Last week was an exciting meeting.Not only was it the Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris but The Biddeford Saco Rotary Club welcomed the Amman Cosmopolitan Rotary Club of Jordan as our Twin. This international relationship between our clubs allows us the opportunity to exchange ideas, foster fellowship and broadens our service capabilities. We thank Roland Gagne for facilitating this Twinning relationship.
President Ibrahim Kattan and Dr. Nasire Rabare from the Cosmopolitan Club talked about their club and the activities they have sponsored. There are approximately 25 members in the club and the membership is very diverse. Young and old with a broad range of occupations. Quite a few of their members had Zoomed into our meeting to participate in the Twinning ceremony. Brian Dallaire announced we had 44 combined members in attendance.
Roland is working with the Amman Cosmopolitan club on a global grant to create an educational program in the hospitality industry for high school students. There is no formal program available in this field to support this industry. A vocational school with a curriculum focused on all aspects catering to the tourism in the region will not only boost the local economy but set these young people on a career path.
President Don welcomed everyone for this very special meeting. On this day, two Rotary Clubs will join as sister clubs. The Biddeford and Saco Rotary Club, Biddeford, Maine and The Amman Cosmopolitan Rotary Club, Amman Jordan.
Roland Gagne who traveled to Amman, Jordan on a Rotary International outreach project, introduced Rotary royalty participating in this twinningevent:
Rotary’s 7780 District Governor Peggy Belanger welcomed the group and commended both clubs for joining together. District 7780 is comprised of 41 clubs and 15 thousand members throughout southern Maine and New Hampshire. She proudly announced that this Rotary District remained very active throughout the pandemic and was honored to see them serve their communities through this crisis.
Lawrence Furbish, District 7780 Foundation Chair, was also present on the call. He celebrates the relationship shown here today and was honored to see these two clubs, come together to work on future projects together as well as continue to support the foundation.
Ibrahim Kattan, President of the Amman club, stated he was optimistic about the new twinning agreement and hoped this new relationship would bring these two partners together. He also is hopeful about developing tourism projects between the two clubs.
Also in attendance was 2452 Past District Governor, Shawkat Tadros. The Rotary Club of Amman Cosmopolitan was founded 25-year ago and is to be the only English-speaking club in Jordan. This district is more than 84 years old and bridges three continents, nine countries, and four languages.
Bashar Haddad, 2452 Assistant District Governor, was also present for the twinning ceremony.
Lawrence Furbish presented the Paul Harris Fellowship Award to the President of the Amman Cosmopolitan Club, Ibrahim Kattan, on behalf of the Biddeford and Saco Rotary Club.
The Presidents of both clubs then participated in the signing of the Twin Club Program Agreement.
Twin clubs are two clubs from different countries that have established strong ties and have agreed to team up to complete a special program, be it an international service project, Rotary Youth Exchange, or Friendship Exchange.
Goals are:
• To emphasize the International avenue of Rotary service and friendship
• To establish a long-term relationship with another club that will lead to complex ongoing projects
• To enhance understanding of another culture
• To further international understanding and foster goodwill
Sergeant At Arms: Joe M.
Happy Dollars:
• Brian – Was happy to see 40 Rotarians participating on this Zoom meeting.
• Don - $10 for our new Rotary Friends from Aman and for the Paul Harris award recipients from our club.
• Jim L – Chamber Annual Meeting was scheduled for the following day via Zoom and invited anyone interested in participating, to please contact him for a link to the event. Also, they were to present the Kany Award and looked forward to hosting the annual event.
• Brenda – $10 to celebrate the first female Vice President of the U.S. and how this momentous occasion celebrates women. It is a historic moment that serves as an inspiration for young woman everywhere.
• Conrad – Honored his father and was grateful for a peaceful transition of power at our nation’s capital.
• Nadia – Guest from Jordan, Happy to be here to participate in this event and to see the US protecting democracy. The international vision is one that promotes peace and celebrates women. If the USA democracy is protected, it is so around the world.
• Roland – Happy thoughts of his trip to Jordan and is reminded of Susan G. attempting to get on and off her camel.
No Fines were issued at this meeting:
Additional Comments:
• District Governor Peggy Belanger congratulated Susan Gajewski for stepping into a position on the District Finance Committee.
Guest Speaker: Amelia Maier & Ryan Sommer – City of Saco Food Sharing Project
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Saco Parks and Recreation Department offered a free meal for senior residents in the Saco community. From March 2020 to June 2020, the group raised $15k and served more than two-thousand meals. their goal was to offer a weekly to-go meal program in partnership with local restaurants to support and highlight their business. Meals were distributed as take-home meals at the Saco Community Center. Following social distancing recommendations, individuals were able to easily pick-up meals curbside in our parking lot.
They are also focused on seniors and homebound citizens regarding isolation. They are working on a new program that will offer home deliveries in addition to the drive through service available at the community center. They are currently seeking sponsorship. For more information or to volunteer, contact Amelia.
Recording of the Club Twinning ceremony between the Rotary Clubs of Biddeford-Saco and the Amman Cosmopolitan, Jordan held on 20 January. Presidents Don Pilon and Ibrahim Kattan signed an official Certificate of Recognition establishing this new bond between our Clubs.
Originally the Tack was distributed in printed form at the following meeting. Then came ClubRunner and the ability to publish online. This version has been known as the e-Tack as we had both forms distributed for a while.
It now has been several years since the printed version has been issued. Therefore we will now rename the online e-Tack to plainly "THE TACK"
Attending: Roland Gagne, Susan Gajewski, Conrad Welzel, Don Pilon, Fausto Pifferrer, Brenda Pollock
Event Date/Timing
Dates set at River Winds for July 13/14.
100th Celebration on Tuesday evening and our Rotary meeting there on Wednesday at noon.
Proposed: Tuesday evening meeting and Wednesday afternoon event.
We’ve already paid the $2,000 to River Winds. The facility has most of the items we need to host the event.
July 13 & 14th was selected as it is a better date to accommodate our sister club.
Hosting
Hosting Dates: July 12 – 18th, 2020
Brenda, Susan, Don, Roland, Marty, Paul, have committed to hosting. Conrad will check with Dr. Joe, Jim G. and will check his availability.
We are looking to host up to 10 couples during this week. We’ve budgeted $5,000 for hosting visiting Rotarians.
Paulette is offering the school of technology 15-passenger van for the week. Sue will look into insurance policies we may require for the week.
Activities
We discussed the following activities for our out of town guests: Freeport/LL Bean, Botanical Gardens, Rachel Carson Bird Preserve, tour of the Biddeford Mills, traditional lobster bake, possibly at Brian’s house, sailing aboard L’Attitude (Brenda’s boat), Casco Bay Ferry tour. Possibly the Freedom Trail. We will continue to explore other opportunities.
Also discussed were VIP Coach Tours to sponsors a trip. Sunset tour on sailboat out of Portland. Cruise on Long Lake. Kennebunk to view the president’s house. Media event with our visiting guests and speaking with city officials about presenting a key to the city.
Invitations/Tickets
Invitations and tickets will need to be printed. Ticket prices will remain at $25 each for the celebration. Four Rotarians have already purchased tickets. We talked about inviting past and present district governors, officials, friends of Rotary, other clubs and dignitaries. Special recognition for Ron Drouin, PDG.
Invitations will also be extended to Canadian Rotarians and Dignitaries.
Food
Fausto has agreed to donate food for the event. We will have heavy appetizers all evening. There will be a cash bar.
Once the visiting guest list is confirmed, Fausto will research native foods to incorporate into our menu for the event.
Budget
Don budgeted $25,000 income for this event with $10,000 budgeted for expenses ($5k for Gala and $5k for Visitor expenses).
Auction
We discussed a live auction versus a silent auction and the feeling is that a silent auction would be preferable. Due to the uncertainty of this pandemic, we will reopen this topic for further discussion early next year.
Next Meeting
The next Zoom meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 25th at 2 pm. Roland will send a Zoom invitation to all interested in being on the committee.
We have more Meals on Wheels openings available! Please see the information below and feel free to contact us if you are interested:
Drivers needed at Biddeford
Biddeford Meals on Wheels is in need of delivery drivers on Tuesday mornings from 10:00AM-12:00PM. These delivery routes would be primarily in the Biddeford/Saco area. The site is located at 189 Alfred Street in Biddeford.
Packagers needed at Portland/Westbrook (Temporary)
Portland/Westbrook Meals on Wheels is looking for two volunteers to assist with packaging food on Thursday mornings from 9:00AM-12:00PM. Please note that this is a temporary volunteer role from 12/17/20 – 1/28/21. This role does require volunteers to work in close proximity with each other in the kitchen – so for safety purposes we encourage members of the same household to contact us with their interest. The site is located at 426 Bridge Street in Westbrook.
Also please ask if they could choose to help out to include myself or Julie on the communication so that they can be recognized for their service hours. Thanks Conrad
In March of 2020, the Rotary Club of Biddeford Saco launched a COVID-19 Crisis Subcommittee to address the immediate needs the pandemic caused in the communities of Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach. In phase one of their response program, the committee addressed the immediate need for food and PPE supplies for the elderly, at-risk youth and for our veterans.
In the second phase of their crisis project, the committee will continue their focus on ensuring food and PPE supplies are available to our seniors, at-risk youth, and veterans. In addition, the project will support organizations and small day cares that will be overwhelmed by an increased demand for basic needs: PPE supplies, food and other requirements or changes to their facilities as a result of executive orders. They will also add an education initiative for children and at-risk families, that will address food insecurities by teaching small scale agriculture in the production of crops and livestock.
To volunteer, donate to the Rotary Club or for more information on the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club, please email us.
To apply for crisis assistance and consideration for help with food, PPE supplies or for more information regarding the agriculture education initiative, download the COVID CRISIS Subcommittee Request Form.
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 & Don
UPDATE: Clynk requests that you hold you bags for 3 days before dropping them off and tie a string or ribbon to show compliance.
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
Rotary Club of Biddeford Saco
Total Raised
$2,780.45
Containers CLYNKed
49,802
Saved enough energy to light 68.8 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 13,021 miles.
Diverted enough containers to fill 506.9 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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