Rotary International’s slogan for the 2023/24 Rotary year is “Create Hope in the World.”
That short sentence is more than just a slogan. It is a clarion call to us to communicate the message whenever we have the chance that there is indeed something better, a brighter day to strive and hope for.
It’s a tough world. We acknowledge that with our support of the 100 Club, the Waldo County Woodshed, the food pantries, Polio Plus, the Keep the Faith Fund, and causes like helping the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Often, we do not know what burdens someone else is carrying. Everyone has struggles. If people act in ways that seem unreasonable or unpleasant to us, perhaps the reason is that they are contending with issues we do not see. If we can act toward others in a way that shows there is reason to hope, that will have beneficial results far greater than we might imagine.
The work that we do in the Belfast Rotary Club creates a better world through our service to others. We can easily lose sight of that larger goal as we go along, focused on our tasks and assignments.
But really, all of our committee work, strategic planning, asking for donations, funding scholarships, volunteering at Harbor Fest, or cleaning up Belfast is to make our community and other places beyond here better—a world that can offer brighter tomorrows for those who need hope.
So…keep up the good work, Belfast Rotary Club! Please, do continue creating hope in the world!
Our speaker at the January 17th meeting was Buck O"Herin from the Friends of Haystack Mountain organization. He talked about the importance of preserving Haystack Mountain for public use as a hiking area. The Friends of Haystack Mountain are near the finish line on the fundraising efforts. They have just $45,000 to go! FOHM welcomes our continued financial support to complete this project.
Our president Steve Norman is shown here presenting Buck with the coveted Rotary pen.
Joy at Christmas is a gift that every child deserves, and the 2023 Belfast Rotary 100 Fund Project brought holiday cheer to a record 228 needy children throughout Waldo County. Thanks to the amazing generosity of Rotarians, community members and a local charitable trust (not to mention Lee Woodward’s energetic fundraising), each child received a Reny’s gift certificate for winter clothing and “Santa” toys, along with a voucher from Colburn’s Shoe Store for new boots.
Without the 100 Fund, these children would not have had gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.
Now in its 42nd year, the 100 Fund has continued to break records—especially in the past three years—for the amount of funds raised, the number of children served and the number of families requesting assistance.
Although the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the 100 Fund’s traditional mode of operation (no longer could we host a community-wide wrapping party or deliver gifts personally to the families on our list), the project continued to flourish with a gift card and boot voucher program that gave parents and/or guardians the opportunity to shop for their own children. We’ve continued with this model since the pandemic ended for the following reasons:
We’ve heard from several of our recipient families, and they greatly appreciate the opportunity to choose and buy the clothing, boots and toys that their children want.
Social workers and other referral sources have applauded the change saying that for people living in poverty, the ability to purchase Christmas gifts brings a sense of self worth and normalcy during a time of year that typically brings great despair.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, the switch to the gift card program has allowed the 100 Fund to serve more children, something that simply wasn’t physically possible back in the days of shopping, wrapping and delivering. For example in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the Fund served 147 children. In 2023, the number increased by more than 35% to 228 children.
The 100 Fund committee, and the less fortunate children we serve, thank you for supporting this year’s project and all those that came before it. As a club, we have much to be proud of!
Thank you for putting smiles on all my kids faces!"
T. L., Belfast
" Thank you very much for the gift cards! They were put to very good use, and we can't thank you enough! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas..."
J.W., Northport
Harbor Fest's Evening By The Bay
Distributes $17,000 to
Area Elementary School Clothing Closets
Held on August 19th and kicking off the Harbor Fest weekend, the Evening by the Bay included silent and live auctions, hors d’oeuvres, and live music. The Evening by the Bay Committee chose to benefit our local public elementary schools' Clothing Closets through the auction proceeds. Our local schools have expressed a need to have clean and appropriate clothing available for students who may be lacking. $17,000 in funds were distributed over the fall to the five Belfast Area Elementary Schools, Searsport Elementary School and Edna Drinkwater Elementary School in Northport. The event was beyond expectations, setting a new record for both attendance and fundraising. Sponsorship and gifts from individuals, organizations and businesses supported efforts to make the Evening by the Bay an enjoyable and successful event.
Belfast Area Elementary School Administrators
Searport Schools Superintendent
Edna Drinkwater Staff
Thank you for this great opportunity to work together to
ensure that all students have their basic needs being met
so they can be the best they can be!
Glen Widmer, Principal
Ames and Weymouth Schools
CELEBRATE!
February birthdays:
Ed Varney - February 6
Mary Mortier - February 10
John Carrick - February 17
Brian Beaulieu - February 20
February Rotary anniversaries:
Kevin Kelley - 3 years
Cody Keithan - 11 years
Robina Lods - 18 years
Scott Hawthorne - 27 years
Club Information
Welcome To Our Club
Service Above Self
Wednesdays at 12:00 PM
Waldo County Shrine Club
20 Northport Avenue
Belfast, ME 04915 United States of America
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