I’ve received a number of responses back from the survey Julie sent out regarding in person meetings or Zoom meetings. The opinion of members leans slightly to continue the Zoom meetings. Although the governor has begun to loosen regulations in the state the data indicates the number of cases has increased and I suspect as vacationers come back to Maine the numbers will increase. Unless anyone strongly objects I suggest we continue Zoom meetings until after Labor Day.
Best
President Don
--
Don Pilon
In addition, from the District Governor:
There is pressure from some to restart in-person Rotary meetings and activities.
The current official guidance from Rotary International is that there will not be any mandatory in-person Rotary meetings this calendar year.
The current advice from me is that it is too early – too high of a percentage of our membership is vulnerable, for a variety of reasons.
In any case, it is good for all of us in leadership positions, in and out of Rotary, to be familiar with our current state guidelines. These two websites update daily.
President Fausto led his final meeting as President of the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club. Thank you for an amazing year Fausto!
Invocation - Joe
Four Way Test – Joe M.
Sargent At Arms Heather asked for Happy Dollars and then issued fines. 😊
$130 was collected today for fines and Happy Dollars.
NOTED: Joe M. modeled his salmon colored pants and was fined.
Thank you to everyone who paid up their previous happy dollars.
If you still would like to make a Happy Dollar contribution, you can mail your contribution into the: The Rotary Club of Biddeford Saco, PO Box 298, Saco, ME 04072 Thank you!
Fireside Chat will be rescheduled. A notice will be sent ASAP.
Bring your own drinks & snacks
Please RSVP
Conrad
COVID-19 Committee meeting Thursday at 3pm.
The committee is 17 members strong.
We have helped a lot of people in the local communities as well as helping refugees in Aman, Jordan. Thank you, Rotarians, for stepping up at a time when so many are in need.
Brian
Brian – Thanked everyone. More than $7,800 was raised for the Rotary Foundation.
Don
We’ll need to get started on planning the Minatare Golf Tournament. Shooting for an August 2020 event. Rotarians – If you can help, in any way, no matter how little, please contact Don. As this is an outdoor event, we can safely plan on this fundraiser for the year. Thank you in advance to stepping up to help.
Brenda
We will be planning a new Essay Contest event where we invite the students and their families to participate. Be looking for that in the very near future. If you would like to see the video, you can view it here. https://youtu.be/9QfkGKBCqoY
Jim
The Red Ribbon Committee donated $1,000 to ACES. Adverse Childhood Experiences. They are working thought out the area and their budget for 2020 was short and they needed some help.
PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS - Brenda
My company, BLP Associates, is an authorized representative of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. (PVSA) The President's Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. Established by executive order by George W. Bush, the award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.
The award can be granted to individuals, families and organizations located throughout the United States. Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and/or the President's Call to Service Award (also referred to the President's Lifetime Achievement Award).[1]
Awardees receive a personalized certificate, an official pin, medallion, and a congratulatory letter from the President depending on the award earned.
Presented with a GOLD PVSA is Fausto Pifferrer
Presented with a SILVER PVSA award is: Julie Villemaire & Susan Gajewski
Presented with a BRONZE PVSA award is: Don Pilon & Marty Grohman
Congratulations. Well deserved.
President Fausto
Sue – your help as treasurer is so greatly appreciated. Thank you for your hard work. Sue will be staying on as Treasurer and will work with our group remotely. We appreciate her participation.
Julie – does so much behind the scene. If ever I need anything, I call Julie. She keeps this club running like a well-oiled machine.
Everyone in this club plays a big role in the success of the organization. Thank you. I encourage you all to step up and get involved. With what’s going on in our world, there’ll be lots more people in need.
Jim – another behind the scenes always working for the good of others, and an unsung hero. Thank you for all you do with the houses. Financially, it is so beneficial to this club.
Brian – thank you for your continuous work. Haley will be joining your one-man team and give you some assistance.
Kaitlin – Thank you for stepping up as a new member of this club. Everywhere I go, you’re there and involved. We thank you.
Karen – you’re my lifeline. You and Joe M. brought me into this club. You’ve been a tremendous help to me from the get-go.
Conrad – you’ve been lining up all of our speakers for the past three years. And now you’re heading up one of the most active committees in the club. Thank you so much.
Finally, the 100th will be held on April 24th. Our invited guests from England will be notified and they did say they planned to attend. I’ll be assisting Don with this event.
Presidential Handoff Fausto to Don
Board Meeting: July 1st via ZOOM at 7:45 am
COVID Crisis Meeting: Thursday 6/25/2020 at 3:00 via ZOOM.
Next meeting: Wednesday July 1st at 12:15 via ZOOM.
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.
Here are the minutes from yesterday's meeting - please note the request in the "tasks" section:
THERMOMETERS
Not available locally - Black Bear Medical is out of stock
It's possible that any businesses that have re-opened (or will in the near future) already have thermometers
An alternative to thermometers might be branded gift baskets with hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, etc., to be handed out to main street businesses
BON APPETIT RENOVATIONS
More work is needed than initially thought
Entire kitchen (including cabinets) needs to be re-painted
Materials needed: scrapers, staging, drop cloth, paint, paint brush, and rollers
Jim can get staging to make it easier to paint upper levels
Don has determined that this will be a club project, not COVID specific
TASKS
Anyone who has been the primary contact for a COVID-19 subcommittee grant recipient - please reach out to see how they are doing, if they have any further needs, etc. and report back to us ASAP
Conrad will contact Jim Labelle to request Chamber of Commerce poll regarding re-opening needs
Don will talk to Marty / Conrad will check with Jim Godbout regarding distillery sourced hand sanitizer
As a committee we only had a total of 12 applications, approx. 3 per school. Due to COVID-19 and the small amount of applications, we decided to forgo the interview and choose the final candidates as a committee by reviewing their applications together. When choosing the final candidates we are reviewing/discussing: academics, community service/volunteerism, financial need and overall application preparedness/write up. Each student that applied excelled academically, committed to their communities through volunteerism and have great aspirations. We are happy to share with the club the following scholarship award recipients are for this year fiscal year:
Biddeford High School- LillyAnne Melton-attending Michigan Technological University- a 4 year college pursuing an Engineering degree. She has been an active Interact member, VP of Studnet Council (12 grade), Debate Team member and athlete-Cross Country, Hockey and track. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society.
Center of Technology Student-Kurtis Edgerton-attending Maine Maritime and studying Marine Engineering. He was an Interact member his senior year, a 4 year athlete playing football, basketball and baseball. Kurtis is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.
Thornton Academy: Christine Casvikes plans to attend Clark University. She has been a 4 year Interact Club member as well as additional voluntaeering in the community at Saco Meals Program and a Literacy tutor; She is a National Honor Society Member.
Vernon Wells: OOB- will attend the University of Pennsylvania, He is a musician and a member of the Ocean Park Brass, volunteers at the Ocean Park Ecology School and Ocean Park Association. He is a National Honor Society member and an AP Scholar with Distinction.
Club matching contributions of $2,515 which is almost exactly the $2500 that was budgeted.
Presidents Faustos contribution from his budget of $1275
A grand total of $7825.15 exceeding Fausto's goal of $7,000 for this year.
Nice job everyone. We had 29 Rotarians step up to give money to Your Foundation.
An additional $1,163 was contributed by 4 Rotarians to Polio+.
This will go a long way towards us gaining approval for a District Grant for the Covid-10 Committee.
As a stipulation of membership, each member pledged to make at least a $100 contribution/yr.
There is still time to make online contributions before June 30 at Rotary.org.
Thank you again for all who contributed.
Dr Brian Dallaire
Club Foundation Chair
We invite you to make a contribution in any amount to the Rotary Foundation. We have a goal to increase the rate of participation in this year's campaign. Even a $1 will help. We realize that these are difficult times, but the Foundation is responding to the Covid-19 crisis. As a result of social distancing we will be conducting this years appeal remotely.
The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of US$26.50 to more than US$1billion. It has one of the largest and most Donating to Rotary means clean water and sanitation. Health and hope in areas that were once ravaged by diseases like polio. Economic development and new opportunities. Your financial help makes all this happen, and more.prestigious international fellowship programs in the world.
Donating to Rotary means clean water and sanitation. Health and hope in areas that were once ravaged by diseases like polio. Economic development and new opportunities. Your financial help makes all this happen, and more.
It's quite easy. Make your checks to the Rotary Foundation or even better yet, you may contribute on line directly on the RI website. (link is found on our website home page or at www,https://my.rotary.org/en/donate). Please designate the Annual Fund- Share so funds come back to our District. If you use this method, please let Sue G at (biddsacotreasurer@gmail.com) know about your donation as recording on the RI system will be extremely delayed.
Please make you contributions to Sue G. by the end of April so they may be recorded for President Fausto's year. Under current circumstances checks should be mailed our PO Box 298 in Saco, ME 04072. Just put foundation in the memo area.
As an added benefit, the club will match your contributions up to $100, accelerating your achieving year-after-year total contributions towards the $1,000 mark with the recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow.
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.
Total Raised: $2,672.30
Containers CLYNKed: 48,304
Environmental Impact:
Energy: Saved enough energy to light 66.9 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Emissions: Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 12,668 miles.
Volume: Diverted enough containers to fill 491.4 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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