Member Talks
By Vicki Haugen
Last week we were honored to hear Classification Talks by Phil Kemp and Melody Rees. They shared how their life experience and work brought them to Rotary.
Starting with Melody we heard her life’s goal to be a caregiver and make a difference, which she has done with many extraordinary experiences and talents. Melody started with home schooling her 6 children to refine their education to each child’s unique talents.
When the oldest was starting college, Mel herself began her nursing education as an RN and then began working in hospice care for several years. Her passion to be present to patients and families and build solid rapport, gave her the same type of satisfaction as we profess to in Rotary with service above self.
After 7- or 8-years Melody continued her goal to support health and wellness and advanced her education to achieve her degree as an NP. Also, in 2011 she made a trip to Kenya where her gifts of service and caring connected her to a mission school and a male nurse and minister and they began an outreach mission to support kids in Kenya with HIV. She continues to support this mission in both monetary and service endeavors. The name for the organization they formed means “HOPE”!
In 2015 she met her husband Phil from whom we also heard matching stories of care and service and talents. Phil has served in the Coast Guard and the Airforce where his roles as a medic and his education in toxicology, work in public and occupational health makes him a perfect match for Melody as they both offer care and talent and compassion in caring for others. Phil served 2 tours in Afghanistan , where his duties also included caring for insurgent terrorist prisoners . He also spent several years at the Maine CDC in the 90’s, which experience ultimately brought him back to Maine after retirement from the USAF.
Mel and Phil are finally living full time in the Boothbay area in their own home and working at the Boothbay Region Health Center. Melody is a well-known and deeply appreciated community health care provider. With all the shared stories from both Mel and Phil, it is a gift to see their caring in action and their joint call to bring more joy and hope to others. We are so fortunate to call them fellow Rotarians.
Our VP, Conxa Packard, led our meeting this evening with a moment of silence to remember the events of 9-11 and to offer hope we can learn from history. Members shared multiple “Happy Dollars” for local joys as well as Chip Griffin highlighted several articles from our recent Foundation Magazine reminding us of how many international works Rotary does.
Next week we will host Jim and Ginger Kutsch and their seeing eye dog, Emma. Jim is blind from his teen years and Ginger suffered progressive blindness and both will share their amazing knowledge and advocacy in helping others with blindness and the gift of guide dogs. How fortunate we are that they agreed to join us.
The Rotary Club Board of Directors met last Monday on Google Meet. Lucky us, There are several new members this year. Thank you for jumping in. We discussed Club business, then voted to donate to the Boothbay Region Food Pantry, an Eagle Scout project at the American Legion, the Veterans in Need project and the amazing Community Resource Council. Our neighbors' donations and purchases Saturday morning at the Rotary Barn make this possible, along with the work of the “Pick Up Crews”, and all the Rotarians and friends who volunteer to keep the Rotary Barn going.
The Rotary Barn is open every Saturday from 8:30 to 11:00 thanks to the generosity of this amazing community we live in. We love your donations of furniture, boats, dishes, pots/pans, collectibles, art, even a car this year. Just call 207-619-1417 to make pick up or drop off plans.
We meet every Thursday at 6pm at our Clubhouse, 66 Montgomery Road, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538 for dinner, fellowship and a program. We are a diverse, welcoming group of neighbors interested in “Service Above Self”, but also fun and friendship. Join us, you'll be glad you did.
