Portsmouth Rotary Log for April 19, 2018
by Lindsey Hery
Photos by Tube Loch
Following some surprising snow flurries, Portsmouth Rotarians joined together for food and fellowship and collective prayers for spring weather. Our greeter, Chad Chadwick welcomed all and later guided us through the Four Way Test. John Lyons delivered the invocation and Al Lantinen led us in America. President Ben recognized our many visiting Rotarians and guests by asking everyone to rise in unison.
New Book Honoring White Island Nine
Sue Reynolds, representing the Light House Kids organization, joined our meeting and shared a new book honoring the “White Island Nine.” This group of nine Rotarians participated in an off-shore service project. Boating out to the White Island Light house this past summer, they helped deconstruct the generator room. The book commemorates the project with pictures and a story.
Club Announcements
Vocational Awards- Lexi Leddy is seeking nominations for the vocational awards luncheon. Club members may nominate people within four categories: Public Service, Health and Human Services, Education and General.
Golf Tournament- Donna Harvey is looking for Rotarian volunteers on the day of the tournament, June 22.
Matt Randall seeks recommendations and donations for those who would like to advertise in the program booklet.
Clothing Drive- Nancy Clayburgh wants everyone to bring gently used clothing to benefit the Echo Thrift Shop on May 10.
Interact Polar Plunge- If you pledged money to sponsor a swimmer for the Interact Polar Plunge, it’s time to pay up. Please make your donation at an upcoming meeting using the iPad.
Rotary Trees- James Petersen reminded us that we will be receiving 200 trees in an initiative to have every Rotarian plant one tree this year. The saplings will be indigenous to our area. Please come ready to receive and care for two trees on April 26.
The Program:
Rotarian Moe Sullivan introduced our two speakers, Dave Mara, the Governor’s Advisor on Behavioral Health and Chief of Police Robert Mackenzie.
Mara is the former Police Chief of Manchester and former interim Chief of Portsmouth. He since has been serving the Governor as the appointed “drug czar,” committed to combating New Hampshire’s opioid crisis. Mara said that there were 476 overdose deaths in New Hampshire last year. For the first time in many years, this number has decreased due to the increase of Narcan or Naloxone.
New Hampshire is the third highest state in the United States in number of overdose deaths. Mara educated Rotarians on how the Granite State got to this point. A few of the reasons include doctors over prescribing pain medications and pharmaceutical companies aggressively marketing oxycodone.
The rise of the drug crisis can be tracked through events of the past six years. In 2012 and 2013, there was an increase in burglaries related to pill habits. In 2014, arrests for heroin grew in numbers. In 2015, officers saw an increase in fentanyl usage among criminals. There was a greater presence of drug trafficking from Mexico directly into Lawrence. Eventually, this increase impacted the seacoast and continues to affect our community.
Mara shared some positive news, though. For starters, there are several initiatives helping to make an impact on this issue in New Hampshire. These efforts include strong support by our governor. Bipartisan efforts in congress and successful treatment and recovery incentives are also on the rise.
Chief Mackenzie is not only the Kennebunk Police Chief, but also a dedicated Rotarian in the Kennebunk Rotary Club. Mackenzie educated our club on the financial impacts of the substance abuse problem in the United States. In his work with Rotary, Mackenzie has gone to great length to educate fellow Rotarians on this important issue.
Under the guidance of District Governor Dave Underhill, an Opioid Committee titled 7780 Recovery Initiative was started this year. The group, composed of Rotarians in our district, is working diligently to reduce the stigma of substance abuse in our community. The Kennebunk club has undergone and helped lead many overdose recognition and response classes to better educate citizens. Mackenzie encouraged the Portsmouth Rotary Club to take a stance and create initiatives of our own.
The 50/50 Raffle
Congratulations to Walter on his $58 prize. The bonus was $125 and his ticket was not a match.
New Member Update
Midge Nelson has been put on Seven-Day Notice.
Next Week
Join us next week as we award the recipient of the first Reverend Gordon Allen Humanitarian Award.
Respectfully submitted, Lindsey Hery
