I would like to start with a plea.  The Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the Public Sector, Private Sector, Humanitarian and Vocation Service awards that we give out each year.  All of us know someone worthy of such awards but we need your suggestions.  Please get your suggestions back to me as soon as you can.  The committee really does appreciate and use your suggestions.

            Question? What is the story with President Lucie’s new Mercedes, the front symbol on which lights up like the Bat Mobile?  That thing costs more than my house.  How does she do it?  Either credit unions pay more than I thought which is entirely possible given their total lack of commitment to this country by paying their fair share.  It could be that credit unions have the most relaxed security and audit facilities on earth so it is perfectly fine to just help oneself to the cash in the vault, or it could simply be that one of Lucie’s last claimed vacations was actually just an excuse to fly to Miami and sell a kidney on the black market. 

            I have to say that I am a little shaken up and might be suffering from a little PTSD.  Last fall I sat near the top of the bleachers at Waterhouse Field which I now know was a death defying act.  I am guessing the latest condemnation of one of the best Class B fields in the State may have moved up Karen’s capital campaign a day or two.

            Another Red Ribbon week has passed.  Our club should be very proud of all the activities that occurred at the three area high schools.  Clearly, the renewed focus on drug awareness and the promotion of healthy alternatives at the area high schools came about because of the efforts of our Red Ribbon Committee and particularly the efforts of Jim Godbout and Karen Chasse. 

            The Red Ribbon Community Night on April 27 had better attendance than last year, but the empty seats still outnumbered the people by at least two to one.  Frankly, I think the empty seats were more attentive than the students who had been incentivized to be there.  Looking out over the audience I can tell you that few if any of the students there could tell you whether we were talking about drugs or snowmobiles.

            Clearly Bronwyn and her students from the CBC and BLAST stole the show.  Bronwyn and a young woman did a great job describing the CBC and the importance of after school programs and two young men got up and described their experiences at the CBC and the experience of colliding with a car on a bike and the extreme recovery associated with such an accident.  The kids did a fantastic job and I think related best to the audience. 

            Bill Patterson, our local addiction guru and head of the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition, talked about the dangers of marijuana use by adolescents and talked a lot about the challenges of the legalization of pot in our state.  Some of his slides showed such things as “Pot Tarts” and candy bars which were indistinguishable from the real Pop Tarts and candy bars.  There is no question that such products are going to get into the hands of our kids in Maine which will present huge challenges.

            Finally we were joined by Ryan Esbjerg (pronounced Esberg, but spelled Esjberb on his slide).  Ryan started “Flex Your Face” which is another way to say “smile”.  His movement is apparently based on the idea that we all need to take pleasure in the simple things in life and if we are misusing drugs or alcohol we need to figure out why and not just try to stop the misuse because if you can get at the root of your issue you might be able to then deal with the addiction more effectively.  Ryan had a ton of energy.  At times he was a bit hard to follow, but I do know that he is not a counselor, doctor, pastor, preacher or an inspirational speaker because he said that a few times.  I also know that he has a thing for Boca Raton, Florida which is apparently where I am required to go when I retire.  I definitely want Ryan selling whatever I am selling because he can flat out market stuff.

            Thank you to the 25+ Rotarians who attended.  Let’s keep Red Ribbon moving along and see if we can get other clubs to start replicating our model.

 

 

Natural Helpers is a national program.  Those selected are a cross section of students identified through an anonymous school wide survey. Ideally those chosen are representatives of all the subgroups in the school community.  They are invited to participate in the Natural Helpers program.  If they accept, they are trained as Natural Helpers.  The training consists of Retreat Training and Ongoing
Training, and the process continues indefinitely, with a different group of students
selected each year.

Tri-Valley Natural Helpers are a group of students who are selected by their peers and staff who have shown a natural skill for helping others.  They are trained to handle a variety of situations and to keep what they are told confidential.  They have been a wonderful resource for other students and they are an asset to our school.  Ms. Booze is the advisor for the Natural Helpers.  The Natural Helper program is funded by the Safe School Committee.

 

Our chairman for the awards committee, Bill Kany has requested your input.

 

Again it is time for the Awards Committee to get together to select worthy recipients for the Club’s public sector, private sector, humanitarian and vocational awards. Included herewith is a description of each award and some past recipients of each award. What the committee needs from you are suggested award recipients in each category. Please note, that in almost every instance, the awards are given to people suggested to the committee by members of our club.

 

Please note that while award recipients are frequently members of our club, they do not have to be members.  In fact,  most of the time the recipients are not members of the club.  I would also point out that even if you do not have an idea for an award recipient for one particular category, please give us as many suggestions as you can for the other categories. We would appreciate it if you would get back to us as soon as possible with your suggestions. Awards day is tentatively scheduled for June 21, 2017. We do need to meet to ultimately decide on the award recipients and then the awards need to be ordered and engraved so please get your suggestions back to us by May 8.

 

If you have any questions regarding any of the award categories, please contact me (Bill S. Kany at 602-7381 or email me at kanyw@sbsavings.com) or the other members of the committee, Rollie Eon, Joe Moreshead, and Keith Jacques.

 

Here are the award descriptions.  I have attached a list of the past recipients of each award.

 

The Private Sector Award is awarded to a citizen whose good works have been performed independently of their employment in the private sector. Recipients work for the public good, while being privately employed or not employed by a government or community entity. 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

 

NAME(S)                                                                   Reason for Nomination

 

 

 

 

NAME(S)                                                                   Reason for Nomination

 

 

 

 

NAME(S)                                                                   Reason for Nomination

 

 

 

 

NAME(S)                                                                   Reason for Nomination
 

 

 

From Bill Kany

 

The 9^th Annual BINGO Fundraiser to benefit the RI Polio Plus Program and our Charitable Giving Program, will be held on Sunday afternoon this year instead of a Saturday morning.  Games will start at 2:00 p.m. with doors opening at noon time on May 21st.  The BINGO games will be run by the Rochambeau Club crew this year (as a test) in hopes that more of their “regular” Bingo players will come back. This is serious business for many of the players and they don’t enjoy the games or attend as often when it is a fundraiser and they don’t have the “professionals” calling the game.  The Rotarians have always done a good job but we are going to change it up a little and see if we have a better turn out than the last couple of years.  I’m really hoping that this will be the year for the best showing of Rotarians at this event.  This may be the last year that we do the event so I’d like it to go out with a bang!  With the Rochambeau Club volunteers, ALL of the Rotarians and their families will be eligible to actually play the game!  . 

 

We will still need to get sponsors and pre-sell tickets.  There will be guaranteed $1,400 in prize money handed out.  If we get enough in sponsors, pretty much everything we raise is profit.  There is very little expense to this fundraiser.  The more tickets we can pre-sell the better off we will be.  There are no refunds, so if someone buys a ticket and decides not to come play at the last minute, we have their donation.  Tickets will be $20 and will cover all of the regular games.  There will be a few additional games, including a winner take-all,  that can be purchased at the door.  Sponsors who donate a $100 or more will have their name printed on the game program that is provided to all players and will be announced throughout the event.  They can also hang signs and/or hand-out trinkets, coupons, etc. to attendees.  Their name will also be listed on our Website and Facebook page.  If you are interested in sponsoring a game or know someone who is, please get in touch with Julie Villemaire (call or text 286-5474 or email villemaire@maine.rr.com).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIDDEFORD, SACO, OOB, Maine – April 4, 2017 – Every $1 spent on the prevention of drug misuse saves $7 in treatment. To steer our community toward healthy behaviors, the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club’s Red Ribbon Committee is focusing its efforts on preventing young people from slipping into the devastating grip of drug misuse and addiction. Working in conjunction with school educators from Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, Saco and Thornton Academy the Rotary’s Red Ribbon Committee is hosting multiple events during their second annual Red Ribbon Awareness Week, April 24-28, with a community-wide presentation on April 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Thornton Academy’s Garland Auditorium. All members of the community are welcome. The event is free and will be livestreamed at www.livestream.com/tatvsac.

 

“Our goal is to serve as a catalyst to mobilize communities, educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities” stated Red Ribbon Committee Co-Chair and Rotarian Jim Godbout.  “We all recognize drug misuse is at epidemic proportions in our country. It costs our country billions of dollars each year through tax dollars, so we are all affected directly or indirectly. I applaud the schools for working collaboratively together and with our Rotary Club, and I invite everyone to join us in a culture of change from acceptance of drug misuse in its many forms to all community members living lives of health, wellbeing, and joy.”

 

The tri-community presentation on April 27 encourages individuals and families to reflect upon current trends in drug use and what the community can do to promote healthy behaviors without the influences of illegal drugs or other misused substances. A series of speakers will address the trends in drug use and local effects, including: Bronwyn Barnett and the students in the Toastmasters Club from the Community Bicycle Center will speak about making healthy choices; Bill Paterson of Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition’s Project Alliance will speak on “”Marijuana and the Adolescent Brain”; Ryan Esbjerg of Flex Your Face University will speak on their unending goal to ignite people's lives through the celebration of small moments in their day; and the top three student t-shirt design winners will be presented with their cash prize awards.

 

In addition to the community-wide presentation, each high school has also planned activities for their students throughout the week of April 24 including all students receiving a free Red Ribbon t-shirt thanks to the following sponsors: Biddeford Savings, Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, P&C Insurance, Maine Magazine, and Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition’s Project Alliance through the University of New England. The Rotary Club held a t-shirt design contest and An Ho ’18 from Thornton Academy will have her design placed on the front of all the shirts.