Opening Ceremonies: President Debbie Ehrlenbach called the meeting to order.
Invocation was read by: Mark Remick and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Sergeant at Arms: Bob and Mary Thomas
Setting up Zoom: Michael Houlsen
Thank you to all who helped set the room up and take it down. We appreciate it!
Guests: Stacie Brown, Saxon Tinto, Andrew Tinto, PJ Keenan, Nina Zeldin, Grace Robinson
Birthdays: Becky Sargent and Lincoln Ehrlenbach. Happy Birthday!
Club Anniversaries: Dave Wells and Marian Wells.
ROTARY BUSINESS:
EHS Interact Club Pet Food Drive: The EHS Interact Club is collecting dog cat food wet and dry along with old blankets and towels for Forgotten Felines and the SPCA. They will be at the vendor sale on the 6th and will be presenting their donation to Forgotten Felines at that point. Bring in your items to the next couple of meetings and Jodie Cushing will bring them to the Interact President.
New Member Induction: We are happy to induct our newest club members!! Stacie Brown and Saxon Tinto. Welcome to the club!
Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce News: PJ Keenan, Director of the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce announced The Rotary Club of Ellsworth will be receiving the 2024 Director Award at the Annual Meeting. Congratulations to all club members!
The Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 9th at the Ellsworth YMCA from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.
Polio Cups: Reminder to donate to Polio! For every $1 donated, 7 children are vaccinated.
EHS Honors Banquet Date Change: Due to the solar eclipse, the honors banquet has been changed to Wednesday, April 10th. This will be our meeting only for that week.
Rotary Cabin Fever Craft Fair: Save the date! April 6th at EEMS. As of today we have 88 tables reserved! We are full! If you would like to join the committee, please let Jodie know. Will need help the day of the event and the day before to help setup. The EHS Interact will have a table as well selling snacks and drinks to raise money.
75th Legacy Project: A sub group of the Demeyer Field Committee (Rotary, Little League, and Challenger Little League) is meeting with the contractor and land scape architect to finalize plans and related costs to present to the committee. A landscape architect is now working on the design. Members of the YMCA and Little League are providing input on the playground design, which will include access for handicap children. Once plans are complete, the whole committee will schedule its next meeting.
Fundraiser for Demeyer Field Project – May 17th – Big Cats – 5 – 7pm: The Steering Committee has been formed to include representatives from each of the partners on the project plus a member from the Noontime Rotary Club and the Ellsworth Area Chamber. The committee will be meeting every other week through May 8th. Subcommittees will be formed and overseen by a member of the steering committee. The committee selected a sports theme, is identifying and soliciting sponsors, establishing event expectations and structure, reviewing prospects and marketing. A sign-up sheet for the night of the event is available at club meetings. By April 1st, donor prospects will be available for club members to solicit donations. All donations, must be to Becky Sargent’s office no later than April 30th.
Rotary Blood Drives are the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at the Elks Lodge in Ellsworth. Please sign up to help. Shifts are from 11:00am to 2:00pm and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
Door Prizes: The lucky winners were: Mary Beth Harmon
50/50: $15 to Nancy Mayo
Happy Dollars: 3rd Quarter Happy Dollars will go towards: Downeast Horizons Special Olympics Program.
The following individuals gave Happy Dollars: Nancy Mayo, Laurie Fogelman, Saxon Tinto, Jodie Cushing, Peter Farragher, Gene Pellerano, Jo Cooper, JoAnn Rodick, Stacie Brown, April Hartford, Carl Lusby, Lincoln Ehrlenbach, Ray Williams and Debbie Ehrlenbach.
Guest Speaker: This week’s guest speaker was Nina Zeldin. Nina has served as Healthy Acadia’s Tai Chi for Health Program since its launch in 2014. She teaches six to eight community classes each week and coordinates classes for Healthy Acadia’s Community Instructors. To date, over 3,000 people have participated in the program. Populations reached include adults, children, people in recovery from substance misuse, and developmentally challenged children and young adults.
Nina’s passion for sharing the health benefits of Tai Chi for Health Institute (TCHI) programs springs from her own experience. Regular tai chi practice helps her manage symptoms of the chronic health conditions she experiences, and she finds joy in helping empower others to improve their health and well-being.
Respectfully submitted by Rotarian Ashley Johnson
