Celebrating A Century of Service Above Self
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
Centennial Gala Cross Insurance Center / Bangor ME
Congratulations on your 100th Anniversary, Bangor Rotary Club!
Call to receive a copy of our Vacation Planner 1-800-244-2335 or 207-827-2010 cyrbustours.com
Where Can We Take You?
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ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017
Dear Rotarians and Friends: It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Rotary Club of Bangor’s Centennial Celebration! I invite you to come learn more about the people and the actions that have been accomplished these last one hundred years. If you, like I, are inspired to follow the lead of our founders, we have done our job here tonight. The history of this club and its past and current members can inspire each and every one of us to do good in the world. On October 17, 1917, our club received its charter from Rotary International to practice Service Above Self in our community, and for the last 100 years, our members have fulfilled that role. Since Forrest Parker first gathered a group of Bangor businessmen to now, Rotary has been active in supporting many local organizations and activities. Whether it be funding the initial costs of hiring the first Boy Scout leader in the United States, coming up with the idea for a “Community Chest” (which later became the United Way of Eastern Maine) and making it happen, shipping over 7,000 lbs of food to war-torn France after WWII, partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build a home, or presenting the annual Festival of Lights Parade in Downtown Bangor, Rotarians in Bangor have been identifying needs of our world and finding best possible solutions. Tonight, we’ll celebrate those accomplishments. But that is not the primary goal of the evening. Our goal this evening is to inspire. To motivate. To arouse in everyone around us the desire to serve our community and our world. This year’s Rotary International President’s theme is “Rotary: Make a Difference.” In addition to that theme, locally we are focused on letting service be contagious. We can make the greatest difference when more hands join together. If each of us simply asks the question: “What can I do?”, think of the difference we will make. In the spirit of Rotary,
Bev Uhlenhake, President ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017 3
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER — Ann Lee Hussey Ann Lee Hussey of South Berwick, Maine has made the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering by polio survivors her life’s work. Over the past several years she has actively participated in 28 volunteer NID (National Immunization Days) teams organizing and leading the last 24 teams herself, choosing to take those NIDs to places that do not often see westerners – Chad, Mali, Bangladesh, Niger, Nigeria, Madagascar as well as less “touristy” destinations in Egypt and India – where the need is greatest and where the publicity and goodwill surrounding the trip are as critical as the immunizations themselves to help communicate the need for eradication. She is leading a team to Nigeria in October for her 29th NID. She has shared her story and passion hundreds of times at numerous Zone Institutes, District Conferences, PETS and Foundation events, carrying the message of PolioPlus around the Rotary world and beyond, raising money and creating new converts to the fight. She is determined that no child will needlessly have to suffer what she herself, a polio survivor, has been through. Her concern for polio survivors includes working to ensure mobility and dignity for those who survived the disease but did not have access to the kinds of surgeries and treatments that she was able to receive. Ann has led many Rotary International grants to this end. Ann Lee has put a face on the subject of polio eradication, winning hearts and minds and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. A polio survivor herself, the story Ann Lee tells is personal, and so is her fight to eradicate polio. But for all the immunizations Ann Lee has herself made possible through NIDs, she considers fundraising and public awareness her most critical accomplishments. Ann Lee’s work has earned her the International Service Award for a Polio-Free
World, the Rotary Service Above Self Award and she was honored as a White House Champion of Change for her humanitarianism and contributions to public service, aimed at improving people’s lives and making a better future around the globe. She was featured in the magazine Real Simple in June 2012. She was featured in a video in Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Annual Letter for February 2017. In March 2017, Rotary and The World Bank recognized her as a Woman of Action celebrating International Day of Women. Locally in her home state of Maine, she was honored at the Maine State Senate chamber for her remarkable achievements and included in Maine Magazine as one of the 50 Mainers of 2017 who have changed our world, improved our lives, and broadened our horizons. Outside Rotary, Ann Lee currently serves as a trustee of York Hospital for a third term and was previously on the board of Port Resources, an organization that supports developmentally challenged adults in Portland, Maine. Previously Ann Lee served on the Reach Out to Africa Initiative, as Zone 32 Coordinator for Health and Hunger and as a member of the RI Rotarian Action Groups Committee. She has also served as Presidents’ Representative at several district conferences and has represented Rotary at the Easter Seals Annual Convention. Ann Lee is a member of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise in Maine and served District 7780 as Governor in 2010-2011. Currently she serves as Adviser to Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee and as Rotary’s representative on the Global Polio Eradication Transition Management Group. She is CEO of the Polio Survivors Rotarian Action Group and Chair of the RAGs Chair Council for 2016-2018. She also currently serves as Chair of The Fellowship of Rotarian Past District Governors. Ann Lee is a Veterinary Technician who, with her Rotarian husband, Michael Nazemetz, DVM own Village Veterinary Clinic in Rollinsford, NH. They reside in South Berwick, Maine with their yellow Labrador, Parker and their cat Elliott. Ann Lee and her husband are Rotary Foundation Major Donors. ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017 5
2017 Rotary Officers Centennial Committee President: Bev Uhlenhake President-elect: Cynthia Bergin Past President: Steven Johnson Vice President: Sarah Joy Secretary: Deb Sanford Treasurer: Brian Donahue
Cynthia Bergin (Co-chair)
Susan Jonason (Co-chair)
Bev Uhlenhake Suzan Prendergast
Rebecca Kirk Nicole Matson Bob Potts Scott Boucher Jenifer Butler Clif Eames
Alicia Nichols Leslie Poake Chick Rough Laurie Cates Jane Bragg Cintia Miranda Deborah Claflin
“A Circle of Caring”
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Rotary International Guiding Principles These principles have been developed over the years to provide Rotarians with a strong, common purpose and direction. They serve as a foundation for our relationships with each other and the action we take in the world.
Object of Rotary The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster the following: FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; THIRD: The application of ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life; FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
The Four-Way Test Of the things we think, say, or do 1. 2. 3. 4.
Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Bangor Rotary Meeting Sites Date
Meeting Sites
1917
Bangor House, a major Bangor Hotel on the corner of Main and Union Streets. The Tarratine Club on Park Street was used occasionally as a back-up.
1972
Baldacci Restaurant (later the Helm) on 193 Broad Street
1973
Red Lion in the back of Miller’s Restaurant on Main Street
1976
Holiday Inn, Main Street
1998
Bangor Motor Inn and Conference Center on Hogan Road
2008
Wellman Commons, Bangor Theological Seminary, 294 Union Street
2009 to present
Wellman Commons, Bangor Masonic Center, 294 Union Street ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017 7
Paul Harris Fellows The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute or who had contributions of $1,000 made in their name to the Rotary Foundation. Bangor Rotary uses this means of honoring club members for outstanding service to the club and to the community as well as honoring non-members for outstanding service in the community. (* indicates a non-member, + indicates additional Paul Harris Fellowships awarded) Name Date Name Date Durgin, Nelson PHF 2006 Ashton, Neil PHF 2007 Eames, G. Clifton PHF 1986 Banks, Earl C. PHF 1987 Emerson, John PHF 1997 Barresi, Marcus J. PHF+1 2012 Farrington, Frank J. PHF 1987 Barrett, Robert J. PHF 1988 Feher, Robert C. PHF 2002 Barron, William D. PHF 1992 Fenderson, David M. PHF 1995 Baughman, Sally B. PHF 2008 Figgins, Aleshia * PHF 2017 Beaulieu, Todd PHF 2008 Figgins, Jeff * PHF 2017 Black, Earl PHF 2013 Foss, Ralph PHF 1996 Boucher, Scott PHF 2014 Fowle, Herbert L. PHF 1990 Bradford, Ray +1 PHF+1 2001 Frachella, John PHF 1997 Bradford, Wilma * PHF 2002 Frederick, Philip PHF+1 2000 Bragg, Charles F., 2nd PHF 1978 Garrett, Rex H. PHF 2012 Bragg, John W. PHF 2011 Genco, Helen PHF 2015 Brandow, Robert PHF 1993 George, Roger PHF 2006 Brountas, Arthur PHF 2011 Gilley, Frank P. PHF 1986 Brown, Douglas PHF 1988 Goff, James H. PHF 1991 Buckley, William PHF 2004 Gratwick, Geoff PHF 2014 Carlisle, George D. PHF 1988 Green, David PHF 2012 Carlisle, Susan * PHF 2001 Greenquist, Thomas A. PHF 1988 Chalmers, George L. PHF 1993 Guernsey, Edward E. PHF 1988 City of Bangor PHF 2011 Guernsey, Millicent * PHF 1992 Clough, Dexter J. PHF 1986 Haddix, James L. PHF 2000 Clyde, Linda PHF 1992 Haggerty, Dr. Jay * PHF 2016 Coffey, J. Bradford PHF+1 2007 Hannaford, Louis C. PHF 1980 Cole, David A. PHF 1996 Hart, John H. PHF 1992 Cole, Garret E. PHF 2012 Hersom,Larry L. PHF 1993 Collins, Susan M. PHF 2004 Hillies, Willard N. * PHF 1999 Comstock, Arthur PHF 2013 Hughes, John D. PHF 2005 Coupal, Joseph R. PHF 1991 Hughes, Kathryn PHF 2004 Crowley, Michael R. PHF 2011 Hutchinson, Frederick E. PHF 1997 Currier, Jan PHF 2008 Johnson, Deborah C. PHF 2014 Deighan, Jean PHF 1999 Johnson, Stephen P. PHF+6 2009 Deighan, William J. PHF 1987 Jonason, Susan PHF+1 2010 Dinsmore, Joseph S., Jr. PHF 1980 Jones, Malcolm E. PHF 1993 Dowd, Ann C. PHF 1995 Jozefowicz, Thaddeus H. PHF 1997 Dudman, Martha T. PHF 2002 8
ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017
Kaufman, Jan P. PHF Kellogg, Robert O. PHF King, Stephen * PHF Leathers, Robert W. PHF Lebowitz, Catherine * PHF Libby, Heather Astbury * PHF Libby, Carl E. PHF Liberatore, Albert PHF Lilly, James PHF+1 Lloyd, Jenifer * PHF Lombardi, Dennis J. PHF Lowell, Brian L. PHF Lowell, Don F. PHF Lufkin, Linwood E. PHF Mace, Edgar G. PHF Madore, Richard D. PHF Martin, Dewey W. PHF McDade, Barbara A. PHF McHale, George W. PHF McInnis, Alice PHF McInnis, Michael J. PHF Michaud, Kenneth PHF Michaud, Martha PHF Miller, Bernard PHF Monohon, John D. PHF Morrel, Malcolm E. PHF Nagle, Robert J. PHF Nason, Harold L. PHF Newman, Martha PHF Nichols, Alicia PHF Nolte, Richard W. PHF Nye, Bruce R. PHF Packard, Linda R. PHF Page, Frank PHF Paul, Henry PHF Peabody, George F. PHF Peabody, Herschel E. PHF Pechinski, Sheila PHF Perry, Roland * PHF Pickering, Joseph PHF Quirk, John E. PHF Ranlett, L. Felix PHF
2012 1982 2005 1996 2008 2017 1991 1998 2009 2016 1980 1994 1983 2003 1989 1995 1994 2011 1995 1997 2012 1996 2009 1997 1986 1991 2007 1987 1998 2010 1995 1998 2003 2000 1991 1990 1985 1996 2000 2008 2004 1976
Rauch, Charles F. Rich, Stephen B. Roy, Adrien Sanford, Deborah Saunders, Hubert E. Sawyer, Tom Schaab, Michael Schmersal, Joshua Sleeper,TerrL. Soucy, Dennis D. Souweine, Lee E. Speirs, Robinson * Sprague, Benjamin Strong, Robert A. Syphers, Eugene M. * Thompson, Herb Trask, Bourke C. Uhlenhake, Beverly Utterback, J. Dudley Vandebogert, Henry Wahlstrom, C. Jeffery Webber, G. Peirce Wellman, Bradford S. Willey, Lloyd A. Williams, R. Leon Wilson, Jenifer Winkin, John W. Yardley, C. Shawn
PHF+2 PHF+1 PHF PHF+2 PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF+1 PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF PHF+3 PHF PHF
2002 2013 2011 2015 1997 1996 1998 2007 2015 1998 2007 2002 2014 2000 2001 1997 1992 2010 1984 1989 2005 1987 1988 2008 1987 2016 2012 2004
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History of Rotary Courtesy of Charles (Chick) Rauch
Rotary Members at the Bangor House, circa 1950
What we now know as Rotary International began February 23, 1905, when attorney Paul P. Harris called together a meeting of three business acquaintances in downtown Chicago. On that occasion they formed the first Rotary Club, so-named because they intended to rotate their weekly meetings among the members’ offices. Within a year, their club became so large it became necessary to adopt the present practice of gathering weekly at a regular meeting place. The object of the new club was to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace. The idea caught on, and other clubs were developed nationwide and around the world. In 1922, the organization was officially named Rotary International, and by 1925 there were well over 300 clubs. Forrest D. Parker, the manager of Swift & Co. in Bangor, is considered the sparkplug that led to the founding of Bangor Rotary. His counterpart, Robert W. Pope, the manager of Swift & Co. in Augusta and a member of the Rotary Club there, invited Forrest to be his guest at a meeting. Impressed by this new club, Forrest met with Lester P. Winchenbaugh, the New England Rotary District governor, through a mutual colleague. Winchenbaugh had already had a few conversations about a possible club in Bangor, and he asked Forrest to interest a group of men there in forming a club. Forrest was successful, and on May 22, 1917, Winchenbaugh and the colleague came to Bangor to meet with the group of nine men whom Forrest had gathered. The group was enthusiastic about forming the club, and an initial organization was made with Franklin Bragg as temporary chairman and Forrest as temporary secretary. A committee of William P. Nealley, Harry D. Benson, and Forrest was named to draft the by-laws. In the evening of June 4, 1917 at the Bangor House, Bangor Rotary was officially organized.
Rotary West Little League Team 1976 Rotary Youth Exchange Students 2002 10
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Bangor Rotary Presidents (1917 to 2017)
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Years 1917 – 1918 1918 – 1919 1919 – 1920 1920 – 1921 1921 – 1922 1922 – 1923 1923 – 1924 1924 – 1925 1925 – 1926 1926 – 1927 1927 – 1928 1928 – 1929 1929 – 1930 1930 – 1931 1921 – 1932 1932 – 1933 1933 – 1934 1934 – 1935 1935 – 1936 1936 – 1937 1937 – 1938 1938 – 1939 1939 – 1940 1940 – 1941 1941 – 1942 1942 – 1943 1943 – 1944 1944 – 1945 1945 – 1946 1946 – 1947 1947 – 1948 1948 – 1949 1949 – 1950 1950 – 1951 1951 – 1952 1952 – 1953 1953 – 1954 1954 – 1955 1955 – 1956 1956 – 1957 1957 – 1958 1958 – 1959 1959 – 1960 1960 – 1961 1961 – 1962 1962 – 1963
President Harry W. Libbey Harry W. Libbey Edwin N. Miller Stuart B. Copeland Charles H. Bartlett Wilfred A. Finnegan Franklin E. Bragg Horace S. Stewart Lewis A. Savage Fred E. Maxfield Warren J. Moulton John P. Farley Donald S. Higgins Harold S. Boardman Sherman N. Shumway Oliver L. Hall Horace A. Hilton George F. Eaton Abram L. Kirstein Harold H. Hodge Harry Trust Garrett D. Speirs Paul Cloke Lawrence H. Striley Charles R. Gordon Walter A. Danforth L. Felix Ranlett Ernest F. Jones John M. O’Connell, Jr. Forest B. Ames F. Drummond Freese William B. Hall Cornelius J. Sullivan Hershel E. Peabody E. Richard Drummond George B. Bryant Francis A. Frawley Alan H. Waterman Charles F. Bragg, 2nd Norris C. Clements Prescott H. Vose George D. Carlisle Earle R. Webster Erwin S. Anderson Earl C. Banks Willis J. Weeks
ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017
1963 – 1964 Harold L. Nason 1964 – 1965 Lloyd H. Elliot 1965 – 1966 John E. Coney 1966 – 1967 Robert O. Kellogg, MD 1967 – 1968 Lloyd O. Coffin 1968 – 1969 Paul H. McKenney 1969 – 1970 Frank K. Woodard 1970 – 1971 David W. Fox 1971 – 1972 John B. DeMott 1972 – 1973 John W. White 1973 – 1974 Thomas A. Greenquist 1974 - 1975 Arthur E. Boulter 1975 – 1976 Thomas W. Calderwood 1976 – 1977 Robert J. Barrett, Jr., MD 1977 – 1978 Douglas H. Brown 1978 – 1979 G. Clifton Eames 1979 – 1980 David G. Bryant 1980 – 1981 Malcolm E. Morrell, Jr. 1981 – 1982 Frank J. Farrington 1982 – 1983 Frank P. Gilley 1983 – 1984 John D. Monohon 1984 – 1985 James H. Goff 1985 – 1986 Bourke C. Trask 1986 – 1987 Edgar G. Mace 1987 – 1988 John H. Hart 1988 – 1989 Scott T. Johnson 1989 – 1990 David M. Fenderson 1990 – 1991 Garrett E. Cole 1991 – 1992 William L. England 1992 – 1993 Sheila J. Pechinski 1993 – 1994 Mike McInnis 1994 – 1995 W. Tom Sawyer 1995 – 1996 Thaddeus Jozefowicz, MD 1996 – 1997 Bruce Nye 1997 – 1998 Jean Deighan 1998 – 1999 Bob Srong 1999 – 2000 Ray Bradford, Jr. 2000 – 2001 Martha Tod Dudman 2001 – 2002 Linwood E. Lufkin 2002 – 2003 Shawn Yardley 2003 – 2004 David Hughes 2004 – 2005 Linda Packard 2005 – 2006 Neil Ashton 2006 – 2007 Sally Baughman 2007 – 2008 Stephen Johnson 2008 – 2009 Susan Jonason 2009 – 2010 Michael Crowley
Presidents - continued 2010 – 2011 2011 – 2012 2012 – 2013 2013 – 2014 2014 – 2015 2015 – 2016 2016 – 2017 2017 – 2018
David Green Stephen B. Rich Scott D. Boucher Jenifer Wilson J. Bradford Coffey Deb Sanford Greg Choquette Bev Uhlenhake
Mike Michaud speaks to Bangor Rotary during his 2014 gubernatorial campaign Past Rotary president Steve Rich addresses a Rotary meeting
Danny Williams, executive director at Collins Center for the Arts, directs a Rotary Singers practice in 2015
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The Rotary Foundation Scott Boucher
Our Rotary Club has a long, historic commitment to the Rotary International Foundation. As the Rotary Foundation celebrated its centennial, so did our club. Our overall historic giving to the Rotary Foundation currently stands at $185,359.61. Since 2012-2013, our club has made PolioPlus a major focus. We have been collecting “Pocket Change” at each of the tables during our regular meeting. We have also been including a Polio Fact of the Day at each meeting and constantly reminding our membership of the importance of eradicating this horrible disease. Since this program has been enacted, we have collected, pennies, dollars, twenties and even checks. Most recently we had an individual check for $200 in one of our collection cups. Along with our collection cups, we have also participated in the Purple Pinkie Project with our fellow Area 9 clubs to continue our efforts in fundraising and community awareness for the program. In total for the past 5 years, our club has donated $14,199 to PolioPlus. When matched with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that total rises to $42,597. This past club year, our club took on the month of November with a specific theme for the month, Rotary Foundation. Our meetings and our speakers focused on the Foundation. It was great building off the momentum from our PolioPlus efforts in October. Each week we had a speaker that discussed a program that was directly supported by the Rotary Foundation. Those speakers included Deb Walters speaking on her work in Guatemala, a speaker from Sarah’s House, and Steve Johnson with his work in Nicaragua. We also had District Trainer Corina Larsen present a Rotary Foundation 101 class to our members. Along with these presentations we also provided each member with a pre-completed envelope to help assist them in making personal donations to the Rotary Foundation. We asked each member to donate $26.50 in recognition of the first donation made to the Foundation in 1917. As a result, we had 32 individual donors contribute to the Foundation. This was a significant increase over the past years. Moving forward, as a club we included an additional line item on our dues collection form soliciting additional Foundation donations. Plans are already underway to continue the month of November with a Rotary Foundation theme. We are also planning a marketing effort to our club members to set up Rotary Direct accounts to make contributions easier.
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“Festival of Lights” Parade
Other Rotary Clubs Sponsored by Bangor Rotary 1927 1948 1950 1989 1996
Old Town Rotary Club Milbridge/Cherryfield Rotary Club Ellsworth Rotary Club Bangor Area Rotary Club (Bangor Breakfast) Katahdin Area Rotary Club (Millinocket)
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Music off Broadway Duet: Nancy Diamond & John Grover
Bangor Humane Society Benificary Music Off Broadway
Music Off Broadway Production The Rotary Club of Bangor held its 12th annual Music Off Broadway production the weekend of Saturday, April 22, 2017 this year at Bangor High School’s Peakes Auditorium. A Centennial Celebration recognized the club’s 100 years of service. A cast of talented local community members performed songs from each of the past 10 decades. Selections ranged from Irving Berlin compositions and the 1940s WWII Armed Forces salute to a boy band tribute including songs from the Temptations, Backstreet Boys, The Jackson 5, and more. Since 2006, Bangor Rotary Club has raised nearly $250,000 through Music Off Broadway performances. Funds raised in 2017 were used to benefit the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Shaw House, United Farmer Veterans of Maine, Camp Capella, and Hilltop School of Maine. Event sponsors included Barresi Financial; Lee Chick; Choquette Financial Services Inc.; Jan Currier, Realtor; ERA Dawson Bradford Realtors; Maine Savings FCU; Camden National Bank; Epstein Commercial Real Estate; WNSX-Star 97.7; Sutherland-Weston Marketing Communications; Pulse Marketing Agency; Bangor High School; Katahdin Trust Company; Chick Rauch; The Snowman Group; Bourke and Esther Trask; Winterberry Heights Assisted Living & Memory Care; and Cigaret Shopper.
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Music off Broadway Lobby
Music off Broadway Band ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017 17
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Ben Sprague For twenty six years, the Bangor Rotary Club has been recognizing the best and brightest of our area’s young people through its annual scholarship program. Each year, awards ranging from $1,000$2,000 are presented to high school seniors in the greater Bangor area for the purpose of helping to defray some of the costs of post secondary education. Since the scholarship program began, the club has given over $175,000 to more than 100 students in the greater Bangor area. Funds for the program are raised through the volunteer work and donations of Bangor Rotary Club members. The Rotary Youth Merit Awards are designed to recognize and promote active citizenship among our youth. The award focuses on the
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candidate’s ability to meet the Rotary Four-Way Test: these students should continually demonstrate honesty, integrity, extraordinary leadership, and citizenship. In 2015, the Bangor Rotary Club also started offering a second category of scholarships as a part of this program. In this category, the club has sought to recognize first generation college students, students who are a part of families with limited financial means, students living with physical or mental disabilities, and students who have overcome some other challenge. Nominations for both scholarship categories are accepted from seven area high schools and continued on page 19
Scholarship Chair Ben Sprague and President Deb Sanford present scholarship awards to students in 2016 continued from page 18 from the home school community. A committee made up of Bangor Rotarians scores the applications and tabulates the results. The winning scholarship recipients are then invited to a Bangor Rotary Club meeting in June along with their families and guidance counselors, at which time they are congratulated and publicly recognized for their talents, abilities, and service work. Each student is asked to share their post secondary plans with the Club and photos are taken with all of the winning recipients, their families, and guidance counselors. This meeting has become an annual favorite for many of the Bangor Rotary Club members and it is the intent of the Club to continue the scholarship program for many years into the future!
Scholarship winners with Scholarship Chair Ben Sprague and President Greg Choquette in 2017 ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017 19
ROTARY’S FIGHT AGAINST POLIO
Scott Boucher Polio is a contagious virus that can attack a person’s nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine, one that Rotary and its partners have used to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide. Polio mainly affects children under the age of 5. Currently only three countries remain endemic. Cases have been reduced by 99.9% since 1988. Until we end polio forever, every child is at risk. In 1985, Rotary International launched PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative. Rotary has been able to contribute over $1.5 billion dollars to keep alive the dream of a polio free world. In 2013, there were 416 cases of polio worldwide. In 2014, this number dropped to 359 cases, 74 cases in 2015 and only 35 cases in 2016. We are “This Close” to eradicating this disease from the world. This would only be the second disease to ever be eradicated from the world. At the local level, the Rotary Club of Bangor has had a long, historic commitment to PolioPlus. Recent activities at the club level include weekly PolioPlus updates from the club President to open each of our weekly meetings. Along with these updates on the progress towards eradication, the club Presidents have asked for the donation of pocket change into the Polio Cups on each table. This change collection effort started in 2012. From this collection effort, the Rotary Club of Bangor has donated over $14,000 to PolioPlus. 20
ROTARY CLUB OF BANGOR • 1917-2017
One of Rotary International’s strategic partners in the fight to end polio is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation matches every dollar raised by Rotary at a 2 for 1 level. With this matching program, the club’s $14,000 donation has developed into over $42,000 being raised. This number is also amazing if you consider that the cost of a single vaccination is $0.60 each. Through the club’s efforts since 2012, close to 71,000 vaccinations have been provided, saving countless children worldwide from this horrible disease. Over the past three years, the Rotary Club of Bangor has collaborated with the Rotary Club of Old Town and the Bangor Breakfast Rotary Club on a joint project called the Purple Pinkie Project. World Polio Day is celebrated on October 24th of each year. The three local Rotary Clubs have partnered together on this project to raise funds for PolioPlus but also to educate the local community of the efforts of Rotary worldwide. During the Purple Pinkie Project, volunteers set up stations throughout the community during the month of October, leading up to World Polio Day. At these stations, volunteers paint pinkies purple for a donation of $1.00. A purple pinkie serves as a symbol for one polio immunization. When immunization teams visit countries around the world, they use purple dye to color children’s pinkies to identify who has received the vaccination. This visual reminder has helped educate people across the Bangor area while raising funds for PolioPlus at the same time.
Habitat for Humanity Brewer House
Quinn Uhlenhake, Audrey Hughes, Levi Hughes, and Ansley Uhlenhake (front row) perform with the Rotary Singers in 2013
iddlehead
FOCUS 1 Merchants Plaza, Bangor, ME • 1-800-432-7964 • bangordailynews.com
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District Governor Al Feather and Assistant District Governor Scott Boucher during a visit to the club in 2015
Rotarian Matt Daigle and his daughter Rylee in 2014
Salvation Army cadets during a training presentation in 2016. Rotarian Rebecca Kirk is second from right.
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