Associated with the Portland Conservatory of Music, the group consists of five musicians, thus a “quintet.” Their interpretations of jazz at the holidays will offer a unique and sophisticated alternative to traditional Christmas music. We will hear carols with a “festive twist,” that will include improvisation, and maybe some swing and blues. Still emphasizing and capturing the spirit of the holiday, JAZZ TETE will breathe new life into many songs we’ve heard before including “Winter Wonderland” and “A Child is Born,” giving the songs in their repertoire a special spin on Christmas tunes.

 

Meet the group! Chris Kuchuris, guitar, a retired philosophy professor and a Board member at the Portland Conservatory of Music; John W. Wiecha, piano, a retired medical educator; Glenn Israel, on drums, a Shareholder and Deputy General Counsel at Bernstein; Chris Ekman,  (mostly) retired, dusted off his saxophone; and Arnie McDonald, on bass, an almost retired lawyer from Freeport. Great week to bring a guest!

UPDATE ON GLOBAL GRANT: President Patty Byers Reports
Two months ago, we requested time to re-evaluate our plans to submit a Global Grant to create a Rotary Hearing Clinic in the Dominican Republic.  This week, the International Services Team met and decided that we will no longer be submitting a Global Grant to fund the clinic.  Instead, we have decided to ‘right size’ the project and build a hearing clinic that better fits our budget and management capabilities. To that end, we will pursue the creation of the hearing clinic as an outreach project of our club.
 
We will leverage 25 years of work by Drs. Roger and Liz Fagan by outfitting a permanent facility to provide year-round dedicated clinic space for the hearing impaired, including outreach to the Bateyes. Total cost $28k.

An audiology testing booth (effective, but smaller than originally budgeted in the Global Grant) can test patients and hearing aids in a quiet environment and will provide a clinical audiometer and middle ear impedance to evaluate hearing and middle ear function. When finished, the Fagans will no longer have to transport suitcases of equipment with them to the DR. The new facility will attract other visiting audiologists, students of audiology, and trained technicians supplementing the Fagan’s work throughout the year.  
 
The project also provides screening to identify hearing loss in Bateyes school children, a new iteration of the project. Portland Rotary continues to support Roger and Liz in their work, and we know you do, too.

 

BACKPACKS FILLED: Meeting down at the Portland Recovery Community  Center last Saturday, an enthusiastic and efficient crew filled 75 backpacks in record time! Toothpaste/brushes, skin cream, hats, gloves, assorted snacks, pens/paper pads, and other useful items were placed into new knapsacks, ready to be distributed to those who participate in recovery programs at the Center. Organized by Bruce Moore and Jan Chapman, (Jan took the photo) with assistance from (L-R) Tom Talbott, Bruce, Jim Vicenzi, Katharine Wall, Tom Ranello, Jerry Wall, and Roger Fagan.

December 27 -  Happy Holidays - No Club Meeting

January 3 - Julie Poulin -Director Development, Animal Rescue League

January 10 - Stephanie McFeeters, Deputy Director, The Maine Monitor

January 16 - Thursday Night Social - Happy Hour at Roger and Liz Fagan's!

January 17 - No Club Meeting

January 24 - Elizabeth McClellan, Founder/Pres, Partners For World Health

January 31 - Margaret Groban - Understanding 2nd Amendment