Our April 4th meeting was an open meeting. I cannot comment on the parking because I walked but it is my sense that things are still tight.
After a two year absence from doing the 4 way test Julie V. led us in the 4 way test and flawlessly counted to 4. Paul Deschambault and the Masons led us in a prayer. Paul is the supreme architect of prayers.
Fausto introduced himself and then introduced our lone visiting Rotarian, David Fletcher who was apparently a Calais Rotarian who has moved to Scarborough and is looking for a new club.
Joe reminded us that our essay contest meeting will be next week on April 10 at PeoplesChoice Credit Union on the Industrial Park Road in Saco. If you can carpool to that meeting please do so as there is limited parking. It is always a great meeting when we get to hear the essays of the various middle school winning writers who will share their views on what family means to them. Please note that if you do drive please park away from the side of the building so that credit union members will have places to park. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING STARTS AT 12:00 AND NOT 12:15 to accommodate the student schedules.
Joe also mentioned the May 11 (that’s a Saturday) Rise Against Hunger hands on event during which we will help to put together 10,000 meals (Joe said 100,000 meals. He is now competing with McDonalds) in 2-3 hours. The event will be at the Saco Elks Club on the Ocean Park Road starting at 9:00.
We had a moment of silence of club members who had recently lost family members. Our condolences to Brenda Pollack and Conrad Welzel.
Fausto reminded everyone that the Scholarship Committee will be meeting soon to start reviewing applications for scholarships.
Lucie Kay was way too loud, and apparently she and Fausto were doing their best impression of the Mean Girls.
Remarkably Jackson won the 50/50 for the third week in a row. One more and there will be an investigation.
Matt Simmons made an appearance and solicited happy dollars. They included:
- President Joe being happy to be part of such a great club. Excuse me while a yawn into my trash can.
- Lucie was forced to be happy so she acknowledged that she is heading out on her 4th vacation of 2019.
- Conrad saw Earl at Seal Rock and he is getting better.
- Conrad also shared a tribute to his Mom who was a great supporter of women.
- Dr. Joe was happy we are doing our essay contest.
- Our visitor was happy to tell us his family once owned Saco Island but he could not help us with the parking problem.
- Karen Chasse was going to be on TV because Biddeford High School is getting its band back together and she is leaving on vacation to Texas. She has more vacations than Lucie. Karen was also happy because her daughter is a nurse at Maine Med and she is not pregnant (there is clearly something in the air at Maine Med because 9 out of 10 of the nurses are pregnant. Is that an airborne thing?)
- Fausto gave happy $s because Conrad’s Mom raised a good man, his daughter went to her first formal (not sure what that is) and for his very busy business.
Matt then actually fined some people including President Joe for not following the script. He has not been able to do it for 41 weeks so why start now? There were 4 April birthdays, Matt, Sarah N., President Joe and Julie V. And Fausto had to pay extra for his special meal.
We then discussed two major gifts both of which the Board approved at its April 3 Board meeting.The first was a $25,000 donation to Thornton Academy to help with its capital campaign for a new athletic complex.The proposal was for Red Ribbon to give $10,000 and for the club to give $15,000 from charitable funds and then one club member was going to match that $25,000 gift.President Joe also indicated that his family was donating $5,000 to the campaign.A spirited discussion about the pros and cons of this kind of gift took place including comments about the fact that the gift would help support a multi-purpose room that will be available for students and the public to pursue healthy living choices and to be educated about healthy choices which we hope will keep students engaged and less likely to fall into substance misuse.It truly was a healthy discussion and in the end the club voted to approve the gift.
The second major gift discussed was a $25,000 donation to the My Place Teen Center to help fund its kitchen as long as the kitchen can be used to help start a culinary arts program for local students.The gift would help get the teen center off the ground, would help the COT start a new culinary arts program in a brand new commercial kitchen and might eventually provide us with a new place to meet.Everyone was very supportive of the idea though it was acknowledged that there is a long way to go before all of that can become a reality.In the end the club unanimously endorsed the gift which would come from our vocational fund.
On behalf of Thornton Academy, Haley Thompson, our TA Development Director, and the entire TA Capital Campaign Committee, I want to thank the Club and the Red Ribbon Committee for their very generous gift to the Thornton Capital Campaign which will enable TA to name the large multi-purpose room in the new athletic facility for Rotary and Red Ribbon.We all know that student athletes and students involved in extra-curricular activities are more likely to stay in school and avoid other issues like drug misuse.Sports and extra-curricular activities should not be only for those who can afford them.They should be available to all students and the fact is that TA’s athletic facilities are just too small for our student body.This project will allow more students of all demographics to have a place to be physically active and engaged outside the classroom.This gift is yet another shining example of the Biddeford Saco Rotary’s Club’s commitment to our communities and our students. Again, thank you all for your support of TA’s project.
Finally, Karen let us know that there will be a speaker at Thornton in the morning on April 10 and in the afternoon on the same day at Biddeford High School talking about a drunk driving tragedy which is part of Red Ribbon week.If you would like to attend either session please contact Karen.
