Stories

As the founding Executive Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Dr. Dagher is a world-leading advocate for developing advanced structural systems which simultaneously optimize structures, materials, and construction.
 

• The VolturnUS 1:8, which is the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the United States as well as the first in the world made out of concrete and composite materials
• The “Bridge-in-a-Backpack” technology, which are inflatable composite arch bridges that are now approved in the AASHTO Code
• The first Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) approved by the US Army to protect troops in tents from blast and ballistic threats,
• The development of coated wood technology for blast and hurricane resistant wood buildings
• The longest carbon-fiber composite vessel built for the US Navy.

• The 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change,
• The Carnegie Foundation Maine Professor of the Year,
• The Distinguished Maine Professor Award, which is the highest award given to a faculty member at UMaine
• The American Society of Civil Engineers Charles Pankow Innovation Award

Luke Holden grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine – a third-generation lobsterman who started learning the trade at age 13. After attending Georgetown University and beginning an investment banking career on Wall Street, Luke was remiss to find that every lobster roll available in New York was overpriced, drowning in mayo, and diluted with celery. He craved a real Maine-style roll and simply couldn’t find one.

Luke saw an opportunity to bring a casual seafood spot, like the homegrown lobster shacks of his childhood, to New York’s culinary landscape. In 2009, Luke decided to harness his passion for excellent seafood and his family’s 40-plus years in the Maine lobster industry to open the first Luke’s Lobster in the East Village with his dad Jeff, a lobster processor, and Ben Conniff. To keep up with demand, Luke and partners opened Luke’s Lobster’s own seafood processing facility in 2012. The complete vertical integration ensures every lobster served at Luke’s is handled with care and kept pristine.

Today, Luke spends the majority of the year in Maine, where he maintains relationships with lobstermen and oversees production at Luke’s Lobster’s processing facility. He also sits on the board of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, the Island Institute, and the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op, which he helped found. Luke’s donates a portion of its proceeds to The Ocean Foundation and the Island Institute, helping preserve Maine’s fishing communities and the sustainability of our oceans. Over the years, Luke has also been included on the Forbes’ 30 under 30, Inc's 30 under 30, Zagat’s 30 under 30, and Crain’s 40 under 40.

Zoe Sahloul is a passionate advocate for inclusion and social integration of Arabs and other Muslims living in Maine. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Zoe immigrated to Canada in 1992 to escape the civil war and to find peace and safety. She is the founder and president of the New England Arab American Organization (NEAAO), a group whose mission is to help ease the integration of Arab immigrants into American society and bridge the gaps between cultures.

In addition to serving as a board member for several organizations, Zoe currently partners with a variety of groups including 'Through These Doors,' Westbrook Police Department, Westbrook Community Center, 'Portland Empowered,' and Westbrook School Department to support marginalized Arab communities. Zoe is also focused on creating avenues for new Arab immigrants to engage in their communities by establishing collaborative connections to create more opportunities in the workforce. She is a strong and passionate advocate for women’s rights and justice, children’s rights and protection, education, and a leading voice for immigrant social integration and racial equity in Maine. Zoe also served as the founding board chair of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition.

Zoe will be focusing her talk at Portland Rotary on the work of NEAOO and their efforts to support New Mainers.
 

Charlie Roscoe was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1944. He graduated from Bowdoin College and Northeastern University Graduate School of Public Accounting. As a Certified Public Accountant, he worked for Coopers and Lybrand in Boston and Portland, Maine and Berry Dunn and McNeil (BDMP) in Portland. At BDMP, he was the second managing partner, succeeding Burchard Dunn, one of the Firm’s founders. Charlie retired from public accounting in 2005.

Throughout his auditing career, and until the present time, he has served his community in many ways, including: 

Schools for Refugees, Inc., Co-founder and President
Maine Community Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Maine Handicapped Skiing (Maine Adaptive Sports), Co-founder
Preble Street Resource Center, Treasurer of the Board of Directors 
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Board of Advisors
Maine Seniors Golf Association, Secretary
Portland Country Club, President of the Board of Directors
YMCA of Portland, Board of Directors
Maine International Trade Center, Board of Directors
Piper Shores Retirement Community, Treasurer of the Board of Directors 
Yarmouth, Maine Planning Board
Maine Health, Corporator
Breakwater School, Board of Directors 

Charlie and his wife, Susan, live in Portland, Maine and enjoy boating, golf and world travel. They frequently visit Uganda to oversee the St. Bakhita Nursery and Primary School located in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, which is administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
 

Geoff Iacuessa was promoted to President & General Manager of the Portland Sea Dogs on September 10, 2018, after serving eight years as the Executive Vice President & General Manager. The 2019 season will be Geoff’s 20th season with the organization. He began his career with the team as an intern in 2001 and was hired as Director of Group Sales prior to the 2002 season. In 2004 Geoff became the Director of Sales and Promotions and after the 2006 season, Geoff was promoted to Assistant General Manager for Sales and Promotions.

Geoff was honored as the 2015 Eastern League Executive of the Year. In 2011 he was named to the Portland Press Herald’s “40 under 40” list, recognizing 40 local business leaders under the age of 40. Geoff is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in sport management. In addition to his work with the Sea Dogs, Geoff serves on the PeoplesChoice Credit Union Board of Directors, the Maine Children’s Cancer Program Board of Directors, and the Portland Community Chamber’s Economic Development & City Affairs Committee.

Geoff lives in South Portland with his wife, Kristie and son, Hudson.
 

Scott Dunn is a fourth-generation maple syrup maker, as well as the Vice President of the Maine Maple Producers Association. Growing up in Vermont his family collected sap from trees and boiled it over an open fire to make maple syrup. Today he owns and operates Dunn Family Maple in Buxton, Maine, with his family collecting sap from about 1500 trees. Maple syrup is produced using modern technology, including reverse osmosis and a high-efficiency evaporator. Hosting several maple events each spring, Scott is able to spread his love of maple to the public by offering tours that explain the entire process and samples of their different maple products.

Scott’s presentation will cover his family history of maple production, sap collection and how they process maple sap into syrup with modern technology. The challenges associated with todays maple market and where Maine ranks in maple syrup production compared to other producing states.

For more information, go to: dunnfamilymaple.com
 

Katie Fullam Harris serves as Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy for MaineHealth, Maine’s largest health care system. She works with policymakers and employers to shape and respond to public policy and market changes; she leads the System’s efforts to develop new system initiatives that support MaineHealth’s accountable care goals; and she is presently helping to lead a system-wide effort to respond to the opioid epidemic. Prior to joining MaineHealth, Katie was the Director of Government Relations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine. She has also served as a program director for the Maine Development Foundation and as Assistant to the Commissioner for the Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services.

Katie currently serves on the Boards of the Maine Community Foundation, the Alfond Scholarship Foundation, and the Edward Daveis Benevolent Trust. She also volunteers for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, the American Heart Association in Maine, and Rippleffect.

A native of Maine, Katie has an MS in Health Care Policy and Management from the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine and a BA from Columbia University. She is an active runner and outdoor sports enthusiast, and she and her husband live in Cumberland with their 2 dogs.
 

Jean Yarbrough is Professor of Government and Gary M. Pendy, Sr. Professor of Social Sciences, with teaching responsibilities in political philosophy and American political thought at Bowdoin College. She has twice received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, first in 1983-84, when she was named a Bicentennial Fellow and again in 2005-2006, under a “We the People” initiative. She is the author of American Virtues: Thomas Jefferson on the Character of a Free People (Kansas, 1998), has edited The Essential Jefferson (Hackett, 2006) and, her most recent book, Theodore Roosevelt and the American Political Tradition, (University Press of Kansas, 2012) won the Richard E. Neustadt Award for 2013 (awarded annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) for the best book on the Presidency). 

Ms. Yarbrough is the author of numerous articles and essays in American political thought and public policy, as well as other topics in political philosophy. She serves on the editorial boards of The Review of Politics and Polity, and is a past-President of the New England Political Science Association.

A graduate of Cedar Crest College, she earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at The New School for Social Research in New York City.

President John Curran called the meeting to order by welcoming 53 members and 4 guests. PP Cyrus Hagge (photo at right) gave the invocation which was a New England adaption of the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Brady who art in Foxborough
Hallowed be thy arm
Thy bowl win will come
The game will be won
In New England as it will be in Atlanta.

Give us this Sunday
Our Super Bowl win
And bless us with raining touchdown passes
Gronk’s spikes and glorious high 5’s.

For thine is the MVP
The best in the NFL
And the glory of the Patriots.

We did the Pledge of Allegiance and PP Laura Young led us in singing the Star Spangled Banner.

President John recognized Earle Leavitt for all his contributions to Portland Rotary and welcomed him into the ranks of being an Honorary Member. When asked if he wanted to say a few words, Earle did exactly that by responding with “Thank you.”

Roger Fagan (photo at left) gave a brief recap of his latest 3-H trip (Hearing, Hands and H20) to the Dominican Republic. He noted that 16 people went from Maine, Florida and Alaska and 5 different clubs were represented. Over 100 hearing patients were seen and 148 hearing aids were distributed. 80 water filters and 80 solar lights were installed and 120 patients were seen for prosthetic devices. In over 22 trips to the DR, Roger said that 2275 hearing aids have been fitted. Roger will be a featured speaker in an upcoming meeting to flush out all the details of the most recent trip.

1st VP Amy Chipman (photo at right) discussed the dinner last Saturday at the Italian Heritage Center for the federal employees that were temporarily unemployed due to the government shutdown. Unfortunately only about 20–25 people attended (probably because the shutdown was lifted the day before), but Amy said the event committee raised lots of funds and the event was a success.

Patty Erickson (photo at left) spoke about the Rotary Sweetheart Auction coming up on February 8, 2019 at the Italian Heritage Center and telling us that volunteer sign-ups and auction donation forms were on the tables. If you have any items, please contact PP Loretta ASAP BEFORE THIS FRIDAY AT: lrowe@maine.rr.com.

Charlie Frair (photo at right) did a wrap-up of the funds raised at the Veteran’s lunch in November 2018 and noted that we needed to distribute $5,000. Five groups were nominated by different Rotarians for the funds:

Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope (nominated by Roxane Cole)
Honor Flight (nominated by Bob Trail)
K9’s on the Front Line (nominated by Mike Robinson)
Veterans Count (nominated by Joe Reagan) 
Maine Veterans' Home (nominated by Charlie Frair)

Instead of choosing one group to receive the funds as in previous years, Charlie and the committee decided to give $1,000 to each of the sponsored groups. Great job Charlie and Paul Tully and all who worked on the committee and volunteered. 

Chris Force took care of the weekly raffle and PP Paul T. Gore’s ticket was chosen. Paul magnanimously allowed Roger Fagan to try winning the $227 jackpot, but alas, it was not to be. He drew the Ace of Clubs. 

PP Bill Blount (photo at left) told us of the Club's participation in helping the Deering High School Choral director, Dr. Peter Stickney obtain an electric keyboard for the chorus. Asking for a show of hands of those who could and would like to donate for this cause, Bill encouraged everyone who did raise their hands to contact Elise at 899-6342 or portlandrotary@maine.rr.com. 

Foundation Chair/PP Dick Hall had the pleasure of announcing that Justin Lamontagne was a Paul Harris Fellow for the second time. Congratulation Justin!

(Photo at right L-R: PP Dick Hall and Justin Lamontagne)

Our speaker/program this week will be Carolyn Nishon, Executive Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO). Carolyn joined the PSO staff in August 2008, after participating in the year-long Orchestra Management Fellowship Program through the League of American Orchestras, where she served as the Orchestra Manager of the Aspen Music Festival Concert Orchestra and worked with symphonies in North Carolina, Spokane, and Baltimore. Carolyn received her bachelor's degree in English and Psychology from the University of Michigan, where she served as the Executive Director of the Michigan Pops Orchestra.

PP Bowen Depke did a fabulous job running through the extensive list of accomplishments of this week’s guest speaker, Don Perkins, President and C.E.O. of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). The Institute, under Mr. Perkins leadership, is a welcome fixture on a tumultuous waterfront. While GMRI is located on Casco Bay, its purview extends far beyond.

Mr. Perkins offered up a balanced report focusing on many of the known influences climate change is making on the coastal biology of Maine, New England, and beyond. Early on in his presentation, Don made it clear that he wasn’t going to be dragged into climate politics and would concentrate on clear changes impacting the lands and seas of the world’s coasts. If you have coastal property you are concerned that statistics indicate that flood potential is adversely impacting values. It is predicted that the sea level will rise 9 feet or more over the century. Think of what Commercial Street will look like! But, it’s much more than property values at risk, it impacts livelihoods even more profoundly. Think about the vanishing fish stock and the affect it has on crews, dock workers, boat builders, mariner mechanics and so on.  Of course, we also must think about what the world would be without a plentiful Maine lobster!

Despite the adversities facing coastal communities and their populace, Don was not delivering a somber message, nor a cautionary tale. He focused on facts, facilities and opportunities to embrace dynamic changes and create a new iteration of the coastal water economy. To be sure, the sea level is rising, and the water temperatures are similarly changing. The Institute has been gathering ocean related data and developing a composite of the life therein. The current picture is worrisome and requires understanding and adaptation in order to improve.  Fortunately, the fishers and fishing industry of Maine have been willing to make changes in order to continue and grow. The bottom line of the fishing industry is staggering....over 1.5 billion dollars a year. The lobstering industry is close to half of that number. The lobster catch has spiked over the past decade, but the future is quite likely to be much different, but not non-existent, according to Perkins.

Nature and mankind have been adapting and reemerging in a similar form for time immemorial.  Don expects that to continue in a favorable manner, despite dramatic challenges. The problem is that the changes are coming fast, and we are on “the bleeding edge.” We must react with alacrity or accept the consequences. Perkins points to the emergence of aquaculture as an immense opportunity, if it’s managed properly. When most people think of aquaculture they think of salmon or maybe, oysters, but it can be much more. An example of potential is the growing of kelp. Kelp grows prolifically in the winter when the fishing industry is in a lull.  Currently, kelp is not a high-dollar business but there are ways to develop a market. If that seems like a pipe dream, Don asked us to consider that salmon are being given a start for life in abandoned paper mills, to wit: Bucksport. While we can be creative and embrace change, Don maintains, we must save the ocean environment.

The statistics related to Don’s fish story can be found on the Gulf of Maine Research Institute website and are worthy of review. In response to the deluge of data and details, Don got some terrific questions during an abbreviated Q & A session. 

For example,
What do we do with the problematic green crab? Not sure it’ll ever become a commercial success, despite Italian cooks, he suggests we compost it. 
Will the venerable Maine tiny shrimp make a comeback or be farmed? Unfortunately, the water change is the death nell for that sumptuous delight, so look to Canada.  

The take away from Don is simple, “we’ve got to stop looking backward and start looking forward.”

(Photo L-R: Don Perkins and member, Jerry Angier.)
 

Chief Bob MacKenzie started by giving kudos to Portland Rotary for all the work we are doing with our awareness training and the recovery coach training.  He then gave us an update:

• The District 7780 committee meets monthly and all are invited to attend. The committee last met 1/24/19. Reducing stigma really makes a difference, and this is the #1 goal of the committee. The committee is always looking for ideas.

• New Hampshire Rotarians will be starting substance use disorder awareness and naloxone administration training soon.

• Through a Rotary Club, the District now has an account so it can accept donations to be used for the work.

• Last August, the Kennebunk “Above Board” group had a fundraiser to benefit substance use disorder. After the first 125 $25 tickets sold out, they expanded the event to 180 people. At the event a live ask netted $21,000, with a total of $55,000 from the event. The event will be August 23rd this year.

• Some proceeds will be used for more recovery coach training. A training was created to teach emergency responders to use the techniques from the coach training, primarily to treat everyone with respect. 25 first responders will be trained 1/28/19.

• From the results of this training a 2-hr training will be created and be added to this years mandatory training for all ME police officers.

• The Governor is very supportive of substance use disorder. Other groups such as Pine State Association and the National Education Association are developing training for all their members.  

• AmeriCorps will be providing a person, to work with the Kennebunk Police and Rotary to support the opioid epidemic efforts shortly.

Q&A

What is happening with the pushers? ME Drug Enforcement is very active. There continue to be more drug dogs. Laws are being adjusted to focus on dealers not users.

What is the status of treatment beds? We are gaining ground with new beds being added in many parts of the state. Pine Tree Recovery Center and a Saco outpatient facility recently opened. We still need more but now are able to find a place for all who want treatment, even if they have to go out of state.

Where is the product coming from? Phentenol, the most addictive drug, is primarily coming from China.

What about the doctors who are pushing drugs? The chief said he heard there was a class action lawsuit to force drug makers to pay for the effect of their drugs, similar to the tobacco lawsuit.

How does legalization of marijuana affect things? The chief was not a supporter of legalization. He says that he has heard many times that marijuana was the first drug to be used. His daughter started with marijuana, and got hooked on opioids. She went through treatment and seemed to be doing better, but Thursday night she was arrested for dealing phentenol.

Which drug cause most overdoses? Phentenol by a wide margin. It is so strong and works so fast that it catches people by surprise. Often, when Narcan (naloxone) is not immediately available, it is fatal.

(Photo L-R:  1st VP Amy Chipman, Chief Bob MacKenzie and Matt Wolcott.)

(Photo L-R: the Club's Opioid Task Force - back row: Bruce Moore, Tom Ranello, Chief Bob MacKenzie, Jesse Harvey; front row - Jan Chapman, Gracie Johnston, Doreen Rockstrom and Megan Peabody.)
 

As the New England Patriots prepare for the Super Bowl, our club showed that we are in sync. President John Curran was in the DR with our 3H team, affording the first occasion of our 1st VP President Amy Chipman to take charge of the weekly meeting. She got the house in order, despite the bell being MIA. In standard tradition she commenced with a moment of inspiration/invocation.

Leave it to Charlie Frair to find a way to co-join the spirit and guidance of the venerable Doctor Martin Luther King and the moral fabric of the Rotary Creed. Charlie brought together the history, poetry and majesty of the voice of M.L.K. and the words and deeds of Rotary International.

1st VP Amy asked Paul T. Gore to sing forth without any instrumental accompaniment. P.T.G. summoned his immense pride, energy, and sincerity and led us in a grand performance of “God Bless America,” then Matt Wolcott led us in our “Pledge of Allegiance.”

Our current 7780 District Governor, John LoBosco was recently diagnosed with a life threatening affliction which requires surgical intervention, to provide repair and recovery. The condition is of significant debilitation to require that John stay off his feet and utilize a wheel chair. Regardless of the limitations, the evening prior John tended to the duties of introducing the latest effort of the District to get out the message of opiate recovery to those seeking training in identification of the warning signs of an overdose and how to administer the life-saving medicine, Narcan (naloxone).  A card was signed and being sent to John, from his Portland Rotary friends, to buoy his spirits as he prepares for the procedure. We ask that all keep John in their thoughts and prayers.

PP Bill Blount, (photo at left with 1st VP Amy) obviously, enjoys breaking out in song even when he has to drag us who were born off-key along. There was hope that the new piano would be available but, alas, that’s to come soon. If you don’t have a piano, but you have passion and talent, you improvise when you can. Bill figured that everyone knew the words to “Oh, Suzanna” and needed little help, but he still needed to secure his spectacles in order to assure perfection of his rendition of Steven Foster’s 1848 song of longing love. He made it all the easier for us by first belting out the tune on his harmonica, helping us to get into tune, in the key of whatever may be.

Once a Rotarian, always a Rotarian, is the way to be and Mark Rajotte proved the point. Recognizing the plight of workers going without a government paycheck for the work they were doing, Mark knew that something must be done to lessen the sting, so he reached out to “ever ready” Mike Fortunato and suggested that the Rotary Club of Portland sponsor a dinner to help our friends in need. In just a little more than one week, the Mark and Mike (photo at right) duo pulled together a ziti luncheon at the Italian Heritage Center (one of the sponsors). Mark and PP Roxane Cole reached out to Hannaford and asked if they could help and got a contribution of $2,500 in gift cards, along with a $1,000 donation from the Cape Eliz-SoPo Rotary Club, as well as many donations from club members.  

The weekly raffle got off to a new deck this week, since Linda Varrell pulled the Queen of Hearts from the pack last week, only to donate the money back to the club. With Mike Fortunato conducting the raffle, this week Julie L’Heureux got a chance to find the queen in the new deck of 52, but decided to let the lady rest and the pot to grow by plucking the 5 of spades.

2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner (photo at right) and PP Loretta Rowe are coordinating the “Sweetheart Auction,” which will be held on February 8th at the Italian Heritage Center. Many items are needed and any assistance you can offer, running for gifts or setting up and delivering, will be appreciated. If you can be at the IHC at 10 AM that would be perfect. Bottom line, help is desperately needed, so just get there and give a hand. (See separate article this issue.)

Charlie Frair returned to the podium to remind us that we had a phenomenal Veteran’s Appreciation luncheon event and raised some significant funds to distribute to veteran related organizations. At this time there are two organizations in the running, but time is still available for others to solicit support from the club. If you know of a veterans organization that has a worthy outreach project, please, invite them to make application. Contact Charlie Frair or Paul Tully for additional details.

Ben Millick (photo at left) is teaming up with Green House to facilitate a program to help the newest, non-native, members of the Greater Portland community.  Many of the immigrants, similar to our forebearers, come with talent, energy and ideas looking to be part of the greatness of America.  They are often stymied by procedures, language barriers, and business basics as they try to bring dreams to reality. Ben and the group will offer 6 months of training and assistance through mentorships and instructions to our new neighbors. Contact Ben at: bmillick@clarkinsurance.com if you are willing to mentor or sponsor a core business presentation.

PP Roxane Cole is now a PHF x 6, while Mike Reed is a PHF x 7, as well as member of the the founders club donating $1000 a year to the Foundation. It was the honor of our District Governor Nominee to District 7780, PP Dick Hall, to introduce these newest awards to these most-worthy recipients. (Photo at right L-R: PP/DGN Dick Hall, Mike Reed and PP Roxane Cole.)

Gracie Johnston is doing a terrific job as our Community Service Chair and that is especially obvious when we help the needful who come to the Preble Street Food Kitchen for dinner. Gracie, along with Jesse Harvey, (photo at left) spoke of the latest dinner when we were able to offer fresh fruit as part of the meal. This is just another example of little things making a big difference in the lives of those unfortunate who experience food insecurity.
 

Don Perkins has served as the President/CEO for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) since 1995. Don works with GMRI's staff, board, and external partners to drive GMRI's evolution as a strategic science, education, and community institution that serves the Gulf of Maine bioregion and to scale GMRI's impact beyond. Since 2013, Don has served as the Executive Director of the Harte Charitable Foundation developing their investments in the stewardship and sustainable development of the Gulf of Mexico. Don is dedicated to building creative, strategic organizations, traditional or virtual, that contribute to solving intractable problems and creating new opportunities in marine conservation, STEM literacy, and common property governance and management.

Don is active in the marine policy arena on multiple levels. He currently serves on the board of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and recently co-chaired the Governors Ocean Energy Task Force. He was co-founder of Friends of Casco Bay and the Maine Marine Research Coalition. He previously served on the boards of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System, Maine Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council, and Maine Legislature’s Task Force on the Development of Aquaculture. Reflecting his broader interest in governance, Don currently serves on the board of MMG Insurance.

Don brings an unusual mix of corporate and non-profit experience to GMRI. Prior to joining GMRI, Don instructed at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, directed the Marine Conservation Corps in California, served as a financial advisor to Native American tribes, advised The Health Foundation on its Latin American initiatives, and managed the operations of Binax, Inc., which provided diagnostic tests and tools for infectious diseases.

Don was born in Waterville, Maine and has lived in a variety of Maine's coastal and inland communities, as well as overseas in Israel and Brazil. Don holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Don’s greatest sources of pleasure are his family, sailing along the coast of Maine, and an early morning run or swim.
 

Bob MacKenzie is a 30-year veteran of law enforcement, currently serving as Chief of Police with the Kennebunk Police Department. Chief MacKenzie began his law enforcement career in 1988 with them and rose through the ranks, being promoted to Chief of Police in 2008.

Chief MacKenzie is a graduate of the 243rd FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice through Husson University. He is the producer of the “Point of No Return,” a 30-minute movie which depicts the consequences of underage drinking and has been shown in 34 states. Chief MacKenzie is a Past-President of the Kennebunk Rotary Club, in which he has served for the past eleven years and is the Chair of the Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative.

The Chief will be making a return visit to the Portland Club to report on a broader effort with clubs across Southern Maine to tackle opioid addiction and offer ideas on how Rotary can be part of the solution.
 

Dr. Susan Miesfeldt  first went to Africa with her daughter to volunteer in an orphanage. While there, through American Cancer Society connections, she established links with a number of cancer care providers throughout Tanzania. Her connections there have grown since that first trip. 

She presented an overview about her dedication to helping the efforts of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) and the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania and included information about the barriers to cancer care provided by KCMC, the development efforts to solicit support for the program and the Rotary partnership to construct the KCMC Family Village.

In Tanzania, at least 35,000 new patients are diagnosed with cancer each year and, sadly, about 80 percent will die due to limited access to care. Cancer incidence is predicted to increase by 70% in the next 2 decades. Deterrents to receiving treatments are caused by the distance patients must travel to reach the cancer care centers and the high cost of transportation and housing.

To improve the situation for patients who need access to care, the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania has a vision to partner with regional and international partners for the purpose of building a comprehensive and sustainable cancer care system in the Northern Zone of Tanzania focused on (a) lowering cancer incidence (b) reducing cancer mortality and (c) improving the quality of life.

Background information about the KCMC, located at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, is that it was founded in 1971 by the Good Samaritan Foundation. The major referral hospital for a population covering over 15 million people in the Northern Zone of Tanzania. Although it is a large and growing complex, the hospital currently has 630 beds and 40 baby incubators. For education, the KCMC supports 1852 students, 1300 staff and 1000 visitors daily. It’s a world-class center for patient care, teaching and research.

Dr. Miesfeldt described the three phases of the cancer care facility: (a) an infusion center (b) an in-patient cancer center and (c) a Family Village.

A Family Village assessment demonstrated the need by evaluating the cost, distance and lack of transportation/housing as being documented barriers to cancer care in Tanzania. Studies show that at least 40% of children abandon their cancer treatment. There is a need to address these treatment barriers.

(Photo L-R: President John Curran, PDG Carolyn Johnson and Dr. Sue Miesfeldt.)
 

President John Curran opened the meeting by welcoming 49 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 4 guests. He invited PP Russ Burleigh to provide us with the Invocation. With the Super Bowl on the horizon, Russ gave us a history of the event. The first two years, 1967-68, the game was called the AFL-NFL Championship. In 1969 it took on the name Super Bowl, and it was a landmark game. The underdog NY Jets came out on top of the Baltimore Colts, backed by the words of Jets QB Joe Namath, who had guaranteed victory.  The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by Gracie Johnston leading the way on the singing of ‘God Bless America.’  

PP Laura Young (photo at right) reported on the “New Members Meeting” held on Jan 11. This was a chance to hear from new members on how they were acclimating to the club. Good news is that all noted that they felt very welcomed, and that so far, Rotary was proving to be more than they had expected – in a good way. Lot of appreciation for our strong speakers program. There is still some nervousness just before the weekly meeting when they first arrive...... in a roomful of new people, wondering where to sit, etc. So a reminder for all of us to reach out to invite a new member to sit with you for lunch, and get a chance to know them better.

President John welcomed Tim Cronin (photo at left), Coordinator, and Nanette Dyer Blake (photo at right), Community Outreach and Development Specialist from the Portland Public Schools “Make It Happen!” (MIH!) program to speak with us. MIH Is an academic and college readiness program, designed to help multilingual students in grades 9-12 create stronger academic profiles, that improves their ability to be accepted into college and getting financial aid. The program challenges the students to take more challenging classes, be involved in the community, to find jobs and other roles that improve their personal and professional development. Coordinators work with students to improve standardized test scores, and writing competitive college applications. MIH! Is always looking for adult volunteers who can be an academic coach, working to help the students in a wide variety of ways. Volunteers would commit to 1-2 hours per week per semester. Interested? Reach out to Nanette at 842-4657, blaken@portlandschools.org.

Paul Tully reported that we have $5,000 from the Veterans' Lunch to provide to Veterans support groups, but no specific requests have been made to date. If you have a suggestion, please contact Charie Frair: cfrair47@yahoo.com.

Mike Fortunato teamed up with past Portland Rotarian Mark Rajotte, who put together an idea to have a pasta dinner to support federal employees who have been affected by the government shutdown. Members of the Coast Guard, TSA, DEA (and others) would be served at the Italian Heritage Center (IHC) in Portland, Saturday Jan 26th, 3-5pm. No speeches, nothing political, just a way of saying we appreciate you and you are not forgotten during this crisis. This is coming together quickly. We will need your help hosting these families at the dinner. 

Donations to help fund food gift cards are needed. The IHC is also involved and will have their members participating. We had a show of many hands for donating $50, so please, if you volunteered to do this, please send it in! You can send a check made out to the Rotary Club of Portland and give the check to Elise or mail to: P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104.  

Mike Fortunato and PP Kris Rosado (photo at left) jointly announced a planning meeting for the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) – Tuesday Jan 29, noon, at the Portland Boys and Girls Club. Lunch will be served. Fact – the MOC is our major fundraiser, netting the club north of $25k annually. Kris and Mike have been at the forefront on making this event happen for a long time, and have more than earned the right to ask others to step into their leadership-sized shoes.  Seize the day!  Also, Kris noted that now is the time to be reaching out to businesses for sponsorships for the 2019 MOC. No need to wait for Kris to ask you – just go make it happen!   Yes – info sheets will be coming so you have the materials. Same goes for teams – we need more. Capacity is 45 – last year we had 40. It’s all profit at that point, so let’s not leave money on the table. LL Bean charges us for 45! 

Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston (photo at right) had two reminders: First, volunteers are needed at Preble Street on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 3:30pm. Be sure you sign in when you arrive; second, on Thursday, Jan 24th at 6:00 pm, our Rotary Club will host “How To Recognize and Respond to an Opiod/Heroin Overdose” at the Dana Center, part of Maine Med at 22 Bramhall Street. Seating is limited, so register at portlandrotary.com ASAP or contact Jan Chapman: janchapman1966@gmail.com or call 408-582. (Parking is available on Bramhall Street or in the Maine Medical parking lot on Chadwick Street.)

1st VP Ellen Niewoehner touted the upcoming Sweetheart Auction to be held at our Feb 8th meeting at the Italian Heritage Center. We need items! Did you get something recently that doesn’t do it for you, but might be treasure to someone else? Donate it! It’s fun! Forms are available, so get them in soon.

WE NEED SOME BIG-TICKET ITEMS, also for a live auction! Email Loretta at lrowe@maine.rr.com with your donation items ASAP and she will complete the donor form for you. (Again....see separate article this issue about the auction.) Please let us know ahead of time if and what you plan to donate, so we can prepare the necessary paperwork. Please don't walk into the meeting on Feb. 8th bringing a donation. It creates unneeded chaos.  

Need some luck? Talk to Linda Varrell! (Photo at left: Linda and Jerry Angier) Normally we get down to 10 or fewer cards in our weekly raffle before someone wins, but Linda deftly pulled the Queen of Hearts from almost the full deck to take down the prize of $326. Linda kindly donated that back to the club. Thank you, Linda.
 

Kay Aikin, Chief Executive Officer of Introspective Systems, joined us to talk about the state of entrepreneurship in Maine. Aikin pointed to a number of statistics to demonstrate her point that “tech-based startups support U.S. economic growth.”

Using her own company as an example, Aikin said that tech companies pay twice the national average in salaries and have a jobs multiplier of five. “Policy makers should focus on spurring high-growth technology-based startups,” she said.

But as she noted, the challenge for Maine is that the state ranks 37th in the country for tech-based jobs. New Hampshire sits at the number one position, with Massachusetts at number two. While the state has strong assets in the Maine Technology Institute, mentors, and Maine Angels, access to capital, a strong educational base, and venture capital backed accelerators are additional components for success that are lacking in Maine, but prevalent elsewhere. Pointing to the success of Vets First Choice, a startup backed by David Shaw that recently went public, Aikin said that there was no reason that Maine could not become more of a “startup state” to take advantage of its quality of life.

Aikin reviewed the high technology aspects of Introspective’s software platform and the sophisticated array of products it offers. “We solve the hardest enterprise problems by combining complexity and artificial intelligence,” she said. Introspective Systems was awarded a several million dollar grant to help the Department of Energy with its “Internet of Things” (IoT) software which is being used to develop a microgrid to manage energy. Isle au Haut has become a laboratory for Introspective where the company is using its fractal control software to create a microgrid that will help the island produce and store its own electrical energy using supercapacitor batteries. The project is designed to replace an aging cable system that is very expensive to operate and replace. The Introspective project will make the island’s electricity 45 percent less expensive. Had Isle au Haut not elected to work with Introspective, they faced a $1.5 million cost to replace their electrical cable which would have increased their electricity cost to 80 cents per kilowatt. With the new system, which includes renewable energy, the island can eventually reduce its costs to ten cents per kilowatt.

(Photo L-R: Justin Lamontagne, Kay Aikin and President John Curran.)

Dr. Susan Miesfeldt is a medical oncologist and Medical Director for the Cancer Risk and Prevention Program at MMC. She received her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Virginia and University of Michigan Schools of Medicine.

Her research focuses on cancer prevention and early detection, as well as access to care. She has received research support from the NCI, Maine Health and Human Services, MaineCancer Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and served as Principal Investigator for the NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP). She has participated in several state task forces and work groups related to cancer screening and prevention, and is presently serving on the State of Maine Commission to Study Incidence of and Mortality Related to Cancer.

Dr. Miesfeldt is a member of the American Cancer Society’s Board of Directors, New England Division, as well as the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s International Affairs Committee.
 

Our January 4 meeting was a Club Assembly, dedicated to bringing everyone up-to-date with the extraordinary accomplishments of the Club, and introducing two new members.

Three guests joined the 51 club members for lunch: Richard L’Heureux, spouse of Juliana L’Heureux; Eduardo Oliveira (photo at left L-R: President John Curran and Eduardo Oliveira), a member of the Novo Hamburgo Rotaract Club in Brazil who is currently an intern at CIEE International headquarters in Portland; and, Dean Rock, a resident of Cumberland who is the provider of the 3H team’s prosthetic hands.

With Peter Moore conducting the weekly raffle, Jerry Angier had the opportunity to take home the raffle pot, but drew the wrong card.

President John thanked the members of the committees that serve to put on the meetings—Meeting Day, Program, Windjammer, and Public Relations. He also gave a special salute to the team who sponsored and managed the Veterans Appreciation Luncheon back on November 9, 2018.

President John shared the Treasurer’s Report, copies of which were distributed to the members, and highlighted the balanced budget for 2019 was possible due to an increase in dues. He also mentioned the difficulties the club had faced with not being able to meet the catering minimums imposed by the Holiday Inn and the Clarion earlier in the year. Our shift from the Holiday Inn and the negotiation of lower luncheon minimums helped keep our loss in this category from being higher. Projections show that the Club should break even at the end of the 2018-2019 fiscal year. 

PP Dick Hall, chair of the Rotary Foundation Committee, reported that the Club was on track to meet the goals of contributions of $17,000 to RI Foundation, and $15,000 to Polio Plus. He stated that 62 members of the Club had not made a pledge or contributed to the Foundation this year and he has sent an email encouraging them to participate.

The Club’s International Service Committee work was reported by four of its members:

• Roger Fagan shared the progress of the Hearing division of the 3H (Hearing, Hands and H2O) Project and plans for its next trip to the Dominican Republic (DR), noting that several other clubs, including one from Alaska, will be joining in this project. He received a request for help from our partners in the Dominican Republic to help with one young girl who had a special hearing issue. Roger was able to diagnose her need, provide a hearing aid, and coach the caregivers in the DR on how to install the device so that she would not have to wait until the team arrived in their country to help her. 

• Liz Fagan reported on the continuing progress of the hearing team’s work in Kosovo and announced that the Wakefield, Rhode Island Rotary Club would be managing this geography of the project this year. Liz has also recruited 12 audiologists and speech pathologists to visit Kosovo to work with the students and also gathered books and therapy materials. She was invited to make a presentation in Kosovo, but opted instead to gather the research data and shared it with the students she worked with last year so they could make the presentation instead. She called that a great learning experience for them.

• David Small provided a presentation of pictures showing what life was like in the Dominican Republic bateyes, which are largely populated by Haitian immigrants, to demonstrate the impact of the water portion of the 3H project. Bateyes are the employer-owned villages of dwellings provided to the workers in the sugar cane fields, which are typically constructed of wood or cinderblock and have no electricity or water. While rain water is collected in barrels, there is no potable water provided in the homes. Workers cut a ton of sugar cane by hand per day with machetes, for which they receive $5.00. The bateyes have a church, school, and a commissary and there are water monitors who help teach people how to treat the water to make it safe since there are issues with intestinal diseases. Consequently, the water filters provided by the 3H team have become extremely sought-after since they considerably improve the resident’s quality of life. The 3H team will be providing a new design of filter this year, a six-piece plastic system that will be easier to install and maintain. David said that the 3H team decided to adopt a batey for concentrated work over time rather than spread a few installations over more areas. They will return to Batey 50 for the third year with lights, filters, school supplies, and will also work to install a large-scale system. “Thousands of people have been affected by our work,” David reported as he encouraged more Rotarians to participate. People are especially grateful to receive solar lights.

• President John reported on the Hands portion, recognizing the work of Dean Rock who was present. John said that this year the team would be working with Centro de Protesis and Terapia Fisica instead of the hospital. This NGO has a dedicated staff, some of whom use artificial limbs. Dean Rock passed around an electronic version of his 3D device, which will be installed for the first time on the next trip. The team will travel out of Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata on the northern coast.

President John reported on the progress of the New Mainer Task Force, led by Max Chikuta, which has been working to find areas of potential collaboration with a number of organizations that have evolved to address issues affecting these people. The group reports that the biggest challenges are in the areas of mentoring and vocational guidance and will be working with “Make It Happen,” Learning Works, and the Immigrant Welcome Center, which is focusing particularly on entrepreneurial support. The group is also working to add a New Mainer Award that will provide a scholarship from Rotary at the University of Southern Maine. In addition, the task force is working in collaboration with the Music Committee to find funds to help the Deering High School Choral Group secure a new keyboard.

Gracie Johnston (photo at right) shared news from the Community Service Committee, noting that “community service is the life blood of our club.” She highlighted the club’s work with Preble Street (last Wednesday of every month); Thanksgiving dinner at St. Vincent de Paul where 110 meals were served this year; bell ringing to support the Salvation Army Christmas campaign; Thanksgiving dinner this year at the Portland Recovery Community Center; Maine Inside Out, the organization helping folks move from incarceration back into the community;  and Journey House Sober Living, which is part of the Opioid Recovery Task Force effort that includes Recovery Coach support and training in the use of Naloxone. Gracie reported that thanks to the effort led by Doreen Rockstrom, the club was able to secure 100 units of Naloxone at no cost. This amount would have cost $40,000, if obtained through purchase.

The work of the Youth Service Committee was reported by Jan Chapman (photo at left) who related the efforts with the Lyseth School Reading project, in partnership with Maine Law, where students in kindergarten through third grade are read to by volunteers and leave their session with a new book. The Committee also supports the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, which sends high school students to Camp Hines for leadership training. The goal is to send ten students this year. Other projects include a mentoring program at Portland High School and Deering High School, and the Rotary Youth Exchange that gives students in Portland schools, age 15 to 18, a chance to travel abroad.

Jan also presented information for the flyers distributed on each table describing “A Call to Action” for All District 7780 Rotarians and guests about recognizing and responding to Opiate/Heroin Overdose. The educational program will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2019 (snow date on February 21, 2019) from 6-7:30 pm in the Maine Medical Center Dana Auditorium, 22 Bramhall Street, in Portland.  (Parking is available on Bramhall Street or in the Maine Medical parking lot on Chadwick Street.) RSVP to Kennebunk Police Chief Bob MacKenzie: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us or call 207-604-1339.

PP Laura Young highlighted the work of the Membership Committee by inviting two sponsors, 1st VP Ellen Niewoehner and Tom Ranello, to introduce new members. Ellen introduced Mike Anderson, a ten-year veteran broker with Malone Commercial Brokers who lives in Gorham; and, Tom introduced Michelle DiSotto of Scarborough, who works with Goodwill Industries. Please be sure to welcome both new members to our club.

(Photo L-R: PP Laura Young, 1st VP Ellen Niewoehner, Mike Anderson, Michelle DiSotto, Tom Ranello and President John Curran.)
 

Kay Aikin graduated from Pennsylvania State University with one of the first sustainability engineering degrees in the country. She has spent her career as an energy engineer, architectural designer, and business development executive. Kay’s expertise involves reconciling diverse needs requirements, engineering feasibility, and budgetary limitations to ensure that every project is both cost-effective and sustainable. She has spent the last 4 years with her Introspective Systems co-founder Dr. Caryl Johnson studying the application of complex system design in relation to the integration of Distributed Energy Resources into the electrical grid. Kay’s engineering focus has been on electrical grid and Iot applications for xGraph as an expansion of her experience in sustainable technologies. She helped design the xGraph computing platform as the first Autonomic Computing System used to distribute intelligence to the edge of the Internet of Things. 

Before Introspective Systems she had 25 years as an owner and executive in the construction industry, running design/build construction companies, managing multi-million dollar sales forces, and consulting on business and market development issues. She has also given back to the industry by working as a Regional Vice President of the Pennsylvania Home Builders Association, helping to shape responses to industry and community concerns. As a sales manager for Shulte Homes, a large nation-wide modular homebuilder, she helped spearhead the move from small starter homes to larger custom homes.
 

Please join us this Friday for an action-packed and engaging Club Assembly at the Clarion Hotel. It will include updates on our many service activities, an overview of our club’s financial health, a report on Membership, and a look back at our collective accomplishments & highlights during the first half of this Rotary Year.

Please invite a potential new member to join you, as this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our active club.

All Rotarians are well aware of the 4-Way Test, but few really know where it came from. Thanks to an invocation/inspiration provided by PP Tom Talbott, (photo at right) who researched the origin of our guiding principal. We now know the rest of the story. Truth be told, the genesis of the 4-Way Test preceded the Rotary, but was developed in Chicago. In 1893, Herbert Taylor, a native of Norway who made his way to Chicago and found fortune by being the quintessentially honest business person, emblematic of Rotary, developed the essence of the 4-Way Test in order to guide his business dealings. Taylor began his career in the tea business, but moved on to fame and fortune with Club Aluminum, hawking cookware of superb quality. However, in the course of marketing the product, he insisted that every word be without exaggeration and distilled a 7-operative guidance down to the 24 words we know as the 4-Way Test. The test was not immediately embraced by Rotary; it took years and in 1942 it was adopted by Rotary and became our core principal. Taylor went on to become President of Rotary International in 1954 and his 24 iconic words live on in the heart of every Rotarian around the world.

We had two visiting guests at this meeting, which was immediately preceding the Christmas holiday. Michelle DiSotto (Goodwill NNE) has submitted her application to join our Club and will soon be formally brought in. Not too soon thereafter, we will be introduced to Bonnie Guerrette (more to follow).

President John had a full agenda to follow, but one of his objectives was to inform us of the hard work the Nominating Committee has been doing to bring us the new slate of officers and Board of Directors for the coming Rotary year.  

Chairing the Nominating Committee, Immediate Past President Don Zillman, gathered a strong committee who helped nominate the slate of officers for 2019-20, as follows: 

President: Amy Chipman
1st Vice President: Ellen Niewoehner
Second Vive President: Bob Martin
Two Board Directors: Gracie Johnston and Mike Fortunato
Secretary:  Bruce Moore
Treasurer:  Scott Blakeslee
Sergeant-at-Arm:  Dave Putnam

The slate, including past members completing terms and those nominated, was unanimously approved by the members.

(Photo L-R: Dave Putnam, Mike Fortunato, Bruce Moore, Bob Martin, Ellen Niewoehner and Amy Chipman. Missing: Gracie Johnston and Scott Blakeslee.)

President John thought it appropriate to highlight the Vocational Service Committee work and asked a committee member to bring forth their message:

Bob Fowler (photo at right), is the Executive Director of Milestone of Greater Portland serving the homeless and substance dependent community within our borders. Milestone has been serving the Portland community since 1957 at the India Street home, making it the longest standing facility in the City serving this needy citizenry. The India St. facility has 41 beds to assist with 3-7 day detox and prep programs for those trying to recover. They have a satellite facility in Old Orchard Beach. Bob got his Master’s Degree in Social Welfare, but realized that his job at Milestone required more business management than he realized, so he went back to school and got another Masters in Business and Public Policy. He has honed his skills and is focusing them on making Milestone the premier recovery facility in the state. Bob envisions Rotary and Milestone as a perfect intersection of interest.

Prospective member Bonnie Guerette (photo at left) came before the Club to give us a glimpse into her past life as a substance abuser; it was a hard hitting eye-opener. It’s difficult for most of us to imagine how hard life can be when you spend about 4 decades trying to break away. Suffice it to say that Bonnie’s childhood was somewhere on the spectrum of hard to horrible. She grew up in Connecticut and that’s where the horrors began. She went on to get a degree in nursing and was thought to be a solid citizen, but she had a secret life that she lived as a user of cocaine and heroin, in an attempt to suppress the horrors of her childhood. Over time, Bonnie found her way to Maine as an attempt to escape, but fell in with the wrong crowd. She got involved in a gang which resulted in Federal charges and prison time, but brought the thread of recovery she is now holding onto. She is giving back to the community by taking her experiences to help the drug-addicted street people we have in the City. Bonnie has taken the Naloxone course and is helping to educate more of us to help save lives. Bonnie wants to go on and create a “Safe House” for women in Portland and we are ready to lend our support to help this obvious area of need.

2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner and PP Loretta Rowe have taken on the task of fundraising and decided to resurrect the “Sweetheart Auction,” aka, not too long ago, as the Re-gifting Auction, where you can find a good home for that Christmas gift that just wasn’t as perfect for you as someone had thought! If you have a new or gently-used item you want to donate for auction, please get in touch with Ellen or Loretta and make our auction a financial success. The funds raised will go toward covering the ever-growing operating cost of the Club. Please bring as many guests as you can and tell them to bring their generous spending habits with them to help stimulate our economy. The auction will take place at the Italian Heritage Center on February 8th, offering plenty of space and good food to get you in a giving and buying mood. For further answers to any questions, contact Ellen at: eniewoehner@banksis.com or Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com.

PP Larry Gross was ready to give away close to $300 to the finder of the elusive Queen of Hearts. It was determined that Paul Tully should try his luck and pluck the correct red Queen. Alas, Nobleman Paul T. pulled out the King of Hearts and had to retreat a tad penny poor, but still smiling.

Portland High School counselor, Johanna Burdin introduced us to Hind Al Shammari, a Portland High School student, as she was our Youth Service Award recipient this month. Her proud mom, Gada Al Freh, was also introduced.

(Photo L-R: Johanna Burdin, Jan Chapman, Hind Al Shammari, President John Curran and Gada Al Freh.)
 

This week we welcomed Amy Schram, a Senior Community Relations Specialist with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as our guest speaker. At the outset, she noted that at any time we had questions to feel free to jump in. It didn’t take long for our inquisitive group to commandeer her presentation with both questions and personal experiences. 

Amy provided an overview of the BBB. Over 106 years, the non-profit organization has built a database that currently holds information on 5.5 million businesses, much of it free and accessible to the public. The BBB acts as a moderator and facilitates dialogue between customers and businesses, as well as B2B. 

Amy then turned her focus to the issue of scams, fraud, identity theft and cybersecurity.  You might want to check out the free BBB service, Scam Tracker: go.bbb.org/ne-scamtracker.  Here you can find what current scams may be hitting your area, what is being reported, and how to report ones you see. This year alone, 48,000 scams have been recorded by the system. All of this information is shared by the BBB to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, local and state government, police, as well as community or regional organizations such as AARP or SMAAA.

Scammers are almost impossible to catch because the vast majority operate outside the U.S. Hot spots include Jamaica, Dubai, Toronto, China, and Russia. Scammers have sophisticated systems, and use throwaway phones. They move quickly, and take advantage of every nugget of information they can obtain.

Let’s face it.....on the Web, there is so much information about you already posted. Your address, your phone, your relatives – all so easy to obtain. Now add in more personal info from Facebook, LinkedIn, your business website, or other social media sources. The clever caller may say your name. They make a statement just to hear your response. For example, they will say they are calling about your Verizon account, and you say sorry, you use Sprint. Next week you get a call from someone saying they are from Sprint and your bill is overdue. These predators will make 1000 calls a day, just looking to add snippets of info, that can used, or be sold to another scam company. Bottom line is that with your info out there, it is just a matter of time before it will be used against you. 

Imposter scams are the most predominant. Calls ‘from’ banks, cable and phone companies, utilities, credit cards, online shopping stores, even the police, will sound real, but it is a trap.

The “police” call to say you have overdue parking tickets, they’ll describe your car, and give you a few hours to pay or risk arrest. They’ll even have a 207-exchange number. It’s very misleading, and easy to fall for.

If you do not recognize the phone number, resist answering. If it is a legit call, they will leave a message and you can call back. One suggestion:  Go to NoMoRoBo.com (NMRB) and see how you can block recorded/automated phone calls. NMRB will detect it before you answer and disconnect the line. Free for land line, small charge for smart phones. 

An interesting meeting, with lessons we should heed.

(Photo: President John Curran and Amy Schram.)
 

John Wolcott, aka Santa and Matt Wolcott’s father, has a 38-year career in clausmanship. He is a sitting recycled (2 times) Rotary Club President of his East Greenwich, RI club. Mr. Wolcott presented both facts and/or folklore about his research on St. Nick, which is the precursor to Santa Claus, and other regional beliefs.

Mr. Wolcott discussed Nordic gods, to Christian saints, to Coca Cola through the various sagas, folklore, and documented history. While he presented his research about Christmas and the associated holidays, he said that it is up to us to determine what was history and what was folklore. 

Many of the European countries have slightly different stories, but all generally have a similar theme. Additionally, not all countries talk of jolly old men at Christmas, for instance: 

- Oden, the Nordic God of War, rides with his chariot and two horses called Thunder and Lightning (aka Donner and Blitzen, in German);  

- the Romans celebrated Saturnalia for the God of Saturn;

- In France, Pere Noel is popular;

- Befana in Italy, who is an elderly woman giving gifts on the eve of Epiphany;

- Jultomten in Scandinavia watches kids from under their stairs and gives presents to those that behave; and,

- St. Nicklaus, who was born in Asia Minor (Turkey at the time) to a wealthy family and became a bishop and was known to be very generous and kind. 

Most of the stories of St. Nicklaus (St. Nick) seem to mimic some current understanding of Santa Claus. St. Nick was born to wealthy merchants who died by plague around 280 AD. His uncle took him under his wing, and St. Nick was then educated across Western Europe. St. Nick became a priest and then a bishop. He was known for his generosity to sailors and children, where St. Nick would offer shelter and food. In one story about St. Nick, he was helping three sisters who had lost their father, but still wanted to marry. To grow their dowry, he was said to secretly drop gold coins down their chimney or into their drying stockings or shoes.  It was said, that the Italians sailors loved St. Nick so much, that in approximately 1100 AD they moved his casket from Turkey to Italy when Christianity was in jeopardy there, and they heard that the casket could possibly be destroyed. 

What we largely think about Santa Claus comes from a poem written by poet Clement Clark Moore: “Twas the night before Christmas.” In more recent times, it seems that the red suit, jovial attitude, and big white beard may have come from the 1930s era Coca Cola ad, which the company was trying to promote cola sales through the slow winter months. Something caught on there.

No matter whether folklore, history, or the truth was being told, one could tell that John Wolcott had the Christmas and Rotary spirit.
 

(Photo L-R: John & Donna Wolcott (Matt's parents), Matt Wolcott and President John Curran.)

John Wolcott (Matt's father) is a retired Systems Engineer and president of Systemetrics, Inc., a software development firm. Since his retirement, he has been a school bus driver in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, however, he dons the red suit and morphs into the jolly old elf from the North Pole, with whom you may be familiar.

A 38-year veteran of Clausmanship, he will introduce us all to the original Saint Nicklaus and follow the legend that has led to our modern-day Santa.

John is also president of his Rotary Club in Greenwich, Rhode Island, its first “re-cycled” president.

At PRCC, we are thankful....

...For the Rotary Club of Portland's gift of Thanksgiving Dinner and

...FOR THE MANY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO MAKE RECOVERY POSSIBLE FOR OTHERS.

 BY PASSING IT ON....WE GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER.

PRCC offers over 35 different recovery groups and activities each week. Our members hold meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART recovery, Refuge Recovery, Wellbriety, and many more. We also have groups for family members...Addict in the Family, and Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families. All groups are open and welcome new members and visitors.

That's not all...recovery is also about wellness, creativity, and celebration. Join us for yoga, the Artist's Way, Music Therapy, or Spoken Word night. Interested in Attitudinal Healing or a session of Reiki? For a full schedule, check out Facebook or our website at portlandrecovery.org.
 

The Deering High School Choral musical family will be presenting a holiday program for us this Friday. At Deering, the young people are committed to a high-quality choral program.

The vocal ensemble performs repertoire that is both stylistically varied and of high musical quality. Students are aware that being a member of the Deering Chorus is different from being in any other class. During rehearsals, students are asked to concentrate on greater refinement of previously acquired choral skills. These skills include diction, articulation, dynamics, octavo reading and producing a beautiful tone. Emphasis on part singing and sight reading are also part of this group. A great deal of time is spent on vocal and musical techniques, as well as performance standards. 

Many of the students who become involved in the choral program remain for their entire high school careers, primarily because being in a choral group is like being part of an extended family, as there is a special bond that is created among people who make music together. 

A select group of students from DHS's chorus, under the direction of Dr. Peter Stickney, will be performing selections that celebrate the diversity of the holiday season. In between songs, we’ll provide some narrative that relates to the context of each selection. Please be sure to join us!

Alain Nahimana shared his personal history and the reasons he co-founded and is currently Executive Director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC).  Alain, who has been in the United States for 8 years is originally from Burundi. In his home country, he was a business owner, and currently speaks 6 languages. Like all asylum seekers, he was not permitted to work for 150 days while his application was being reviewed; he needed to survive on General Assistance of $50 biweekly for food, $25 biweekly for other expenses, and rent subsidy.

Alain's first job was as a janitor including cleaning of toilets. He then was lucky to get a front desk job at a refugee program, then on the phones for Time Warner. He left Time Warner due to the verbal abuse from clients. He moved on to a courier service, and then to Coordinator for the ME Immigrant Coalition. Alain told us this story to show how difficult it is for an immigrant, even one with a professional background and mastery of the language. 

Alain co-founded IWC to address the barriers for immigrants to overcome:  language, entrepreneurship opportunities, and personal aspirations. Because immigrants must work 2 or 3 jobs to support their families, there is no time left to attend classes and learn English. IWC has created a computer-based learning lab, to allow people to learn at their own pace during the time they have available. To address entrepreneurship, IWC is working with finance, accounting, and banking professionals to offer mentoring help; already 50-100 people have expressed an interest. To assist immigrants in defining their aspirations, IWC provides an Immigrant Business Hub, with a professional atmosphere and a suite of shared services. When an immigrant comes to that space, they can explore their dreams and not be mentally stuck in their present situation.

For more information, you can go to: www.welcomeimmigrant.org/

(Photo L-R: President John Curran, Alain Nahimana and PP Laura Young.)

Originally from Burundi, Alain Nahimana is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. Previously, he served as the Coordinator for the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC).

Alain brings his experience with community organizing and coalition building to foster collaboration, build partnernships, and advance the agenda for immigrant integration.

Our meeting of November 16th fell on the day of the first snowstorm of the season, so attendance was fairly sparse at The Clarion, with 30 members attending. The Clarion put out a beautiful spread for us, much to the delight of members such as Past President Don Zillman, who seems ready to load up for his next big road race. (see photo at right).

PP Russ Burleigh presented a very thoughtful invocation, telling a story that began when he was just 9 years old. His grandmother relayed the memory of hearing the news that “the president has been shot,” referring to the assassination of President Lincoln in April of 1865. Ninety-eight years later, Russ was working in Dallas and he and some of his co-workers excitedly watched as Air Force One came in on final approach over the parking lot of The Dallas Symphony office, close enough so that they could see the rivets on the wings. Twenty minutes later, the same group of office mates joyously watched as the motorcade whizzed by, with President and Jackie Kennedy waving to the excited crowds that had lined the route heading into the city. Within a half hour, Russ and his office mates were stunned by the announcement on the radio: “The president has been shot.”  His mind raced back to his grandmother uttering those same words. This Thursday, as we enjoy cherished time with loved ones around a Thanksgiving feast, take a moment to remember where you were on November 22, 1963, when the face and hope of our nation was lost and Camelot came crumbling down.  

PP Roxane Cole led our group in the pledge and PP Laura Young guided us through our National Anthem.

President John announced that our own Bob Clark received a prestigious award at the Day One dinner last week and that the award was presented by Rotarian Ralph Hendrix.

Terri St. Angelo gave an early update on the very successful Veteran’s Luncheon on November 9th at The Holiday Inn. While the two event leaders, Paul Tully and Charlie Frair, took some much-deserved time off, Terri headed to the podium to give us a few statistics: we served 217 veterans, 31 of their family members, 71 non-Rotarians, with 14 sponsors and 336 total attendees. With 77 volunteers, this event has now become one of the most recognized and powerful veteran events in all of New England. The final tallies on fund-raising, etc. will trickle in over the next few weeks, but suffice it to say that The Portland Rotary Club should be very, very proud of this accomplishment. 

President John recognized Charlie and Paul for their fantastic leadership of the event. Also recognized were the Rotarians who started the Vets lunch 4 years ago - PP Peter Goffin and Mike Fortunato.

The District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee on the opioid crisis is now picking up steam.  With a very well attended educational meeting in Wells last week, Jan Chapman was pleased to provide a brief background on the goals of this group, which has now attracted attention from Rotary International. Simply put, the goals are twofold:  to save lives and to reduce the stigma of SUD (substance use disorder). With roughly 50 Rotarians and concerned citizens attending the meeting at York County Community College to receive training on the use of Naloxone (or Narcan), the drug that can aid in reversing the effects of an overdose, we can feel good about the beginning steps of this most imperative initiative. And, with another 16 students (this writer included) set to graduate from our second Rotary-sponsored “Recovery Coach Academy,” we are now set to really make a difference in this ongoing crisis that has affected so many families in Maine and beyond. Please speak with Jan, Bruce Moore, Gracie Johnston, Jesse Harvey or myself if you’d like to join in this most important work. And mark your calendars for November 29th, when the movie “Recovery Boys” will be shown at 4:45 at the Portland Museum of Art. (See separate article this issue)

PP Dick Hall was proud to offer a Paul Harris Fellowship Award to PP Bowen Depke, who proudly accepted his PHF+1 pin (with a sapphire!) on behalf of his ‘Circle of Five.’  These circles, along with sustaining members who pledge $100 per year, are the lifeblood of our club’s giving to this most important arm of Rotary.  Please consider a gift or pledge as the year winds down.

Matt Tassey offered up $1267 to any Rotarian who could just get through two simple steps:  have your name pulled from the can and then merely select the Queen of Hearts from a dwindling deck of cards.  Well, Justin Lamontagne was able to get through the first of these steps but, when facing just eleven cards, we could see that his hand began to tremble and sweat quickly formed on his brow. He closed his eyes and, for a split second, he saw the unbridled joy on his children’s faces as they opened a thousand dollars in extra Christmas gifts. The image of squeals and warm hugs warmed Justin as he reached out.....but then, like the slap of the winter wind, reality hit and he held up the Three of Hearts. Justin, with a small tear running down his left cheek, went back and took his seat, satisfied with his chance at glory.
 

The irony of a cautionary message being delivered by our guest speaker Kathleen Summers-Grice, being accentuated, interrupted and eventually concluded by the Clarion alarm, couldn’t have been orchestrated any better. Lest the message was insufficiently promoted, given the interruption and storm depleted attendance. The bottom-line, simply stated, is the migration of the toxic stimulant methamphetamine is making its way south from Washington County and taking over Cumberland and York Counties. Of late, much of our attention is concentrated on containing the proliferation of heroin/opiate drugs and reducing the associated death statistics. As if the opiate tragedy is not enough of a fright, we now must be just as vigilant of the methamphetamine re-emergence. Meth addiction has shrunken from the public consciousness shadowed by the painful death count associated with tainted, high- powered heroin. It is not a stretch to say that we are fighting a two-pronged world war that demands a high intensity, well balanced attack if we have any chance of gaining some degree of control over our worldwide, powerful and well financed enemy.

Ms Grice is the principal of Eaton River Strategies, a consultant and public affairs firm, and has been contracted by the Consumer Healthcare Product Association. As the Association title suggests, they are interested in the retail distribution of common health care products, such as pseudoephedrine based cold medicines. The masses assume that the ingredients of over the counter medications are perfectly safe, if taken as instructed. However, there are certain components which can be repurposed to create distinctly different new products. The hallmark of the described re-formulation is methamphetamine, aka speed, crystal or just meth, derived from your common Sudafed cold medicine. Despite the infamy methamphetamine, it continues to be a scourge that captures too many. Given the popularity of the TV series, “Breaking Bad,” one might think that just about everyone is familiar with the power and implications of this high-powered stimulant. Nobody starts out thinking “today I want to get hooked on meth.”  However, the allure of the drug as an energy enhancer is captivating. It seems that meth has a particularly powerful, if not unique, brain influence that hastens the likelihood of addiction and makes recovery a long and painful exercise.

The rate of addiction, long ago, caught the attention of the authorities and they began to crack down by trying to dry up the primary source of home cooked meth, i.e. the pseudoephedrine-based cold medicines. The drug manufacturers did not want the dispensing of such cold medicine to require a doctor’s prescription, so they worked with the Federal authorities to find a reasonable compromise. The compromise was to require that these cold meds be kept behind the pharmacist counter and to be signed for and tracked, to prevent the practice of purchasing multiple packages of the drug to distill into meth. The purchase of multiple packages for drug making purposes is called “smurfing” and those who make the buys are called smurfs and pick up cash for making the buys. The stipends for “smurfing” are relatively small in comparison to the big bucks the providers make, but are enough to get unknowing accomplices into the procurement process. When a young person of legal age is asked if they would like to “make a few bucks” by making a simple buy of a legal medication, they think nothing of it. The kids are not the only ones duped. Our speaker told of us of a middle aged, well educated friend who was asked by her son, who was studying overseas, to bring him some of his preferred cold medicine she thought nothing of it. When she went to the local pharmacy and asked for 10 packages of the cold medicine, she was alerted by the pharmacist that she ran the risk of going on the list sent to the Feds and could be incarcerated and fined.

While much of the methamphetamine illegally distributed in the U.S. comes from organized crime outside our borders, it still is cooked locally and requires “smurfing” in order to be successful. The manufacturing techniques, sad to say, are readily available on-line. The meth labs are danger zones and prone to fire and the toxic chemicals are easily transferred and can contaminate an entire home requiring thousands of dollars in remediation to make the building habitable. The residue of a meth cook is significantly troublesome to the public safety agencies in the area. It is so bad in some areas of the state that workers are told to avoid picking up Mountain Dew bottles since it is a tool of choice of makeshift labs. The simple lesson Ms. Grice is delivering is that smurfs may be cute, but Smurfing is a criminal activity and you will be prosecuted, so don’t buy more than your immediate personal needs.

(Photo L-R: Mike Fortunato, Kathie Summers-Grice, President John Curran and Matt Wolcott.)
 

She arrived in a bus with a group of others from the Veterans Home in Scarborough, hunched over in her wheelchair, the clear oxygen lead clipped under her nose almost obliterated by her smile and bright eyes. Clear, bright blue eyes that drew you down to talk to her. Her handshake gripped you firmly in her soft hand. “Thank you for having us,” she said after I parked her at a table and helped her get situated. Her name was Norma Merrill, a veteran of World War II, who continued to smile as she told her story. She coded and decoded messages for the Navy in a job so secret that not only was she escorted to and from work, no one, not even her family, knew what her wartime task was until the Department of Defense finally declassified the war five years ago. “I knew the war was over when I sent out the messages about the Battle of the Bulge,” she said. Stationed in Europe, she had a special story to tell if she was captured, along with a song to sing to make the enemy think she was crazy. “They told me to sing dum diddy dum diddy dum dum,” she laughed. When I told Norma I had been drafted into the Army during Vietnam, she said, “You poor boys, sent over there to fight. Oh, I prayed for all of you.” 

The Holiday Inn By-the-Bay was filled with stories last Friday from veterans who served in every conflict since World War I, the war said to end all wars, the cessation of which, Armistice Day, formed the foundation of our current Veterans Day observance. Charlie Frair and Paul Tully led a team of Portland Rotarians who organized the largest Veterans Day luncheon ever sponsored by the club, with over 75 Rotarians who volunteered to implement the well-planned event. The Holiday Inn staff set enough tables to serve 328 guests, and extra chairs were set up for more. 

President John Curran welcomed television personality Erin Ovalle (pictured at right) to manage the ceremonies;

Denny Breau (pictured at left) provided music for the packed room;

the colors were presented by the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines (pictured at right); 

World War II Marine veteran Past President Bob Traill (pictured at left) led the Pledge of Allegiance; Kathy Grammer, assisted by trumpeter Betty Rines, directed the National Anthem; and Colonel Andrew Gibson, Senior Army Chaplain of the Maine National Guard, offered the invocation.

Gulf War vet Past President Kris Rosado saluted fallen comrades with a moving toast, while describing the special "Fallen Soldier" table (pictured at right) set up to honor those who gave their lives in battle.

Mayor Ethan Strimling (pictured at left) extended appreciation to veterans on behalf of the City of Portland and recognized several elected members of the Legislature and City Council, including our own Erik Jorgensen. Representatives of a variety of organizations who provide services and assistance to veterans were also invited to stand and be recognized, several of whom the Club has acknowledged with financial contributions.

Past President Russ Burleigh conducted the audience in the traditional rendition of the Armed Forces Medley, with veterans from each service standing as their military branch’s song was sung.

Major General John W. Libby (Ret.), Maine National Guard, thanked the Club for its “marvelous expression” of gratitude, and also recognized family members who were left at home when veterans deployed. “There are family sacrifices,” he said, “when the duties of four hands are taken up by two hands.” He added, “if you really want to thank a veteran, engage with the organizations that serve veterans.” Gen. Libby also pointed out that while Veterans Day celebrates the 6.6 percent of the U.S. population who have served in the military, over twelve percent of Mainers have been in the armed forces.

Captain Jonathan D. Bratten (pictured at right), Command Historian of the Maine National Guard helped put into perspective the service of Maine men and women in the armed forces, especially the 34,000 Mainers who served in World War I, with an interesting presentation focused on that war. He said that the WWI generation needed to be seen as an inspiration for all of us. “They knew we needed to be ready to serve,” he said. “But may we not be needed.”

“Thank you so much,” Norma said when lunch was over and I wheeled her to her bus to go back to Scarborough. “You don’t know how much this means to us.” Yeah, Norma, I think I do. Dum diddy, dum diddy, dum dum.

Kathleen Summers-Grice is the founder of Eaton River Strategies, a full-service public affairs and consulting company offering clients strategic guidance on corporate and political initiatives since 2006. Ms. Summers has over 30 years of experiences in politics and public affairs in New England.

As founder of Eaton River Strategies, Ms. Summers-Grice has developed and implemented strategic grassroots campaigns, earned media initiatives and grasstops engagement in every New England state, for clients such as Verizon, Pfizer, AARP, Delta Airlines, Ford Motor Company, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.  

Nationally, she has also helped clients such as AARP develop cutting edge engagement programs. Her work in designing and implementing AARP’s 2016 voter engagement campaign, “Take a Stand”, made her a finalist for Campaigns and Elections Reed Award for the best public affairs campaign that year.

Before founding Eaton River Strategies, Ms. Summers served as the New England Representative for the United States Department of Labor. Sworn into this position in 2003, she acted as Secretary Chao’s Regional Representative, serving as the primary liaison between the Department of Labor and elected officials, stakeholder groups, and state labor officials. She has also been at the center of Republican politics as the Deputy Political Director for Fred Thompson’s 2008 Presidential campaign, and a consultant on numerous gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial campaigns.  

In 2005 she was tapped by the International Republican Institute to provide political training to elected officials in Morocco as part of their Democracy in Training Program. In 2012 she was recognized by Campaigns and Elections as one of their top 500 including being one of the top political operatives in New England.

Kathleen graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree in American History in 1987 and with a master’s degree in American History in 1989. She is from Upton, Massachusetts and now lives in Cumberland, Maine with her husband Roy.
 

With a busy agenda slated for the meeting, President John Curran began the proceedings by welcoming 46 members, along with 5 guests, then inviting PP Cyrus Hagge (Photo at right) to provide the Invocation. With our Veterans' Appreciation Lunch planned for next Friday, Cyrus read a solemn poem by Arlo Guthrie, “When A Soldier Makes It Home.” It was followed with a moment of silence and reflection, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Meredith Small led us in “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee.”

Three bites into lunch and President John was back at the podium! He welcomed 5 guests, recognized 5 birthdays, and 12 Portland Rotarians who “joined in November” anniversaries. Hats off to PP Bob Traill who has notched the longest run, serving Portland Rotary for the past 38 years. 

Rusty Atwood introduced Victoria Caron, Dir. Of Guidance at Cheverus HS, to tell us about our Youth Service Award recipient, Nina Lee. Described as “driven, gregarious, strong, a leader,” Nina was twice Class president, a varsity athlete in soccer and swimming, a Key Club member, and a very active community volunteer, including 264 hours alone at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Nina’s goal is to someday be a cardio-vascular surgeon.

Terri St. Angelo (Photo at right L-R: Amy Chipman and Terri St. Angelo) conducted the weekly raffle with $1222 on the line. 1st VP Amy Chipman had the honors of having her name drawn, but the 7 of Clubs offers no pay day, so the pursuit of the Queen of Hearts continues. 

Charlie Frair is in countdown mode for next Friday's Veterans lunch. Plenty of good news to rally around – over $15k raised so far, 72 volunteers ready to serve – both new records. We could use some more early set-up volunteers. If you are helping – be on time!  With the event at the Holiday Inn By-The-Bay, parking will be an issue due to another large event at the venue at the same time, so try to carpool if possible. Bring $25 cash or check, limit the need to make change. Ceremonies start at 12noon. 283 registered so far, and we’ll stop at 330. 

Gracie Johnston reminded us of the several important upcoming events. On Nov 15th 5:00-6:30 pm, there will be an “Overdose Recognition and Response” class at York Community College. On Nov 21st we will supply, cook, and serve a Thanksgiving lunch at St. Vincent dePaul Church, Portland. Always a meaningful event, we had over 50 Rotarians involved last year. Sign up sheets are out on the tables. Set up starts 8:00 am, lunch at 10:30am.

Gracie then introduced Leslie Smart, Exec. Dir. at Portland Recovery Community Center, and presented her with a $500 check to help keep the center open on Thanksgiving Day. (Photo at right L-R: Leslie Smart and Gracie Johnston.) The center opened in 2012, an independent non-profit. It does not provide treatment; its purpose is to provide peer support. 24-100 people per day visit and participate in a wide range of activities. There are meetings with recovery coaches, all volunteers. Many volunteers have personally been in recovery, imparting what they’ve learned in their journey. Leslie shared that she has been in recovery since 1989, and that nationally 23 million are on that same path, with another 22 million estimated who need help. Everything is free, and though there is a state contract, there is a strong reliance on donations. She thanked Rotary for their increasing support and recruitment of new coaches. (See separate article regarding this subject.)

Final items came from President John, including news from Gus Karlson that Portland Rotary has again won the Club Service Trophy at the MS Regatta!

Ralph Hendrix donated courtside seats to our raffle to help World Polio Day. $510 raised from raffle, triple matched by the Gates Foundation for a total of $1530. 

We finished by all sending “Best Wishes!” to our David Smith, who is rehabbing at home after surgery. Speedy recovery David! 
 

Rusty Atwood (L-R in photo at left: Rusty Atwood and L. Sandy Maisel) gave an extensive introduction of our speaker so we were all very aware of his background and expertise in the field of political analysis. When he took the podium, Portland Rotary was again treated to the insights of Colby professor and noted author, L. Sandy Maisel. Sandy started by telling us he was surprised to be invited back after so many of his predictions in 2016 did not come true. He did remind us several times, that even if there is a significant chance of winning, there is still insignificant chances of losing.

Sandy discussed the present Republican majority in the House and the expected changes in the upcoming election. Based on a review of history, he told us not to expect a large change after the midterms, as the predictions are that 27-44 seats will change, leaving the house with a Democratic majority of four seats. He explained that there are two basic theories in this election, the first being it is a referendum on Donald Trump and the second being a typical reversion to the mean, from the extremes. Key issues in the election are Trump, health care & drug prices, immigration, taxes and jobs. Depending on the location in the country, the priority shifts dramatically.

Trump’s strategy of supporting senators in areas he was strong, is a perfectly rational strategy and has a strong chance of resulting in a Republican Senate, thereby giving him the ability to claim he was the reason for the win. Trump probably realizes that Republicans cannot hold the House, and he does not want to be associated with a loss.

Sandy told us that the Democrats have an 87% chance of winning the House and the Republicans have an 86% chance of winning the Senate. He again cautioned that this means there is a 1 in 7 chance that either of those predictions will be wrong. Democrats are in trouble in the Senate because small states have equal power to big states, and small rural states poll as having immigration and the Kavanaugh nomination being top issues for them. Trump campaigning on those issues will probably be a winning strategy.

Most of the current political prognosticators are giving House predictions of 204 wins for Democrats, 197 wins for Republicans and 34 races still considered toss-ups. The expectation is that Democrats will win a few more toss-ups, resulting in taking control of the House. Sandy’s prediction is the Democrats will win the House by 10 and the Republicans will end with 53 in the Senate.

Sandy moved on to the governors races, which he predicted will move toward the Democrats, with potential major changes in Alabama and Florida. He told us that the reason that governors races are important is that the states control the creation of districts. Gerrymandering, manipulating the electoral boundaries to favor one party, has become a very significant factor in elections. It creates winning districts, and also tends to increase polarization of the electorate. With a 2020 census, districts will be redrawn by the governors elected this time.

(Photo L-R: Rusty Atwood, L. Sandy Maisel and President John Curran.)
 

HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND RESPOND TO AN OPIATE/HEROIN OVERDOSE

A call to action for all Rotarians:  The Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee in partnership with the City of Portland Public Health Division’s Overdose Prevention Project, is pleased to announce an opportunity for Rotarians in District 7780 to be trained in Recognizing and Responding to an Opiate/Heroin Overdose on Thursday, November 15, 2018, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Pratt & Whitney Building, Hannaford Hall on the Wells YCCC Campus.

Rotarians will learn about the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder and will be trained in how to recognize the signs of an overdose, how to perform first-aid, as well as how to administer Naloxone (the drug which reverses the affects of opioids). Naloxone will be on hand to give out to those who attend.  The goal of this training is not only for life-saving purposes, it will hopefully help reduce the stigma attached to those with substance use disorder.  Please click on this link to RSVP, or email me at the email address* below.   https://doodle.com/poll/8uq5tf95utm5bimy

Anyone with questions or requests for additional information is urged to contact Chief Bob MacKenzie at the Kennebunk Police Department, 207-604-1339 or email*: rmackenzie@kennebunkmaine.us

NOTE:  We are planning a similar program in Portland on 1/24/19 at 6pm. Details to follow.

President John Curran brought the meeting to order, welcoming 49 members, 2 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest. Gracie Johnston gave the invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance and patriotic song were initiated by those present at President John’s request . 

PP Dick Hall and 1st VP Amy Chipman were up at the podium to pick this year’s “Circles of Five” winners, and those selected will receive the Paul Harris Fellow during a future meeting. Of note, Amy was asked to pick a ticket for her “Circle of Five” and she declined to pick out of conflict of interest. It was fitting that Amy’s name was selected anyways. 

Matt Wolcott introduced Mark Foster as the newest member to the Portland Rotary Club. Mark works for the People’s United Bank. He was asked by Matt to speak about his links to Rotary. After a brief introduction about himself, Mark said that he looks forward to working with the Club members on our various projects. Please introduce yourselves to Mark Foster in the coming months. 

Charlie Frair discussed the need for volunteers for the upcoming Veterans’ luncheon where over 300 people are expected. Of note, the veterans that have signed up have expressed great interest in hearing the speakers. If you plan to volunteer and have not done so, please provide your name to Charlie Frair. He asks that volunteers arrive at 10 am before the lunch for training. Please check the Club’s website for more information. 

PP Larry Gross ran the weekly raffle for a shot at over $1,000. With less than 13 cards remaining, Larry verified the Queen of Hearts was still in the deck. 3H’s ticket was drawn, however, the Queen of Hearts was elusive and she remains in the deck. 

Mike Reed discussed the Club’s general fund shortfall, and described how a fundraiser to get more funds into the Club is needed. Mike and others believe that donations from other fundraising events previously earmarked for outside uses, should not be allocated to run the Club’s day-to-day expenses, and that the shortfall should appropriately be made up from the members. Please send Mike your thoughts for a fundraiser at:  mreed0729@hotmail.com.
 

L. Sandy Maisel is the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government, past chair of the Department of Government (for 20 years), and founding director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College, where he has taught since 1971. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books (several in multiple editions), including most recently Trumping Ethical Norms: Teachers, Preachers, Pollsters and the Media Respond to Donald Trump and American Political Parties and Elections: A Very Short Introduction and Evaluating Campaign Quality: Can the Electoral Process Be Improved? 

From Obscurity to Oblivion: Running in the Congressional Primary chronicled Maisel’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress from Maine. His published articles have appeared in many political science journals and anthologies, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and the Legislative Studies Quarterly.

Maisel has served as president of the New England Political Science Association, twice a member of the Council of the American Political Science Association, and chair of the APSA’s research sections that focus on Political Organizations and Parties and on Legislative Studies. He has twice been awarded Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer grants, has been a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Melbourne and Monash University in Australia, at Harvard University, and at Stanford University. 

Maisel and his wife, Patrice Franko, who is the Grossman Professor of Economics, Professor of Global Studies and current director of the Goldfarb Center at Colby, live in Rome, ME.

Brit Vitalius, owner of Vitalius Real Estate Group and one of the state’s leading experts on the multi-family housing market, shared his observations and research on this real estate segment. He noted that housing challenges in Portland have brought out tensions in the community, particularly with those threatened by growth. Vitalius said that the combination of forces affecting real estate are challenging the region’s leadership to have a regional conversation about housing. According to Vitalius, these forces are the new tax code; interest rates, condo conversions, local regulations, affordable housing, and NIMBY opposition to development, particularly to proposed affordable housing units.

Using a presentation he recently made to the Maine Real Estate and Development Association (MEREDA), Vitalius detailed the rapid growth in the multi-family market, and observed that he believed that the market may be reaching the high point of the growth curve because he sees some cooling off of pricing. The bulk of the market is comprised of 2, 3, or 4-unit buildings. The median price for this market product in the East End (Munjoy Hill) is $650,000; in the West End, it’s $520,000. “Off the peninsula, it’s $395,000,” he said. Vitalius said that cap rates have remained steady as rents have increased. (The cap rate is a metric used in commercial real estate which reflects the ratio of net operating income to a property’s asset value—divide the operating income by the building’s sale price—and demonstrates the projected annual return on a real estate investment.)

Vitalius also said that the buyers of these properties tend to be varied, but the numbers of out-of-state buyers are less than is commonly thought. He said that the number of projected developments in Portland is much less than those planned outside of Portland. He said that investors outside of the city are much more patient. As the market levels off, he expects rents to remain close to what they are now, but still be affected by housing shortages. Current average rents in Portland apartments range from $900 per month for a studio space, to $1100 for a 1-bedroom, to $1,350 for a 2-bedroom, topped by 3-bedroom space at $1,500. As rents level off, Vitalius said that Section 8 subsidies have caught up with rent increases.

Vitalius said that critical keys to growth in the Portland area include a serious conversation about affordability, solutions to the region’s public transportation problems, and new approaches to the issue of housing density—and building height—in Portland.

District Governor John LoBosco joined us on Friday, October 19 at the italian Heritage Center to bring us up to date on happenings in our sprawling District 7780, which extends from greater Portland through the New Hampshire Seacoast region, and into northeastern Massachusetts. Three months into his year of service, DG John has been focusing on refining the district’s strategic plan and promoting the many good works being conducted by clubs.

The plan, which was developed following input at “visioning sessions” held across the district, focuses on four areas: public image, membership, collaboration, and leadership.  

John noted that in the past year, our district membership has increased, which is good news. Currently the membership stands at about 1600. He is hoping to see that number ramp up to and pass 2000 and is urging clubs to shoot for 10% growth per year. This is a figure which has to be higher in fact, to offset the fact that Rotarians age and move. And while he did admit that the average Rotarian age is on the older side, he hastened to note that Rotarians tend to live longer. No joke. 

The challenges facing Rotary membership development are not unique in a world that is apparently moving faster than in the past. Lions Clubs and Kiwanis for example, are experiencing similar challenges. He spoke of some inter-club cooperative projects that have been successful and urged members to think broadly about how best to serve, even if it requires consorting with Lions. 

The District is promoting “Little Free Libraries,” those small “leave-one-take-one” book kiosks that have sprouted up in recent years. He believes that every club should consider installing and maintaining one of them. He is considering an interclub construction project, whereby clubs could join forces on a weekend and build a bunch of them together. 

He had good things to say about many of the club projects being undertaken in Portland and elsewhere, noting “Crutches4Africa,” “Hearts and Hands” and the new work that started in our club around finding ways to address the opioid use disorder crisis, among others. He also spoke about the rise of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). Watch for a new interactive map of international projects from the district on the Rotary7780.org website, with the goal of sharing expertise, best practices, and collaboration.

Finally, he announced a special district conference to occur next spring, a family picnic in June at Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth. There will be kite flying, kids’ events, and a glimpse of the new Children’s Garden at the park, which the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Rotary club has been involved in developing. Stay tuned for more information on that event.
 

(Photo L-R:  District Governor John LoBosco, President John Curran and Assistant Governor Bill Anderson.)

President John Curran brought the meeting to order by welcoming 50 members and 4 visiting Rotarians to the Italian Heritage Center. David Small (photo at right) gave a baseball Invocation as his and the club's prayer to help the Red Sox in their quest to win the World Series. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ben Millick, followed by "My Country Tis of Thee" started from the audience.

Visiting Rotarians included District Governor John LoBosco, Tom Roberts and Assistant Governor Bill Anderson. Guests included Sheriff William King and first lady of the District, Sue LoBosco.

Sheriff William King (photo at left - on left with President John Curran) gave a presentation on his recent training at the Recovery Academy. He started by telling us he began using the term Substance Abuse Disorder, but through the training realized the term 'Substance Use Disorder' was more appropriate and the correct term to use.  He told us of the wide range of attendees, many of whom had struggled with past drug use themselves. He said attendees included social workers, spiritual people, public employees, and people who wanted to help a loved one and the community. William told us what occurred on each of the seven days of training, including some of the surprises for him along the way. He was totally in support of the training, and put his to work shortly after when trying to help a nephew who was struggling. William provided support, then connected to another support person, who was better able to connect with his nephew.

PP Dick Hall, with the help of DG LoBosco, awarded three Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). The first two were to PP Kris Rosado, PHF #5 (PHF +4) as he was the winner picked from the #4 Circle of Five. He was awarded PHF +5 for a personal contribution, awarding a PHF to a Rotarian in Germany who hosted Kris’s family. PP Bill Blount was awarded PHF +8, which is a striking pin with three rubies. Bill has made regular contributions himself, and also has had matching support from his previous employer.

(Photo above L-R: PP Kris Rosado, PP Dick Hall, PP Bill Blount and DG John LoBosco.)

David Ertz conducted the weekly raffle and DG LoBosco pulled Bruce Moore’s ticket. Alas, Bruce pulled a black jack, so no win.

(Photo above L-R: Bruce Moore, President John Curran and David Erzt.)

Paul Tully (photo at right) told us that 170 have already preregistered for the Veteran’s lunch for Nov. 9th at the HIBTB. He encouraged all Rotarians to preregister and we are expecting 400 and need a count. He told us we will have an excellent program, and Rotarians can feel free to donate to support the effort.

Joe Reagen (photo at left) asked us all to think about what it feels to give to others. Then he told us that the Long Creek Youth Center teens got that feeling when they prepared a dinner for the Rotarian volunteers. The teens decorated their space and prepared dinner. The teens got the good feeling of giving and the Rotarians felt appreciated.

President John announced a teaser. The New Mainer Task Force committee met today, before the meeting. They are looking at several opportunities to serve and plan to come forward to the club soon.

PP Bill Blount was surprised to be asked to lead us in song.  In keeping with David Small, he led us in a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
 

As the founder of Vitalius Real Estate Group and Designated Broker, Brit Vitalius has been representing buyers and sellers of multi-unit investments since 2004. He established the firm in 2011 to provide a full complement of residential, multi-family and commercial brokerage services to clients.

An active member of the community, Brit is a yearly presenter at the Maine Real Estate and Development Association’s Annual Forecast Conference for the multi-unit sector, and he is a leader and advocate in the landlord community. Brit is in his fourth term as President of the Southern Maine Landlord Association, a group which seeks to keep landlords up-to-date on important issues, trends and regulations. In the wake of the 2015 Noyes Street Fire, Brit became an active participant in multi-unit fire safety issues, and he was asked to serve on Portland’s Fire Safety Task Force. He is also a member of the Board of Maine Listings and personally owns and manages multi-unit investments in Portland and Yarmouth.

At last Friday’s meeting, we were all asked to find one of the “post-it” notes on our tables and write down what we knew about the company “IDEXX.” I wrote “pet pharmaceuticals”….my father, sitting next to me wrote, “I have no idea.” Tara Jenkins then spent the next 30 minutes providing some much-needed clarity to me, my father and the rest of the Portland Rotary Club. 

Founded in 1983, this now 2 billion-dollar business employs over 8000 people in several countries, with over 3200 of them in Westbrook, Maine.  Despite my own son being hired as an intern this past summer, I was surprised to learn that they do not make pet medications, but rather focus on the development of tests and testing equipment that are used by veterinarians and other providers throughout our pet-loving world. With 98% of homes treating pets like family, the race to keep these “fur babies” living longer lives is on. 221 patents show the extent of the efforts by the amazing folks at IDEXX to keep on the leading edge of this ever-burgeoning industry.  And, of course, to attract the talented research and development scientists, the IDEXX “lifestyle” is made to be very attractive, with a gorgeous new facility, which is set to expand with 800 new employees in Westbrook by 2020, offering dining, a gym and various clubs, as well as providing employees paid time off for community service opportunities.

IDEXX, despite 87% of their work going toward pets, also works on testing for clean water, as well as diagnostic equipment to keep our livestock healthy. With 39% of product sales to foreign nations, their ever-expanding efforts are truly becoming global.

As STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students continue to matriculate world-wide, there seems to be some amazing possibilities right here in our own back yard for not only well-paying employment but to join IDEXX in their efforts to become “a place of purpose, innovation and opportunity.”