Welcome to the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club’s annual awards meeting. I know some people are here to make presentations and we will get to them shortly.
At the outset I want to thank all the Rotarians who took the time to suggest some incredibly worthy candidates for these awards. Your input to the committee was invaluable and most of this year’s winners came from your suggestions. Unfortunately, we cannot honor all of the people you suggested, but I can assure you they were all worthy of recognition.
Stephen King once said: “Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.” Our Club has made the effort to say thank you to people or organizations that make a difference in our communities since 1988 in giving out our Private, Public and Humanitarian Awards and since 2000 in giving out our Vocational Service Award. The awards have gone either to club members or to individuals or organizations outside the club whose acts of kindness, generosity and caring help to make our communities and the world a little better. I have had the privilege of chairing this committee for longer than I can remember, and I know that most of our past recipients have not been people looking for recognition, and in fact, most of them would prefer to keep doing what they do away from the spotlight. Our club, however, feels that our award recipients deserve a resounding thank you for their good works and it is our hope that by acknowledging the wonderful things these folks do we will inspire others to get involved and do great things.
PRIVATE SECTOR AWARD
The Private Sector Award is awarded to a citizen whose good works have been performed independently of their employment usually in the private sector. Recipients work for the public good, outside of his or her employment. 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.
In the past I have read off some of our most recent winners of this award but this year I thought I would go back to 2000 and list off some of the winners during the early 2000s. They included:
2000 John Wasileski
2001 Carrie Shaw
2002 Alan Nelson
2003 Joe Grondin
2004 Lou Chantigny
Recipient was not able to make it on June 15 so we will give this one later.
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.
Read names of Past Winners
2000 Roland “Ron” Michaud
2001 Carl J. Stasio, Jr.
2002 Dick Tryon
2003 Gen. Wallace H. Nutting
2004 William Johnson
May Sarton, a Belgian American poet once said: “Do not deprive me of my age. I have earned it.” We are all getting older, it’s inevitable and certainly beats the alternative. We live in the oldest state in the nation. Our elderly deserve our respect and our gratitude, but so often they are an overlooked segment of our society. While they may be getting older many of them are a hardy lot too stubborn or proud to ask for our help.
A few years ago Saco took the step of developing Age Friendly Saco, A Community for a Lifetime. The initiative was based on concepts developed by the World Health Organization designed to enable people of all ages to participate in community events while insuring that all people are treated with respect regardless of age. It keeps older people connected while enabling them to remain in their homes.
It is a highly collaborative effort involving a separate tax exempt organization, the City of Saco as well as other organizations. Creating and then developing the programs of this organization took true vision and leadership. Such efforts frequently fizzle without strength at the top. Age Friendly Saco is a vibrant action organization thanks in large part to its President who has served in that role since its inception. Her hard work has insured that a concept is now an admirable set of services and benefits for our seniors.
For all of her hard work to support our seniors, this year’s Public Sector Award winner is Jean Saunders.
While I was researching quotes about aging I came across this anonymous quote that I loved. “I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, … not screaming and yelling like the passengers on his bus.”
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
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.
Read names of Past Winners
2000 Ruth Anderson
2001 James Audiffred
2002 Mary’s Walk
2003 Roland Gagne
2004 Thomas Haley
Most of you have heard of the Heart of Biddeford. Its mission statement says “Heart of Biddeford, powered by the strength of community involvement, fosters a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable downtown for residents, businesses and visitors.” Started back in 2004 the HOB has worked tirelessly to promote a revitalization of Biddeford’s downtown from attracting new businesses, promoting the arts, improving the overall quality of life and working to beautify the urban core. Mayor Casavant observed of downtown: “This is the place to germinate the rediscovery and renaissance of Biddeford.” As someone who has lived in this area almost my whole life I can tell you the transformation of downtown Biddeford is nothing short of miraculous.
All of the HOB’s efforts recently culminated in the HOB receiving the prestigious Great American Main Street Award which recognizes communities for the excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. That is National recognition.
The HOB is a volunteer driven group with an executive director and an office manager. Its executive director is the conductor of a huge orchestra which has composed an absolutely incredible symphony. The HOB’s leader has unbelievable enthusiasm for all that is Biddeford. Her ability to promote the area and its arts while respecting and preserving its history and culture is inspiring.
There is no question that the heart of the HOB is this year’s Humanitarian Award recipient, a past member of our Club, Delilah Poupore
VOCATIONAL SERVICE AWARD
The Vocational Service Award is awarded to a citizen, private or public, who has done exceptional work to promote vocational education and vocational programs.
Read names of Past Winners
2000 Carl Goodwin
2001 A. William Kany, Jr.
2002 Ron Gagnon
2003 Steven Foran
2004 Frank Paul
Imagine you’re a high school student who doesn’t particularly like school a lot, doesn’t really think traditional college is for them and their goal is to graduate from high school, get a job and make some money. Their family role models, if any, are not always positive. They are not really sure what they want to do. They are frequently late for school, so the concept of being on time is illusive. They have never been taught how to shake hands or how to dress for work, and they definitely don’t like being told what to do. Prime candidates to be good employees, maybe not.
However, concerns about making good career choices and improving employability are being addressed at the Center of Technology. This year’s recipient of our Vocational Service Award helped create the COT’s career development program from scratch which is helping students find their career pathways. She is teaching career readiness and working to help students develop the soft skills needed to make them good employees. This person also coordinates real job opportunities with local businesses to expose students to job and career opportunities while providing businesses with potential candidates to fill job vacancies. This person regularly checks in with the employers and holds students accountable when they don’t show up, show up late or have other issues with their workplace. She teaches two classes at the COT which help students select a career and provide them with readiness and employability skills. Those are things many of us take for granted, but in fact they really need to be learned.
Paulette Bonneau said of this person: “At home and in her work, she brings compassion, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and humor while holding our students to high expectations and accountability.” Paulette went on to state: “She is always willing to help her colleagues and is a true team player. She is a true professional and I am very proud of her, not only for her contributions to make COT successful, but also for her work ethic and integrity. She is one of the best hiring decisions I have made and truly appreciate her as one of my colleagues.”
I have heard from several people that this person has an incredible passion for helping her students succeed while always striving to make her programs better. As parents, employers and civic leaders we all know how important such passion and drive can be. I am very happy to give this year’s Biddeford Saco Rotary Club Vocational Service Award to Tracey Collins.
GOODWIN OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD
As many of you know, back in 2007 our Club decided to honor all of the dedication and contributions of Carl and Earl Goodwin by creating an award in their honor. In my opinion it is truly the highest honor our club can give to one of its past or present members.
Based on the significance of the award I will take a second and share the names of all Past Winners:
2007 Carl and Earl Goodwin
2008 Richard Buffum
2009 David Lowe
2010 Robert Begin
2011 Roland M. Eon
2012 Roland P. Gagne
2013 Helene Plourde
2014 Julie Villemaire
2015 Jim McAllister
2016 Paul H. Deschambault
2017 Karen Chasse
2018 Jim Godbout
2019 PDG Ronald Drouin
2021 Joe Moreshead
In 2017 when I gave this award to Karen Chasse I said that if I was ever building a new Rotary Club from scratch I would recruit Karen and just add water. If I was building a Club today I would enlist Karen and this individual knowing the rest would without question fall into place. A relative new member, by my standards, if you look at photos from every Rotary event or every meeting this person is not only there, but this member is getting things done. This person has done it all for the Club while also reminding us week in and week out that family is of number one importance. This person has achieved an incredible balance in life that has enabled them to become friends with just about every person in the State of Maine. While this person has never been the President of our Club, he has been the best friend of every President of this club since he joined the club about 6 years ago with a tireless commitment to doing whatever it takes to help others.
When this person received our Humanitarian Award I said: ‘He provides all of this help with an incredible sense of humility and family and with a sincerity that is unsurpassed. For his willingness to put his family, his communities and those in need ahead of all else, this year’s Biddeford Saco Rotary Club Humanitarian Award now cross that out and replace it with “this year’s Goodwin Outstanding Service Award” goes to Conrad Welzel.
Paul Harris Recipients
In 1896 a young attorney from Wallingford, Vermont moved to Chicago. He met a man named Bob Frank who demonstrated a camaraderie with local shopkeepers that impressed him and reminded him of his small town in Vermont. That desire for the fellowship of a small town inspired him to have a meeting with 3 other men on Feb. 23, 1905 which was said the be the first Rotary meeting ever. Of course, that man was Paul Harris who went on to create what became Rotary International. Unfortunately, Harris suffered from poor health and passed away in 1947. He asked that in lieu of flowers people donate to the Rotary Foundation. Upon hearing of his death, Rotary created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund which eventually included awards given in Harris’ name. Paul Harris Awards are arguably the highest distinction that can be given to people by Rotary. Our Club has had a practice of recognizing deserving members and non-members for their work in and outside the Club. Each past Paul Harris recipient has been very worthy and this year we have two more equally notable winners of the award.
In no particular order:
A Rotary Club, as large and as active as ours, requires a lot of hard work to make it run smoothly. It requires people to step up on a regular basis not only to complete hands on projects, but also to keep up with the day to day administrative demands. It is my sense that our first Paul Harris recipient this year is an exceptionally quiet person who took a while to get comfortable with Rotary, but this person has stepped up in a big way to help keep the club running smoothly while repeatedly showing up to help out wherever needed. Her efforts have meant a lot to Marty and to our Club, and therefore I am happy to give this year’s first Paul Harris Award to Kathy Shea.
As many of you know, as we give to the Foundation we generate credit toward Paul Harris Awards. Many of our members are multiple Paul Harris recipients because of their Foundation giving including Brian Dallaire, Carl Goodwin, Roland Gagne and Joe Moreshead to name a few. It is always nice to announce when the generosity of our members results in further Paul Harris recognition for them. We have two such announcement to make. Elaine Palmitessa and Jim Godbout.
