A Fun-Filled Morning at York Rotary! 🎉

"Vanna White" visit!

Old York Historical Society

Mason's Pig Roast Fundraiser

Friday’s meeting featured a presentation by Kerry Cronin, Assistant Library Director at York Public Library. Kerry expressed gratitude to the club for partnering with the library in support of the York Public Library’s Community Read of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. This initiative is part of a month-long series of programs focused on mental health awareness, scheduled for May—Mental Health Awareness Month. We look forward to sharing more details about this exciting initiative in the coming weeks.

Our guest speaker was Larry McCullough, Executive Director of the Eliot-based Pinetree Institute. The institute's mission is to “develop trauma-responsive solutions to pressing social needs through education and community-based collaboration.” Larry spoke about Recovery Friendly Workplace Maine, a program designed to help Maine businesses and workers thrive together. Maine Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFWs) support their communities by recognizing recovery from substance use disorder as a strength and fostering inclusive, supportive environments. RFWs actively promote workplace wellness by encouraging collaboration among employers, employees, and communities to create positive change and remove barriers for those affected by addiction.

For more information or to join the Recovery Friendly Workplace Community, visit rfwmaine.org.

Want to follow Kate’s lead and support York Maine Little League? You can make a donation online at https://givebutter.com/sponsoryll.

Later in the meeting, Darcy shared highlights from the District 7780 Mid-Year Brunch, which she attended on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport, Maine. The event featured several inspiring presentations by youth from across the district.

At yesterday's York Maine Rotary Club Meeting

We were honored to host Gretchen Johnson and Sandy McCormack from the Center for Grieving Children, who shared a heartfelt and inspiring presentation. Their work truly highlights the incredible opportunities we have in our community to support and uplift one another.

If you'd like to learn more about this remarkable organization and the impactful work they do every day in York County and beyond—or find ways to contribute—please visit their website: www.cgcmaine.org.

Together, we can make a difference!

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This morning, our speaker was Vlad Levantovsky, born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine.  After the invasion of his home country, Vlad has actively contributed to volunteer efforts providing relocation and evacuation for those directly affected by the war and lost their homes.  He is a Director of UAid Direct USA, an international team of volunteers. This emotional presentation was one we will never forget.  
 

To learn more about this amazing  organization, please visit their website at https://www.uaiddirect.org/

YCSA Bonfire 2024, Long Sands Beach

This is why we walk.

At the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®, we’re fighting for a different future. For families facing the disease today. For more time. For treatments. We’re closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer’s. But to get there, we need you. Join us for the world’s largest fundraiser to fight the disease.

To register for this event please visit

https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2024/ME-Maine?fr_id=17680&pg=entry

Everyone deserves a place to call home.

Right now, more than 113 million people around the world have lost their homes to disaster and conflict. ShelterBox USA is working to change this. By providing emergency shelter, tools, and household supplies to displaced families after disaster, they enable families to begin to rebuild and recover, transforming despair into hope.

To learn more about this important Rotary partner, please visit their website at https://www.shelterboxusa.org/

What is Hospice and how is it different from other kinds of health care?

Hospice is care that aims at providing comfort rather than curing a disease process. Hospice is provided to those with a limited life expectancy of 6 months or less. The care is delivered by a team of expertly trained individuals including physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, volunteers, chaplains and bereavement counselors. Hospice provides care for the patient and support for the family. Hospice provides comfort for physical symptoms, such as pain, and for emotional, social and spiritual distress as well.

To learn more about this amazing organization, please visit their website at http://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org

Adult education programs offer courses in 5 major categories:

Business & Skills Training courses help prepare Maine citizens by providing the modern skills training necessary for new careers, promotions, and other career advancement.

College Transitions courses assist people of all ages wishing to make the transition into college-level courses.

GED & High School Completion courses help people complete their high school education.

Literacy courses give people the guidance, support, and training necessary to improve their literacy skills and the literacy skills of their family.

Personal enrichment courses include lessons in skills such as cooking and musical instruments, and also include a variety of unique and fun experiences including travel.

To learn more about this local organization, please visit their website at https://york.maineadulted.org/

Tim Thomas, Sales Manager Berlin City Lexus, Scott Ramsay 2021 Car With A Cause Raffle Winner, Susan Gross, York Rotary President, Daniel Kahn, General Manager Berlin City General Manager

 

CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. Ramsay and

 

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED THIS GREAT FUNDRAISER!  

 

See you in 2022!

Blue Ocean Society was founded by two whale watch naturalists, Jen Kennedy and Dianna Schulte, who were frustrated with the lack of translation of open ocean research into information that could be used by the public. Jen and Dianna met in 1995 during training for a whale research internship in Gloucester, which they did in winter 1996.

Following the internship, both Jen and Dianna were working on whale watch boats in New Hampshire, collecting unique data about whales on Jeffreys Ledge, which is an important whale habitat  about 20 miles off the coast . They decided to start their own database, and work to translate their on-water experiences into educational programs for schools and the general public. Blue Ocean Society was started in 2001 and achieved non-profit status in 2002.

To learn more about this interesting organization, please visit their website at https://www.blueoceansociety.org/

• $1,300 YSCA to help a local family have a great Christmas, plus an additional $275 to YCSA to be distributed at their discretion;
• $600 worth of Toys for Tots presents;
• $800 worth of gifts to the York Police Department Angel Tree;
• $1,000 to the Ogunquit Spirit of Giving;
• $1,250 to the York County Shelters Program; and last but certainly not least
• $600 to the Salvation Army of Sanford, Maine

YORK, Maine — Liz Cooper, special events coordinator with the York Parks and Recreation Department, had no idea what the turnout was going to be like for the annual Four on the Fourth “virtual” road race earlier this month.

The numbers spoke for themselves.

In total, 345 people registered for the event, and more than 200 submitted times from 19 different states and as far away as Okinawa, Japan.

“This went better than I could have ever expected,” Cooper said. “The overwhelming message I received from participants was of gratitude. They were grateful this race still happened, even virtually and are optimistic for 2021′s race.”

This year’s “virtual” race was about 25% of last year’s field.

“I think one quarter of last year’s number is great,” Cooper said. “Going virtual was an early and easy decision because I know people enjoy this race and the coveted race shirt, plus I was confident the safest route was going virtual. A lot isn’t ‘normal’ this summer, but York Parks and Recreation and Rotary wanted to provide some normalcy by offering this year’s Four on the Fourth virtually.”

Chad Flickenger visited York every Fourth of July weekend when he was growing up in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The annual trips didn’t stop as he got older and he would often run in the holiday race.

Flickenger, now 40 and living in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and his family participated in this year’s race.

“We went our four miles right here in our neighborhood,” said Chad’s wife, Ketti. “It was really fun. We enjoyed it. We had a hot, humid day. It was nothing to compared to be able to run near the beach versus running in Kentucky. It was a little harder, and not nearly as relaxing, I can tell you that. It was still fun, and we were happy to still be a part of it, and support it. Our kids thought it was amazing to be able to run; we were glad the virtual option was offered.”

The race, despite it being virtual, was still part of the Seacoast Road Race series.

Dan Covino, 32, of Enfield, Connecticut, was the unofficial winner in a time of 23 minutes, 43 seconds.

Today York Rotary inducted two new members and heard a presentation from Thomas Rainey of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development.

Rotarians and a big group of Interact kids from the middle school getting read to walk with our float in the Festival of Lights parade.