Stories

Noontime Rotary Club of Ellsworth inducted and welcomed our newest member, John Morse. John is the manager of the new Franklin Savings Bank branch. John is joined by President Julie Vittum and sponsor Mike Sealander.

Margaret Brooks joins the Noontime Rotary as its newest member!

 

 

Margaret is inducted and welcomed by Rotarians Elissa Nally, Julie Vittum and Nick Turner

Elissa Nally joins the Noontime Rotary as its newest member!

 

 

Elissa is inducted and welcomed by Rotarians Paul Pangburn, Mike Sealander, and Julie Vittum.

Noontime Rotary welcomes a new member!

The Noontime Rotary Club of Ellsworth presented an award of appreciation to Hugh Palcic, owner of Zeppa’s New York Pizza, Water Street, Ellsworth. Zeppa’s has committed to sponsoring pizza for our monthly student mentoring sessions with EHS juniors and seniors.
Noontime Rotary has been providing a 2-year mentoring program for groups of students since 2009. They meet each month with the club members and are exposed to communication skills, finance, college application processes, and the power of community networking. Noontime Rotary is very appreciative of Zeppa’s support of this program.

Pictured: Julie Vittum, Rotary member, Hugh Palcic, owner of Zeppa’s and Paul Pangburn, Student Mentor Program chair.

What is it like taking a large team to Africa?  It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.

For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.

Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."