Giving Back and Having Fun

By Marty Helman

It’s a new Rotary year, and a good time to stop and assess how well we are doing.  Last Thursday, President Laurie reported that in fiscal 2024-25 (year ended June 30), our club totaled Barn sales of over $76,000.  Wow! That’s a lot of hauling, sorting, pricing and selling, and it couldn’t happen without all our neighbors in the community generously giving us their cast-offs.  So as a reminder: If you have furniture, housewares or knick-knacks to contribute, please contact Greg Thornton via phone or text at 207-619-1417 or via email at  rotarybarnpickup@gmail.com to schedule a pickup or, alternatively, drop your goodies off at the Rotary barn located at 66 Montgomery Road on a Saturday morning between 8:30 and 11:00 am.  Then watch while Rotary magically turns trash into treasure. Please note: No white goods, bed frames or mattresses, pianos or organs, athletic bikes, books or clothing.  Thank you.  

And it just gets better and better:  All the money we earn is returned to the community in the form of grants to non-profits and worthy causes.  Our most recent grant, Laurie reported, was $500 to Midcoast Humane to help them with the work they do.  I hear cats and dogs thanking us with their bow-wow-wows and meows.

Chef Amy had another commitment last Thursday, so Irene Fowle got out her crock pots and produced mounds and mounds of delicious pulled pork and chicken.  Chef’s assistant Brian McGrath got into the act as well, creating various salads and fixings to go with the barbecue and procuring everyone’s favorite:  Ice cream bars.  Yumm.

Speaking of Brian, both he and Rick Mitterling were feted for their donations to The Rotary Foundation, the 501(c )3 that supports all the work we do.  Not only that, but the magic of Rotary means that gifts to the Foundation are matched and matched again when the money gets to where it does the most good and positively changes lives.

The real action of the evening involved Karen Prichard and Julie and the Fun Committee, and horse racing.  The sound effects were appropriate; the “horses” were of the yarn-and-felt variety; the racecourse was marked out on the floor, and a throw of the dice determined how fast the horses moved along the course.  Betting was, of course, the object of the evening, and for once in my life, this correspondent actually did quite well, thank you.  Must be because I bet on the “horse” that looked most like a unicorn …Anyway, it was fun, and I didn’t mind winning, and three cheers for our Fun Committee.

Next week, BRHS teacher Chip Schwehm will tell us about the STEAM program that gives his students an immersion in engineering, design and fabrication.  Our kids have the opportunity to work with 3D printers, CNC routers, laser cutters and CAD software.  Who knew?  This combination of emerging technology and practical application offers students an experience that is unusual in schools the size of ours.

And let’s not forget People Power, which gets the work done for our Thursday evening meetings. Sign up online or at the clubhouse … your choice.  But sign up.

Interested in Rotary and all the good work we do?  Come to one of our “regular” meetings every Thursday evening at the Rotary clubhouse, 66 Montgomery Street.  The joint is jumping by 6:00 pm and the (not very) formal dinner and program start at 6:30. We’re outta there by 8:00 pm.  Or come to the Barn (same address) each Saturday morning from 8:30 to 11:00 am and support our weekly Barn sales that make it possible for us to give back to the community.