WELCOME NEW MEMBERS AND GUESTS! Our Rotary family continues to grow! We had a distinguished guest list today, starting with our current District Governor Emma Bodwell, and Past DG Carolyn Johnson.

The best thing any club can get is more Rotarians! Due to recent sizing challenges, the 4 members of the Falmouth Club have officially made the difficult decision to discharge their charter but look forward to being a part of the Portland club. Please welcome Roger Berube, Anne Sarazin, Bill Pike, and Sean Joyce. Note that Sean was originally in the Portland Club, and was instrumental in the founding of Falmouth. Over the years, the Falmouth club was very active, particularly with their work with the Falmouth Food Pantry, where they will continue to serve. Let’s be sure to pitch in! We’ll have a more formal ceremony in the coming weeks.  

Next, Roxane Cole had the honor of introducing Dee Dee Fusco as our newest member. Dee Dee is an active Rotarian transferring from the Sarasota Sunrise Club in Florida. She works as the Director of Planned Giving for the University of Southern Maine Foundation. Fun fact: while born in D.C., her father is from St. Francis, Maine, giving her true Maine roots! Dee Dee was excited to relate to us that she enjoys fundraising and has some interesting ideas from her Florida club – music to our ears! Welcome, Dee Dee!

POT LUCK: The raffle pot currently stands at $179. Nicky Merrill drew the card this week but didn't quite shake things up enough, pulling the 5 of Clubs. Better luck next week, everyone!

FLAGS FOR HEROES FLYING HIGH!  Charlie Frair provided an exciting update on our Flags for Heroes initiative. Our fundraising goal was $20,000, and we officially wrapped up a few days ago at just north of $21,000 with 204 heroes sponsored! This is the fifth year in a row we have exceeded our goal, congratulations!   Charlie expanded on the upcoming events, and that we definitely need more volunteers.

WEAR your YELLOW “Rotarians At Work” T-shirt! 

Sunday July 5^th – Sea Dogs Game –Flags On The Field Presentation – You’ll have to buy a ticket thru the Sea Dogs website now.  Meet at 11:15 inside the stadium, down by the Picnic Pavillion area. 

Sunday July 5^th – Maine Mall Set Up – Be there at 5:45, Mall doors close at 6pm. We should be done by 7:30 – All hands welcome!

Wednesday July 29^th – 250 Flag Salute /America’s Birthday!  4:45pm sharp, Pedro Field. See above

FOUNDATION REPORT – RECORD BREAKING!  Our Club Foundation Chair Jerry Walls stepped up to give us a phenomenal end-of-year statistics report. When asked earlier this year what our goal should be, Jerry kept it at the previous year's goal of $18,000.

Portland Rotarians absolutely smashed that target, raising a grand total of $26,600—more than tripling our expectations!

Per Capita Giving: Our club averaged $221 per person, handily beating the district average of $187. This speaks volumes about the giving capacity and generosity of our 86 members.

Jerry proposed bringing back the "S" designation on member badges to easily recognize our Sustaining Members ($100/year). We also currently have 10 members eligible for the Paul Harris Society ($1,000/year), 7 living major donors, and 6 Bequest Society members.

CIRCLE OF FIVE – PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS: Congratulations to our members recognized today through our multi-year giving circles ($200/year for 5 years). All five members in a circle will receive a Paul Harris Fellow Award during the five-year span. This year’s recipients are: Amy Chipman, Charlie Frair, Bruce Moore, Larry Gross, Tom Nickerson, Tom Ranello.  That’s how we do it - Jerry, Charlie, Amy, Bruce, Paul, Larry, Tom! Also receiving PHF’s included Jake Bourdeau and Mike Ross both +1, Scott Blakeslee +2 and Bruce Jones and Justin Lamontagne, both +4. Photo: Jerry, Jake, Justin, Bruce- Thank you all for your contributions to the Rotary Foundation! AWARDS AND RECOGNITION: District Recognition: Portland Rotary was presented with a Top 12 Engagement Recognition Award (out of 39 clubs in the district) from our District Governor Emma Bodwell. Word is that we were officially placed 4^th! 

We received lovely notes of gratitude this week from several organizations:                                                                                                        - Hope Acts, thanking us for the generous grant presented by Laura Young at our last meeting.                                                                                   -  Good Shepherd Food Bank for a $100 donation made in honor of Gracie, our June Student of the Month.                                                           -  BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health) for a $100 donation in the name of our student award winners, supporting their vision for healing and justice.

LAST WEEKS SPEAKER:  Bowen Depke, Co-President, Year in Review!  | by Larry Gross

Reflecting on a year of outstanding accomplishments by the Portland Rotary Club, Bowen Depke, speaking for himself and Laura Young, described how they approached their unexpected co-presidency after John Thompson resigned to take over an out-of-state business. Although returning to club leadership after several years away was challenging, the arrangement worked well because they divided responsibilities according to their strengths. Bowen focused on financial and technical matters, while Laura handled Rotary International, district relations, and several committees. Constant communication kept them coordinated throughout the year.

One of their first priorities was addressing the club’s finances. They inherited a budget with a significant deficit and reduced it by half, allowing the remaining shortfall to be covered through the club’s endowment. With Dick Hall’s guidance and Ian Nagle’s leadership, the treasurer’s responsibilities were restructured, shifting greater financial accountability to committees while streamlining operations, automating administrative tasks, and aligning spending with the club’s priorities of sustainability and hands-on service. Photo: Dick and Ian.

Another major challenge was finding a new meeting location after the Portland Elks Club ended its hosting arrangement. Following a member survey and evaluation of several options, the club selected the University of Southern Maine. Laura, Zach Newell, and Justin Lamontagne led the transition while resolving food service and parking issues.

Bowen thanked the committee chairs and volunteers whose dedication made the year successful. He recognized Program co-chairs Dave Putnam, Roxane Cole, and Doreen Rockstrom, along with Meeting Day co-chairs Katharine Wall and Jan Chapman, for their outstanding work. He gave special recognition to Niki Merrill for stepping into the Club Secretary role on short notice while modernizing club administration and meal registration. Tom Talbott’s relentless energy kept internal and external communications front and center, while David Patterson and Dick Hall enhanced the club website, including the addition of the attractive and functional Flags for Heroes pages. Tom asked for the team of reporters to stand and be recognized.

Membership remained a top priority, as retention continues to be one of Rotary’s greatest challenges. Co-chairs Bruce Jones and Bev Uhlenhake revitalized the Membership Committee by creating mentoring guides, finalizing a corporate membership model, improving marketing materials, and streamlining the application process. Their efforts resulted in 22 new individual and corporate members while only six members departed. Bowen also recognized Jerry Wall for leading the Foundation Committee and helping the club exceed ambitious fundraising goals across multiple Foundation categories.

To summarize the year, Bowen compared the club to a spear. The spearhead represents the service committees, the shaft symbolizes fundraising that extends the club’s reach, and the handle represents the board and committees that provide direction. Every member’s contribution of time, talent, or treasure makes remarkable local and international service possible. Above, great photo of Bowen with his spear.

Bowen concluded by reminding members that fundraising, fellowship, and social events are byproducts of Rotary’s commitment to Service Above Self.

Looking ahead, he noted the club will need members to step into leadership roles as Tom Talbott, Jake Bourdeau, and Bill Milliken assume expanded responsibilities within the club and district. Who will organize socials, guide the Windjammer, or coordinate the Lobster Raffle? Bowen encouraged every member to ask Incoming President Justin Lamontagne one simple question:

"How can I be of service?"

Thank you, Bowen and Laura, for guiding our club through a challenging and inspiring year. Well done! With that, Bowen proceeded to hand the gavel over to our incoming President, Justin Lamontagne, who rang us out! Pictured: Incoming Portland President Justin, Current District Governor Emma Bodwell, Past District Governor Carolyn Johnson, and another excellent photo of Bowen Depke.