What We’ve Been Up To Lately

Friday, March 2nd was Dr. Seuss’ birthday and it was celebrated by Read Across America Day. Several volunteers from our club read that day in Sanford and Springvale elementary schools.  This is a great project and lots of fun for both the readers and the listeners. The club also got some very nice PR in the Sanford News.

On March 22, advisor Tim Fecteau and his Skills USA students attended our meeting and reported on their success at the competition in Bangor and their plans for the national competition. They demonstrated their prize-winning robot and the club presented them with a check to support their trip to the nationals. We also honored SRTC students-of-the-month at this meeting.

Under the leadership of Community Service Chair Allen Lampert and his committee, the club initiated a Backpack Project to provide food for students who do not have enough to eat over the weekends. Our members have been bringing food and snack items from a standardized list to meetings where they are packed and taken to the Junior High. On Fridays, eligible students are given food to sustain them over the weekends.  This will be an ongoing project through the summer.

What’s Coming Up

The most important event on the horizon is our Third Annual Taste of the Seasons Wine Tasting and Auction, highlighted on the colorful poster above. On May 1, beginning at 6:00 pm we will gather at the Oak Street Bistro in Alfred for wine, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, a silent auction, and as a finale a live auction with a professional auctioneer.  This has been our largest fundraiser and it is a festive and fun event. Plan to be there.

Arline Fortier and the Scholarship Committee are hard a work going through a large pile of scholarship applications. Over $10,000 in scholarship money will be awarded to local graduating seniors to help further their education. Awards will be given out in a special breakfast for the students and their families on May 17.

On Wednesday May 2nd the Inbound Group Study Exchange Team from District 1890 in Northern Germany will arrive in Sanford. (They will arrive in the U.S. on Friday April 20.) Our club will be sharing them with the Kennebunk Portside club for about four days. We are still working out the schedule of vocational and cultural visits and, of course, there will most definitely be some partying. The team consists
of team leader Klaus Nielsky, a retired mayor and team members Maren Weisse, real estate manager; Fabian Gieschen, aerospace procurement officer; Kinka Tadsen, photographer/reporter; and Torben Mothes, banker.  

Save the Dates:

May 18th – 20th – District Conference in Freeport & outbound GSE team departsThursday,

June 14th – Chip in FORE Charity (joint Rotary Kiwanis golf tournament)

June 24-27 – RYLA at Camp Hines, Raymond, ME

End-of-June (date TBD) – Installation for 2012-2013 President Jackie Roberts

Sunday July 1st – Changeover dinner lobster bake at Spruce Point Inn, Boothbay Harbor