Introduction of Guests: DG Peggy Belanger; ADG Bob Wester; Jill Eddie from Bideford UK; Marie Hoener, Speaker and VP of the UNE Rotaract Club.
Announcements: Facemask Distribution update…Requesting info for organizations who can use Facemasks. Let Don or Conrad know; Rotaract at UNE update (Mike B. & Marie Hoener VP UNE Rotaract.); Melissa: Apex now has an intern from UNE as a direct result of the Rotaract relationship. Maple Syrup update: Roland G. one day left…it ends at midnight 3/31/21. Have almost doubled goal amount of $5,000. We are almost at the $10,000. mark. Good work all involved! Conrad: Covid-19 Committee to meet after meeting; DG Peggy B. Participating in the Sanford Covid vaccination site. Loves the Garden initiative. “Great community service”! Brenda P.: The 26th Annual Essay Contest will take place again this Spring. It is open to all 8th graders in Biddeford, Saco, and OOB. Zoom event will be on June 9, 2021. $100. 1st prize, $75. 2nd prize, $50. 3rd prize.
President Don inducted Randy Seaver into our club as a new member. Various members congratulated Randy. He said he was honored to serve this club and be involved in the communities we serve.
Sergeant at Arms - Joe
Happy $ and Fines:
Happy Dollars: Jill Eddie from the Bideford UK Club Happy that they can now gather outside with a max of 6; Dr. Joe: Happy he had a good dental care visit. Conrad: He saw Jim Labelle who was getting his 1st vaccine. Conrad has his 2nd shot and looking forward to family over the Holiday weekend. Brenda: Got her 2nd shot and is booking a flight to Cali to see her Grandson in person! Melissa: Got her 1st shot; Mark: 2nd vaccine and will be driving to NC to visit daughter. DG Peggy: Has been vaccinating people 2-3 days a week at the Sanford MaineHealth site; ADG Bob Wester got his 1st vaccine shot from DG Peggy!; President Don: Happy for Joe M. and wife Andrea selling some buildings in town as part of their exit/retirement strategy; Randy: Happy to become a new member and received his 1st shot last week; Dan: Having a big birthday this weekend (30 years young!)
FINES: Don: Mispronouncing names of members; Randy: New member fine; Peggy and Bob: $1 for the children; Roland: $5; $1 fine for those who have not purchased maple syrup; Mike B: $2. fine for kids running behind him on the screen; Susan G.: $1.; Jill: $1 pound UK.
SPEAKER
Mike B. introduced our speaker Marie Hoener, VP of the UNE Rotaract Club. Marie is a Medbiology major, a sophomore, and a member of the Woman’s Soccer team. She used a PowerPoint presentation to share about what the 28 members of the UNE Rotaract have been doing. They started the club in January of 2021, so they are 3 months old with some great ideas and helpful community projects. They are on Instagram at Instagram@une.Rotaract They meet every other Tuesday at 7 PM. It has been difficult as there has been a lock-down at UNE due to a covid breakout. They begin each meeting by saying something good that has happened that day. The meetings are typically 0.5 – 1 hour long. They have made Spring/Easter cards for Veterans at the Scarborough Veteran’s Home and have been working with Melissa at Apex Youth Connection. Upcoming goals are to engage in the Biddeford-Saco area; Work with children; Continue to make cards; Volunteer at long-term care facilities; and increase connections in local communities. Questions were asked and enthusiastically answered by Marie.
District News
DG Peggy shared that there will be a District Conference on June 4th from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM and on Saturday, June 5th from 9 AM – 11:30 AM. The fee is $20. and benefits the Polio Plus program. There will also be an online auction set up two weeks before the conference. All proceeds go to the Rotary Foundation.
Gingerbread Man, Maple Leaf and Bourbon Barrel have sold out! Thank you for your support!
If you have sales not made on the website, please send you sales sheet to Brian Dallaire at bdallaire@usa.net. Also please record the purchasers email. Funds should be given to Treasurer Sue G.
Thank you for supporting the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club's Annual Maine Maple Syrup Fundraiser. The proceeds from this fundraiser will allow us to continue supporting the many needs and causes within the Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach communities.
The fundraiser runs through the month of March each year ending on Maine Maple Syrup weekend (March 27-28). The items you purchase will be filled with Maine Maple Syrup freshly harvested this season by Dole Pond Maple Products (organic certified), located deep in the woods of Jackman, ME; where they maintain 37,000 taps on 600 acres of land producing around 13,000 gallons of syrup each year.
Your items will be available for pick up on Saturday, June 5th. We will notify you of the location once the items are available.
Would you or someone you know like a small garden to grow vegetables? The Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco has partnered with APEX Youth Connection and Biddeford Community Gardens to offer 10 residents of the Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach areas an opportunity to win a free raised garden bed. We will provide all of the materials including a raised garden bed (choose between a 3'x4' or 3'x8' bed), soil, nutrients, seeds and/or starter plants and the training to grow the best garden with healthy and fresh vegetables. All you need to provide is a space for the garden (approximately 10'x10' with plenty of sun), a commitment to help install the raised bed (volunteers will help you install) and approximately 15-20 minutes per day to water, weed and harvest your garden.
Do you rent your home? No worries, get written permission from the property owner and we will be happy to consider your request. Applications will close on February 28th - click on the link on the Club's Home page or on the link below for an application and submit to the email addresses or mailing addresses on the form.
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.
Total Raised
$2,823.05
Containers CLYNKed
50,518
Saved enough energy to light 69.9 lightbulbs—24 hours a day—for a year.
Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 13,227 miles.
Diverted enough containers to fill 514.1 lobster traps.
Saved the emissions equivalent of driving a car 13,070 miles.
Diverted enough containers to fill 508 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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