Ukraine Delegation Tours the University of New England - Biddeford Campus

 

“As we reflect upon our new strategic priorities, we could have never envisioned that our ability to adapt would become our North Star during what is inarguably the most profound time in recent history,” Jones said in her vision statement. “Silver linings rise out of the most challenging circumstances. Using metric-driven goals, I will harness this historic landscape to innovate, educate, and communicate opportunities that reflect today’s reality.”

 

As the first woman to be nominated to be president, Jones understands how important it is to follow through on Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statement. “I believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion … begins at the top and for us to realize growth in female membership and members under the age of forty — these demographics need to see their own reflection in leadership,” Jones said. “I will champion double-digit growth in both categories while never losing sight of our entire family.”

 

Jones is founder and president of Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning media company in Windsor. She was chair of the board of governors of the University of Windsor and chair of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has been recognized for her service with the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award, a first for a Canadian. Jones holds a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.).

 

A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jones has been a Rotary member since 1997 and has served Rotary as RI vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator, and district governor. She played a lead role in Rotary’s rebranding effort by serving as chair of the Strengthening Rotary’s Advisory Group. She is the co-chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee, which aims to raise $150 million for polio eradication efforts.

 

Jones recently led the successful #RotaryResponds telethon, which raised critical funds for COVID-19 relief and was viewed by more than 65,000. Jones has also received Rotary International’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service. She and her husband, Nick Krayacich, are members of The Rotary Foundation’s Arch Klumph Society, Paul Harris Society, and the Bequest Society.

 

The members of the Nominating Committee for the 2022-23 President of Rotary International are: Robert L. Hall, Dunwoody, Metro Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Bradford R. Howard Oakland Uptown, California, USA; Per Høyen, Aarup, Gelsted, Denmark; Peter Iblher, Nürnberg-Reichswald, Zirndorf, Germany; Ashok Mahajan, Mulund, Mah., India; Sam Okudzeto, Accra, Accra, Ghana; Eduardo San Martín Carreño, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain; Takeshi Matsumiya, Chigasaki-Shonan, Chigasaki Kanagawa, Japan; Michael K. McGovern (secretary), Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA; José Alfredo Pretoni, São Paulo-Sul, São Paulo, Brazil; Saowalak Rattanavich, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand; Hendreen Dean Rohrs, Langley Central, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Kenneth M. Schuppert, Jr (chair)., Decatur, Alabama, USA; Ravindra P. Sehgal, Belur, West Bengal, India; Noel Trevaskis, Merimbula, Tura Beach, Australia; Giuseppe Viale, Genova, Genova, Italy; and Chang-Gon Yim, Daegu-West, Daegu, Korea.

     

 

Welcome to the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club’s annual awards meeting.  I know some people are here to make presentations and we will get to them shortly.

 

At the outset I want to thank all the Rotarians who took the time to suggest some incredibly worthy candidates for these awards.  Your input to the committee was invaluable and most of this year’s winners came from your suggestions.  Unfortunately, we cannot honor all of the people you suggested, but I can assure you they were all worthy of recognition.

 

Stephen King once said:  “Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.”  Our Club has made the effort to say thank you to people or organizations that make a difference in our communities since 1988 in giving out our Private, Public and Humanitarian Awards and since 2000 in giving out our Vocational Service Award.  The awards have gone either to club members or to individuals or organizations outside the club whose acts of kindness, generosity and caring help to make our communities and the world a little better.  I have had the privilege of chairing this committee for longer than I can remember, and I know that most of our past recipients have not been people looking for recognition, and in fact, most of them would prefer to keep doing what they do away from the spotlight.  Our club, however, feels that our award recipients deserve a resounding thank you for their good works and it is our hope that by acknowledging the wonderful things these folks do we will inspire others to get involved and do great things.

 

 

The Private Sector Award is awarded to a citizen whose good works have been performed independently of their employment usually in the private sector. Recipients work for the public good, outside of his or her employment. An example of a past recipient would be a building contractor who works towards helping the hungry through setting up a self-supporting meal program.

 

In the past I have read off some of our most recent winners of this award but this year I thought I would go back to 2000 and list off some of the winners during the early 2000s.   They included:

 

2000  John Wasileski

2001 Carrie Shaw

2002 Alan Nelson

2003 Joe Grondin

2004 Lou Chantigny

 

 

The Public Sector Award is awarded to a citizen who, in the course of their employment or funding, serves the public with government and/or public monies. Recipients are usually employed by a government agency, hold a political office, or have their good works funded in the course of their employment. An example of a past recipient would be a state senator who has worked towards promoting the good of the community.

 

Read names of Past Winners

 

2000 Roland “Ron” Michaud

2001 Carl J. Stasio, Jr.

2002 Dick Tryon

2003 Gen. Wallace H. Nutting

2004 William Johnson

 

            May Sarton, a Belgian American poet once said:  “Do not deprive me of my age.  I have earned it.”  We are all getting older, it’s inevitable and certainly beats the alternative.  We live in the oldest state in the nation.  Our elderly deserve our respect and our gratitude, but so often they are an overlooked segment of our society.  While they may be getting older many of them are a hardy lot too stubborn or proud to ask for our help.

            A few years ago Saco took the step of developing Age Friendly Saco, A Community for a Lifetime.  The initiative was based on concepts developed by the World Health Organization designed to enable people of all ages to participate in community events while insuring that all people are treated with respect regardless of age.  It keeps older people connected while enabling them to remain in their homes.

            It is a highly collaborative effort involving a separate tax exempt organization, the City of Saco as well as other organizations.  Creating and then developing the programs of this organization took true vision and leadership.  Such efforts frequently fizzle without strength at the top.  Age Friendly Saco is a vibrant action organization thanks in large part to its President who has served in that role since its inception.  Her hard work has insured that a concept is now an admirable set of services and benefits for our seniors.

            For all of her hard work to support our seniors, this year’s Public Sector Award winner is Jean Saunders.

 

            While I was researching quotes about aging I came across this anonymous quote that I loved.  “I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, … not screaming and yelling like the passengers on his bus.”

 

 

The Humanitarian Award is awarded to a citizen, private or public, who has done exceptional work to further the good of humanity in the community. Past Recipients include a nurse who set up a hospice program in the area.

 

Read names of Past Winners

 

2000 Ruth Anderson

2001 James Audiffred

2002 Mary’s Walk

2003 Roland Gagne

2004 Thomas Haley

 

            Most of you have heard of the Heart of Biddeford.  Its mission statement says “Heart of Biddeford, powered by the strength of community involvement, fosters a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable downtown for residents, businesses and visitors.”  Started back in 2004 the HOB has worked tirelessly to promote a revitalization of Biddeford’s downtown from attracting new businesses, promoting the arts, improving the overall quality of life and working to beautify the urban core.  Mayor Casavant observed of downtown:  “This is the place to germinate the rediscovery and renaissance of Biddeford.”  As someone who has lived in this area almost my whole life I can tell you the transformation of downtown Biddeford is nothing short of miraculous.

            All of the HOB’s efforts recently culminated in the HOB receiving the prestigious Great American Main Street Award which recognizes communities for the excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization.  That is National recognition.

            The HOB is a volunteer driven group with an executive director and an office manager. Its executive director is the conductor of a huge orchestra which has composed an absolutely incredible symphony.  The HOB’s leader has unbelievable enthusiasm for all that is Biddeford.  Her ability to promote the area and its arts while respecting and preserving its history and culture is inspiring. 

There is no question that the heart of the HOB is this year’s Humanitarian Award recipient, a past member of our Club, Delilah Poupore

 

The Vocational Service Award is awarded to a citizen, private or public, who has done exceptional work to promote vocational education and vocational programs.

 

Read names of Past Winners

 

2000  Carl Goodwin

2001 A. William Kany, Jr.

2002  Ron Gagnon

2003  Steven Foran

2004 Frank Paul

 

            Imagine you’re a high school student who doesn’t particularly like school a lot, doesn’t really think traditional college is for them and their goal is to graduate from high school, get a job and make some money.  Their family role models, if any, are not always positive.  They are not really sure what they want to do.  They are frequently late for school, so the concept of being on time is illusive.  They have never been taught how to shake hands or how to dress for work, and they definitely don’t like being told what to do.  Prime candidates to be good employees, maybe not.

 

            However, concerns about making good career choices and improving  employability are being addressed at the Center of Technology.  This year’s recipient of our Vocational Service Award helped create the COT’s  career development program from scratch which is helping students find their career pathways.  She is teaching career readiness and working to help students develop the soft skills needed to make them good employees.  This person also coordinates real job opportunities with local businesses to expose students to job and career opportunities while providing businesses with potential candidates to fill job vacancies.  This person regularly checks in with the employers and holds students accountable when they don’t show up, show up late or have other issues with their workplace. She teaches two classes at the COT which help students select a career and provide them with readiness and employability skills. Those are things many of us take for granted, but in fact they really need to be learned.

 

Paulette Bonneau said of this person:  “At home and in her work, she brings compassion, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and humor while holding our students to high expectations and accountability.”  Paulette went on to state:  “She is always willing to help her colleagues and is a true team player.  She is a true professional and I am very proud of her, not only for her contributions to make COT successful, but also for her work ethic and integrity.  She is one of the best hiring decisions I have made and truly appreciate her as one of my colleagues.”

 

I have heard from several people that this person has an incredible passion for helping her students succeed while always striving to make her programs better.  As parents, employers and civic leaders we all know how important such passion and drive can be.  I am very happy to give this year’s Biddeford Saco Rotary Club Vocational Service Award to Tracey Collins.

 

 

            As many of you know, back in 2007 our Club decided to honor all of the dedication and contributions of Carl and Earl Goodwin by creating an award in their honor.  In my opinion it is truly the highest honor our club can give to one of its past or present members. 

 

Based on the significance of the award I will take a second and share the  names of all  Past Winners:

 

2007 Carl and Earl Goodwin

2008 Richard Buffum

2009 David Lowe

2010 Robert Begin

2011 Roland M. Eon

2012 Roland P. Gagne

2013 Helene Plourde

2014 Julie Villemaire

2015 Jim McAllister

2016 Paul H. Deschambault

2017 Karen Chasse

2018 Jim Godbout

2019 PDG Ronald Drouin

2021 Joe Moreshead

 

In 2017 when I gave this award to Karen Chasse I said that if I was ever building a new Rotary Club from scratch I would recruit Karen and just add water.  If I was building a Club today I would enlist Karen and this individual knowing the rest would without question fall into place.  A relative new member, by my standards, if you look at photos from every Rotary event or every meeting this person is not only there, but this member is getting things done.  This person has done it all for the Club while also reminding us week in and week out that family is of number one importance.  This person has achieved an incredible balance in life that has enabled them to become friends with just about every person in the State of Maine.  While this person has never been the President of our Club, he has been the best friend of every President of this club since he joined the club about 6 years ago with a tireless commitment to doing whatever it takes to help others.

 

When this person received our Humanitarian Award I said:  ‘He provides all of this help with an incredible sense of humility and family and with a sincerity that is unsurpassed.  For his willingness to put his family, his communities and those in need ahead of all else, this year’s Biddeford Saco Rotary Club Humanitarian Award now cross that out and replace it with “this year’s Goodwin Outstanding Service Award” goes to Conrad Welzel.

 

 

In 1896 a young attorney from Wallingford, Vermont moved to Chicago.  He met a man named Bob Frank who demonstrated a camaraderie with local shopkeepers that impressed him and reminded him of his small town in Vermont.  That desire for the fellowship of a small town inspired him to have a meeting with 3 other men on Feb. 23, 1905 which was said the be the first Rotary meeting ever.  Of course, that man was Paul Harris who went on to create what became Rotary International.  Unfortunately, Harris suffered from poor health and passed away in 1947.  He asked that in lieu of flowers people donate to the Rotary Foundation.  Upon hearing of his death, Rotary created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund which eventually included awards given in Harris’ name.  Paul Harris Awards are arguably the highest distinction that can be given to people by Rotary.  Our Club has had a practice of recognizing deserving members and non-members for their work in and outside the Club.  Each past Paul Harris recipient has been very worthy and this year we have two more equally notable winners of the award. In no particular order:

 

A Rotary Club, as large and as active as ours, requires a lot of hard work to make it run smoothly.  It requires people to step up on a regular basis not only to complete hands on projects, but also to keep up with the day to day administrative demands.  It is my sense that our first Paul Harris recipient this year is an exceptionally quiet person who took a while to get comfortable with Rotary, but this person has stepped up in a big way to help keep the club running smoothly while repeatedly showing up to help out wherever needed.  Her efforts have meant a lot to Marty and to our Club, and therefore I am happy to give this year’s first Paul Harris Award to Kathy Shea.

 

As many of you know, as we give to the Foundation we generate credit toward Paul Harris Awards.  Many of our members are multiple Paul Harris recipients because of their Foundation giving including Brian Dallaire, Carl Goodwin, Roland Gagne and Joe Moreshead to name a few.  It is always nice to announce when the generosity of our members results in further Paul Harris recognition for them.  We have two such announcement to make.  Elaine Palmitessa and Jim Godbout.