Gotta love the new year to bring around a desire to pause, reflect and revise intentions. While I do this annually, I am a firm believer in setting and meeting goals all year round. I do “pulse checks” often, but with the new year there is always a sense of ending and beginning for me. So, while I’ve been reflecting and dreaming about my personal and professional goals, Rotary is in this mix too.
In August 2022 I shared my goals for this Rotary Year. They’re focused on Membership and our Bylaws. I am glad to share that we’re on track and making progress on them all. We still have work to do, but I believe that is always the case, there will always be areas to focus and strive for more. For those of you who don’t have a photogenic memory of my slides from August, here is a quick outline of the goals and where we’re at with them.
Bylaw Revision - ongoing, next meeting will be before lunch on January 11th, 11am at the shrine club. Join us if you’d like to learn more about the work being done.
Membership Recruiting Events
Goal: Host 4 social or recruiting events
Polio Plus - October evening social and fundraising event - completed.
Welcome Home event - a collaboration with Waldo County Council of Realtors to welcome new and returning members to our community. Being planned for June 2023. Committee members needed.
Evening social event - Being planned, possibly March.
TBD - need one more non-lunch event. Ideas are welcome.
Membership Engagement
Lead two club assemblies
8/17/22
February 2023 - we will have an open discussion meeting about the legacy project. Be ready for an interactive meeting!
Review Committee Structure (Part of bylaws revision)
Survey membership - doing an informal survey around the 100 year legacy project.
I’m looking forward to the next 6 months of my term as the Club President. I haven't even started counting down the days yet. :)
Yours in service,
Kristine Wentworth
We had a wonderful celebration at the Annual Rotary Holiday Dinner, thank you to all for coming
and those who helped to coordinate!
Loss of a rotarian and Friend
We learned this week that former Belfast Rotarian Bruce Starrett passed away.
Bruce was a past president of our club and a Paul Harris fellow. He was president the year that women were allowed to join Rotary. He was a very
active member and participated in many of our projects. He was often a double-shifter as pancake flipper at our breakfasts and added much liveliness to those working in the kitchen. He and his family moved away, but still kept Belfast Rotary in their lives. When we had to go to Zoom meetings, he was able to attend ours from his home in New Jersey.
A memory from Lee Woodward:
When I heard of the passing of Bruce Starrett I immediately thought of the first 20 years of the 100 Fund, when I was chairperson. For each of those years, Bruce served as an extraordinary Santa. I always gave him the Oak Hill route in Swanville, as those families were in desperate condition, some with dirt floors. On many occasions Bruce’s wife Shirley would beg me not to give Bruce that route, as he would come back depressed and somewhat guilty for all that he had at home. He was truly one of the great Santa’s of the 100 Fund!
The 100 Fund sets another record! In 2021 we served 186 children and this year when all was said and done we served 214 children! Records are made to be broken! The generosity this year has been staggering! We raised $15,618 in donations!
Marjorie received a distress call on Dec. 23rd about a young mother with (4) children living in a shack without running water on the outer Oak Hill Rd. WCAP was all done with their Christmas charitable program, so they suggested that the woman call Rotary. She of course could not refuse this request, and since she had (2) Reny's gift cards on hand for emergencies, she went back to the store, bought two more cards and then hand-delivered the gift packet to the family.
From Marjorie...This was my 13th year as the chairperson for the 100 Fund, and for what it's worth, it's the year that I'm most proud of. Every Rotarian and community member who donated their time and/or money to the project dug deep and made Christmas possible for nearly twice as many children in Waldo County as we have in past years. We are an all-volunteer organization and should be very proud of this accomplishment.
From Lee...with this final contribution it brings our total budget for the year to $29,960! That includes funds from Charitable Trusts, donations total $15,618, and reserve funds. I truly believe Marjorie is entitled to two bottles of Schnapps for the heroic efforts of the 100 Fund. Unfortunately, Hannaford’s was sold out when I went back for the second bottle!
Join the West Bay Rotary for a night
at the Samoset on February 11th!
January Birthdays
Syrena Gatewood - January 11
John Golden - January 11
Marjorie Crowley - January 13
Carl Collins - January 28
Gianne Conard - January 29
January Rotary Anniversaries
Tammy Sinagra - 5 years
Sue Beemer - 6 years
Charles Courant - 23 years
Visiting Rotarians in December
Ken Huhn - Bangor Breakfast - 3 times
Tena Wallace - Rockland
Ferolyn Curtis - Rockland
John Viehman - Camden
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