We will get a little exercise, walk the park, and pick up some trash for a service project. Afterward, approx 6:45, we'll head over to the nearby Allagash Brewery for food, beverages, and camaraderie. Rain or shine, unless it's really coming down!
Riverton Trolley Park was established in 1896. At the turn of the century, the Park was one of Portland's premier attractions. It was established in 1896 and operated until 1929. The park, which was served by a trolley that departed from Monument Square, contained a casino, an amphitheater, dance hall, and a wildlife petting zoo.
BITS AND PIECES | By Zach Newell
With Co-President Bowen Depke at the helm, Bruce Jones kicked our meeting off with some thoughts on the Four Way Test and the upcoming Tax Day. Anna Klein-Christian led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
PAUL HARRIS FELLOW:Great way to kick off a meeting! It was a special moment as our Club Foundation Chairman Jerry Wall called Mark Millar up to the front. We recognized Mark not only as a Paul Harris Fellow, but for his fifth such award, a testament to his ongoing generosity to The Rotary Foundation. Jerry presented Mark with his fourth Paul Harris award. Congratulations, Mark, and thank you for all you do for Rotary! Mark on the left, Jerry on the right!
MATCHING POLIO:Speaking of the Foundation, Bowen provided a reminder that right now there is a tremendous matching opportunity for Polio fundraising via a combo of Rotary District funds and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A $100 donation is matched to become $600. Keep an eye out for details on how to utilize this match. ASK JERRY!
FIDDLES! Amy Chipman announced the New England Fiddle Ensemble will perform for us at our April 24th meeting. First a quick lunch and business meeting upstairs in our usual meeting space, and then we'll head downstairs to Hannaford Hall, an outstanding venue on the first floor of the Abromson Building. Amy noted that 12 fiddlers will be on hand to entertain us. Make a note that the full ensemble will have a concert on Sunday, June 7th at 2:00 PM at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center.
CAMP SEBAGO CLEANUP - Jim Willey invited us of one of our great annual hands-on service opportunities - Helping to get the Salvation Army Camp Sebago cleaned up and ready for the season. May 9th, 9:00am. Our club has long supported this program, and if you can help for a few hours, you'll see first hand what your support has created over the years. It's a beautiful 150 acre property with "endless waterfront and cabins". Come and stay as long as you wish, and a light lunch will be provided. Let Jim or Bill Blount know if you can participate so we have a head count. Even better, email Keith Jache, Portland Rotary and Salvation Army Chaplain at campsebago@use.salvationarmy.org
EPIC DAY OF SERVICE: Jan Chapman told us that On May 16th, every Rotary Club in the District will have a local community project. Our club is partnering with the Portland Recovery Community Center on a massive sweep to clean up the streets and parks of Portland. Those details wlll follow, but for now make a BIG mark on your calendar to meet at 9am at the Salvation Army parking lot, 88 Preble Street, Portland. Coffee, donuts, pizza will be served. This will be an EPIC DAY of SERVICE, and we need everyone who is able! Yes, family members more than welcome and encouraged. It's also a great day to invite someone you know who might be interested in Rotary. This is what we do!
WESTBROOK-GORHAM 100TH:
Portland Rotarians Laura Young, Dick Hall, and Tom Talbott enjoyed a fun dinner celebration over at the Westbrook-Gorham Rotary this past week, toasting their 100th Anniversary. Pictured here, Laura presented a Commemorative Statement in the form of a nice plaque she made for the occasion to the Westbrook-Gorham club's Vice-President, Eli Small. Eli is the son of our club's David Small! It was a very nice program, MC'd by Christine Johnson. A delicious dinner was prepared and served by the Westbrook HS Regional Vocational Center/Culinary Arts program. Happy 100th, and many more!
CARD UPDATE: The pot stood at $121. Ellen Niewoehner drew from the deck but pulled the Jack of Spades, meaning the prize grows larger and rolls over to the next meeting.
HAPPY DOLLARS:We heard wonderful updates about the next generation, including a daughter attending medical school orientation and a son whose short film was accepted into the Boston International Film Festival! Love is also in the air with a member celebrating two sons getting married this year. We cheered for a resilient two-year-old grandson's continued good health (sparking a generous promised donation), and celebrated grandparents stepping up as "surrogate parents" for a grandson returning from Thailand for college.
LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: Laura Young and Jeff Slayton - India Rotary Outreach Trip Presentation
Laura Young is back from India! Our partnership between our District 7780 and District 3191 (State of Karnataka, India) led to this trip, which involved a close look at the area around the city of Bengaluru. This area is widely regarded as “the Silicon Valey of India”. Formerly known as Bangalore, Bengaluru is a city of 14 million, and it provided a vivid illustration of the power of Rotary as a worldwide institution. The world’s fastest-growing Rotary districts are in India, and Rotary there enjoys a level of prestige and impact that many of the US clubs can only dream of.
Laura has traveled widely, but this Rotary trip experience was unique. She traveled with Jeff Slayton, a member of the Saco Bay Club who joined her for the presentation, and Marion Cheney from the Dover, NH club.
Food and hospitality are extremely important in India, and their hosts introduced the US delegation to both local customs and regional food. Everywhere they went they received food gifts and Rotary flags. In the true spirit of cultural exchange, Laura introduced her hosts to scrambled eggs, which were not part of the local cuisine. The delegation visited palaces, civic institutions, hospitals, and enjoyed the excitement of navigating the city’s traffic by tuk-tuk. They spent some time with District Governor Sridhar and his wife.
What Laura described as the “best day ever” started with breakfast served on a banana leaf, followed by an opportunity to attend an Indian wedding. A local Rotarian’s daughter was getting married in a weeklong series of special events involving gifts, foot washing, dramatic ritual, and even a village festival where Laura and Jeff were in a parade.
In addition to the rich cultural exchange, Laura noted that four grants came out of this work funds from Jeff’s club matched twice for equipment at an eye hospital; the Freeport club partnered in a grant to support a dialysis equipment project; and our club undertook a women’s empowerment project through which women living in need each received a milk-yielding cow, providing them with an immediate and sustainable source of income. The fourth project involved bathroom construction at a tribal village.
Their return was made complicated by the start of the war in the Middle East, and though for a while it appeared thay might never leave India, they did get out after a short delay, arriving back in the United States with a renewed appreciation for both the remarkable communities they visited and the power of Rotary to build understanding across cultures
Photo: Jeff Slayton, Saco Bay Rotary with Laura Young, with Bowen Depke
Maine’s own PDG Michael K. McGovern is Rotary’s International PolioPlus Chair and was a speaker on the “Polio Today – A Shared Responsibility” panel that was part of the "United to Finish the Job" event held alongside the 80th United Nations General Session.
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATION:2nd 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 this announcement the application 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 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.
Jake Bordeau gave us the rundown on next week’s social. Wednesday April 15 at 5:30 pm., we will gather for a spring cleanup at 
CAMP SEBAGO CLEANUP - Jim Willey invited us of one of our great annual hands-on service opportunities - Helping to get the Salvation Army Camp Sebago cleaned up and ready for the season. May 9th, 9:00am. Our club has long supported this program, and if you can help for a few hours, you'll see first hand what your support has created over the years. It's a beautiful 150 acre property with "endless waterfront and cabins". Come and stay as long as you wish, and a light lunch will be provided. Let Jim or Bill Blount know if you can participate so we have a head count. Even better, email Keith Jache, Portland Rotary and Salvation Army Chaplain at 
EPIC DAY OF SERVICE: Jan Chapman told us that On May 16th, every Rotary Club in the District will have a local community project. Our club is partnering with the Portland Recovery Community Center on a massive sweep to clean up the streets and parks of Portland. Those details wlll follow, but for now make a BIG mark on your calendar to meet at 9am at the Salvation Army parking lot, 88 Preble Street, Portland. Coffee, donuts, pizza will be served. This will be an EPIC DAY of SERVICE, and we need everyone who is able! Yes, family members more than welcome and encouraged. It's also a great day to invite someone you know who might be interested in Rotary. This is what we do! 
WESTBROOK-GORHAM 100TH:
Maine’s own PDG Michael K. McGovern is Rotary’s International PolioPlus Chair and was a speaker on the “Polio Today – A Shared Responsibility” panel that was part of the "United to Finish the Job" event held alongside the 80th United Nations General Session.
NEW MEMBER NOTIFICATION: 2nd Notice