Thank you for all you are doing to make our community a better place. I'm excited for our in-person meeting this week, which will be at Dizzy Birds Restaurant in Biddeford. We'll have a buffet starting at noon and the meeting will kick off at 12:15 as usual. There will be a Zoom option, and our speaker is Dacian Coita of RC Oradea, Moldova, Romania (which borders Ukraine). Please RSVP!
As you may know, last year we started a new community project in partnership with Apex Youth Connection and Biddeford Community Gardens to award raised garden beds, with all necessary supplies and training at no cost to recipients in the Biddeford, Saco, OOB & Dayton communities. We delivered 10 raised beds last year and it was a great success. In late 2021, our club was awarded a Rotary district grant for 2022, so we are looking to do even more this year. Although there has been some advance work done already, it is time to begin organizing our efforts for the 2022 project.
We will have a meeting on Monday, 2/28/2022 at 4:15pm. Feel free to join if you'd like.
Here is the Zoom meeting link. I look forward to seeing you next Monday at 4:15 pm.
Meeting ID: 854 0325 6101 Passcode: 4svk5T One tap mobile +13126266799,,85403256101#,,,,*354720# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,85403256101#,,,,*354720# US (New York)
Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 854 0325 6101 Passcode: 354720 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdzkEwjeNK
Our Maple Syrup fundraiser is underway! You've been assigned to one of 5 teams, with a mix of longer term and newer Rotarians. The Funsters, Sap Suckers, Peace Keepers, Sweet Leaf, and Sticky & Sweet teams are already locked in a close sales competition, with some exceeding $1000 in sales already towards our overall goal of $5000. This is a great community program featuring real Maine syrup which will help raise money for the Club, especially our international programs, which are so needed right now. If you haven't tried before, you'll find this real Maine syrup is in high demand and easy to sell! Good luck to all the teams.
Our Red Ribbon Committee, which is our Club's largest Committee, is in full swing. The Red Ribbon program seeks to mobilize the community to encourage healthy and thriving behaviors for students, without the influences of illegal drugs and other misused substances. The month of April will be dedicated to these efforts so now is the time to get involved and help with planning. Please help out by sponsoring here, and join our planning meeting this Tuesday March 1st at 4PM here.
Raised garden bed program: this year, thanks to a $2,000 District Grant and Ken Farley's leadership, we have funding to build, deliver, fill with dirt and provide seeds for up to 20 area families who could benefit from a raised bed garden. If you like to get your hands in the dirt, learn more at the kickoff meeting, this Monday at 4:15PM. Zoom here.
Happy Dollars:
Stand-in SAA Joe M was in a good mood and decided not to fine anyone, so here's what we have for Happy Dollars (please do Venmo them in):
$10 from Marty, for a couple days of fun snowmobiling
From Bill P for the beautiful February day, 60F and sunny
From Conrad for family arriving to visit
Ken F is happy his dogsitting duties are almost over
Susan is happy to be in Florida with family & friends
Karen was happy for Ken's help in setting up a family financial gift for her new grandchild
Melissa is happy but Marty didn't write down why...
Brian is happy his niece is happy having a baby shower
We had a great presentation with PDG Marty Peak Helman, on Rotary Peace Centers. Do you know a college student who would be a fit for this remarkable opportunity? It would be wonderful to have someone nominated by our Club. Please take a look at the presentation here and learn how to nominate a student for this graduate certificate program.
We are a local service organization founded in 1920, encompassing the Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach Maine area.
Campaign Chatter
AS
Anonymous Supporter
Thu, Feb 24 @ 2:36pm
It would have been best to have shipping info and arrangements posted with the order form. I was surprised to find that I wasn't included after I placed my order because there was no disclosure about kit.
RH
Roderick Hughes
Thu, Feb 24 @ 1:44pm
All the best to you, Marty. In memory of Keith Treadway
KT
Karen Thames
Weds, Feb 23 @ 2:38pm
Thanks Sue!
JV
Julie Villemaire
Sun, Feb 20 @ 7:49am
This is such a delicious fundraiser! Rotary is an incredible organization and I am very proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of Biddeford and Saco.
Thank you so much for your being so concerned about our needs. We are strong in what we are doing because of your support.
About the proposed renovation works at the OLPS CRC kitchen, I am glad to share with you some pictures showing the status of the kitchen and which areas need to be renovated and why. See the photos HERE
The kitchen area is about 12m2 (4m in length and 3m in width). This is where we prepare food for 93 children daily, it is also our store and washing area. The primary source of fuel is firewood. The kitchen does not have a separate dining area and the children use the classrooms as dining rooms during mealtimes.
Continued and prolonged use of firewood as the primary source of fuel produces smoke, which caused blockage along the chimney resulting in a backflow of smoke into the kitchen and into the main house. The kitchen’s inside wall is now black with a thick layer of soot. The roof is equally in a terrible state. Just like the wall, the inside part of the roof is also covered with a thick layer of soot and has caused serious damage to the iron sheets and timber. The roof is leaking whenever it rains and there is fear that it can crumble because the timber is rotten and weak.
The floor has cracks where dirt accumulates and this compromises the general hygiene of the kitchen and the quality of food that is prepared in the kitchen. Cracks make it challenging to clean the floor as well.
There is a small corridor behind the kitchen, which we use as the store for firewood. This is also a potential risk as dry firewood can catch fire anytime, resulting in big losses for the CRC.
To renovate the kitchen, we need to do the following: -
Transitioning from firewood as the primary source of fuel to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This requires complete installation of the entire LPG infrastructure at a cost of Kshs. 350,000.00. The proposed budget as prepared by experts in this area is attached to this email. See what this looks like HERE. We took these at a Referral Hospital here in Kisumu and St. Monica Hospital also here in Kisumu
Clean the wall and repaint.
Construct storage cupboards
Redo the floor and lay ceramic tiles on the floor
Remove the roof and replace the timber and iron sheets
Repair the washing area by installing new concrete sinks,
Install large windows and a new door.
The kitchen, in its current status, is a serious health and environmental hazard and puts the lives of the children and workers in danger of respiratory complications due to prolonged exposure to smoke from firewood. It is a public health concern that we have been warned by the Public Health Officers to rectify before the center is shut down. At the same time, the ministry of environment and natural resources has also directed institutions that use firewood as the primary source of fuel to seek alternative means, which are friendly to the environment. This is why we are seeking support to transition into LPG as the primary source of fuel because it is clean, efficient, and cost-effective.
By renovating the kitchen and ensuring the safety of food prepared at the kitchen, grandmothers whose children are beneficiaries of the center will not worry about the health of their grandchildren.
I have shared the photos of the kitchen for your information.
Happy New Year! I'm excited for 2022, and it gives me a chance to provide some updates on goings-on at our Biddeford Saco Rotary Club:
We have a new member proposed, Phillip Mateja. He is sponsored by Heather Gendron. Phil is a Realtor and has volunteered with the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Knights of Columbus. He has been to a few meetings and was approved for membership by the board at our December meeting. However, I did not do a good job of "posting" or announcing his prospective membership at our last two meetings (our process for new members is attend a meeting as a guest, be placed on the agenda for board approval, followed by announcing or "posting" the proposed new member at two consecutive club meetings, then induction at a meeting). So, if you have concerns about adding Phil to our club, please contact me ASAP, otherwise he will be inducted at our meeting this Wednesday January 5 at Ricetta's at 12:15.
Speaking of new members, it has really been great to see you stepping up and getting so involved with our programs, and bringing new energy to our group. Volunteering and getting involved is the best way to get to know the Club, and you have been doing that. Welcome!
More volunteer opportunities: Wreaths Across America is seeking our help at St Joseph's Cemetery on Saturday January 15 at 9AM to pick up the wreaths we placed last month. Cold, unglamorous work -- our specialty :)
Before too long it will be time for our Raised Bed Gardens to be built and delivered. Look for a note from Ken Farley about that in the next couple weeks. We hope to provide as many as fifteen or twenty "gardens ready to go" for area families in need this year. The work involves building, delivering, and filling the raised beds with dirt. Again with the unglamorous work.
Someone who does a lot of unglamorous work for the Club but doesn't always get much mention is Brian Dallaire. Thank you Brian for setting up all the Zooms, the meeting invites, and the website.
Please do register for our weekly lunch if you get the chance. It helps us plan. But then we always have extra food, so don't hesitate to just show up if your plans change -- we love to see you.
Omicron is a wild card. We do have masks available at the restaurant, will make them more prominent, and Zoom is always an option which seems to be working fairly well. We'll be discussing this at the Board meeting Wednesday morning, so please bring your ideas and concerns to your favorite board member (listed on the left column of the website).
Our signature holiday program Adopt-A-Family was a great success. We helped a record number of families, a total of 97 children. So rewarding. Thank you for participating, and thanks again to Karen Chasse and Heather Gendron for coordinating. All this was made possible by our Raffle, which was a huge success, and provided us the budget to give the most we've ever given this year.
Speaking of thanks, here's to our nominating committee for developing a strong slate of officers for 2022 (starting in July). As we head into our 102nd year of Service Above Self, we'll be in good hands.
Sometimes I don't do enough to mention our international activities. Lots of communities around the world can use our help, and Roland Gagne does an amazing job keeping us involved.
Internationally, we have two projects underway:
Monday, January 3rd (today!) at 9AM we’ll be holding a Zoom meeting with Rotarians in Uganda; a local Portland, ME environmental engineer; and two community members from Biddeford to discuss/review water project proposals received for a hydrogeological study for a community near the borders of Rwanda and DRC. Our club will be helping fund and support this project. Any Rotarians interested in joining the Zoom meeting, email Roland for the link: rotaryroland@gmail.com. And here’s a Google Earth link to the community in Rwanda where the proposed water project is being developed: Rwanda Water Project
The Children’s Rescue Center in Kisumu, Kenya is in need of support for orphaned children being cared for at the center. We continue to engage with the center to understand the most pressing needs that we can support. Anyone interested in joining the discussion, email Roland at rotaryroland@gmail.com.
Looking ahead, we have exciting programs in the works. For example, in March we'll be doing our Maple Syrup fundraiser. It was a big success last year thanks to Roland Gagne, and we have it in the works again this year, so don't buy any syrup between now and then... also, in late April, we are looking at a new event, together with the Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative, called a "Recovery Workforce Job Fair"... In May, We'll be back at St. Joseph's Cemetery, where together with students from Biddeford Schools, we place flags on veterans graves for Memorial Day... and in June we'll have our essay contest, which provides a chance for student authors to show their stuff. Lastly, coming up soon, we'll be looking for volunteers to help sort, organize and hang pictures and historical articles at the newly renovated lodge at West Brook Skating Rink. More with the unglamorous work.
The Biddeford Saco Rotary Club now accepts Venmo! You can pay your dues, the golf fundraiser, fines & happy dollars, foundation giving or anything else you’d like to pay directly to our bank account.
If you don’t have Venmo, please download the app and set up an account. It’s very easy. And it’s especially helpful that you can pay with your phone while we don’t meet in person.
Please send payments to @Treasurer-BSRC and put a note with your name (if it’s not identifiable) and what you’re sending money for. I can also try to answer questions if you respond to this email.
CLYNK bags are available at Whimsical Me on Main Street Saco. Stop into Heather’s store to pick-up several bags. Drop your bags off at the CLYNK DEPOSITORY In the Hannaford Shopping Center. Scan the bag tag on the outside of the door and place the bag inside Help us support Roland Gagne’s school in Kenya. A few cans and bottles goes a long way to improve the lives of these children. Let’s fulfill our commitment. .
Thank you
Roland
Our Club is in first place of 10 Rotary Clubs who participate in this program! But Saco Bay is gaining on us.
Rotary Club of Biddeford Saco
Total Raised
$3,164.80
Containers CLYNKed
56,219
Saved enough energy to light 78.5 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 14,849 miles.
Diverted enough containers to fill 571.4 lobster traps.
Fill up those green bags. If you need more bags and/or labels, just let Julie Villemaire know and she can hook you up…no charge!
Simple fill with returnables and drop off at any Hannaford.
Alternately, if you already have a CLYNK account of your own, you can designate you funds as a donation. Hit the Donate button and search for Rotary and you'll find our account.
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