowerment Global Grant in India—an exciting opportunity to extend our impact even further. You’ll get an early look at this initiative and how our Club will play a role in supporting it. Join us for what promises to be an inspiring and eye-opening program!
Photo: The 7780 outreach team with First Lady Rehkah Sridhar at the
District 3191 event celebrating the 121st anniversary of Rotary. Included are Karen O’Rourke from Freeport, Laura Young from Portland, Marion Cheney from Dover, NH, and Jeff Slaton from Saco Bay.
THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH!
Great opportunity for ALL club members!
Learn more about the many wonders of Rotary,
and open the doors to a greater Rotary experience!
Co-President Laura Young called the meeting to order in a new room on the 7th Floor of the Glickman Library at USM. Roxanne Cole led the Club in the Pledge of Allegiance. Jerry Wall followed with a thoughtful message on service, calling it the highest expression of purpose. Service transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary impact and is the antidote to selfishness. Quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., he noted, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve,” and encouraged Rotarians to serve not for recognition, but because it is simply the right thing to do.
GUESTS: Brian Nickerson introduced a full roster of guests and visiting Rotarians. Among them were Roxanne Cole’s guest Rich Pattenaude; Justin Lamontagne’s guest Elliot Barry; Dick Hall’s guest Andrea Hall; and Tom Talbott’s guest Reggie Groff. The Club welcomed visiting Rotarians Nancy and Scott Irving from the SoPo/Cape Club.
SPECIAL ROTARY MOMENT: Niki Merrill delivered a heartfelt Rotary Moment, sharing how the Club has become an important part of her life. She spoke about finding belonging, support, and purpose through Rotary, and how the relationships within the Club helped her rediscover her ability to give back to her community. There may not have been a dry eye in the room.
YOUTH SERVICE AWARD: Josh Addo formally presented the Youth Services award to Owen Blades. Counselor Annemarie Orth shared reflections on Owen’s growth, leadership, and quiet commitment to service. Owen offered thoughtful remarks of appreciation and selected the Maine Cancer Foundation to receive his $100 charitable donation from the Portland Rotary Club.
WESTBROOK-GORHAM 100TH: The Club unanimously approved a commemorative statement honoring the 100th anniversary of the Westbrook-Gorham Rotary Club. Originally chartered in 1926 as the Rotary Club of Westbrook, and sponsored by Portland Rotary, the Club has grown to serve a broader region, including Gorham, while exemplifying Rotary’s enduring spirit of service, leadership, and fellowship. Congratulations to our good neighbor!
FOUNDATION FITNESS: Jerry Wall (photo) provided an update on the Rotary Foundation, encouraging members to help the Club meet—and exceed—its giving goals before the June 30 close of the Rotary year. He also invited participation in the Circle of Giving.
SERVICE CAMP CLEANUP: Bill Blount seeks volunteers for the Camp Sebago Clean Up Day, helping our club member Keith Jache -Salvation Army Pastor. Bill noted that multiple people in our Club are on the Salvation Army’s local advisory board. Most tasks will involve raking, trimming, sweeping, light prep Lunch will be provided, but please contact Keith Jache to sign up by April 24th, so they have a good lunch count. campsebago@use.salvationarmy.org
SOUND OF MUSIC ON THE WAY: Amy Chipman announced that at the April 24th meeting, members are in for something special. Following the regular meeting, the New England Fiddlers Ensemble will perform at Hannaford Hall, featuring musicians of all ages and a lively, fun-filled program. And yes, Amy is one of the fiddlers!
SO CLOSE..YET NO: Jake Bourdeau ran the weekly raffle, now up to $115. Bill Blount had another shot at the pot, but the Queen of Hearts continues to hide, and the jackpot lives to see another week.
SERVICE + SOCIAL= GOOD TIME: Jake Bourdeau previewed an upcoming Club social on April 15 at 5:30 pm. Members will gather for a spring cleanup at Trolley Park near Riverside Street with fresh air, light work, and good company included. Afterward, the group plans to head nearby for food, beverages, and camaraderie. For those feeling extra ambitious, there may also be an opportunity to help with light work at a Little League Field adjacent to the park.
Last Week's Program: Reid Byers - Imaginary Books Exist |by Tom Talbott
Roxane Cole introduced our speaker, Reid Byers, American writer and a best-selling non-fiction author, biblio file, and collector. Reid proceeded with a unique presentation that explored an unusual but thoughtful idea: collecting things that don’t physically exist. The speaker focused on “imaginary collections,” showing that collecting doesn’t always require tangible objects—sometimes it starts with simple lists.
We needed some examples to start to understand what he meant. people who collect amusing character names, retro terms like “landline phone,” “brick and mortar store”, “conventional oven” or fictional items such as plants, games, and creatures written about in books – but don’t really exist. These collections are built through writing things down and organizing them, not by actually owning them. The point: the act of collecting is more about curiosity and structure than possession.
There are advantages of this type of collecting. First, it can be done anywhere—no special tools or space required. Second, it costs almost nothing. Third, with enough depth, even an imaginary collection can lead to real outputs like books or exhibits, as we would soon see.
Take imaginary ships. These can be collected in multiple ways—through lists, written descriptions, images, models, or even books where those ships appear. The key takeaway is that a collection can exist on different levels, from simple to highly detailed, depending on how far the collector wants to go. The Nautilus. Red October, USS Kane.
That brought us to Reid’s imaginary books. First are “lost books,” which once existed but no longer survive. A good example is an early novel by Ernest Hemingway that was lost and never recovered. Second are “unfinished books,” such as Byron’s memoirs, which were deliberately destroyed after his death. Third are purely fictional books that exist only within other stories, like the book Alice encounters in Through the Looking-Glass.
A key concept is the “book of origin”—the real work where the imaginary item is mentioned. This is what connects the imaginary to reality and allows it to be collected in a meaningful way.
Reid described how his early efforts included lists and visual representations, but over time he moved toward creating physical versions of imaginary books—objects that represent something that technically doesn’t exist. This sits in a middle ground between imagination and reality.
Reid gave credit to Jeff Allpeter, a Boston book binder. When a gallery is putting a very rare book on display, it’s often a forgery done by Jeff! Martha Ley, did many of the labels, and Margo Dittmer, a world class calligrapher added her skills, both who live in Portland.
After some questions, we were treated to a bonus presentation and tour of these one-of-a kind imaginary books on display. Being magical, they cannot be physically touched or opened, however the imagination can!
Has Rotary Plus been successful at eliminating Polio? Polio is endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Recent outbreaks in previously polio-free areas and detections of poliovirus in sewage across several European countries demonstrate that polio remains a threat to children everywhere.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES!
April's notables were recognized, highlighting years of dedication and service within the Club. April B'Days- JC Chavev 4/11, and Keith Jache 4/13. Anniversaries range from Mike Ross 2 years, Tim Donnellon 12, Jan Chapman 14, Dave Seddon 22, Tom Nickerson 23, Mike Reed 33, Roxane Cole 35, and Dick Hall 42!
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATION: 1st Notice: New applicant, Reggie Groff, a Portland resident, and known to us for producing a number of excellent promotional videos in support of our club, is sponsored by Tom Talbott. Owner of Groff Video, Reggie's hobbies include toy collecting, dancing, painting portraits, and movies. After a second announcement the applications will move to the Board of Directors for a vote.If any Portland Rotarian would like to offer a comment please contact Laura Young or Bowen Depke. It will be shared with the Board prior to a vote on the application.
Speaker Schedule
April 15 (Wednesday) Trolley Park Cleanup with Social Afterwards 5:30pm
April 17 - No Meeting
April 24 - Fiddle Music with the New England Fiddle Ensemble
May 1 - Amber Caron, Wreaths Across America
May 8 - Our Famed "New Members" Meeting
May 14 - Club Social
May 15- No Meeting
May 16 - EPIC Day of Service (Saturday)
May 22 - No Meeting (Memorial Day)
May 29 - Bill Merchant, Revolution Fitness
Club Executives
Co-Presidents Bowen Depke, Laura Young President Elect Justin Lamontagne Vice President Jake Bourdeau Treasurer Dick Hall Secretary Niki Merrill Board of Directors Dick Hall, Patty Byers,
Art Howe, Niki Merrill, Bill Milliken, Bruce Moore
Sergeant-At-Arms Zach Newell
The Windjammer
is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
SPECIAL ROTARY MOMENT: Niki Merrill delivered a heartfelt Rotary Moment, sharing how the Club has become an important part of her life. She spoke about finding belonging, support, and purpose through Rotary, and how the relationships within the Club helped her rediscover her ability to give back to her community. There may not have been a dry eye in the room.
FOUNDATION FITNESS: Jerry Wall (photo) provided an update on the Rotary Foundation, encouraging members to help the Club meet—and exceed—its giving goals before the June 30 close of the Rotary year. He also invited participation in the Circle of Giving.
SOUND OF MUSIC ON THE WAY: Amy Chipman announced that at the April 24th meeting, members are in for something special. Following the regular meeting, the New England Fiddlers Ensemble will perform at Hannaford Hall, featuring musicians of all ages and a lively, fun-filled program. And yes, Amy is one of the fiddlers!
SERVICE + SOCIAL= GOOD TIME: Jake Bourdeau previewed an upcoming Club social on April 15 at 5:30 pm. Members will gather for a spring cleanup at Trolley Park near Riverside Street with fresh air, light work, and good company included. Afterward, the group plans to head nearby for food, beverages, and camaraderie. For those feeling extra ambitious, there may also be an opportunity to help with light work at a Little League Field adjacent to the park.
Has Rotary Plus been successful at eliminating Polio? Polio is endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Recent outbreaks in previously polio-free areas and detections of poliovirus in sewage across several European countries demonstrate that polio remains a threat to children everywhere.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES!
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATION: 1st Notice: New applicant, Reggie Groff, a Portland resident, and known to us for producing a number of excellent promotional videos in support of our club, is sponsored by Tom Talbott. Owner of Groff Video, Reggie's hobbies include toy collecting, dancing, painting portraits, and movies. After a second announcement the applications will move to the Board of Directors for a vote.If any Portland Rotarian would like to offer a comment please contact Laura Young or Bowen Depke. It will be shared with the Board prior to a vote on the application.