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Community ACEs Training 101

Posted by Karen Chasse on Jan 11, 2019

Dear Rotarians,

As this goes hand-in-hand with our Red Ribbon Committee focus on our local youth, I would like to have at least a handful of Rotarians attend this training. As a community, we need all partners involved to build resilience among our youth, especially as many are affected by the opioid epidemic. The Biddeford School Department is working on putting together an evening event on January 24 with a focus on student trauma. Brittany Ray specializes in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and is working with us in Biddeford to become trauma-informed but it takes more than just teachers to nurture relationships with students.

This conversation is designed for principals, school committee members, state elected officials, city council, community groups, police departments, etc. Participants will learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the corresponding policy changes most needed in our schools and communities in order for students to thrive. We know this is a quick turn around, but Brittany is in town working with Biddeford and the charge for her presentation would be zero. Please see the attached flyer, share as appropriate, and let me know if you are willing to attend. As this is a training relevant to Red Ribbon, it will fall under a make-up/service hours meeting.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WJwpUjO1tDT_qwq1vRSqgJwtSx1Urs4ou8wbJZcGBo/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you,

Karen

Week in Review 1/9/2019

Posted by Sabine McElrath on Jan 09, 2019

Adam P. lead our club in reciting the four-way test

Karen Chasse - invocation

Guests:

Reegan Hebert

Jim Labelle

Joe Moreshead announced that he will be presenting an AED machine purchased by the club to McArthur Library this afternoon. One AED machine has already been donated to Dyer Library in Saco.

Denis Elie is heading the nominating Committee that will select the president elect, vice President elect, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, and two directors elect.

Our weekly meeting on January 30will take place at the Biddeford middle school.

Conrad Wenzel provided more details about our wine tasting event that will be held on February 9at Duffys in Old Orchard Beach. Tickets will be $25. There is also an opportunity to sponsor a table. There will be six tables seating 10 people each that are available for $350 apiece.

The event will take place from 7 PM to 9 PMand will also include chocolate and cheese pairings, along with a silent auction. Any silent auction items can be dropped off at Joe’s shop or if they are small items they could be brought to the meeting and given to Heather.

Dr. Joe Boyle won the 50-50 and donated the proceeds to the club.

Bill Kany, guest Sargent at Arms:

Happy dollars:

Steve Morin Just had his first grandchild, Adam Parent is happy for his vacation, Joe Boyle is happy to be going back to the Ogunquit Rotary club, Jeremy Ray is happy to have a kitchen again, Fausto is happy his new magazine came out, Marty is happy that today is law-enforcement appreciation day, and Julie was happy to have delivered lunch to the Biddeford Police Department.

Fines:

Sabine was fined for suggesting we impeach Joe as club president.

Steve Morin gave Bill Kany a Kennebunk savings bank pen.

Karen was fined for having God text her a prayer to open the meeting with.

Dr. Joe was fined for leaving the club because he was asked to take minutes at the meetings in January.

CJ Dubois-Cote was fined for parking in handicapped spot out front.

Sara Neault was fined for winning in last years raffle.

Our speaker Was Jean Davidson, a physical therapist at York Hospital. She gave an informative and demonstrative segment on ergonomics and the importance of keeping people mobile and safe in the workplace.

She provided us with several handouts showing exercises for people who sit at work, how to prevent repetitive strain injuries at the keyboard, as well as having us participate and follow along doing some stretching exercises.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:25.

Jean Saunders, Director of Age Friendly Saco

Jean Saunders, Director of Age Friendly Saco was our speaker.

She shared with us some statistics about the aging population in Maine and specifically what the city of Saco is doing to care for its older residents.

Some highlights of the recent accomplishments are making the Bayview beach wheelchair accessible. The Saco Bay Rotary club donated a beach wheelchair.

The group has also developed a handy neighbor program, providing small repair and home maintenance for seniors. In conjunction with Thornton Academy, they have worked on weatherization projects like building window inserts that can cut down on drafts.

To combat the social isolation frequently experienced by seniors, they hold dinner/dances two times a year and have held a wellness and vendor fair.

In conjunction with the Saco public works department and Interact students, they offer residents free buckets of treated sand in the winter.

The group is also seeking ways to fill Gaps in transportation by developing options beyond public buses and cabs. They organize grocery trips two times a month.

Jean Saunders
Chair, Age-Friendly Saco
Age-Friendly Office
75 Franklin St. Room 204, Saco, ME 04072
agefriendlysaco@gmail.com
(207) 710-5029

http://agefriendly.community/community/age-friendly-saco/

Week in Review 1/2/2019

Posted by Sabine McElrath on Jan 02, 2019

Jim Mcallister lead our club in reciting the four-way test

Jeremy Ray - invocation

Guests:

Speaker: Jean Saunders

Joe Moreshead announced that Bernice Woods resigned from the club and that former member Joe Grondin passed away.

5 people were chosen to head the nominating Committee that will select the president elect, vice President elect, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, and two directors elect. The nominating committee will consist of Ken Farley and Denis Elise, as well as Adam Parent, Don Pilon and Kathy Shea.

Our weekly meeting on January 30 will take place at the Biddeford middle school.

Conrad Wenzel provided some details about our wine tasting event that will be held on February 9 at Duffys in Old Orchard Beach. Tickets will be $25. The event will take place from 7 PM to 9 PM and will also include chocolate and cheese pairings, along with a silent auction.

The 50-50 drawing was won by Marty Grohman and he donated it to Red Ribbon.

Sargent at arms:

Collected happy dollars;

Luck had a great New Year’s Day.

Marty enjoyed a great visit in Quebec with Roland.

Joe M. Is happy the club is still in the black during his presidency.

Conrad happy to have celebrated a great Christmas.

Jeremy had a great Florida family vacation.

Bill P. Had a great visit with his daughter from Texas.

Meeting was adjourned at 1:25.

RIP PP Joe Grondin

I wanted to write to let everyone know that we lost a Past President, Joe Grondin. Joe has been a member of our club for 60 years. He and his brother Babe were great Rotarians in every sense of the word. They were responsible for a lot of great projects both locally and internationally.

Now as I find my self an "old guy", these "old guys" were my inspiration back in the nineties. God grant them the peace they so deserve.

Regards,

Joe Moresehead

SACO - Joseph "Buster" Grondin, 91, of Saco and formerly of Biddeford, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, early Saturday morning Dec. 22, 2018.

He was born in Biddeford on June 22, 1927, the son of Oscar and Corona Bergeron Grondin. He graduated from St. Louis High School in Biddeford, in 1944 and then joined the U.S. Navy and became a radioman gunner.

When he returned from the Navy, Joe worked in his father's plumbing business, Oscar J. Grondin & Sons. With his father's encouragement, he converted an old Navy Surplus van into the "Copper Cart," a copper-colored truck filled with plumbing and heating supplies. Using a phone book as his guide, he called on potential customers, took orders, went to Boston to purchase what was ordered and he delivered items the next week. Over time, Grondin Supply Company was born and, at various times, Joe's brothers all joined in this mission. His guiding principle was superior personal service.

After retiring from Grondin Supply in 1985, he formed Grondin Associates, Inc. offering his services as a consultant. He then became an insurance agent in order to help others, offering life insurance, annuities and health insurance. In the last 20 years, Joe's concern about the high cost of prescription drugs led him to develop a program to help low-income people get help to pay for these medications.

The thread of service to others, of service above self, ran throughout his entire life. He also served on the St. Joseph and St. Louis High School Boards as well as the Diocesan School Board. He joined the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club in 1958 and became its youngest Club President in 1964. He served as Rotary District Treasurer from 1968 to 1971. Joe was also named a Paul Harris Fellow.

Mr. Grondin was a man of great faith in God and was a parishioner of Most Holy Trinity Church. He was always active in the life of the parish and eager to talk with others about his faith and beliefs. He served on several parish councils and as a lector and Eucharistic Minister. Most recently, he worked with Sister Theresa Couture to help immigrants in the area.

He was predeceased by his wife Ruth (Morin) Grondin on June 14, 2017, one son, Joseph Martin Grondin, and by five siblings, Sister Rita Grondin, Conrad "Babe" Grondin, Theresa Bouthot, Normand Grondin and Robert Grondin.

He is survived by three children, Patricia D. Grondin of Biddeford, Kathleen G. St. James of Saco and William J. Grondin and his wife Brenda of Durham; three grandchildren Tiffany Downing, Derek Downing and Aimee St. James; one sister Precille Beebe of Biddeford; and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, Joe has requested that donations be made to Sr. Theresa Couture, 409 Pool St., Biddeford, ME. 04005

Visiting Hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, at Cote Funeral Home Chapel, 87 James St., Saco. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, at Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco. Joseph will be buried next to his wife, Ruth, in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Biddeford.

To view Joseph's memorial page or leave an online condolence, please visit www.cotefuneralhome.com

Published in Journal Tribune on Dec. 27, 2018

Club Success with SA Kettle Drive

Thank you friends for all of your efforts out on the Kettles for us... Last year it was a blizzard and this year it was unending rain - but you still raise a great amount for the work of The Salvation Army in the Saco Bay area... Your group raised a total of $2,119.10! On December 5th a few of your members went out at lunch time and raised $225.18 and then on Friday 32 members raised $1,893.92.

We truly appreciate your partnership - helping us to raise funds to off-set our Christmas assistance expenses as well as year-round Social Service Program expenses.

Happy New Year everyone!!!

God bless you,

Beverly R. Smith, Major
beverly.smith@use.salvationarmy.org
The Salvation Army Old Orchard Beach Citadel Corps Officer
2 Sixth Street
OOB, ME 04064
207 - 934 - 4381 x104

http://nne.salvationarmy.org/oldorchard
facebook.com/thesalvationarmyoob

$100 Raffle Winners

Posted by Karen Chasse on Dec 18, 2018

100 Raffle Winners:

$500 -
- Five Star Holdings sold by Don Pilon
- Rick Hull sold by Bill Kany
- Ron Veilleux sold by Jim Godbout (and donated back to Red Ribbon Committee)
- Sarah Neault sold by Sarah Neault
- Robert Lonsdale sold by Karen Chasse
- Bernie Forcier sold by Keith Jacques
$1000 -
- Morgan Stoner sold by Morgan Stoner
- Wendy Letellier sold by Sarah Neault
- Kenneth Eon and Becky Washington sold by Roland Eon
$5000 -
- Todd and Melissa Johnson sold by Jim Audiffred

This was actually an easier year to sell the tickets as people were very generous but it was MUCH HARDER OVERALL as we had to spread out Earl's tickets. Thank you to everyone who sold some of Earl's tickets and a huge shout out to the following Rotarians for going above in selling their share of theirs and Earl's: Bill Kany (26 tickets), Carl Goodwin (31 tickets), Jim Godbout (15 tickets), Jim McAllister (9 tickets), Karen Chasse (14 tickets), Keith Jacques (10 tickets), Laura Warner (9 tickets), Roland Gagne (9 tickets), and Steve Morin (11 tickets).

Gift Wrapping Party

Posted by Julie Villemaire on Dec 11, 2018

A Christmas poem from the peanut gallery

Posted by Bill Kany on Dec 17, 2018

Twas December 5^th and all through the ‘Mart

Rotarians were shopping with nary a fart

Heather was positioned in the front of the store

Hoping we’d hit budget and not a dollar more

The families we shop for had given their lists

We needed to do well so they wouldn’t be pissed

Heather M in her mini and Jackson in his suit

Roomed the Walmart isles for a child’s toy flute

At the front of the store there was so much roar

Lucky Kristen’s daughter knew what the dots were for

The gifts were whisked to York County CU

Where wrapping would soon be well overdue

Paper and bows by the rolls were all soon there

And club members wrapped with barely a care

Then what did eventually come from such flow

Sabine’s blue sacks all full and ready to go

With a bunch of Rotary drivers, slow and thick

I knew in a moment they weren’t St. Nick

Slower than turtles they crossed the CU ice

As Heather yelled out their names, she wasn’t real nice

Go Jimmy, Go Jackson, Go Sabine and President Joe

Go Karen, Go Julie, the hell with the snow

To the top of Graham Street and on to Hill

Deliver those packages with joy and skill

Just as FedEx and UPS drivers will do

Rotarians took off from out of the blue

Off to houses and apartments they quickly flew

With a bag of toys and a food gift card too

And then in an instance they heard on the stairs

Club members lugging themselves and their wares

Each of the worthy families ran to their doors

Just as we arrived at their porches or floors

We were dressed for our work in our coats and our dresses

A little disheveled but definitely not hot messes

A bundle of presents lay slumped at our feet

We looked like postal workers, oh how sweet

But each Rotarian was filled with warmth and some cheer

As we knew an unexpected Christmas was near

The smiles on our faces evinced a feeling of joy

Not unlike a child opening a shiny new toy

The reactions they varied, some nervous, some happy

Most were overjoyed without sounding too sappy

Most welcomed us in while others stood in the door

All thanked us in their way, we could not ask for more

They knew we meant well and appreciated the hand

It is hard to think of such need in this rich land

The packages were delivered and greetings exchanged

Then off we all went for a second visit, prearranged

They waved as we left, behind the curtain they’d peak

We helped make their Christmas, we got what we seek

Not gifts or material things, but something worth twice

Knowing we all did something incredibly nice

We all thought as we headed to our Christmas fun

Service Above Self, and a job very well done.

Happy Holidays everyone, from the peanut gallery.

Thanks for Christmas Fellowship

Posted by Susan Gajewski on Dec 03, 2018

What a wonderful way to welcome December with great friends, food and spirits. Our Rotary Christmas party on Saturday evening was so much fun!

Thank you to all who made the trek to Casco and brought a delicious assortment of food. I had seafood chowder and a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast! I confess, there were a few of Roland's cookies left.

Thank you Joe and Jim for providing the bus. What a great idea! I invited the bus driver in for some dinner but he politely declined. And we missed our fearless leader at the party. Hope you're feeling better soon Joe.

I loved all the Maine and New England themed gifts. Very creative! Heather did a super job coordinating the gift swap and refereeing the exchanges. It got a little exciting at the end! Thank you Heather!

There was one gift left at the house. It's a Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Drop Mix with two etched Maine glasses. Please let me know who left it and I'll get it to you.

I'm happy to be part of such a generous group of Rotarians and I hope we plan more gatherings like this soon.

Thanks again for all you do.

Merry Christmas.

Susan

Week in Review 11/28/2018

Posted by Sarah Curley on Nov 28, 2018

4 way test: Jim G

Invocation: Joe Bassett

50/50 Drawing: $25 Jackson Brown

Sergeant At-Arms:

Happy Dollars

Mark N – City Theater plug – A Christmas Carol November 30^th – December 16th
Dr. Joe had a great Thanksgiving and is going to see the choir boy at the Merrill Auditorium with his wife
Bill P has a new beautiful grandbaby!
Carl Goodwin’s daughter is coming home for Christmas!
Jim G was happy that with the money we raised at our last meeting we fed 31 families!

Fines

Joe M for being disorganized… still
Sue G for not showing the “Jeep owners” love to Matt
Heather M – plugging her store – WHIMSICAL ME IN SACO!!!
Sarah C – Just because

Announcements:

This Saturday is our Christmas Party at Sue’s – bus leaves Saco park and ride at 4pm
Get raffle tickets to Karen next week OR ELSE!!
Don’t forget to email Julie your service hours!
Christmas shopping for the kids- 14 family’s (34 kids) - 12/5 No Meeting as we will be shopping at Walmart @ 5pm for Christmas – 12/11 Wrapping at York County FCU
Club donating $200 to no shave November campaign on behalf of our no shave November winners, Joe and Paul (personally I think Joe was the real winner – sorry Paul!)

Speaker:

Dave Howard – auto and magazine editor

GO BUY AND READ HIS BOOK “Chasing Phil”!!!!

Meeting

NO MEETING THIS WEEK December 5, 2018

Instead Christmas Shopping at Walmart 5PM

Christmas Fellowship

Posted by Susan Gajewski on Nov 20, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope everyone stays warm and enjoys family, friends and good food this Thursday.

And in only 11 days, we are having our Rotary Christmas Party at my home in Casco. Thank you Haley for sending around a sign-up last week but unfortunately, I don't think the list made it to many tables because only 3 folks signed the sheet.

I've emailed everyone has an opportunity to sign-up. We only meet for lunch once more before our Christmas get-together and I know it's a busy time for all. Please respond to to my email and let me know #1 if you'll be attending, #2 if you'll have a guest and #3 what you'd like to contribute to our pot luck. I'll add your name to the sign up that we'll pass around again on the 28th.

Here are the specifics:

Biddeford Saco Rotary Club Christmas Party

Date: Saturday, December 1st

Time: 5 pm until the bus drives everyone home - Joe, do we have a bus yet?

Place: 23 Emerald Cove Dr, Casco

Gift Exchange: Maine-themed gift (no more than $30) for each person attending - please ask Heather MacLean any other questions about the gift exchange

Food: Please bring your favorite appetizer, entree or dessert

Drink: We'll serve beer and wine but feel free to bring any other alcohol you would like

I hope everyone is able to attend. Our last Christmas Party at Brian's house was so much fun and it's a great time to get to know your fellow Rotarians. Matt Simmons is sure to get lots of ammunition for Sergeant at arms.

Thank you for responding to my email and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Susan

Crutches 4 Africa

Posted by Joe Moreshead on Nov 20, 2018

Dennis Robillard and Anton Wagner finalized a date yesterday for this event. See Dennis' note below. It is a tough time for volunteers. Shipping Container #9 from our District needs to be filled with materials remaining from the last load a month of so ago.

It is a tough time with tree sales going, travel, and holiday prep. It will take about 3 hours for just loading, this time. Please consider coming for part or all of the event.
Even an hour would help.

Please pass the word to your Clubs and let either Dennis or I know if you can make it. Saco Bay Sunset will need your help.

COLLABORATION AT WORK..

Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving.

Tony and Dennis

PS Weather date will be December 15th.

We are planning on filling another container on Saturday, December 8 starting at 9 AM, at 20 Gooch St., in Biddeford. I am concerned about having enough volunteers to load, being so late in the season. You and your club have been tremendous supporters of the C4A's program in the past and am asking for your continued support.

Could you check with your members to determine the potential interest in helping that morning and then getting back to me.

Please call or write with any questions.

Thanks

Dennis

Dennis Robillard

Week in Review

Posted by Sarah Curley on Nov 07, 2018

4 way test: Brenda Pollock

Invocation: Ken Farley

Announcements: Open Meeting

50/50 Drawing: Jeremy Ray $26

Sergeant At-Arms:

Happy Dollars

Dennis- Dayton set record for voting
Brenda Pollock- Sons book launch
Happy $20 from Marty
Sabine- her road is being paved (finally!)
Jeremy Ray- 50/50 winnings
Dr. Joe – because he is always happy basically

Fines

All guys not participating in No Shave November
Everyone who didn’t vote
Everyone that voted and posted a picture of it online
Matt Simmons for thinking Lucy didn’t update us on stuff a bus
Jackson for “trying” to grow a beard

Open Meeting:

*EVERYONE BRING MONEY NEXT WEEK SO JIM CAN BUY THANKSGIVING FOR 12 FAMILIES*

Chief MacKenzie holding opiate training Nov 15^th 5pm-6:30pm at 112 College Drive, Wells
December 12^th $100 Raffle – MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Jessica Holland & Matt Early resigned
Requests:
- Approved - $250 from company B to match Sarah’s daughters winter coat donation
- Approved- $1,000 to do Biddeford girl’s hockey locker-room
- Approved- Biddeford field hockey girls championship rings

Week in Review 11/14/2018

Posted by Sarah Curley on Nov 14, 2018

4 way test: Alicia Girard

Invocation: Joe Bassett

50/50 Drawing: $18 Denis Elie

Sergeant At-Arms:

Happy Dollars

Mark N – City Theater plug – A Christmas Carol November 30^th – December 16th
Joe M- more shoulder movement
Dr. Joe – 42 years as a Rotarian!

Fines

Joe M- $2 for being a “hot mess”
Bill K – for his little girl comment & sweater vest
Heather M – plugging her store – WHIMSICAL ME IN SACO!
Fausto – for being a gym buff but still parking in the upper lot
Alicia – messing up the four way test
Lucie- trying to play president

Announcements:

No meeting next week!
Dec 21^st bell ringing all day at Walmart for the Salvation Army
Public sector award winner (last year) – BOB MACKENZIE!
Get raffle tickets to Karen in 2 weeks… or else!
Rotarian trip to Boston to see the Bruins?! Heather will send around a sign up sheet
Yankee Swap for Christmas party needs to be a “New England” theme ($30 or less)
12/5 No Meeting as we will be shopping at Walmart @ 6pm for Christmas!

Speaker:

Chief Bob Mackenzie

Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee

Training to recognize & respond to an opiate/heroin overdose – Thursday, November 15^th 5-6:30pm @ 112 College Drive, Wells (not Portland …Joe)

November is Rotary Foundation Month

Posted by Brian Dallaire on Nov 05, 2018

"The Rotary Foundation is not [designed] to build monuments of brick and stone. If we work upon marble, it will perish; it we work with brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust. But if we work upon immortal minds, it we imbue them with the full meaning of the spirit of Rotary ... we are engraving on those tablets something that will brighten all eternity." -- Arch C. Klumph, 1916017 President of Rotary International.

Here is how our Global Grant has made an impact on the world!

Biddeford-Saco and Amman Cosmopolitan Rotary Clubs

About two years ago, Roland Gagne, Past President of the Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco, was appalled by the daily onslaught of newspaper photographs and TV coverage showing the plight and suffering of so many children - refugees from the horrible and ongoing conflict in Syria. You probably remember those photographs yourself. Roland decided he could no longer be just an onlooker and that he had to do something.

He reached out and made contact with the Collateral Repair Project, a nonprofit organization that operates a community center in East Amman, Jordan. Working with Jordanian Rotarians, they put together a program to assist refugee children. The project provides school supplies, uniforms, and fees to enroll about 200 students in school. It furnishes special help to at-risk children falling behind in school and to 30 teens who have been out of the formal educational system for some time. The program also developed a child-focused literacy center with books, materials, and other technology and a special teen-leader training program to encourage mentoring of younger children.

This grant ended up being $187,301 and was the first Rotary Global Grant to assist refugees in front line situations. Ten District 7780 clubs contributed to the grant and $20,000 in District Designated Funds went toward it. So, any of you who contributed to the Annual Fund supported this grant. It is a wonderful example of the tremendous work being funded by our Foundation and how one person’s idea or concern can bring about life-changing opportunities for those in need.

Terry Hayes, gubernatorial candidate

Posted by Bill Kany on Oct 31, 2018

Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker was the last in the series of gubernatorial (weird word, sounds like we are electing Gomer Pyle) candidates, Terry Hayes. Conrad got to know Terry in Augusta when she was in the legislature. One day, she apparently felt Conrad was stressed and she invited him in to make a puzzle. The puzzle apparently had 20 large pieces and Conrad was more stressed when he left Terry’s office than when he went in.

Terry Hayes was very engaging and said that the election is like an 18 month job interview and she preferred to handle her presentation to our club like a job interview, so we asked her questions. She is an independent and a clean elections candidate so we paid for her campaign. She has run a very positive campaign with no negative ads.

The following are some of her answers to our questions.

She does not support question 1. She feels our tax system needs an overhaul with the income tax going down and the sales taxes being broadened to cover more stuff.
She is running for governor because Maine needs an experienced collaborative leader. She was a guardian ad litem in the court system for years so she knows how to facilitate agreements. She said right now the executive branch is at war with the legislature and that has to stop. We have gridlock now and it is the governor who sets the tone.
She admitted she had no real qualifications to be Treasurer other than the fact that she got more votes from the House and defeated an incumbent Democrat treasurer.
She graduated from Catherine McAuley high school and Bowdoin and got her MBA from Thomas College in 2014. She was in the state house for 8 years after losing her first election and winning her second election by 9 votes. She was the assistant majority leader to Emily Cain.
She would raise the gas tax to fix roads.
She would scrap the 55% education funding mandate which has never been met and she endorses a state-wide teacher contract which would standardize and raise teacher compensation. She pointed out that a new teacher who is single with two kids qualifies for public assistance given the low starting teacher pay.
She would support $100,000,000.00 bonds to expand broad band service in Maine with the facilities being state owned but privately run.
She admitted she does not know enough about the proposal to run a power line through Maine to take a position which was refreshing. She did say that Maine has the cheapest electricity in the northeast (who knew?) She really does not know how the power line corridor would benefit Maine.

As a bit of a political junky I found Terry to be a breath of fresh air. Having said that, I am afraid that she has no chance of being elected because she has been outspent and unfortunately in many instances money wins. While Maine may be pissed off at Governor LePage’s approach, that fact remains that unemployment is incredibly low so things are probably not bad enough to create the ground swell of support needed to “throw the bums out” and elect an independent candidate like Terry. Who knows, she lost in her first shot at the State House, maybe she will take another shot at the Blaine House in 4 years.

Week in Review 10/31/2018

The following, I hope, will be my last minutes for a while. November will usher in Sarah Curley as your reporter and Sabine volunteered to take December (more on this below). I believe Dr. Joe has January and who knows from there. Enjoy.

4 Way Babble: For weeks now we have been told by Conrad that he spent tons of time lobbying in Augusta. Perhaps that is why he is such a silver tongued devil who is apparently bilingual because his introduction to the four way test was not in English. It is a wonder the Turnpike was ever widened.

Earl Goodwin: Carl Goodwin was at the meeting and updated everyone on Earl. Unfortunately, Earl had another fall and suffered some new injuries. He is not doing too well and will probably not be back.

In so many ways the success of our club can be attributed to the energy and spirit of Earl. Our club truly owes its stellar reputation to Earl and other leaders like him who worked so hard to support our communities. We all owe Earl our thanks and our prayers. It is truly difficult to see our veteran leaders move out of the club, but we should never forget what they gave to our club and to each and every one of us.

Cool Kids Table: Roland Gagne invaded the cool kids table and clearly the cool kids did not know what to do in his presence. Roland don’t get too comfortable there.

Halloween Costumes: Sarah Curley came to the meeting as Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch. Her costume as awesome and easily recognizable to most. Of course, Fausto asked her if she was a St Pauli’s Girl. Apparently they had no Dr. Seuss in Philadelphia. Lucie Kay came as an angry credit union manager and no one really knew what Don Pilon was but it was scary. Heather MacLean claimed she dressed as a school girl, and we’ll all go along with that even though I think she wore the same outfit the week before and the week before that.

President Joe: Either demonstrating his early onset dementia or his attention deficit disorder or both, Joe wowed us with his announcements. First, he did not realize it was still October and he started growing his “Movember” beard, arguably an illegal head start on the facial hair growing contest. Second, he had no idea regarding the dates of events in December, but I think these dates are accurate:

December 1^st will be the club Christmas party at Sue Gajewski’s in Casco. President Joe is trying to arrange for a quote/ unquote “drunk bus” (the expression impresses our guests) to transport us to and from Casco. Of course, Lord knows how you get home once the bus drops you off in some local parking lot but apparently that is your problem.

December 5^th we will be ringing the bell at Walmart as fill-ins for 1 and ½ hours and then that evening we will be shopping at Walmart for the families we support at Christmas. There will be no meeting at the Run of the Mill on December 5th though I have no doubt President Joe will show up. Our shopping will count as our meeting that day and Sabine will have no Tack to write.

December 11^th will be the wrapping day for the Christmas gifts in the evening with more details to come.

December 12^th will be the $100 raffle party at Duffey’s or as Joe calls it, “the 50/50 event”. There will be no meeting at the Run of the Mill on December 12^th. The event on the 12th will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and Sabine will have no Tack to write.

December 26^th for those of you who are paying attention is the day after Christmas and my wild guess is that we are not meeting that day so Sabine will have no Tack to write. So now I know why Sabine volunteered to write one Tack in December!

Finally, to truly demonstrate that he is losing it, Joe struggled with closing the sliding doors behind him to a point where he needed assistance from our guest speaker. Yikes!

Stuff the Bus Report: Keeping with his confused theme Joe referred to our Stuff the Bus food drive on October 27 at the Biddeford Hannaford and Market Basket. To my knowledge there were no buses involved, but more on that in a minute. Joe told everyone with great glee that his shift ended before the monsoons started (way to leave your troops in the heat of the storm Captain). Despite the bad weather, it sounded like the food drive was a success. Lucie reported that the drive collected $550.00 and 1,500 pounds of food that went to the Saco Food Pantry and an undetermined amount of food that went to the Biddeford Food Pantry. Apparently, the food trucks were able to park close to the collectors which helped a little. When things got slow at Hannaford the food truck actually plowed right into the building which facilitated a greater haul since they had direct access to the food. Lucie blamed it on the food pantry driver but the inside information is that Lucie did not understand the “Hannaford to Go” concept and thought Hannaford had a real drive through. She now knows that is not the case though she temporarily created one. We were also told that the cash will be donated to Bon Appetit and both our club and the Saco Bay Club will serve at one of the Bon Appetit events and donate the money. Nice job Lucie and everyone who braved the weather to help out. Joe ultimately thanked “Sue” for all her hard work on the food drive. I guess “Sue” is Lucie in Joe’s quickly deteriorating mind.

$100 Raffle: Karen Chasse distributed the $100 raffle tickets at the meeting. If you weren’t there Karen will undoubtedly track you down. We all got some of the many tickets Earl used to sell. Please make every effort to sell your tickets. We need to keep up the tradition of selling them all to make the $100 raffle a success. Remember, people can split tickets so they don’t have to come up with $100. When you sell a ticket, put the person’s name on the ticket and then you sign the ticket on the “Authorized signature” line. Most importantly, however, retain the stub and fill in all of the information legibly and give the stubs and the money to Karen. Sell, sell, sell. Please get the sold tickets back to Karen as soon as possible. Earl was scary but Karen, well you know.

AED Devices: Jim Godbout announced that two AED devices (Automated External Defibrillators for you non-EMTs) were donated by our club, one to MacArthur Library and one to Dyer Library. We were able to purchase them through the Biddeford School Department at the discounted price of $1,200 each. Those are great donations which could save an overstimulated library visitor’s life.

The real 50/50: Carl won the real 50/50 and donated it to Red Ribbon.

Karen “Can’t Say No” Chasse: Matt Simmonds apparently had an emergency stock buy or something so he had to leave the meeting and Karen filled in as sergeant at arms (though Joe announced your humble Tack reporter as the fill in). Karen solicited happy dollars and got the following:

Sabine was happy that she volunteered to write the Tack in December during which we will have one real meeting (I still swear she had inside information).
Bill Patterson got back from visiting Texas where he participated in Pints for Polio or at least he thinks he did. Ken Farley has been supporting that cause for a long time.
Mark Nahorney happily announced that Biddeford Main Street came in third in a national contest and garnered $150,000 to help restore the City Hall clock tower.
Denis Elie was happy his son’s new truck was under warranty and he saw a bunch of deer on the first day of the season (he was hunting at the Gray Animal Farm) but he did shoot any…… yet.
Fausto was happy that he has remained calm in the face of mean girls at Saco Middle School. Not sure why Fausto is attending Saco Middle School when he lives in Biddeford, but that is another story. Apparently the mean girls bother him more than they bother Sophia.
Julie V. was happy her son-in-law was back from Japan.
Conrad was happy his friend, Terry Hayes was here. I don’t know if you noticed, but Conrad was “friends” with all of our gubernatorial candidates. He’s improving his odds of getting a cushy job in the executive branch no matter who wins.

Karen then started in on a few fines which was fairly impressive given the notice she was given. In fact, she was arguably better prepared than our real sergeant. She fined Roland for his illegal parking job, apparently there was no “no parking” sign behind the huge construction trucks so Roland parked there. Roland there are no “no parking” signs in the middle of the Turnpike but I am guessing you are not going to park there. She fined President Joe for getting a head start on his beard and for not knowing what the hell was going on. She also fined Joe for thanking Sue for doing such a great job with the food drive. Of course, “Sue” would be Lucie. She fined Sarah for her awesome Cindy Lou Who costume. She pointed out that Conrad claimed to be Alan Caron’s friend and he dropped out of the race. She fined Sabine for her upside down name tag which Sabine said made it easier for Sabine to read. She fined Lucie for having a Porsche as a loaner car (with New Hampshire plates I might add). Nice job Karen.

Wine Tasting Committee

Calling all Rotarians,

On 11-7-18 after the Rotary Meeting we will have a Wine Tasting Committee Meeting for about 15 minutes.

Anybody interested in joining the Committee is welcome along with their ideas.

Thanks, Conrad

Week in Review 10/24/2018

Posted by Bill Kany on Oct 24, 2018

The following is my summary of the meeting on the 24^th of October. Since there were about 17 Rotarians in attendance at the meeting I am really hoping some of you will read this to learn what is happening at the club. It was kind of nice, we each sat at our own table. It will go without saying that we had greeters, we did the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4 Way Test and all were done well. I should note that Don Pilon read the name of our one visiting Rotarian and did a fine job pronouncing “Slayton” because Heather had spelled it out phonetically for him.

Joe was Lost: President Joe could not find his agenda (Lucie had it) and could not keep track of time apparently because of his enthralling conversation with Don Pilon so the speaker got short changed.

Polio Plus Guy: October is apparently Polio Plus month (who knew) and Jeff Slayton, past president of the Saco Bay Club or Jeff Slayter as Joe calls him, made a special visit to our club and Joe forgot to mention him until the end of the meeting. Let’s just assume Jeff would have given us some amazing facts about the eradication of polio and asked us to do our part to support Polio Plus.

Sound Effects: Joe Bassett did his prayer with the accompaniment of construction noises on the second floor of the building or God farted during the prayer. He does work in mysterious ways.

Random Presidential Announcement: President Joe announced that one of our members, Nicole Carroll, gave birth to her fifth child (she now can either run a farm or have her own basketball team) named Matthew Brandon. I guess Mom and Matt are doing fine.

Lucie Kay: Lucie Kay survived her fifth root canal of the year on her remaining tooth. She was still under the influence of valium.

Where have all the Rotarians Gone?: President Joe commented on the sad showing at the beer festival by club members. By my count there were about 20 Rotarians there out of 70 and I have no idea how many Rotarians sold tickets. Ken Farley’s committee of one worked hard on the event, but the club’s support was woefully deficient.

When I graduated from college I was inducted into an honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. I wasn’t expected to do anything but I got a pin and a sash to wear at graduation which I forgot to wear. It was a nice honor but nothing more than that. While it is an honor to be a member of Rotary it is so much more than that. It’s a commitment to the community and to the club. While it would be nice to see more people at meetings, it would be even nicer to see more people get involved. It is easy to predict who will work on projects because it is the same Rotarians all the time: Karen Chasse, Julie Villemaire, Jim Godbout, Sue Gajewski, heck you know who does all the work, and that is simply not right. You don’t have to do everything but you really need to do something if you want to be a Rotarian. If you want to honor I will give you my Phi Beta Kappa pin, I’m not using it, but if you truly want to be a Rotarian please get involved.

Speaking of Getting Involved: Very soon you will be receiving an envelope with some $100 raffle tickets in it. Please sell them or buy them or both. Our $100.00 raffle is our second largest fundraiser. Created by Earl Goodwin, we have netted $14,000.00 each year to support our charitable giving. Unfortunately, Earl is still recovering so we all need to step up to sell the 70-90 tickets that Earl usually sells. Please don’t assume that the next Rotarian will pick up an extra few tickets. Get your friends and family to split a ticket or two, sell one to your co-workers, stand outside a Gamblers Anonymous Meeting, I don’t care. Your buyers have great odds of winning and they are supporting great causes. I know that some of our members neither sell any tickets or buy any, but yet some of those same people ask our club to support their causes each year. I really don’t think you want to hear what I think of that hypocrisy. Please, let’s all do our share

Karen Chasse (there’s one of those names again) did announce that we should pencil in December 12 from 5:00 to 7:00 at Duffy’s in Old Orchard Beach for the raffle party. That will be our meeting that day so come after work, have a drink and see if you or one of your buyers will win. With Earl not selling all the winners this year, some of the rest of us might stand a chance.

50/50: Dr. Joe won the 50/50 and donated his whopping $17.00 to Polio Plus and then President Joe forgot.(there was a theme to this meeting).

Club Christmas Party!: It has been confirmed that the club Christmas party will be held on December 1 at Sue Gajewski’s house in Casco. President Joe is looking into renting a bus. So at this point start decorating your best lamp shade to wear at the party and set aside December 1 to party upta Casco.

Banner’s Up: Alicia Girard and President Joe unveiled our new portable, non-felt banner that we can set up at Rotary event to trumpet what Rotary is about. Alicia designed the banner which looks fantastic and cost the club less than $200.00. It focuses on the theme of “Together we Connect”, a common Lego saying. Nice work Alicia and good job Joe.

Sergeant at Arms: Joe has started using the same introduction each week for Matt which is like Joe using the same prayer each week. Let’s try and keep it fresh. Matt claimed to be over his Irish jet lag, but I’m not sure because he had very little which could be attributed to the small crowd.

He did, however, collect some happy dollars.

Karen Chasse was happy because Saco and Biddeford Savings featured her as a huge community service person.
Dr. Joe was happy he did not win Mega Millions …. Really? I guess the 50/50 was enough.
Julie Villemaire hit 7 out of 8 green lights on the way to work. I guess it is the little things that make her happy. Of course, she ran the one red light and got a ticket.
Joe Bassett has a granddaughter singing at Radio City Music Hall. How do you get there, practice, practice, practice.
Heather McLean was wearing Andrew Benintendi’s shirt which could explain why he cooled off at Fenway on the 24^th, he was literally cold without his shirt.
Conrad Welzel purchased a rainbow wig. I am not making this stuff up.
President Joe gave an announcement dollar because November is Movember when men are not supposed to shave to show their support for prostate and testicular cancer research and for mental health and suicide prevention. Joe said the club will have a facial hair contest with the ugliest facial hair winning $100 to donate to a cause of your choosing and the best getting $100 to donate as well. Women can participate as well but no one will be judging them, that is not allowed.
Lucie Kay gave the most sincere (she has no sincerity at all) happy dollar for the upcoming food drive.
Roland and Lucie, who have been having an on again off / again affair for years paid a dollar each so they did not have to tell their dirty little secrets.

I am sure Matt fined someone for something but they were not worth writing down.

Alan Caron, independent gubernatorial candidate

Posted by Bill Kany on Oct 24, 2018

Conrad Welzel, who apparently went from turnpike toll taker to lobbyist in the same year (a meteoric rise), introduced Alan Caron, independent gubernatorial candidate. Conrad first met Alan when Alan led the opposition to the widening of the Turnpike. Of course, when I heard that I immediately stopped listening. I would hope Mr. Caron would now concede that widening the turnpike was a good thing, but who knows?

Alan Caron is an interesting individual whose self-funded campaign frankly has no chance, but that does not mean he does not have good ideas. He believes that people who disagree should still be respectful to one another and it is hard to argue with that though I think anyone who suggests that is an idiot.

Alan said his campaigning has given him a Phd in all that is Maine as he has traveled the state. He feels that opponents need to listen to each other and have affection for one another. I believe that is the same philosophy followed by Mike Tyson. Actually, we can learn a great deal from our opponents, and we can like each other even if we disagree on substantive points. The is truly a cornerstone of the legal profession. So far Mr. Caron seems like a good guy.

He grew up in Waterville in a poor family with many challenges. He dropped out of high school. He developed two successful businesses and has done a lot of volunteering in his life. He feels the best way to build our economy is not to focus on the past and hope that the mills and farms will come back. Instead, we need to look to the future and build our economy from the bottom up. He feels we need to plan for sustainable prosperity. We need to grow new jobs and not try to steal jobs from other states. He cited LL Bean, Poland Spring, Stonewall Kitchen and Toms of Maine as examples of companies that have grown jobs. But he feels that the biggest job creators in Maine are the small businesses who need the incentives to create more jobs. Don’t give tax breaks and low interest loans to big businesses and hope that they create jobs, tie the incentives to job creation.

Mr. Caron mentioned that 35 years ago a bunch of people moved to Maine hoping to become organic farmers. Some succeeded and some didn’t, but they collaborated and formed the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers which is one of the more powerful groups in this state. It started the Common Ground Fair. Those organic farmers put Maine on the map for growing quality products which attracted national chefs to Maine. Those chefs started Maine’s restaurant boom which has made Maine a foody destination. That foody component of our economy has spawned 80 microbreweries. This growth came from the bottom up.

Mr. Caron described himself as an incurable optimist who has the courage to promote new ideas. He observed that the partisan system is broken because it focuses more on each party blocking the other as opposed to trying to get things done. All of that is why he ran as an independent.

While it is clear that Mr. Caron has no chance of being elected governor, we can only hope that his opponents do take the time to listen to him and learn from him because he has some great ideas which deserve our attention.

My Plan for Sustainable Prosperity

Below is the outline to my Sustainable Economy Plan for Maine.

GROW A NEW ECONOMY FROM THE BOTTOM UP
PUT THE FULL RESOURCES OF GOVERNMENT BEHIND GROWING JOBS RATHER THAN ATTRACTING THEM
 Focus on innovators, entrepreneurs and risk-takers.
 Make smaller-scale manufacturing and exports a high priority.
 Build a ‘seed-to-success’ system to nurture and accelerate small business growth.
 Award no tax breaks to companies that do not create or sustain good jobs.

FIX OUR ELECTIONS
CREATE AN OPEN PRIMARY IN JUNE
 Allow all candidates and all voters to participate in one primary election, with the top two candidates going to the November election.

BUILD A TWENTY FIRST CENTURY GOVERNMENT
SHRINK STATE GOVERNMENT BY TEN PERCENT
 Flatten state management layers, introduce new technology and increase efficiency
 Reduce the size of the legislature to 100 members and restrict the number of bills that any member can submit to the number of years they have served.

FOCUS ON SCHOOLS THAT WORK
BRING PRACTICAL EDUCATION BACK INTO ALL SCHOOLS
 Increase the state’s share of education funding to 55%, with all new dollars going into the classroom.
 Expand early childhood education.

EXPAND ACCESS TO COLLEGES AND TECH TRAINING
ESTABLISH A TWO-YEAR FREE HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
 Support forgivable loans that will be reduced for every year that a students stays and works in Maine

MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE
PUSH FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY IN HEALTH CARE PRICING
 Reward consumers who save money
 Expand Medicare and Medicaid

COMMIT TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN THIRTY YEARS
REDUCE THE FIVE BILLION DOLLARS WE EXPORT EACH YEAR TO OIL AND GAS COMPANIES
 Focus on solar and offshore wind
 Decentralize energy production
 Reinvest the savings in job creation, education and health care

BUILD TOMORROW’S INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR BOND FOR BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT NEXT YEAR AND AGAIN IN FIVE YEARS

MAKE MAINE A WELCOMING STATE
CREATE A WELCOME CENTER FOR EVERYONE WHO COMES TO MAINE, FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD

Celebration of Suds 2018

Posted by Julie Villemaire on Oct 20, 2018

Week in Review 10/17/2018

Posted by Bill Kany on Oct 17, 2018

These are my version of the minutes for our meeting on October 17, 2018 which took place at Run of the Mill, a fine example of a rustic brew pub in an old mill with lots of new white PVC piping protruding through the ceilings. As Jim Godbout said, wait until they start flushing! We’ll have the ambiance of a sewerage treatment plant.

Greeters: We were greeted by Heather Gendron and Keith Jacques who is practicing for his retirement job as a Walmart greeter. It will take him awhile to learn the job so thank goodness he has a little time.

Four Way Test: Karen Chasse did an impeccable job leading us in the 4-way test. I should note that I believe I have become a Pavlovian Rotarian. As long as the leaders of the 4-way test say First, Second, etc. I recite the 4 way test just fine but when a leader goes rogue and says one, two, three, etc. I screw it all up and I have notices the Paul Deschambault starts to drool. So let’s stick with First, Second, etc. Thanks.

District Governor In the House: District Governor, John Lobosco was in attendance to give our club and Jackson the RI Presidential Award for the 2017-2018 year or what I like to call the: “If your club can fog a mirror you get one of these award”. Congrats Jackson, we’re still breathing.

Up Tempo Meeting: Joe Bassett did his prayer with musical accompaniment from the restaurants PA system. I felt like I was in a Southern Baptist Church and I was waiting for Joe to break into a dance and to ask for several AMENS. It didn’t happen ………… yet.

Lucie Kay: Joe announced that Lucie Kay was having root canal to save her remaining tooth. Apparently if you give Lucie enough valium she’ll go anywhere.

Stuff the Bus: In Lucie’s valium aided absence, Joe announced that we will be doing a food drive at the Biddeford Hannaford and at Market Basket on October 27^th from 9:00 to 2:00. Sing up sheets were circulated and I am sure they will make their rounds again next week. We are doing this in conjunction with Saco Bay, Saco Bay will be in Saco and perhaps OOB on the same day collecting food and donations. This is our opportunity to help out the local food pantries at a time of year when demand goes up substantially. If you have not have a chance to sign up please do so and dress warmly on the 27^th (Heather M) because it can get a little chilly out there. This is a great chance to help the community, enjoy some fellowship and increase the visibility of Rotary.

Bucking Xmas Tradition: For years we have donated gifts to families in need at Christmas and we have delivered them in the traditional black garbage bags. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a fully stuffed Glad bag. Sabine feels that our Christmas garbage bag tradition has to go so she displayed a white cloth draw string bag that said “Property of S. Claus, North Pole”. I am not sure, but I think she stole it from you know who. The Democrats are asking that the FBI investigate the matter. In the meantime, Sabine has suggested that we use the white cloth bags for delivering our Christmas packages. Another tradition thrown in the dumpster.

50/50: Keith Jacques sold the 50/50 tickets and miraculously he won the $30.00 and donated the money to the Red Ribbon Committee.

Sergeant at Arms: Matt claimed to be jet lagged from his trip to Ireland where he apparently contributed to the delinquency of a minor by letting his 11 year old son drink in the local pubs until all hours. What could possibly go wrong? Being jet lagged, Matt claimed he was not prepared so he relied heavily on happy dollars. I can just imagine Matt in school. He clearly did not rely on the old standards like “my dog ate my homework.” He used things like: I was jamming with Springsteen all night last night and just didn’t get my geography homework done.” “I stopped and pulled a man from a burning car so my senior year coloring book is not quite done yet.” “How can you expect me to finish my senior year fun with phonics when I was campaigning for Dukakis?” He has all the excuses and he has used them for a while.

In any event here are some of the happy dollars he collected.

Karen Chasse just got back from visiting her sister in Texas where everything is bigger.
Mark Nahorney gave a shameless plug dollar for the It’s Our Time events on Main Street in Biddeford on October 20 and encouraged people to go to the Heart of Biddeford website and Vote Your Main Street to help Biddeford win a national contest. You can vote daily if you want.
Joe went to DC to celebrate his son’s 29^th birthday. D.C., really, and what 29 year old wants Mom and Dad at his 29^th? Joe’s I guess.
Ken Farley gave a happy dollar for the outstanding Biddeford High School Field Hockey team that beat TA in the playoffs and is moving on in its undefeated season.
Sue Gajewski was happy because her husband has had great success in a pancreatic cancer trial which he has been in for 3 years. Chuck is beating the odds and we are all cheering for him.
District Governor John was happy to be with us and happy to give Jackson the award.
Ken Farley was again happy that the beer festival would soon be over.
I was happy to have made my first witnessed hole in hole for which I happened to win a car! I have been playing golf since I was about 9 years old. My grandmother taught me to play and I could not help but thinking of her almost as soon as I discovered by ball in the hole (there was a mound in from of the green so we did not see the ball go in the hole). They say the odds of making a hole in one are about 12,500 to 1. Based how long I have been playing I would say I was due.
Matt did welcome Sara Brouillard back after an extended absence. It was nice to have her back.

Welcome to our Club! Rotary District 7780 -- Club Number 6294 -- Est. 1920

Service Above Self

Joe Moreshead

My Plan for Sustainable Prosperity

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