Sean Sullivan is the Executive Director of the Maine Brewers’ Guild, the nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the craft beer industry in Maine. The state is home to over 150 breweries which produce hundreds of beers; from juicy New England IPA’s to rich, malty English ales, stouts, porters, sours, Belgian ales, farmhouse ales, goses, gruits, crisp lagers and everything in between.
The latest concoction from Maine brewers? Hand sanitizer. (But don’t drink it!)
deering student honored
Laura Young presented Conrad Gabriel, Deering High School student, with a $1,000 Youth Service award. The honor recognized his pursuit of social justice, human rights, and international policy. “He is one of the most impressive and impactful students I have ever met,” wrote Libby Heselton, school guidance counselor.
Conrad is a leader in student government, Seeds of Peace and the Model UN. He founded the Human Rights chapter of March for Our Lives with the goal of expanding voter registration. His home life is equally remarkable. His parents speak only Vietnamese, so he is their translator, and cares for his 4th-grade sister after school.
Conrad will attend Tulane University. He designated The Yellow Tulip Project, which helps young people dealing with mental health issues to receive his charitable contribution.
bits & Pieces
Bob Traill celebrated his 98th birthday Friday, marked by an afternoon drive-by “healthy distancing” expression of good wishes by club members and family.
Julie L’Heureux shared a moment of reflection focused on the sacrifice and challenges faced by nurses caring for those afflicted with the coronavirus.
Our virtual meeting had 44 people in attendance, including Mark Millar joining from Colorado, Dick Giles from Florida, Jerry Angier looking hearty after his pacemaker procedure, and a few Rotarians whose schedules and work prevent regular attendance like Steve Mortimer and Howie Herodes.
Jim Willey became a member of the Zoomer generation with his inaugural appearance after securing a video camera for his computer.
Melissa Lesniak, President of the Dover, NH Rotary Club, joined as a visiting Rotarian.
Loretta Rowe continues her recovery. Cards and emails welcomed.
The Youth Services Committee contributed $250 to the Baxter Interact Club to purchase fabric and other materials needed to sew 150 masks and deliver them to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick for distribution to those in need.
Baxter Students innovate
John Amory, an engineering and robotics teacher at Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, was introduced by John Thompson, and shared the results of his students’ work in creating a ventilator. He said the project came about at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak when he realized that a pandemic could create a nightmare scenario for Maine. “We are the oldest state in the country, and we have limited resources,” he said.
Amory described the criteria he set before his students: "The ventilator needed to be inexpensive; constructed of easily available components; fail safe, meaning if it broke, the patient wouldn’t die; and had to be built within the state of Maine.” A ventilator is a machine that helps a person breathe by blowing oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide out of the lungs. Amory said most of the prototype parts were secured from McMaster Carr, a company that provides many of the parts and motors used in robotics and other engineering applications.
Working remotely, a team of 40 students turned out to help, about half of whom remained active throughout the project, and completed the prototype in a day.
Once the machine was built, it was delivered to the home of an 11th grader who worked with a student at MIT to help the team create the graphic user interface (GUI) to assist with the software programming necessary to make the prototype work. When the GUI was completed, and the prototype functioned, the machine was sent to the University of New England to test on a simulation mannequin used for training medical personnel. “The results were exactly what we were looking for,” Amory said. “The machine worked.”
Amory is looking to partner with an organization who can work with the student team in building and distributing the ventilator in Third World countries where medical technology is less available, and the machine could be more immediately effective.
Club Roars Past Goal
Bill Blount shared that the Club has exceeded its $2,000 goal for Polio Plus with contributions of $3,500 for the year, not counting the Toucan Fund. He also said that a large majority of members have pledged or contributed to the Rotary Foundation, but the club is seeking greater participation. Bill and Amy will connect with members to encourage contributions.
The best way to contribute to the Rotary Fund is through http://myrotary.org/donate If you would prefer to send a check, please mail it to The Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693. Contact Elise Hodgkin or Bill Blount for the form necessary to accompany checks.
