The Rotary Club of Saco Bay had a great night of service passing out candy at OOB's Halloween Trunk or Treat at the Ball Park. Three stations were set up with candy. Big Thanks to Jim Pate for bringing the hearst and coffin (and Jeff Slaton for being the corpse), Chris Gordon for his Ghost Buster van, and Kate Scamman (aka Dorothy) for loading up the Mustang! Rotarians Dan Letellier, Curk Scamman, Dru LaDuke, Dave Arenstam, John Bouchard, Dan Colby, and Dave LaPauloue all joined in the fun! 

 

  

This month's off-site social brought the Saco Bay Rotary Club to Pickle + Bounce in Biddeford where we all enjoyed some fellowship and good food & drink. A very nice new spot to check out! Over 30 tvs featuring various sporting events are located throughout. There were several pickleball courts, golf simulators, and a lounge area complete with pool table. A fun night out with fellow Rotarians.

 

    

This year's Student of the Month awards kicked off with Rotarian Jennifer Sirois presenting the honorees for the month of October. Each of the students were introduced by a faculty member of their school and family members were also invited to the meeting. The club enjoys having the students speak and we continue to be impressed with the outstanding talent we have in our local schools and look forward to their success in the future.

 

The honorees from the meeting were:

 

Dawayne Clarke of Biddeford HS, accompanied by dad, Wayne, and teacher Ellie Joseph.

Lea Alivizatos, of Old Orchard Beach HS, accompanied by mom, Holly, and teacher Kellie Beres.

Anika Manning, of Thornton Academy, accompanied by dad, Kevin, and teach Andy Carlson.

 

Rotarian President David Arenstam presented each student with a certificate and a $50 Visa card sponsored by Maine Community Bank.

 

Congrats to all the students and their families!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Deidre Clifford, VP of Development and Anay Brown, Development Coordinator of Girl Scouts of Maine presented an interesting and informative presentation about their organization at our weekly meeting. What a great environment for young girls to learn life skills while having fun! For more information: www.girlscoutsofmaine.org

 

   

The Saco Bay Rotary Club continued its long history of helping to prepare and serve the pre-ride dinner as part of the New England Parkinson's Ride Event. Lobster Rolls, Hot Dogs, Corn on the Cob, and Veggie burgers were all prepared by the club.  Clam Chowder, Chips, and Coleslaw was also provided to be served to the riders that purchased this meal. Over 300 riders participated in this pre-ride event and over 1300 riders took the roads of Old Orchard Beach and Saco on Saturday. This one-day event is on track to raising over $1 million dollars!  The Rotary Club is grateful to be a part of this amazing event.

 

       

Our guest speaker was Pete Broderick from the New England Parkinson's Ride. Pete shared the history of how the NE Parkinson's Ride began when Chris Woods at age 41 was diagnosed with Parkinsons and wanted to find a cycling event that raised money specifically for Parkinson's research. This dates back to the summer of 2008 when the ride started in Maine.  The first year there were only 35 riders but managed to raise over $27,000. The ride has now grown to one of the most successful fundraisers for this cause with donations since inception totaling over 12 million. In 2024, the ride raised an amazing $1.4 million. Pete noted that 100% of the funds raised go directly to the Michael J Fox Foundation. Any overhead costs and ride expenses are covered through the generous donations by sponsors.  The Saco Bay Rotary Club has been a part of this ride from the early days with our contribution being centered around the Pre-Ride meal served the night before the ride. A Maine lobster theme meal is served with the current menu including Clam Chowder, Lobster, Corn on the Cob, and Chips and there are also options for roasted chicken, veggie burger, or hot dogs. Pete thanked the Saco Bay Rotary Club for planning and successfully serving the meal for over 350 riders each year. He shared what a big relief it is for their organization to not have to "worry about" the Pre-Ride meal because they trust our club for putting on a top notch meal. A great service project for us for a great cause!

 

Our guest speaker was Tracee Golet from Maine Families who shared information about their program. "Maine Families' caring and professional visitors help parents access information and resources that can support the physical and emotional health of their babies and the entire family".  More information can be found at mainefamilies.org

 

Another fun night of fellowship for the Saco Bay Rotarians at Mick's Sports Bar in Biddeford. Always a great time!

 

 

It was a great night celebrating the change-over of Saco Bay Rotary Club President Dan Letellier to President-Elect David Arenstam! Thanks Dan for your leadership this past year and Good Luck to David! Big Thanks to Joanne Landry for sharing her beautiful home and hosting the event and to Jeff Slayton for taking on the grilling and bartender duties. A wonderful turnout and night of fellowship.

 

       

 

Guest Speaker Emily Elliott, Community Relations Manager, from Living Innovations shared information about their services and programs centered around supporting clients with intellectual and developmental challenges. Emily's presentation was very informative!

 

   

On Thursday morning, a group of Rotarians visited the Young Elementary School Library in Saco to meet with the Librarian and a class of 2nd graders that would be using some of the newly purchased books donated by our club.  As part of the 2025 District Grant, $4500 was donated to three local community school so that they may purchase new books and materials needed for their school. Young Elementary in Saco, Jameson Elementary in Old Orchard Beach, and the Biddeford Primary School were all recipients of this grant. It was fun to see the young students pick out one of the new books to read during our visit.  Last month, Dan and Dru visited the Jameson school and had the opportunity to also meet with students in the classroom. A great service project for our community.

 

    

Special thanks to Gretchen Johnson, Executive Director, Center for Grieving Children for speaking to our club this morning. Gretchen's presentation was very informative and she shared an overview of the services and programs available to those dealing with grief both directly and indirectly. For more information on the organization you can visit their website at http://www.cgcmaine.org

 

We have included some of the handouts provided to the club.

 

            

 

Congratulations to our May 2025 Students of the Month!! The two students recognized at our weekly meeting on May 8th were Gloria Sebit of Biddeford High School and Joana Massanga of Old Orchard Beach High School. President Dan Letellier and Rotarian Jen Sirois presented the students with a certificate and $50 gift card sponsored by Maine Community Bank. Great to honor these students and learn about their accomplishments! A reflection of Service Above Self!

 

                                                                     

Another great day of Service for the Saco Bay Rotary Club. Who better to do the yard cleanup for our Auction winner in Saco than a group of landscape engineers from the Saco Bay Rotary Club. A rose among thorns, our favorite rose (Rotarian Jen Sirois) is flanked by President Dan Letelier, Rotarians Chris Jordan, Chris Bedard, Dave LePauloue, Dru Laduke, Mike Collard, and President Elect David Arenstam. Thank you Rotarians for your time and hard work!

 

    

Special thanks to this week's guest speaker Joanna Shaw for sharing her story and more information about Sweetser's OPTIONS program.  The presentation was very interesting and all attending Rotarians were provided with a take-home bag full of important resource information and a box of NARCAN. For more information about this life-saving program, visit www.knowyouroptions.me

 

   

 

Great turnout for the Chilli Cookoff on Thursday, April 17th at the River Winds Farm in Saco! Participants were from the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club, Saco Bay Rotary Club, and the Sunset Bay Rotary Club. The judge for the event was Chef Hermann from the Lost Fire in Cape Porpoise. And the top winners were.....

 

1st Place - $200 Gift Certificate to the Lost Fire - John Gallo - Saco Bay Rotary Club

2nd Place - $100 Gift Certificate to the Lost Fire - Lucie Hatch - Saco Bay Rotary Club

 

Congrats to John and Lucie!!

 

Special thanks to Rotarians Conrad Welzel (BS Rotary), Jeff Slayton (Saco Bay), and Dennis Robillard (Sunset Bay) for their planning and coordination of this fun fellowship event!

 

    

A fun time was had by all at the 2025 Saco Bay Rotary Club Live Auction held on Saturday, April 12th at the Biddeford-Saco Elks Club. Special thanks to David Arenstam, Phil Smith, Dru Laduke, Phil Hatch, Dan Letellier, and all those that spent time and effort over the past several months planning, soliciting sponsors and items, storinga nd cataloging all the items, and ensuring the event was a success! We look forward to sharing the total fundraising financials shortly.

 

 

    

 

Congratulations to the April 2025 Saco Bay Rotary Club Students of the Month!! At the April 10th weekly meeting, the following students, who were nominated by teachers and faculty, were honored for their outstanding contributions to their high schools and each student shared their accomplishments and future goals with the Rotarians.

 

Each student was presented with a certificate and a $50 gift card sponsored by Maine Community Bank.

 

Congratulations to these well-deserving students!

 

 

   

 

 

A team of Saco Bay Rotarians helped to serve over 100 meals on March 31st at the Saco Meals Program. Thanks to Joanne Landry, Phil & Lucie Hatch, and Jen Sirois for their time and service!! Rotarian Dave LePauloue also led the Thornton Academy Alumni team in preparing the meal. #ServiceAboveSelf

 

  

Congratulations to the February and March 2025 Saco Bay Rotary Club Students of the Month!! The following students who were nominated by teachers and faculty, were honored at the March 13, 2025 weekly Rotary meeting for their outstanding contributions to their high schools and each student shared their accomplishments with the Rotarians.

 

- Brady Plante, OOB High School

- Colby Thomas, OOB High School

- Dominick Tremblay, Biddeford High School

- Emily Labbe, Biddeford High School

- Matteo Patino, Thornton Academy

 

Each student was presented with a certificate and a $50 gift card sponsored by Maine Community Bank.

 

Congratulations to all!

 

 

 

Our club is growing! President Dan Letellier led the induction of four new members over the past few months. We welcome our new Rotarians and look forward to their contributions as they share in our commitment of Service Above Self! 

 

Introducing Rotarians: Tony Alaimo, Bill Doran, Chris Bedard, and Shawn Decoteaux