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
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
In Loving Memory of
David Wollstadt
In honor of our recent successful Hunter’s Breakfast, we would like to highlight the heart behind the event. David Wollstadt, who was a member of the Rotary Club of Old Town for almost 20 years, sadly passed away earlier this year. During his time in Rotary, he greatly contributed to the Old Town Community. Dave was the driving force behind Hunter’s Breakfast. Below is the dedication which was featured in the Hunter’s Breakfast newspaper this year as well some words about Dave from Rotarians.
David was an active member of the Rotary Club of Old Town for over 20 years, and the force behind our successful Hunter’s Breakfast fundraising. This publication was his idea, and he carried it out in grand fashion-creating all of the layout, keeping all of us on task with soliciting businesses, finding new businesses for us to approach for support, and personally obtaining dozens of ads. Thanks to Dave, we raised over 100 thousand dollars for our community and world. And thanks to Dave, we have many wonderful memories of friendship and service. We miss you, Dave.
A few words from our Rotarians…
It was the mid 1990’s and I was chair of the Hunter’s Breakfast. At that time, our breakfast handout was actually a booklet you could slip into an oversized pocket, in a field coat, or cargo pants. The contents were mostly stories or tips on hunting, hunter safety, recipes, and hunting lore. Dave was putting the book together (with minimal help from me) on our dining room table. He wasn’t a member yet, but he lent his knowledge and experience to the task, one at which he was very good, and he’s helped like that ever since. - Ben Smith
Sometimes Dave had a way of smiling at you. He’d tilt his head forward and look at you over his glasses. There was a slight smile at his mouth, and a faint twinkle in his eyes. Over the years I came to interpret that look to mean that whatever I’d just said or done probably hadn’t been my finest moment. I doubt that those who knew him thought him hesitant to verbally express an opinion, but he was often kind enough to let you off with a gentle look rather than a harsh word. - Ben Smith
David was a devoted and hard working Old Town Rotarian, producing many of our publications. I valued his journalistic ethic, giving equal time to opposing viewpoints when inviting guest speakers. In addition, as Becca would toast "he was the world's greatest dad.." engaging her in our Rotary family. - Pat Cummings
One of the things I enjoyed most about Dave was his dry sense of humor. During “happy dollars” he would often come out with a short clip that would have everybody laughing. I would also like to mention his dedication to Becca. He brought her to all Rotary functions including field trips. - Stan Peterson
He was a great worker and did a fine job at what he did. The Penobscot Times was great when he did that; the Hunters Breakfast booklet, and the Community Connections newspaper was great also. Sad to see him go and sad for his daughter Becca. - Joe Cyr
I enjoyed my conversations with Dave. He was very knowledgeable and he always made me feel welcome at Rotary when I first joined. - Steven Lane
Dave and I had many discussions… from Old Town that we both love dearly, to education of children, to how to spend money wisely, to what Rotary means to us. He told me that he rejoined Rotary because of the way we welcomed his daughter, Becca. I will miss Dave and I am missing Becca too. - Linda Bryant
Old Town, ME 04468
United States of America