Biddeford and Saco Rotary - Newsletter

Have an announcement? Send your Rotary news to Helene.plourde@kennebunksavings.com. Notices received by noon on Monday will be included in the TACK for that week.

WEEK IN REVIEW

April 7, 2010

It was a beautiful day and everyone was in a good mood. The meatloaf was not a big hit but the peanut butter cookies and the home-fried potatoes were. Laurie Jo ate two cookies.

Frank Dumais lead the Club in the Four-Way Test. Bill Kany sang “God Bless America.” George Wandell said the prayer.

Phil Denison gave the Rotary Foundation minute about Niger, where the people are impoverished and plagued by famine. Rotarians Ernie and Sally Montagne of Arizona have worked through a Volunteer Service Grant to support projects there.

Denis Elie won the 50/50 raffle.

Frank paid a fine because he had a fifth grandchild delivered on Easter. Hydie announced that she had her first interview as Mrs. Maine. She said an article and photo will appear in the Journal Tribune on Friday. Matt Early announced that he celebrated his birthday skiing in shorts.

Last in was Jim Clingensmith, but he didn’t get fined.

Joe was fined for his 53^rd birthday, and Frank Dumais was fined for being so excited to hand over the auction information to Karen, who will be running the event next year. Bill Kany had to pay for his song, although he asked prior to singing that he not be given any “crap.”

Karen auctioned off items that did not sell at the auction, but they were not hot sellers, to say the least.

Jamie Robinson, a senior at UNE who wants to be a physical therapist and is the president of the Roteract Club at UNE, spoke about her trip to Peru Jan. 4-15. She went as part of Medlife at UNE. Medlife, she explained, is Medicine, Education and Development to Low Income Families Everywhere. The goal of the organization is to work in impoverished areas and to establish a permanent clinic, she said. Most often Medlife goes to Ecuador and this trip was the first to Peru.

Rotary, she said, was part of every place she visited in Peru. Sixteen undergraduates who were studying pre-med took the trip along with one faculty advisor and a doctor from Boston. Two doctors from Peru traveled with them. The goal was to deliver primary care.

The group stayed in Cusco every night and drove into the Andes every day to serve poor areas. Some of the areas had medical facilities, but the group often worked in classrooms or other buildings, all of which were brightly colored.

Jamie said she went on the trip because she wanted to see how a different health care system works. The laws in Peru are less strict, which enabled the students to do more. One student, she said, delivered an injection. The students gave physical exams, took vital signs, and measured height and weight. The people, she said, were extremely short.

The students delivered toothpaste and toothbrushes donated by Northeast Delta Dental. The people they served had poor hygiene and a lot of cavities. The kids loved to get free things, so the toothbrushes were a big hit.

Jamie said she speaks some Spanish and thought she was communicating well until she was told that she had just advised someone to “put two cats in each mouth.” She had been trying to say take two pills by mouth.

She enjoyed improving her Spanish because the kids helped her, and she helped them learn English. The kids were accepting, but not afraid to tell the students when they said something incorrectly.

Jamie said the cities were heavily populated and had modern comforts, such as bathrooms, running water and electricity. The people they served, who lived in the mountains and away from the cities, did not always have such comforts. The way of life was very different than in the U.S., she said, and she found it to be “eye-opening.”

The people she met were either farmers or they sold items in the markets, she said. One of the things she enjoyed was bartering in the markets. She said it was fun to make an offer for the goods and wished she could do that in the U.S.

The scenery, she said, was beautiful. The students went in the rainy season, but it was still 70 degrees. The natives thought it was cold, but the Americans dressed in shorts and tank tops.

The group traveled to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which was built by the Incas. She said the scenery was amazing and the buildings were built so well, especially considering there were not a lot of tools when they were created.

Jamie said she was thrilled to participate in the program, as she worked on her communication and medical skills and observed the dynamics of a different healthcare system. She also gained insight as to how other people live in the world.

Notes by Heather MacLean

Thanks Heather for taking the minutes. Great job!

Please check out the following very important announcements.

1. Here is an excerpt from an email from DG Jeff Pelkey to Pres. Steve.

Good Morning District 7780 Presidents, Current and Past Leaders-

Our District Conference is coming up in only a few short weeks. Conference Registration fliers have gone out to each Rotarian in the District directly to everyone’s home. If one was not received they may also be downloaded directly from the web site and sent or faxed in and online registration should be running by Tuesday. Time is closing fast for a super fun and enjoyable weekend, we need your help encouraging your club members to attend all or part of this upcoming weekend, please encourage everyone to register this week.

We are also still seeking donations for the Auction at the District Conference, please fill in the attached form and fax it in so that we may plan, questions may be directed to PE Joelle Coorey at jcmc1234@msn.com . Also if anyone has items they would like to add to the welcome bags provided by the Kittery Trading Post, we would be glad to add them, just let me know at pelkeyfuneral@aol.com , it’s a great opportunity to get the word out to our fellow Rotarians. Anyone who would like to assist with Sergeant at Arms duties may send a note to the Conference Sgt At Arms PP Rick Nevelle at rickn@hamptonrotary.org he would love to have your help. We are also fortunate again this year returning by popular demand- Beth Abbott, who will be heading up the hospitality room team, she has wonderful space for club displays. This is a great chance for clubs, special projects and the like to display information to share with other Rotarians. Please let Beth know if your club will participate (this is a great way to involve new Rotarians in your club), she may be reached by emailing her at, ba_abbott@hotmail.com .

I know this is a very busy time, please share these wonderful opportunities with your club members, If you could ask club bulletin writers to add the info to your club bulletin and web site it would be greatly appreciated, we rely on you to be our conduit for information to the membership.

Thanks for all you do!

DG Jeffrey S. Pelkey
District Governor 2009-2010
Rotary International
District 7780

2. District Conference Registration Update!

Please consider this appeal to have your fellow club members mail in or FAX their District Conference registration form ASAP. The long awaited on line registration simply is not working yet due to a glitch with Pay Pal. We will shortly lose Hotel Housing blocks if we do not get the registration in so please help us out with a quick response!Please Spread the Word!

Thanks!Gary & Judy Speers

District 7780 Conference Co-Chairs

3. 90th Anniversary Celebration Festivities! Have you had a chance to check out the "Time with the Brits Opportunity List" to see if any of the times work for your schedule. This is a great way to have fun and get to know our guests better. Please give Chuck (or me!) a call at 282-1701 or send him (or me!) an email if you have any questions.

Remember, there's the Lobster Cookout on Tuesday afternoon, the Anniversary Dinner with entertainment you won't want to miss on Wednesday night and Thursday is the all day trip to the White Mountains!

I'll be sending out a separate email with a list of those of you who've responded and the events you'll be attending. Please send me any corrections. Remember, it's not too late to sign up for any or all of these events. Don't miss what should be a great celebration or you'll have to wait until we celebrate our 100th :-)

Hope to see you all at Wednesday's meeting.

Helene, Ye Editor

Neil’s Motors, Inc.

Quickprint Color Center

Saco Biddeford Savings Bank

Southern Maine Medical Center