- Caring & Sharing with Seacoast Wheelers
- EdCaminos Update
- International Service Updates
Rotary Recap – August 21, 2026
Creating Lasting Impact—At Home and Around the World
President Darcy opened Friday’s meeting by welcoming our guests, including Diane McFarland of Seacoast Wheelers and Katie and Irene Somers of the EdCaminos project. Right afterwards, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance and our 6-way test. Next, club members shared plenty of positive news and Kindness Dollars, which are supporting Vouchers for Veterans this month. Members celebrated birthdays, welcomed family members home, and shared stories of recent adventures, while also expressing appreciation for the many people who helped make last week’s Community Dinner and Lobster Bake such a success.
Caring & Sharing Grant Makes a Difference
Larry invited Diane to share more about Seacoast Wheelers, one of this year’s recipients of the York Rotary Caring & Sharing Grant. The club awarded $2,500 to Seacoast Wheelers, which provides free recreational bike rides for older adults and others who may be isolated. Now in its second year, the organization has 26 ride partners across Maine and New Hampshire, 74 volunteers, three electric bikes, and a new van that allows even more volunteers to participate. Their mission is simple but meaningful: get people out, moving, and connected with their community. To learn more about this exciting, local organization, visit their website at https://www.seacoastwheelers.org/
A Visit to EdCaminos in Mexico
Katie and Irene Somers returned to share an update on EdCaminos, a free, volunteer-run after-school program serving approximately 30 children ages 5–14 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The program focuses on academic tutoring, including reading, writing and math, with occasional English classes.
During their recent visit, Katie and Irene were able to spend time with the children and attend an EdCaminos meeting with its director, Sonya. They informed the club that the painting project that York Rotary helped support, is currently underway. Katie spoke movingly about how some of the less visible needs in a community can easily be overlooked, and how meaningful it is to support programs that make a difference in children's everyday lives.
Rotary Continues to Invest Internationally
The International Committee brought several projects before the club, all focused on creating meaningful, lasting impact. Members unanimously approved:
- $1,000 for the Guatemala Literacy Project, a program York Rotary has supported for 13 years. (motion 1st Jud, 2nd Brad)
- $1,500 to support Amy Miller, a teacher in Milo working with education efforts in Haiti. (motion first Brad, 2nd Gail)
- $3,000 to the Rotary Club of Lake Bona Vista, Florida, for a global grant supporting hospital equipment in the Amazon region, including incubators and CPAP machines. (motion 1st Jud, 2nd Brad)
The club will also hear more about the milk-bank project next week and upcoming opportunities to multiply international grant funding through partnerships with other Rotary clubs.
Car Raffle, Bonfire & More!
Our Car Raffle is rolling, with approximately 800 tickets sold! Members were reminded to bring any remaining unsold tickets to their shifts this weekend.
We are also getting ready for our Labor Day Weekend Bonfire on Saturday, September 5. Volunteers are needed between 4–8 p.m. to help with setup, food preparation, grilling and keeping everything running smoothly.
A big thank-you goes to the many local businesses supporting the event with food donations—including Off the Boat Lobster, York Corner Gardens and York Lobster. Members were encouraged to support those businesses who helped support this amazing event.
Around the Club
A reminder that the next Board Meeting will be Thursday, September 17 at 5:45 p.m. via Microsoft Teams, and all members are welcome. Beginning in September, Kindness Dollars will support Maine Needs, with the club already having donated $500 worth of school supplies.
Members were also encouraged to share speaker suggestions with a Board member. If you know someone with an interesting story, project or area of expertise who would make a great Rotary speaker, please let us know!
As Darcy reminded us at the close of the meeting: “Create lasting impact!”