Welcome to the Rotary Club of Old Town!
What do you think of when you hear the word, “Rotary?”
If you live or work in the greater Old Town area, you are likely familiar with the Rotary Club of Old Town. Because of all it does in the community, Rotary can mean many things to many individuals. But when I think of Rotary, it means family. 
The Rotary Club of Old Town is the kind of family everyone wishes they were part of. They always have the backs of their family members, supporting them through tough times and celebrating their accomplishments. This Rotary family works together to support and champion the entire community, helping out wherever there is a need.
Over the past few weeks, we:
  • Built eleven raised beds on Perkins Avenue for a community garden
  • Revamped the interior of the snack shack at the KC Little League field
  • Delivered boxes of food to elementary schools in RSU 34, Milford, and Greenbush
  • Relocated some of the eight handicap ramps we lend
  • Volunteered dozens of hours at the Caring Community Cupboard
  • Rallied around the family of a club member who recently passed
Through it all, we expressed laughter and love, expertise and strength.
This past February marked my 25th anniversary of joining the Rotary Club of Old Town. From my first visit, I felt the love. I was 29 and had moved to Maine five years earlier leaving behind a very large, very loud, very loving extended Italian family. I found a new home in Rotary. A new family with members eerily similar to my biological family. There was the joker, the listener, the hugger, the complainer, the tech guru, the “git ‘er done” person, the organizer, the task master, the clown... and so many more. When I joined, they sorely needed a talker. I fit the bill nicely.  I never would have guessed that 25 years later, I’d still be part of this amazing group.
What part do you play in your family? We always have room in ours for anyone willing to join our family and support our community. So, drop by some Thursday evening for social time at 5:30 PM and dinner at 6:00 PM. We meet in the downstairs of the Elks lodge on 4th Street near the boat launch.
We’d love to grow our family to include new and diverse members, with varied backgrounds and opinions, who are of one mind when it comes to service­­—Service Above Self.
Yours in Service,

Corina Larsen

*This article was originally written for the Community Connections. 
Why Rotary?
 
Home Page Stories
Last Friday we were visited by the District Governor of Area 9, Tina Chapman!
The meeting was held at a place that is very special to the Rotary Club of Old Town, Sarah’s House. Thank you to Sarah’s House for being such amazing hosts!
We were also joined by the Bangor Rotary Club as well as the Bangor Breakfast Rotary Club. It was wonderful meeting new faces and spending time with people who care so much about Rotary.
Thank you, Tina for your dedication to Rotary, we cannot wait to see all that you do this year!
 
    
Another fantastic day and turnout for the Rotary Club of Old Town Charity Golf Tournament! As always, huge thank you to Hidden Meadows Golf Course for your partnership!
Thank you to the community members who sponsored holes and prizes. The money that was raised will go towards our charitable activities throughout the year. We really appreciate your generosity and support to the Old Town community! ⛳️
Another thank you to the teams who participated. We hope you had a fun day and look forward to seeing you on the course next year!
Last but not least… thank you to the Rotarians who work so hard to make a difference in our community.
     
 
Tonight at our weekly Rotary meeting(August 10th), we had our FIRST Open House! The Open House was held at Governor’s and each Rotarian had the chance to invite a guest to the meeting. The hope is to help show members of the community what we do and hopefully some guests will think about becoming members or volunteers that can help us make a difference!
 
Check out what we have been up to these last couple of weeks!
On August 17th, we were joined by Dora Zuniga to speak about Project Amigo. Project Amigo is a non profit that helps children in Colima, Mexico to be able to go to school. A really cool fact about Project Amigo is that it was started by a Rotarian which means Rotary values are at the core of how they serve the children. If you want more information about this organization or would like to support them, here is a link to their website! https://www.projectamigo.org/
 
 
Last week, we made a special Rotary field trip to The Caring Community Cupboard which is operated by our very own Rotarian, Linda Bryant. The Caring Community Cupboard is a food pantry that provides food to families in Old Town and beyond. We had the honor of hearing from the Vice Presidents of the pantry who work so hard to make such a difference in the lives of our community members. Thank you for your dedication and kindness! The pantry is located at 354 Main Street in Old Town.
 
 
 
 
 
 
In case you saw some community members in the park August 7th, this was one of the many projects to come from the Interact Club. Our young adults are volunteering to make our city a better place!
Yesterday kicked off Interact’s first project by painting benches in the Old Town park. Stay tuned for their next projects that are in the works! Special thanks to EJ Roach who is seen handing off the supplies for this project. Thank you EJ!
We’re very excited to introduce our youth into bettering their own community as they decide their own projects, learn about leadership, and have the ability to voice their minds on what they want their community to be like. It’s just one small project but they can take pride in the fact that small things add up, and can make a difference!
Join us again this year at the 2023 Rotary Club of Old Town Charity Golf Tournament! Please let us know if you would like to participate or be a sponsor! ⛳️
We will also be bringing back the chance to donate towards our backpack drive to benefit RSU 34, Greenbush and Milford schools! Every person on a team who brings a backpack filled with school supplies will be put into a drawing for 100 dollars!!! 🎒
See you all in a few weeks! 🏌️‍♂️ 
 
We have a lot of special guest speakers that join us for our weekly Rotary meetings but our guest on July 20th was extra special. Thank you Heather Massey and Cathy Sjogren for sharing the amazing work you do for Sarah's House of Maine and how many lives Sarah’s House has touched. Tonight we got to reminisce on the hard work and determination that Old Town Rotarians and community members put into making Sarah’s dream come true. It sure feels good to be part of the Old Town Rotary Club and this community!
On June 29th, the Rotary Club of Old Town celebrated their 2023 Installation Banquet at Kanu restaurant in Old Town.
We celebrated the success that the Club has had over the past year and honored some well deserved recipients of the Paul Harris Fellow award.
Thank you so much to Tess Greene for an excellent term! The Club is lucky to have been guided by your leadership over the past year.
As we embark on a new year, please join us in welcoming Macie Cote, who will be leading us as the Old Town Rotary President for 2023-2024!
 
One of the guiding principles for Rotarians is the Four-Way Test. It is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. Consider stopping by one of our meetings to learn more about the objectives of Rotary! #fourwaytest #ServiceAboveSelf
 
Old Town Rotary is starting an Interact Club for young people ages 13-18! If you know someone who would be interested, we are holding an informational meeting at the Old Town-Orono YMCA on Monday, June 19th at 4:00PM. It's free to come to the meeting and free to join Interact Club. There will be pizza and refreshments provided at the meeting.
Interact Club is a great way for young people to get involved in community service, develop leadership skills, and make new friends! Join us and see what it's all about! We would love to see you there!
 
We need wheelchair ramps again! In order to fulfill the needs of the community, we are asking for your help. If you see any ramps for sale or for donation, please let us know! Thank you in advance for your support!
 
May be an image of text that says 'RAMPS WANTED! HELP SUPPORT OLD TOWN AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES ROTARY Rotary IRENATHONAY'
Another successful Auction in the books!
Thank you to everyone who showed up to support the Old Town Rotary Club and our community! It’s wonderful seeing so many of us together in one place!
Special shout-out to Vice President, Eric Rojo, for organizing the event and to all the Rotarians who worked hard to put on an incredible evening!
    
One of the best parts of Old Town Rotary are nights like tonight! Together, on this chilly winter night, we gathered around and listened to a long time Rotarian give their classification speech. Thanks Dave for sharing your story for old and new members, it was truly inspiring!
Consider joining a Rotary meeting and experience nights like tonight! We meet at the Elks Club in Old Town every Thursday at 6PM.
 
Meeting Information
We meet In Person
Thursdays at 6:00 PM
Old Town Elks Lodge
290 Fourth Street
Old Town, ME 04468
United States of America
We meet in person every Thursday, with the option to join virtually if you would prefer! Please contact a member for the link.
Club Officers & Directors
President
Past President
President-Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Foundation Chair
Club Administration Chair
Public Relations Chair
Membership Chair
Service Projects Chair
Sergeant-at-Arms
Speakers
Chancellor Dannel P. Malloy
Oct 19, 2023
University of Maine
It's Interact week!
Nov 02, 2023
TBA
Nov 09, 2023
TBA
Nov 16, 2023
TBA
Nov 30, 2023
TBA - Holiday Party
Dec 21, 2023
Meeting Responsibilities
October 5, 2023
Door Duty
Greenleaf, Frank
 
Door Duty
Larsen, Corina
 
October 12, 2023
Door Duty
Leonard, Ralph
 
Door Duty
Lin, Jada
 
October 19, 2023
Door Duty
Major, Charles
 
Door Duty
Merchant, Robin
 
October 26, 2023
Door Duty
Schlafman, Lindsie
 
Door Duty
Saarinen, Tamara
 
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