This is my last monthly message as District Governor, and I want to thank you all for allowing me to become part of your clubs for the last few years. It has truly been an honor to be able to join you and perform service work with you. I want to thank the District Officers, Assistant Governors, District Committee Chairs and everyone else who has assisted in making this a successful year. In spite of all the challenges with Covid, the District will have a net increase in membership, Clubs have provided more services to our communities than in non-covid years, and most have continued international work. We have provided new services expanding work on food insecurity and supporting the vaccination efforts. We can all be proud of our abilities to pivot and continue to serve the most pressing needs.
RYLA Going for 100 Participants. There is Still Time to Register.
RYLA is a very important goal for me. Re-establishing RYLA restores a program which provides benefit to the youth of our district. We currently have 92 campers who have been accepted by their clubs and entered into the RYLA database. Emily and Sam, our camp directors, would like to have at least 100, so we can have 10 LEGS of 10 each. Registration stays open, so feel free to keep recruiting.
We still have 3 Important Rotary Events in June.
We still have three events in June. This week several district Rotarians will be attending the Rotary International Convention in Houston which runs from Sunday June 5 to Wednesday June 8. This is an opportunity to meet with Rotarians from around the world and find opportunities for service. The House of Friendship is a showcase of the best practices being used in every continent. In addition to the convention, several district Rotarians will also be attending the RI President’s Serve to Bring Peace Conference Friday Jun 3 and Saturday June 4.
The Rotary Indigenous Partnership Committee, RIPC, has been working feverishly over the last eighteen months to partner with the Indigenous Peoples of Maine and Eastern Canada. Team members with diverse expertise, experience and expectations have pooled their commitment to understanding and building meaningful and lasting relationships with the Tribal Communities in Maine. Listening to and learning from Indigenous spokespeople has served as the foundation for relationship efforts. Reading and research has also enhanced the Team's knowledge base.
RIPC cherishes the understanding that success will be wedded to responding as partners to the desires and beliefs of the Tribal Communities.
The Committees current priorities are supporting three programs.
The well-established Wabanaki Youth Sciences (WAYS) program, an experiential education program offering youth the opportunity to learn traditional indigenous environmental practices integrated with current science approaches. The Team has a fundraising goal of $12,000 to fund 12 students for this program.
At the May meeting of the District Foundation Committee, some exciting news was reported about donations made to OUR Rotary Foundation that I wanted to share with everyone. Our District Clubs have donated very well so far this year, helping us exceed our goal! So far this year, the total donation to Annual Fund Giving is $248,066.00, that is 149.4% of our goal. Excellent work everyone!
Of this amount, over $66,000 was donated to the Disaster Response Fund to benefit Ukraine, a strong sign of our local Rotarians’ compassion and caring.
What that means is our SHARE fund donations are slightly behind last year, so if you and your club were waiting to make your donation, there is still time to do so before the end of this month to have it count towards this Rotary year. Our SHARE donations this year will provide district and global grant funds in Rotary Year 2024-2025. We have 39 of our 41 Clubs with contributions to the Annual Fund, that is outstanding. The other great news is that 25 Clubs have exceeded their established 2021-2022 Annual Giving Goal. We should all be proud of these facts and excited as we close out the year!
By Brenda Pollack Chair, District 7780 Public Image Committee
RC of Biddeford-Saco
Thank you to everyone who attended the District Assembly Training and sat in on the Public Image Committee presentation. Thank you to everyone who helped put the materials together for that event.
Our committee’s message ONE VOICE, EVERY CLUB is what we are working towards in 2022. We’re thrilled to offer some assistance with press releases, website development, Facebook ads, and more. We’re asking that each club engage with our committee and commit to the following:
Appoint a PI representative who will communicate with our group. Email our Public Image team at: PIRotary7780@gmail.com.
Update your Rotary logo. You can locate the template at My.rotary.org > News & Media > Brand Center > Logo > Template
Aaron Hagan and wife Lindsey, sons Hudson, 10, and Kai 7
AARON HAGAN TO ASSUME PRESIDENCY OF BRIDGTON-LAKE REGION ROTARY CLUB IN JULY 2022.
Rotarian Aaron Hagan, VP and Branch Manager at KeyBank-Bridgton, was recently interviewed by Rotarian Carol Madsen.
Madsen: Let’s hear a little background.
Hagan: I joined the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club just before Covid-19 hit and the Club went into virtual mode. Thank goodness we got involved in some good projects with the food pantries in our area, the Bridgton Community Kettles and some environmental cleanup work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to get to know my fellow Rotarians. When they asked me if I would run for president, I’d only been around a year. They said, no problem, you’ve got a year and a half to learn the ropes. Well, that year and a half is up on July 1.
Part of my role as President Elect was to Chair the Duck Race Fundraiser, which I did last year. At the same time, I’ve been chairing the Community Services Committee which oversees our local projects. I do jump on board for every opportunity to serve. I love people and want to be making an impact in the community. I bring my boys Hudson and Kai right along with me. They are learning the difference between service and chores. (Editors Note: Aaron was honored by the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce as the Volunteer of the Year in May.)
Madsen: How did you end up in Bridgton, a man from Australia?
By: Bill Dunn Member District Prosthetics Team RC of Yarmouth
The District Prosthetics Team last visited the Dominican Republic (DR) in January 2020, just before the pandemic shut everything down. Based on that trip’s experience and the nontravel time during the pandemic, the Team has been evolving the design for prosthetic hands to address issues with the previous, manually-operated design. At the same time, the agency the team works with in the DR, Centro de Protesis, has started construction on what will be the first prosthetics clinic in that country.
The team now has a new battery-powered, modular design for its prosthetic hand (see picture) ready for use. Six copies of an interim version of the new design were sent to the DR last year for testing. With this design the team can bring the modular components on a mission and clients will be able to be fitted and walk away with their new hand on their first visit. In addition, the team is now purchasing adjustable sockets for leg prosthetics, an expansion of the assistance we can provide.
The next trip to the DR could take place as early as this fall. If you are interested in learning more about any of this, or having a speaker come to your Club, please contact Bill Dunn of the Yarmouth Club (wdunn@sunsetpoint.biz or 207-847-9345) or Asheesh Lanba of the Portland Club (asheesh.lanba@maine.edu or 207-780-5582)
The team now has a new battery-powered, modular design for its prosthetic hand (see picture) ready for use. Six copies of an interim version of the new design were sent to the DR last year for testing. With this design the team can bring the modular components on a mission and clients will be able to be fitted and walk away with their new hand on their first visit. In addition, the team is now purchasing adjustable sockets for leg prosthetics, an expansion of the assistance we can provide. 
