Opening Ceremonies: President Rebeeca Greenlaw called the meeting to order and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rotary Opening Words: Rebecca Greenlaw
Sargent at Arms: Clyde Cushing
Zoom – Michael Houlsen
Rebecca thanked Clyde for taking care of Sergeant at Arms duties, Ashley for taking minutes, Michael for managing Zoom and everyone for help set up and take down the room.
Guests: Brielle Johnson, Kelly Brown’s daughter Trinity and a friend of Trisha Quirk.
Birthdays and Anniversaries: Each week birthdays and anniversaries wishes will be sent from the club via email with an electronic greeting card. Be on the lookout for yours!
ROTARY BUSINESS:
Thank You Cards – We received Thank You Cards in the mail from: Healthy Acadia for our donation of $500 towards their Recovery Center. Downeast Community Partners for our donation of $750 to Everybody Eats program. Project Linus for our donation of $250 for them to purchase blankets and quilts.
Waterville Noon Club Rotary with Guest Speaker Foundation Trustee Marty Helman - You are invited! The Waterville Noon Club is excited to welcome Rotary Foundation Trustee Marty Helman as our guest speaker on Monday, April 7th, beginning at noon. She will share details of the new Peace Center in Turkey at Bahçeşehir University. It is also a fantastic opportunity to ask questions about the Rotary Foundation. RSVP to rotariantinachapman@gmail.com. Lunch (optional) is available for $17. Feel free to share this invitation with other Club members who may be interested. (This was emailed out on March 31st)
Invitation from Beth C. Wright – Join them on their Walk on May 17th. You can sign up to walk or become a sponsor.
Tip Jar for the Waiter: Reminder to tip the waiter when ordering a meal at the weekly meetings.
Please consider donating to the Foundation!
Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner – May 8th Under the tent at Downeast Family YMCA parking lot. Rotarian Carl Lusby will be recognized at Citizen of the Year. $100 per person. 4:30pm Cocktail hour 6:00pm dinner and awards. There will be a cash bar, hors d-oeurves and a buffet dinner. This is business casual. Two tables have been reserved for our club. 12 members have signed up. Please contact Debbie Ehrlenbach.
Help Assemble the Playground at DeMeyer Field - Thursday April 10th - Our contractors at Details, Inc. have reached out to ask for volunteers on Thursday, April 10th at 8:00am to assist with the assembly of the playground at DeMeyer Field. Lunch will be provided. Any time you have available is greatly appreciated. Please email Debbie at dehrlenbach@gmail.com as soon as possible, if you are able to assist that day. This is in addition to our April 19th work day.
Our 75th anniversary project at DeMeyer Field work - April 19th at 9:00am at DeMeyer Field: Working collaboratively with our Little League partners and our HCTC friends, we will be painting buildings, planting flowers and drilling pickets to the fence at the field. Our hope is to complete this portion of the project in one day. Many helpful hands will ensure that completion is a possibility. The rain date is the following Saturday, April 26th.
The date is changed to ensure contractors have time to complete their work and the water has been turned on in the bathhouse. Wear your work clothes, bring a paint brush and or a drill to participate in the fun. Munchies will be provided.
Check out Facebook for pictures. The bocce counts are laid out and the playground is ready for assembly. Our heartfelt thanks to RF Jordan and Sons, EL Shea and Details Inc. for all their dedication to ensuring completion of this project before May 3rd. If you see anyone from RF Jordan, EL Shea or Details Inc, let them know how much we and the community appreciate them. Please email Debbie if you can participate. We will have a signup sheet at Rotary this week as well. You all should be so very proud of this project and benefits completion thereof will be to the children and their family in this community for years to come.
EHS Honor’s Banquet – April 15th at China Hill.
Paul Harris Fellow Recognition Ceremony: April 22nd at China Hill.
Rotary Craft Fair: April 26th at EEMS from 9am-1pm. Setup will be the day before. Please donate yard sale items for the Rotary Table. No Furniture or Clothing.
HCTC Breakfast - May 22nd at HCTC. We will cook breakfast for students and staff at 7:00am at the school. See Lincoln if you would like to help. More to come.
75th Anniversary Celebration: We are excited to invite you to the Ellsworth Rotary Club’s 75th Anniversary Celebration! Please mark your calendar and join us for an evening of camaraderie, reflection, and celebration. Saturday, June 28, 2025- 6:00pm – 8:00pm. $30 per person. Location: Moore Community Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth. Enjoy: Cocktails & Hors oeuvres, guest speaker and 75th Anniversary Video.
Join a Rotary Committee: Rebecca Greenlaw encourages club members to join a committee within the club. Learn more about Rotary and how you can help!
Volunteer Hours: Please let Tricia Quirk know if you have volunteered in the community outside of Rotary.
Door Prizes: None this week. Please feel free to bring in door prizes for our weekly meetings.
50/50: $8 to Michael Houlsen
Happy Dollars: 3rd Quarter Happy Dollars will go towards: Rotary Scholarships.
The following gave Happy Dollars: Saxon Tinto, Laurie Fogelman, Kelly Brown, Bob Thomas, Gene Pellerano and Carl Lusby.
Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker this week was Sherri Billings. She is the Executive Director of Hancock County Habitat Humanity. Hancock County HFH (HCHH), an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is an independent, locally run, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose primary program is partnering with economically disadvantaged families to build simple, decent homes which are then sold to the partner, financed under an affordable mortgage.
They offer homeownership opportunities to families who have demonstrated:
Need (for adequate shelter) e.g. family is extremely “cost-burdened” and/or is receiving temporary, non-sustainable financial support; current housing has defective physical conditions, is overcrowded, and/or is a temporary living situation.
A willingness to partner as Habitat ambassadors/spokespersons; through investing 250 hours of their own “sweat equity” in the project per adult (up to 500 per household); by participating in home maintenance and financial management counseling sessions.
The ability to pay the mortgage [Often, families pay less to own a Habitat home than they pay for rent on a substandard apartment or house.] Financial eligibility guidelines include but are not limited to: being unable to obtain conventional financing and earning between 30% to 80%+/- of Hancock County’s median annual income.
HCHH and their volunteer and donors’ investment is protected by the affiliate taking a second “silent” mortgage on the property. Each home is independently appraised prior to closing to establish its Fair Market Value (FMV) and the difference between the first mortgage (priced based on affordability) and the appraised value becomes the silent second note. This secondary mortgage is gradually forgiven — provided there is no recorded default under the terms of the mortgage. Thus, when the first mortgage is paid off, the second mortgage has also been fully released.
Through the use of volunteer labor and donations we respond to the need in our community by building market-quality housing along-side the homeowner who is investing their own “sweat equity” in the project. [Hancock County Habitat makes special sweat equity accommodations for partners who have an ADA-documented need.]
Each Habitat affiliate coordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its local area — fundraising, building site selection, partner selection and support, house construction and mortgage servicing.
No prior construction experience is required to volunteer on a Habitat construction site. (Due to state laws, minors must be 16 years or older to serve on the construction site and all under the age of 18 must arrive with a volunteer form signed by their parent or guardian.)
Non-construction volunteer opportunities include serving in our office, on a committee (Partner Selection & Support, Development and Fundraising, and Building), and/or on the Board of Directors.
Their first home was completed in the summer of 1991 in Gouldsboro, two years after our founding. Since then, they have completed homes in Bar Harbor, Bass Harbor, Brooklin, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Franklin, Gouldsboro, Hancock, Lamoine, Otis, Seal Harbor, Sedgwick, and Sullivan for a total of 19 homes built in 13 of the 37 towns in our 1,500+ [land] square mile service area.
Polio Cups: Reminder to donate to Polio! For every $1 donated, 7 children are vaccinated.
Next week at Rotary- April 8th – Guest Speaker Matt Montgomery of the Down East Family YMCA. He will be speaking about Girls Self Defense.
Respectfully submitted by Rotarian Ashley Johnson
