It started out as a very intimate Rotary Social event on Thursday, April 19th at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre. Local Rotarians from Portsmouth sharing a cocktail and pizza in The Rep’s theatre atrium, discussing The Rep and the current show “In The Heights”. . .
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ClubRunner (a/k/a our club website) is now available in both an Apple and Android app.
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25th Annual Portsmouth Rotary Golf Tournament
The 25th Annual Portsmouth Rotary Golf Tournament was held Friday, June 22nd at Pease Golf Course.
“Saving smiles, changing lives” was the theme for this years’ golf event and fundraiser for the primary purpose to benefit the club’s October, 2018 Rotaplast mission to Bangladesh.
The trip honors the generous spirit of the late Jim Labrie and his life of service. Rotaplast International is committed to helping children and families worldwide, by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate and other deformities. Rotaplast sends multidisciplinary teams to provide free reconstructive surgery and care for these children.
Current Rotary President, Ben Wheeler announced the club’s full sponsorship of this project earlier this year. The Labrie family graciously provided a $25,000 grant to jump start the fundraising, which has been wholeheartedly embraced by our club, the district and greater community. During his term as, Rotary Club President and then District Governor, Jim Labrie was instrumental in introducing Rotaplast to Rotarians throughout the Northeast. Jim rose above the challenges posed by his own congenital cleft lip and palate to become a successful local entrepreneur and generous community leader. Labrie, a Rye businessman and philanthropist died in April 2016, leaving a legacy of kindness and compassion.
The Rotary Club of Portsmouth raises money in a variety of ways including the annual: Christmas tree sale; this golf tournament and more. The club then donates the funds to both local and international charities that make a difference.
Rotary Cup Winners
Left to right: Peter Grace (Program Chairman) with Rotary Cup Winners - Bill Hurley, Maureen Sullivan & Jay Gibson
According to Peter Grace, Program Chairman: “It is estimated the event generated $20,000 in net revenue which will be added to the funds previously generated to help support the Rotary mission.
We could not have achieved this level of success had it not been for the generosity of all the sponsors, especially premier sponsor Waterstone Retail, and the many local companies who supported the event with donations, raffle & auction gifts and all the committee members who worked diligently to make this all happen.”
Seeking Applications for our Club's Second Annual Partnership
The Basic Needs Committee is actively seeking candidates for our Club's Second Annual Partnership, which will begin in September. Non profits meeting basic needs (food, health, shelter, or clothing) are eligible for consideration. Click on the link below for the application. The deadline for submission being July 13. Please contact Cathy Nickerson, Lindsey Hery, Diane Lavigne, or Bob Lewis for applications or additional information.
The Basic Needs Committee is actively seeking candidates for our Club's Second Annual Partnership, which will begin in September. Non profits meeting basic needs (food, health, shelter, or clothing) are eligible for consideration. Click on the link below for the application. The deadline for submission being July 13. Please contact Cathy Nickerson, Lindsey Hery, Diane Lavigne, or Bob Lewis for applications or additional information.
Sorry We Missed You
If you have a makeup for a missed meeting, please email it to the following link:
Check Your Profile
The Communications Committee is asking that everyone log onto ClubRunner and check your profile to make sure it is up to date. Change is part of life and we hope to be able to reflect those changes in our website. Happy surfing.
Rotary Connections is back!!!
Rotary Connections let’s our members know that their Rotary club is thinking of them. Members facing a health issue, death in the family or a life celebration, we are here!
If you know of any of our members who may need a Rotary Connections, please reach out to the Cathy Nickerson or President Ben.
Let us Know What is Happening!
If you have an event or news that you would like to share with your fellow Rotarians, please forward the information to Dennis Moulton for inclusion in the weekly eBulletin. My contact information is d-moulton@comcast.net. And please send photos!
Portsmouth Rotary Log for June 28, 2018
by Lindsey Hery
Photos by Tube Loch
Portsmouth Rotarians gathered for our annual Change of Command, bidding farewell to President Ben and ushering in Cleo’s administration. Al Lantinen led us in a beautiful rendition of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” while Matt Randall guided everyone through the Four Way Test. Ben invoked his presidential power to say the invocation.
Having a packed agenda, we began our meeting with the 50/50 Raffle. Dick Seery won a pot of $59. Congratulations, Dick!
President Ben’s Final Trip out to Sea
In his final address to our club, Ben reviewed a few of our many accomplishments over the past year:
- 3,100 Community Service Hours
- $200,000 in funds donated to the community
- $30,000 in goods and services donated to the community
- $20,000 donated to the Rotary Foundation
- $100,000 raised for the October Rotaplast trip
We far exceeded our fundraising and club service expectations this year. Ben confided that he was humbled and honored to have led the club through all this success.
Ben also thanked his family for their support during this year. In a very special presentation, he awarded his father, Craig Wheeler, a former Portsmouth Rotarian and Raymond club president, with a Paul Harris Fellowship. He then eloquently summed up his thoughts for the past year.
“The greatest lesson I learned this year is that sometimes you have to take a risk,” Ben said. “Sometimes you have to say we are going to commit to doing good. At first, you don’t need a plan. You need people like all of you. People who can recognize a need to develop a plan and turn actions into results. When you are surrounded by a group of people like the Portsmouth Rotary Club anything is possible.”
The Changing of the Guard
Incoming President Cleo began the program by thanking Ben for all his hard work and leadership this year. She reminded us of the special moment when Ben and the Board approved the Rotaplast trip. Without Ben’s courage and leadership, we wouldn’t have been able to undergo such an important project.
Fortunately, in preparation for today’s meeting, Cleo was able to obtain a copy of Ben’s diary (sic.) The volume detailed his experiences during the White Island hands-on project last year. With the help of the Rotations, Ted Alex, John Flagg and John Pappas, Ben’s journal entry was reenacted. Past President James provided hilarious “fact checking.”
The “Tale of Beacon Ben” provided many belly laughs and gasps. The Rotations, dressed in foul weather gear, also came through with an outrageous song written to the Gilligan’s Island theme. Do any of you remember Gilligan’s Island? It was quality entertainment for all, including Ben’s family and colleagues from the Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank.
At the end of the theatrical presentation, Ben was presented with a decorated buoy commemorating the White Island Nine. He also was given the original rope from that fateful weekend and, of course, a Portsmouth Rotary Pen.
Next Week
In honor of Independence Day, there will be no club meeting held on Thursday, July 5th.
Respectfully submitted, Lindsey Hery
President Ben closed the meeting by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of all the students. He noted their success is enhanced by a strong school system and a supportive community. Ben personally addressed each recipient with poignant words of wisdom and encouragement as they head out on their next phase of their lives
Ben noted that he was a PHS student and Rotary scholarship recipient himself. He humorously qualified that by saying that they didn’t get so many applications back then.
Ben closed by reminding the students of the great futures they have ahead and the value they will bring back to their communities.
“We all consider the scholarships to be an investment,” Ben said. “You embody the values that we all share in Rotary.”
2018 Rotary Club of Portsmouth Scholarship Recipients
Hannah Allen University of New Hampshire
Madison Coscia Boston College
Willem Gerrish Dartmouth College
Clay Hundertmark Bates College
Sydney Ludes Denison University
Julia MacNair Marist College
Jacob Morin Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Casey Penacho Quinnipiac University
Ceilidh Shea Colorado College
Chithra Singareddy Dartmouth College
Grace Smith Oberlin College
Mark Weathersby Rochester Institute of Technology
Respectfully submitted, Anne Richter Arnold
Photos by Tube Loch
To see photos of our new members click on the following link:
We meet Thursdays at 12:15 PM
Portsmouth Country Club
Portsmouth Country Club
80 Country Club Lane
2nd Floor
Greenland, NH 03840
United States
2nd Floor
Greenland, NH 03840
United States
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