Rotary Club of Portsmouth NH
Portsmouth
We meet In Person
Thursdays at 12:15 PM
Portsmouth Country Club
80 Country Club Lane
2nd Floor
Greenland, NH 03840
United States of America
Our Club meets in person and via zoom simultaneously. Meeting zoom information will be emailed on weekly basis.
Venue Map
2021 Ornament - Yoken's sign

 

 

      <----  Click the ornament to buy online
Photo by Don Chick from Don Chick Photography
 
28th Annual Golf Tournament
Top of the Week!
How is Rotary Helping in Ukraine?
 
Click on the link below to see how Rotary has been helping with the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
 
 
 
 
Salvation Army Update
 
 
Judy Ringer and Sara Treacy served supper on Tuesday night 6/21, from the Salvation Army Food truck located in the parking lot of the Middle Street Baptist Church.  
 
 
Hours, number of volunteers and location have changed for Salvation Army food service.  Because there isn’t a kitchen in the new headquarters at 272 Rockland St, the Salvation Army serves food Monday through Friday from their food truck, which they drive to the parking lot behind the Middle Street Baptist Church.
 
When our Club volunteers, the food is generously donated by the Edgewood Centre, picked up there at 1:30pm by Al Lantinen and delivered to the SA headquarters to be warmed up.  At 4:30, the food is loaded onto the SA truck and driven to the parking lot, where only two volunteers are needed to prepare the serving of it.  Karen from the SA is always there to guide us.
 
Sara will be announcing dates each month for volunteers to sign up.
If interested in participating, please contact Sara Treacy at saratreacy@comcast.net or call or text to: 603-661-8588.  
 
Read more...
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022
 
Today’s meeting touched upon some of the sobering issues faced by Ukrainians in the evolving war with Russia. But first, the preliminaries. President Joanie presided. VP Yvonne provided support. After the Pledge, Past-President Justin led us in the four-way test and Al Lantinen in song with “God Bless America.”  Senor Rice gave the invocation.
 
 
Up next, guests and visiting Rotarians were introduced. Flagg introduced Butch Ritchie—very funny—and Conrad Rahn, a potential future club member. Also, party of the Flagg party was Dr. Thomas King and Volodymir Rozanski(?) from Ukraine.
 
 
Volodymir is here on a J1 Visa working at the Gaslight and trying to make his way home. His father currently serves in the Ukraine military.
 
Barb Miller introduced Tim Sanborn who apparently holds multiple titles including ‘skeeter control in Rye.
 
 
Dave Underhill’s guest was his wife of 48 years, Linda. District Governor, Melissa Lesniak, joined us from the Dover Club.
 
 
Moving right along, Joannie recognized Yvonne for her previously unheralded countless contributions to our club. Behind the scenes, Yvonne has kept club matters moving smoothly forward. Joannie also informed us that 70% of the club’s members have paid their annual dues. If you haven’t paid, please pay as soon as possible as dues were due in July.
 
 
In our announcements segment, Dennis Moulton asked for help with producing the weekly Rotary newsletter for the month of September. Dennis will be on vacation and needs someone to fill in. He will train anyone willing to help. Please contact Dennis if you are interested.
 
 
Community Service Chairperson Midge Nelson wants your ideas. If you have any ideas regarding Rotary community service outreach, please contact Midge.
 
Yvonne updated us on our annual Christmas Tree sale fundraiser. The trees will be ordered soon. It’s coming! You know it. Get ready to sign up and volunteer!
 
 
Barb Miller informed us about a new fundraiser, Portsmouth Monopoly. A specialized Monopoly game board is being made that will include names of local business and individuals who buy a space on the board. Playing pieces are being devised as you read this. More to come.
 
 
New member Sarah informed us a new committee has been formed, the Mental Health Awareness Committee. Sarah will chair the committee and has asked for members to join the committee in its efforts to address mental health issues in our community. Please contact Sarah if you are interested.
 
 
Cleo, chair of the new member committee, has asked for members to nominate new members. If you have anyone in mind, please contact Cleo.
 
Caitlyn Hassett is heading up a committee to find a new location for our meetings as our contract with Portsmouth Country Club is nearing its end. Anyone interested in participating can join Caitlyn as the Atlantic Grill on Friday, August 5, at 11 am.
 
Cleo and Neal are working on our 100th anniversary gala to be held at Jimmy’s on March 28, 2023. Mark that date!
 
 
Turning to our new money-making enterprise introduced by Joannie, Mad Money was up next.
 
 
Steve Wood started us off by telling us about the time he was set to receive an award from the club. He was sitting at one of the round tables and reached across it to shake Justin’s hand. Well, wouldn’t you know, there were glasses of tomato juice on the tables.
 
It almost goes without saying what happened next. Sure enough, Steve’s tie hit one of the glasses and dumped the tomato juice in his lap. He was wearing a light blue suit, so the effect was immediate.
 
Fortunately, there was an elderly lady sitting at the table, she advised Steve to go to the bathroom, take off his pants and soak the stain in cold water. She then told him to fold his jacket over his arm (after telling him to put his pants back on first----of course!) and use the jacket to cover the stain. When it came time to stand up to receive the award, he followed her instructions and pulled it off. Who knew?
 
 
Not to be outdone, Tube Locke told us about the time he slept in the pro shop at the country club. He was 15 and stayed there overnight with a 16-year-old friend. And, of course, they had a gun with them, you know, just in case.
 
Well, during the night, they heard people outside and thought someone was trying to break in. In the heat of the moment, they shot through one of the windows. Yeah, that’ll teach ‘em.
 
Yeah, it sure did. The trespassers were state troopers. Almost needless to say, the two were quickly put in handcuffs and interrogated. After a full confession, they were let go—the luck of the naïve! Now that is a story to tell your 8-year-old brother, i.e., that is your 8-year-old brother that was there with you to see the whole thing.
 
Also, up for a potential Darwin award was none other than Triple-P. Flagg told us about the time he went to New York on a private plane. One of his boarding school friend’s fathers owned an airplane. They all flew to an airport in New York in what was, up until then, an uneventful trip. After landing, the father told the two boys he had to refuel and had to go to another part of the airport to do so. He told them to go to the terminal and he would meet them there.
 
Well, being somewhat of a math savant, Flagg remembered the geometric theorem that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So, the quickest way to get to the terminal was to cross the runway. Okay, they thought, we are young and fast—we can cross the runway before any airplane hits us. And we can see the planes coming so we can do this! Yup, they sure did do this. And yup, the airport guards in the jeep with machine guns saw them do this, too.
 
 After being interrogated, the two were let go. Why you ask? Who knows? Must be more of that youthful naivety. Oh, to be young and dumb again!
 
Joannie continued the meeting by giving us an update on budgetary issues. Some $2,500 dollars was approved for the Basic Needs committee to put together boxes of love. Operation Warm Coats was given $10,000 dollars for . . . warm coats.
 
The other Neal is back with our latest historical moment. The first Rotary club in Ukraine was formed in 1929. It began as part of the Finland District, moved to the French District and became its own district July 1, 2014. The country now boasts 46 clubs and 850 Rotarians.
 
 
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022 - Part 2
 
 
On to our main event, John Lyons introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Gary Kish. Dr. Kish is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic surgeon, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons since 1972, and a retired USAF Medical Corps Major. He opened his private practice in Portsmouth in 1973.
 
 
Dr. Kish has provided medical and surgical services to war refugees and combatants in Pakistan, and in Hungary and Romania following the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is the co-director of the Portsmouth Orthopaedic International Fellowship and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Debrecen Medical School in Hungary. Most notably, he was instrumental in the introduction of modern total knee replacement surgery.
 
Dr. Kish has an indirect connection to Rotary. His older brother is a long-time Rotarian and a member of the Bristol, Ct., club.
 
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Dr. Kish has been offering his services to refugees located in Hungary. Hungary shares an 85-mile border with Ukraine so the number of refugees crossing the border, more than 1,000,000 at the time of this writing, is overwhelming. There are now more than 10,000,000 refugees that have left Ukraine.
 
Dr. Kish’s connection to Hungary began in 1996 when a group of Hungarian surgeons visited Portsmouth. They were here to explain a new surgical technique developed by Dr. Laszlo Hangody in 1983. The procedure, called mosaicplasty, involves taking healthy tissue from non-weight-bearing sections of the knee and transferring it to the damaged areas.
 
Through this connection, Dr. Kish made trips to Hungary over many years to teach and provide surgical services. He has joined forces with surgeons there, helping those in need due to the war. Dr. Laszlo Hangody and his wife, Dr. Andrea Fizzere, have since created and run a foundation in Hungary to provide surgical services. Following a Zoom meeting in March 2022, Dr. Kish has joined this effort.
 
The foundation uses all donations to provide food, medicine, clothes, diapers, and outpatient clinical services to individuals located in the Transcarpathian section of Ukraine. Hungarians heavily occupy this area.
 
To date, the Russians in Ukraine have destroyed more than 300 hospitals and more than 300 schools. The foundation offers vital services to those affected by these events.
 
Dr. Kish considers Ukraine’s President Zelensky to be a modern-day Churchill. Hungary’s president, Victor Orban, once was thought of as a hero for throwing Russia out of Hungary. He now plays both sides.
 
 
President Zelensky’s olive green t-shirts inspired Dr. Kish to make similar shirts with the Hungarian military insignia printed thereon. For the low, low price of $25, you can own one of these shirts. All the proceeds go to the Hungarian foundation.
 
Up next, questions. Question 1—do you think Ukraine can win? Yes, real good chance. Before HIMARS, the Ukrainians were losing 200 soldiers per day. Now, they lose about 30/day.
Question 2—Victor Orban was friendly to immigrants. Is that still so? No.
 
Question 3—not a question, but a recommendation. Dave Underhill informed Dr. Kish that Rotary has raised $15,000,000 for Ukraine. He may want to reach out to Rotarians in Ukraine to advance efforts through the foundation.
 
In appreciation of his time, President Joannie gave Dr. Kish a Rotary hat and informed him he was stepping on her toes as a clothier.
 
Guest Conrad Braun won the whopping $31 50/50 and gave it to Dr. Kish for the foundation. Well done! And to add further to his generosity, he agreed to pay $100 per t-shirt for a number of shirts.
 
And with that, President Joannie rang the bell and bid us farewell.
 
Until next time . . ..
 
Respectfully submitted, Mark Lorusso
Photos by Sara Treacy
      
28th Annual Golf Tournament
Top of the Week!
How is Rotary Helping in Ukraine?
 
Click on the link below to see how Rotary has been helping with the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
 
 
 
 
Salvation Army Update
 
 
Judy Ringer and Sara Treacy served supper on Tuesday night 6/21, from the Salvation Army Food truck located in the parking lot of the Middle Street Baptist Church.  
 
 
Hours, number of volunteers and location have changed for Salvation Army food service.  Because there isn’t a kitchen in the new headquarters at 272 Rockland St, the Salvation Army serves food Monday through Friday from their food truck, which they drive to the parking lot behind the Middle Street Baptist Church.
 
When our Club volunteers, the food is generously donated by the Edgewood Centre, picked up there at 1:30pm by Al Lantinen and delivered to the SA headquarters to be warmed up.  At 4:30, the food is loaded onto the SA truck and driven to the parking lot, where only two volunteers are needed to prepare the serving of it.  Karen from the SA is always there to guide us.
 
Sara will be announcing dates each month for volunteers to sign up.
If interested in participating, please contact Sara Treacy at saratreacy@comcast.net or call or text to: 603-661-8588.  
 
Read more...
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022
 
Today’s meeting touched upon some of the sobering issues faced by Ukrainians in the evolving war with Russia. But first, the preliminaries. President Joanie presided. VP Yvonne provided support. After the Pledge, Past-President Justin led us in the four-way test and Al Lantinen in song with “God Bless America.”  Senor Rice gave the invocation.
 
 
Up next, guests and visiting Rotarians were introduced. Flagg introduced Butch Ritchie—very funny—and Conrad Rahn, a potential future club member. Also, party of the Flagg party was Dr. Thomas King and Volodymir Rozanski(?) from Ukraine.
 
 
Volodymir is here on a J1 Visa working at the Gaslight and trying to make his way home. His father currently serves in the Ukraine military.
 
Barb Miller introduced Tim Sanborn who apparently holds multiple titles including ‘skeeter control in Rye.
 
 
Dave Underhill’s guest was his wife of 48 years, Linda. District Governor, Melissa Lesniak, joined us from the Dover Club.
 
 
Moving right along, Joannie recognized Yvonne for her previously unheralded countless contributions to our club. Behind the scenes, Yvonne has kept club matters moving smoothly forward. Joannie also informed us that 70% of the club’s members have paid their annual dues. If you haven’t paid, please pay as soon as possible as dues were due in July.
 
 
In our announcements segment, Dennis Moulton asked for help with producing the weekly Rotary newsletter for the month of September. Dennis will be on vacation and needs someone to fill in. He will train anyone willing to help. Please contact Dennis if you are interested.
 
 
Community Service Chairperson Midge Nelson wants your ideas. If you have any ideas regarding Rotary community service outreach, please contact Midge.
 
Yvonne updated us on our annual Christmas Tree sale fundraiser. The trees will be ordered soon. It’s coming! You know it. Get ready to sign up and volunteer!
 
 
Barb Miller informed us about a new fundraiser, Portsmouth Monopoly. A specialized Monopoly game board is being made that will include names of local business and individuals who buy a space on the board. Playing pieces are being devised as you read this. More to come.
 
 
New member Sarah informed us a new committee has been formed, the Mental Health Awareness Committee. Sarah will chair the committee and has asked for members to join the committee in its efforts to address mental health issues in our community. Please contact Sarah if you are interested.
 
 
Cleo, chair of the new member committee, has asked for members to nominate new members. If you have anyone in mind, please contact Cleo.
 
Caitlyn Hassett is heading up a committee to find a new location for our meetings as our contract with Portsmouth Country Club is nearing its end. Anyone interested in participating can join Caitlyn as the Atlantic Grill on Friday, August 5, at 11 am.
 
Cleo and Neal are working on our 100th anniversary gala to be held at Jimmy’s on March 28, 2023. Mark that date!
 
 
Turning to our new money-making enterprise introduced by Joannie, Mad Money was up next.
 
 
Steve Wood started us off by telling us about the time he was set to receive an award from the club. He was sitting at one of the round tables and reached across it to shake Justin’s hand. Well, wouldn’t you know, there were glasses of tomato juice on the tables.
 
It almost goes without saying what happened next. Sure enough, Steve’s tie hit one of the glasses and dumped the tomato juice in his lap. He was wearing a light blue suit, so the effect was immediate.
 
Fortunately, there was an elderly lady sitting at the table, she advised Steve to go to the bathroom, take off his pants and soak the stain in cold water. She then told him to fold his jacket over his arm (after telling him to put his pants back on first----of course!) and use the jacket to cover the stain. When it came time to stand up to receive the award, he followed her instructions and pulled it off. Who knew?
 
 
Not to be outdone, Tube Locke told us about the time he slept in the pro shop at the country club. He was 15 and stayed there overnight with a 16-year-old friend. And, of course, they had a gun with them, you know, just in case.
 
Well, during the night, they heard people outside and thought someone was trying to break in. In the heat of the moment, they shot through one of the windows. Yeah, that’ll teach ‘em.
 
Yeah, it sure did. The trespassers were state troopers. Almost needless to say, the two were quickly put in handcuffs and interrogated. After a full confession, they were let go—the luck of the naïve! Now that is a story to tell your 8-year-old brother, i.e., that is your 8-year-old brother that was there with you to see the whole thing.
 
Also, up for a potential Darwin award was none other than Triple-P. Flagg told us about the time he went to New York on a private plane. One of his boarding school friend’s fathers owned an airplane. They all flew to an airport in New York in what was, up until then, an uneventful trip. After landing, the father told the two boys he had to refuel and had to go to another part of the airport to do so. He told them to go to the terminal and he would meet them there.
 
Well, being somewhat of a math savant, Flagg remembered the geometric theorem that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So, the quickest way to get to the terminal was to cross the runway. Okay, they thought, we are young and fast—we can cross the runway before any airplane hits us. And we can see the planes coming so we can do this! Yup, they sure did do this. And yup, the airport guards in the jeep with machine guns saw them do this, too.
 
 After being interrogated, the two were let go. Why you ask? Who knows? Must be more of that youthful naivety. Oh, to be young and dumb again!
 
Joannie continued the meeting by giving us an update on budgetary issues. Some $2,500 dollars was approved for the Basic Needs committee to put together boxes of love. Operation Warm Coats was given $10,000 dollars for . . . warm coats.
 
The other Neal is back with our latest historical moment. The first Rotary club in Ukraine was formed in 1929. It began as part of the Finland District, moved to the French District and became its own district July 1, 2014. The country now boasts 46 clubs and 850 Rotarians.
 
 
Rotary Log for August 4, 2022 - Part 2
 
 
On to our main event, John Lyons introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Gary Kish. Dr. Kish is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic surgeon, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons since 1972, and a retired USAF Medical Corps Major. He opened his private practice in Portsmouth in 1973.
 
 
Dr. Kish has provided medical and surgical services to war refugees and combatants in Pakistan, and in Hungary and Romania following the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is the co-director of the Portsmouth Orthopaedic International Fellowship and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Debrecen Medical School in Hungary. Most notably, he was instrumental in the introduction of modern total knee replacement surgery.
 
Dr. Kish has an indirect connection to Rotary. His older brother is a long-time Rotarian and a member of the Bristol, Ct., club.
 
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Dr. Kish has been offering his services to refugees located in Hungary. Hungary shares an 85-mile border with Ukraine so the number of refugees crossing the border, more than 1,000,000 at the time of this writing, is overwhelming. There are now more than 10,000,000 refugees that have left Ukraine.
 
Dr. Kish’s connection to Hungary began in 1996 when a group of Hungarian surgeons visited Portsmouth. They were here to explain a new surgical technique developed by Dr. Laszlo Hangody in 1983. The procedure, called mosaicplasty, involves taking healthy tissue from non-weight-bearing sections of the knee and transferring it to the damaged areas.
 
Through this connection, Dr. Kish made trips to Hungary over many years to teach and provide surgical services. He has joined forces with surgeons there, helping those in need due to the war. Dr. Laszlo Hangody and his wife, Dr. Andrea Fizzere, have since created and run a foundation in Hungary to provide surgical services. Following a Zoom meeting in March 2022, Dr. Kish has joined this effort.
 
The foundation uses all donations to provide food, medicine, clothes, diapers, and outpatient clinical services to individuals located in the Transcarpathian section of Ukraine. Hungarians heavily occupy this area.
 
To date, the Russians in Ukraine have destroyed more than 300 hospitals and more than 300 schools. The foundation offers vital services to those affected by these events.
 
Dr. Kish considers Ukraine’s President Zelensky to be a modern-day Churchill. Hungary’s president, Victor Orban, once was thought of as a hero for throwing Russia out of Hungary. He now plays both sides.
 
 
President Zelensky’s olive green t-shirts inspired Dr. Kish to make similar shirts with the Hungarian military insignia printed thereon. For the low, low price of $25, you can own one of these shirts. All the proceeds go to the Hungarian foundation.
 
Up next, questions. Question 1—do you think Ukraine can win? Yes, real good chance. Before HIMARS, the Ukrainians were losing 200 soldiers per day. Now, they lose about 30/day.
Question 2—Victor Orban was friendly to immigrants. Is that still so? No.
 
Question 3—not a question, but a recommendation. Dave Underhill informed Dr. Kish that Rotary has raised $15,000,000 for Ukraine. He may want to reach out to Rotarians in Ukraine to advance efforts through the foundation.
 
In appreciation of his time, President Joannie gave Dr. Kish a Rotary hat and informed him he was stepping on her toes as a clothier.
 
Guest Conrad Braun won the whopping $31 50/50 and gave it to Dr. Kish for the foundation. Well done! And to add further to his generosity, he agreed to pay $100 per t-shirt for a number of shirts.
 
And with that, President Joannie rang the bell and bid us farewell.
 
Until next time . . ..
 
Respectfully submitted, Mark Lorusso
Photos by Sara Treacy
      
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Portsmouth Rotary Charitable Division
 
Website Sponsors
Speakers
TBD
Aug 25, 2022
Prescott Park Arts Festival
Jeff Hughes
Sep 01, 2022
Wentworth Douglass Hospital / Massachusetts General Hospital
Russell Prescott
Sep 08, 2022
Candidate for US Representative
View entire list...
Portsmouth Rotary eBulletins
Website Sponsors
Club Documents
Club Executives & Directors
President
Joanie Dickinson
President Elect
Yvonne Legge
Vice President
John St. Pierre
Treasurer
Steve Wood
Assistant Treasurer
Joe Bove
Secretary
Lindsey Reid
Assistant Secretary
Caitlin Burke
Immediate Past President
Justin Finn
Club Service Director
Jess Hamilton
Vocational Service Director
Caitlyn Hassett
Rotary Foundation Chair
Bob Herold
Community Service Director
Midge Nelson
International Service Director
Bob Herold
New Generations Director
Stephen Polhemus
Director
Tristan Shanley
Director
Karen Conard
Sergeant at Arms
Nicole Clark
Assistant Sergeant at Arms
Don Chick
Senior Director
Jonathan Flagg
Senior Director
Neal Ouellett
Senior Director
Ted Alex
Membership
Cleo Villaflores

Link to: 

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