Opening Ceremonies: President Debbie Ehrlenbach called the meeting to order.
Invocation was read by: Kelly Brown and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Sergeant at Arms: Tricia Quirk and Lincoln Ehrlenbach
Setting up Zoom: Michael Houlsen
Guests: Brielle Johnson, John Shoppe, Grace Robinson, Brian Langley, Matt Montgomery
Visiting Rotarians: Kent Weiser, David Underhill and Marty Helman
ROTARY BUSINESS:
Donation Checks: Cindy Shoppe – Chair of the Community Support Committee presented $500.00 checks to the following businesses: Matt Montgomery of Downeast Family YMCA- scholarships for kids, Kelly Brown of NextStep to expand their podcast and Rebecca Greenlaw/Michael Houslen of KidsPeace - Christmas for Kids program.
District Governor’s Citation - Tracy Shaffer presented the District Governor Citation Bronze (Clyde’s Year as President) Congratulations!
Rotary Leadership Institute – Trainings are available via Zoom and Online. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Rotary.
YMCA Trunk or Treat - This year we will once again be participating in the YMCA’s Trunk or Treat on 10/28 from 4:00pm-6:00pm. Our theme this year is Monster Ball. If you want to help pass out candy come dressed as your favorite monster! Please donate candy and bring to the meeting.
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.
Polio Walk on October 21st: Tricia Quirk and Lincoln Ehrlenbach are leading the charge on this year’s Walk for Polio, which will be held on October 21st. We are meeting at Knowlton park at 9:30am for pictures and donuts/coffee. The Walk will start at 10:00am. After the walk please join us Fogtown Brewery for lunch and drinks.
There will be a pizza party after the walk at Fogtown Brewing. A sign-up sheet is available and members can contact Tricia to get a T-shirt prior.
Membership Night – Monday, November 6th at 5;30pm at China Hill. A copy of the invitation to invite guests were emailed to all club members. Please pre-pay (cash or check) for your meal prior to the event. RSVP your guest to JoAnn Rodick. Appetizers and desserts will be provided!
Rotary Food Drive for Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry – Saturday, November 18th from 9:00am to 2:00pm at Ellsworth Hannaford. We will also be having the Tony of Turkey Challenge again this year. Sign-up sheet will be available soon.
2023-24 Rotary Passport- This was emailed to all members. Please check it out!
Nominating Committee: The committee is looking for future officers for Secretary, Vice President and President Elect. Any Rotarians who are interested in holding any of the officer positions, please let Debbie Ehrlenbach know.
Door Prizes: The lucky winners were: Jane Langley, Stephanie Baillargeon, Peter Farragher, Cindy Shoppe, Pam Cushing and Rebecca Greenlaw.
$50/50: $13 to Lori Googins
Happy Dollars: 2nd Quarter Happy Dollars will go towards: The Club’s Prosthetics Project to the Centro De Protesis of the Dominican Republic. All these funds will bring us close to our goal of $5,400 for nine leg socket adapters, thus providing the “Gift of Walking.”
The following individuals gave Happy Dollars: Lori Googins, Kelly Brown, Gene Pellerano, Peter Farragher, Michael Houslen, Dave Wells, Stephanie Baillargeon, Tracy Shaffer, Tricia Quirk, JoAnn Rodick and Kent Weiser.
Guest Speaker: This week’s guest speaker was Marty Helman. Marty spoke about Rotary Peace Centers. Rotary's most significant effort to wage peace is the Rotary Peace Centers program, established in 2002. Each year, the program trains some of the world's most dedicated and brightest professionals, preparing them to promote national and international cooperation and to resolve conflict.
Marty served on The Rotary Foundation’s Peace-Major Gifts Initiative and its predecessor committees for six years, culminating in the chairmanship (2020-21). Earlier, Marty conceived of and chaired the Sakuji Tanaka Endowed Rotary World Peace Fellowship Committee, which raised $1 million for the Rotary Peace Centers, the largest sum ever raised by a Rotary Presidential fund.
Marty serves as president of the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation, a small humanitarian non-profit that made history in 2021 when it inked a gift to The Rotary Foundation to fund a new Rotary Peace Center in the Middle East/North Africa region. Total value of the gift is over $15 million, and the new Peace Center, which will be located at Bachesehir University in Istanbul, is slated to be operational in 2025.
Respectfully submitted by Ashley Johnson
