Born and educated in Nantes, France, Régine arrived in Maine in 1974, as the first Amity Aide at Mt Ararat School in Topsham. There, she met her husband, David Whittlesey, an English teacher. In 1980, her husband joined the Foreign Service, which started their international life. Throughout various diplomatic posts around the world, in Iceland, Morocco, Washington DC, Bangladesh and Switzerland, Régine has taught in private, public, international, and immersion schools. She also volunteered with the American Women Association to help women and children in the slums of Rabat and Dhaka.
Teaching French is her passion, even after her retirement in 2020 from Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport. After raising four perfectly bilingual children, Régine continues to help children and adults become bilingual or keep up with their French heritage, hence her interest in Alliance Française du Maine which she helped create some ten years ago.
Alliance Française encourages rich exchanges between all the francophone communities who share, if not the same culture, at least the same language. After serving as President, stayed as a Board Director, happy and honored to help build Francophone exchanges, based on fraternity and tolerance.
BITS AND PIECES | by David Patterson
President Patty rang us in, David Small led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Juliana L’Heureux provided the Thought Of The Day in poetic form.
RAFFLE RECAP: Bill Milliken showed us the deck was right as rain with the Queen of Hearts buried inside, but it eluded the attempt of Brian “Nick” Nickerson to win $473. Next week's pot is already heating up at $489. Just remember: you’ve gotta be in it to win it!
ROTARY GUESTS: This week we were joined by Adam Hakizimana guest of Niki Merrill, Amy McCallum (Justin Lamontagne), and Reid Byers, a man who needs no introduction.
YOUTH SERVICES UPDATE:
Dave Patterson gave a rapid-fire update from the Youth Services Committee — and wow, there’s a lot going on:
• Summer Reading Program will take place at the Boys & Girls Club downtown. Heads-up: street parking will likely be the norm, so plan accordingly.
• The May Reading Event is nearly full, with 15 of 17 spots already claimed. Interested in reading? Don’t wait — sign up now.
• RYLA Summer Camp has 7 participants confirmed — a noticeable jump from years past. Big kudos to Bill Ross for his ongoing support.
• Youth Service Awards are in the works, with one planned at Waynflete in May and another at Casco Bay pending final scheduling.
EPIC DAY OF SERVICE: Mark your calendars: there's an Epic Day of Service coming up on a Sunday May 18th, 10am-12noon, starting and finishing at the home of Justin Lamontagne – 922 Baxter Boulevard, Portland. Expect to enjoy a fun and helpful event with community, connection, and hands-on service. No Club Meeting on Fri, May 16th, so make Sunday count!
DISTRICT CONFERENCE!
The District Conference is on May 31st. It's a great opportunity to celebrate the past year, connect with other clubs, and look ahead. It takes place at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport. Below are the links to the promotional video and the registration. Please note that registration is limited to 130 Rotarians for the conference so sign up today! PROMOTIONAL VIDEO LINKREGISTRATION LINK
FLAGS FOR HEROES: Charlie Frair and his FFHs team have been meeting weekly and moving mountains. He gave a heartfelt shoutout to the powerhouse team behind the scenes. Paul Tully, Tom Talbott, Roxane Cole, Cort Hepler, Bev Uhlenhake, Bill Milliken, Jim Vicenzi, Dick Hall, Bruce Jones, and Patty Byers. The website is now live, and individual hero sponsorships have begun. www.flagsforheroesmaine.com
Corporations have already pledged $20,000+, and more is coming. Members are encouraged to sponsor their heroes — be it a teacher, mentor, nurse, or friend. Sponsor packets with instructions are available at meetings, and analog options are also offered for those less tech-savvy. Fun Touch: Anyone who sponsors a hero gets a special heroes “H” pin added to their name tag.
IN THE PHILIPPINES: Dick Hall, a member of the Rotary International Nominating Committee landed safely in the Philippines/Rotary District 3790. Dick is part of a 17 member committee that will be nominating the next Rotary International President. We’re very proud of Dick to have earned this prestigious position of responsibility.Enjoy the moment - Dick and Andi Hall!
If you want to follow along, check out their Facebook page:
IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Portland Rotarians are all over the world this week! Roger Fagan is now in the Dominican Republic, leading the way on the Hearing Project. He sent back a photo of his "youngest patient".
RECOVERY TASK FORCE MEETING: Jan Chapman invited everyone to attend our Recovery Task Force meeting at 11:00 amthis coming Friday. Learn about Mental Health First Aid training from Mason Cashman/Sweetser. Mason will answer questions and discuss training options.
HAPPY DOLLARS: Larry Gross is heading off to Spain and Italy and in the process connecting with Greg Hansel, Mike Fortunato and Bruce Jones. For good measure Dick Hall wished Roger Fagan the best of luck in his trip to the Dominican Republic/ Hearing Program.
SEBAGO CLEAN: Jim Willeyreminded us to set the date of April 26th, 9 AM - 5 PM for a special Camp Sebago spring cleaning with the Salvation Army. Join us along with Rotarian members from Standish, Westbrook-Gorham, and Cape Elizabeth-South Portland Rotary clubs. Bring work gloves!
LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: Sarah Peskin, Frances Perkins Center /America’s Newest National Monument |
By Eric Jorgensen
We heard from Sarah Peskin, a trustee of the Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle, the nation’s newest national monument. Perkins was the first female member of a presidential cabinet. According to Peskin, a national monument “is not a statue”– but a unit of the National Park Service. The site is Newcastle summer home where Perkins spent time throughout her life.
Frances Perkins is the person we can thank for an extraordinary number of measures that have improved the workplace for everyone. These include safety standards, unemployment insurance, minimum wage laws, social security, and more.
There’s an argument that can be made for Perkins as being near the top of American History as a “self-made creation.” Born in 1880 to a family from Maine, she grew up in Worcester, MA before matriculating at Mount Holyoke College. She was inspired in her life’s work of helping the poor by How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis. That, and a visit to see child labor happening in Holyoke changed her life. She was highly influenced by the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire where an unsafe working environment was made exponentially worse by locked exits that prevented escape when the fire broke out. She worked from Franklin Roosevelt in New York's State government believing that strong laws could prevent such tragedies from happening, and led the charge to reform workplace safety, and codes.
Perkins followed FDR to Washington. She was not eager to become first woman cabinet secretary, she had a disabled husband and huge family responsibilities. Still, she accepted the post when offered, going on to be one of the most influential and productive cabinet secretaries of all time.
The new National Monument is situated in 50 acres in Newcastle, where Perkins summered and lived off and on until her death in 1965. It was originally her grandmother’s house. The homestead was designated a National Historic Landmark, then it became a National Monument on December 16th, 2024, under the Antiquities Act. It has required considerable restoration, which continues, including a new foundation for the barn.
The site will open formally as a National Park Service unit starting on June 19th. The buildings will be open for visitation starting in June, but trails and the grounds have been open more generally year round, with walking trails.
Photo: Patty, Sarah, and Doreen.
Speaker Schedule
May 2- Ava Kabouchy - Award Winning Travel Photographer
May 9 - "New Members Meeting!" Fun meeting run by the newbies!
May 16- No Meeting
May 18 (Sunday) Epic Day of Service and Social at Back Cove
May 23 - No Meeting - Memorial Day Weekend
May 30 - Joshua Brister - Maine Black Chamber of Commerce
Club Executives
President Patty Byers President Elect John Thompson Vice President Justin Lamontagne TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Tom Nickerson Board of Directors Dick Hall,
Born and educated in Nantes, France, Régine arrived in Maine in 1974, as the first Amity Aide at Mt Ararat School in Topsham. There, she met her husband, David Whittlesey, an English teacher. In 1980, her husband joined the Foreign Service, which started their international life. Throughout various diplomatic posts around the world, in Iceland, Morocco, Washington DC, Bangladesh and Switzerland, Régine has taught in private, public, international, and immersion schools. She also volunteered with the American Women Association to help women and children in the slums of Rabat and Dhaka.
YOUTH SERVICES UPDATE:
DISTRICT CONFERENCE! 
FLAGS FOR HEROES: Charlie Frair and his FFHs team have been meeting weekly and moving mountains. He gave a heartfelt shoutout to the powerhouse team behind the scenes. Paul Tully, Tom Talbott, Roxane Cole, Cort Hepler, Bev Uhlenhake, Bill Milliken, Jim Vicenzi, Dick Hall, Bruce Jones, and Patty Byers. The website is now live, and individual hero sponsorships have begun. 
RECOVERY TASK FORCE MEETING: Jan Chapman invited everyone to attend our Recovery Task Force meeting at 
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