Annual Awards Meeting

President Don started the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance which was then followed up with the invocation by Joe Bassett. VP Brenda Pollock then led the group in the Rotarian 4 Way Test.

 

President-Elect Marty Grohman introduced visiting guests and Rotarians.  Dennis Robillard stopped by from the Saco Bay Sunset Club.  Past President,and FIRST woman President of our Club, Helene Plourde was in attendance today with her husband John McDonough, Tricia Heidelbaugh, Roland Rousselle, Buffy Rousselle, Tyler Rousselle, Aaron Rousselle, Ann Marie Martin Rousselle and Ryan Sommer.

 

The 50/50 drawing ($26) was won by Joe Moreshead who quickly donated his winning proceeds back to the club! 

 

There was no Sergeant at Arms today as it was “Awards Day”.  Have your wallets ready for next week! Also, if you’d like to bring a little extra cash with you, we typically “pass the hat” for a collection “tip” for the waitress who served us at the few on-site meetings.  We normally do this around the holidays but seeing as we were “Zooming” then, this would be the next best time as we finish up this Rotarian year.

 

This is one of the easiest weeks to take the minutes for the TACK because Bill Kany happens to do all of the work!  Thanks again Bill for sharing your awesome notes!!

 

 

Welcome to the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club’s annual awards meeting. 

 

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 all 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.

 

I firmly believe that two of the most powerful and yet under-utilized words in the English language are “thank you”.  In an effort to say thank you, each year since 1988 (except for last year) our Club has given out our Public, Private and Humanitarian awards and we have been giving out our Vocational Service Award since 2000.  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.

 

 

PRIVATE SECTOR AWARD

 

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 1988 and list off some of the early winners.   They included:

 

1988  Tobie Nathanson

1989 Robert Melville

1990 A. William Kany, Jr.

1991 Myra Van Fleet

1992 Conrad Crepeau

 

 

            The singer, song writer and activist, Harry Chapin performed a song called “Mr. Tanner”.  In that song he describes a dry cleaner who is a talented singer, saying of Mr. Tanner that “music was his life it was not his livelihood, it made him feel so happy, it made him feel so good.  He sang from his heart, he sang from his soul, he did not know how well he sang, it just made him whole.”  Fortunately for all of us, many people develop talents during their lifetimes that give their lives meaning.  Some, like this year’s private ward sector winner, use their beloved talents to help others.

 

            This year’s private sector award winner developed a talent for sewing and knitting at a young age and has used those talents to help others for a long time.  She has helped make hundreds of quilts to provide comfort for kids at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital; she has knit hats to keep the less fortunate warm and she has collaborated with others to make dresses for young girls all over the globe for “Dress a Girl Around the World” which makes those girls safer and helps them to feel loved and better about themselves.  She also works to garner support for those efforts when she is not sewing.  Her commitment to her creative talents and using them to help others is truly an inspiration.

 

 

PUBLIC SECTOR AWARD

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Past Winners Include:

 

1988 Joan Susi

1989 Clayton Cartmill

1990 Dennis Dutremble

1991 Robert G. Dodge

1992 Debra Choroszy

 

            It is said that when life gives you lemons make lemonade.  Over the last year life, in the form of COVID, has certainly given us a whole lot of lemons.  Not only have thousands died from the pandemic, but it has had other impacts as well including incredible isolation, lost jobs and businesses, hunger and  a sense of hopelessness.  Some people have had the vision to not only see these problems but to come up with creative solutions designed to help as many people as possible.

 

            This year's Public Sector Award winner is a person with that kind of creative vision to help fight local hunger and isolation while helping local restaurants that struggled so mightily during the pandemic.  This person found local sponsors to pay restaurants to provide meals and then collaborated with volunteers and resource officers to distribute those meals to people in need of not only a meal but company as well.  Those efforts addressed so many needs at the same time including providing residents and businesses in our communities with hope.  This person took lemons and made a proverbial lemonade stand.

 

            In the midst of a crisis such creativity has to be applauded and encouraged, and as a result I am happy to announce that Biddeford Saco Rotary Club's Public Sector Award is given to Amelia Meier, the Assistant Director of Saco’s Parks and Rec Department.

 

 

HUMANITARIAN AWARD

 

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.

 

Past Winners Include:

 

1988 Richard Nason

1989 Dr. Andre Fortier

1992 Agnes Flaherty

1994 Dr. Francis J. Kleeman

1995 Donald W. Charland

 

            Recently the Marathon Bomber, Tsarnaev was back in the news and I again saw the film footage of the 2013  Boston Marathon bombing. The thing that struck me was when the bombs went off the instinct of most people was to run from danger, but for the first responders in the area their instinct was to run to the danger to see if they could help.  That image has always stayed with me.  This year’s Humanitarian Award winner is someone who is always willing to go where he is needed and he is always willing to work to get things done.  It seems instinctual to him as well.  I have known a lot of doers in my day, but this person not only says he is going to do things but he gets them done every time.  Furthermore, when it became clear that COVID was here to stay for an extended period of time, he stood up and directed our efforts to support our communities in such a time of need.

 

            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 goes to Conrad Welzel.

 

VOCATIONAL SERVICE AWARD

 

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

 

Past Winners Include:

 

2000  Carl Goodwin

2001 A. William Kany, Jr.

2002  Ron Gagnon

2003  Steven Foran

2004 Frank Paul

 

            Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, said that “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”  This year’s recipient of our Vocational Service Award is such a quiet leader who quite frankly has had an incredible career as an educator that many of us probably don’t know about. 

 

 Jeremy Ray said that this leader “has been a respected educator and leader in the Biddeford’s School District for over 27 years. Starting as a School Social Worker at John F. Kennedy School, she worked with children from kindergarten through high school. Anyone who knows her will tell you she has a big heart, and her compassion and ability to see behind the behavior are key elements in her success as a leader and colleague today.”

 

            While, by now, most of you know who I am talking about, it is hard to believe this person has been the Director of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology for 8 years.  During that time: “She not only fixed a broken culture shepherding a team of leaders to move BRCOT towards standards-based assessments and expanded programs but she also established unprecedented collaborative relationships among other school districts, community stakeholders, state agencies and legislators, and more.”  Those added programs include upgrading the precision machining program, an Emergency Medical Technician Program, plumbing and heating, new engineering programs and the creation of Career Pathways and Student Services positions to support student success.

 

            At a time when technical education and a renewed commitment to our students have become so important this person has shined in providing the leadership and vision to move the COT into the 21^st Century.

 

            This year’s Vocational Service Award goes to the Director of the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology and the newest member of Maine’s State Board of Education, Paulette Bonneau.

 

 

 

GOODWIN OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

 

            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.  I should note that the committee’s nominee is not here, but I have decided to go ahead with the award anyway.

 

Based on the significance of the award I will read the names of 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

 

If you think of the Goodwin brothers you know that they always stepped up when the Club needed them to do so.  This year’s recipient is no different having done what was needed time and time again.  A true veteran of the club, this person has been a regular Board member, was a huge part of our TV auction on air and behind the scenes, but most importantly when we needed a President with essentially no time to prepare, this person stepped up big time and took on the job.  This club member has provided a voice of reason to the club while always making us smile. His commitment to Rotary cannot be questioned, after all it’s all for the children.

 

           

 

 

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 to 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 three more equally notable winners of the award.

Because of the way Paul Harris Award points are now calculated by RI we did not have enough points to give out 3 awards.  In fact we barely had enough for one.  Joe Moreshead had excess points from his contributions to RI so he transferred points to the club to enable us to give out these awards.  Thank you Joe!  Yet another shining example of why you are this year’s recipient of the Goodwin Outstanding Service Award.

 

In no particular order:

I have known this first recipient for a few years now.  During that time I have grown to learn that she does everything with passion, enthusiasm and a joie de vivre.  During her time in Rotary she has taken our annual essay contest and given it the focus that it truly deserves.  Family and literacy are important elements of Rotary which are properly captured in that one very important event.  This year she has made sure that the good works of Rotary are consistently published in the local newspaper so that our communities continue to be aware of all of the wonderful things that our club does.  Such publicity is crucial for fundraising and attracting new members.  A current Board member and our Club’s vice president, our first Paul Harris Award goes to Brenda Pollock.

 

Our next Paul Harris recipient is yet another one of the members of our Club who is a doer.    This person is so involved in the Community it is hard to figure out whether they have a job.  From politics, to blood drives, to the Westbrook skating rink and promoting veterans issues, this person is always involved in a big way.  His willingness to help and to lead is inspiration to all of us to get involved.   Incidentally, the omnipresent person will also be the next President of our Club.