February 21, 2017 Newsletter

Opening Ceremonies: President Carl Lusby called the meeting to order. The invocation was given by Laurie Fogelman and we said the Pledge of Allegiance. The greeter was Dan Hurley.

 
Visiting Rotarians: None

Guests:  Dr. Adam Grasso.

 

Club Anniversaries: Nancy Mayo – February 24, 2009 and Laura Pellerano – February 26, 2002.

 

Birthdays: None.

 

Wedding Anniversaries: None.

 

Rotary Minute: Jo Cooper spoke about the origins of the Rotary effort to eradicate polio worldwide. She noted that this effort was started by a Rotarian who was also an employee of the National Institute of Health. Rotary International adopted this as an organization goal in 1988.

 

Door Prizes: An orange Rotary tee shirt went to Gene Pellerano, another tee shirt was won by Larry Johnston, Cindy Shoppe got the Gift Card Grab Bag prize of a Flexit gift card, and Fred Beyer won a bottle of wine.

50/50: $ 15 was won by Rod Fox. Rod donated $13 back and kept the other $2 to get home from Costa Rica! This quarter Happy Dollars are going to FIA Senior Center Financial Fund.

Happy Dollars: Dave and Marian Wells, Doug Kell, Irv Hodgkin, Jack Frost, Marshall Smith, Moira O’Neill, Laurie Fogelman, Jo Cooper, and JoAnn Brown all donated. Marshall told a Bill Casale joke. Carl Lusby gave his Rotary Foundation donation of $26.50 for this month. 

 

Rotary Business: Carl Lusby read thank you letters from the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation and from Linda Roda and Kevin Mannix.

Clyde Cushing spoke about the upcoming project at Special Children’s Friends and passed around the signup sheet.

Marian Wells noted that we will induct four new members next week and that we have another application for membership.

Tracy Shaffer sent a reminder about Everybody Eats volunteer opportunities in March and that we will be meeting at HCTC next week.

Scott Kimball announced that Maine Coast Memorial Hospital will be our auction partner this year and next year with the funds for this year dedicated to the 3D Digital Mammography Fundraising Campaign and next year’s toward men’s health. The first auction committee meeting is tomorrow at 4 pm in the MCMH cafeteria. The auction will be on Friday, May 12 at Big Cat’s Events Center in Trenton.

Also if any club member has an idea for a local project for a District 7790 grant application, please contact Scott. Applications are due in April.   

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Program: Iris Simon and her assistants, Gene Pellerano, Bruce Fischer, Suellen Speed, and Clyde Cushing, took us through the 67 years of our club’s history as we celebrated our club birthday, as well as the 112^th anniversary of Rotary International. Charter night was held on April 22, 1950 at the Lucerne Inn. The cost was $5 per person for dinner and dancing! What may be some little known facts from the early years: speakers have included Katherine Graham, owner and publisher of the Washington Post, and Red Auerbach and Bob Cousy from the Boston Celtics; in 1960 the club purchased the land for Demeyer Fields for $600 and donated it to the City of Ellsworth; and Phil Eaton received an award for twenty-five (25) years of perfect Rotary attendance. Lots of amazing things we have done in our community and in the world!