Thanks for all you are doing during this long cold winter to support our community! We had a great turnout for our support of Dizzy Birds, with many Rotarians ordering, and bringing hundreds and hundreds of dollars of new business to them. Reviews of the pot roast, and the carrots, were the highest!
Dan Reed provided an inspirational thought based on Simon Sinek's "Start with Why"
Announcements:
The clothing order is in. Please check with Brenda to coordinate pickup.
There is a board meeting Wednesday morning. Please forward items for consideration to Marty. We'll discuss meeting format, as well as any charitable requests over $500.
The Red Ribbon committee will be looking to put together an event around National Drug Take Back day, which is April 30. Please check with Cheri or Jim G if you'd like to get involved in this program that helps curb substance use disorder.
There is a Rotaract meeting and dinner this Sunday. The meeting will begin at 5PM, led by Phil Hatch of the Saco Bay club, followed by dinner at 6. It will be held in the dining commons at UNE. Please come out for this nice fellowship opportunity which is a great chance to get to know our college connections. Contact Mike Burman or Marty for more info.
Happy dollars and fines were plentiful:
Jim Labelle is $10 happy that the Chamber's annual meeting went well.
Dan is $6 happy for the great video interviews he recorded with members on the "why" of Rotary
Melissa is happy that her daughter received an important social work certification
Julie is $20 happy to be back! Thanks for all you do Secretary Julie!
Bill is happy that his puppy now weighs 42 lbs - growing fast!
Brenda is $20 happy that her granddaughter continues to do great things with bravebees.org
Marty was fined for missing last week's meeting to go skiing, and Joe was fined for being at Jackson Hole skiing and showing up to the beginning of the meeting to rub it in
Our speaker was Rob Biggs from Saco Cycles. Rob has developed a great program to engage seniors, and acquired an electric bicycle to bring guests around. It's a fun way to keep the community engaged. Every trip needs a cyclist/tour guide, plus a cyclist out front to help navigate traffic. There was good discussion of how we can support the program, perhaps via connections from Rotaract and Apex. Rob says, "Saco Main Street, Age Friendly Saco and I are very excited about bringing this program to our seniors this summer. Our needs are physical volunteers to help coordinate rides and pedal the electric bike, as well as, financial support for volunteer high visibility t-shirts, safety vests and other ancillary equipment. The Michael Goulet foundation is generously going to provide helmets for our team and our clients to wear."
FMY click on the Saco Cycle album at top of Tack
Have a great week! Our speaker, on Zoom, this week is Dr. Joe and his remarkable story which you may not know. See you there!
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
$3,139.65
Containers CLYNKed
55,816
Saved enough energy to light 77.8 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 14,726 miles.
Diverted enough containers to fill 567.4 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.