The Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club, a Service Organization Established In
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A History of the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary club over 40 years Rotary motto “Service Above Self” The Rotary Four-Way Test Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? The Rotary Four-Way Test is one of the most widely printed and quoted business ethics statements in the world. It was adopted by Rotary International in 1943. Rotarians are expected to know the test and to conduct their business and private lives accordingly. Local Club Welcomes District Members About 200 Rotarians are expected to attend the Rotary District 7790 Conference in Bar Harbor May 16-18. The district extends from Lewiston in Maine up to the northern reaches of Quebec and the territory of Nunavut. Rotary thanks the local businesses who are offering discounts to guests attending the conference. Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary – 40 Years and Growing The mission of the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club is to bring together a diverse group of business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and build goodwill and peace in the community and the world. These ambitious goals reflect the enthusiasm and commitment to service that have sustained the club for 40 years. The MDI Rotary Club had its beginnings in early 1968 when a group of business and professional leaders worked toward founding a local chapter of Rotary International. The first meeting was held on March 20, 1968, with 27 charter members attending. The group held its first luncheon meeting one week later at the Mary Jane Restaurant. For the first few months of its existence, the club was accepted only provisionally by Rotary International because its proposed name failed to include reference to a municipality, as RI required. By changing the name to the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club, the club gained approval by international headquarters and held its charter night on September 21, 1968. From the very beginning, the club’s focus was on service. Early recipients of MDI Rotary funding included the Jesup Memorial Library, MDI Hospital, Boy Scouts, Maine Sea Coast Mission and YMCA, all of whom continue to receive Rotary support. As it does today, the club also provided “hands-on” assistance. One of the club’s early projects was serving as waiters at the 1970 Lion’s Club District Banquet in Bar Harbor; proceeds were used to send a local high school student to England with the U.S. High School Band. For a number of years, the club provided funds for dental care for MDI children who needed assistance. Early on, the new club also established the practice of inviting speakers and performers to luncheon meetings to educate, enlighten and entertain club members. Speakers during the club’s first year includes Father James Gower, who discussed plans to establish a College of the Atlantic; Job Corps Director Clarence Dressing; Peter d’Erico, an industrial agent who would later become director of the new Bangor International Airport; and Eddie Hayman, a songwriter and producer of a variety show at the Criterion Theater. But fellowship was never far from members’ minds. In May 1973 the club held its fifth anniversary dance, and the spring dance became a yearly event along with the annual Christmas party. Fellowship also meant the opportunity to welcome Rotarians and other guests from all over the world to club meetings. From its earliest years until today, summer residents, vacationers and visiting Rotarians have all brought a rich diversity of backgrounds and interests to club meetings. Visitors from England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and many other countries are frequent guests at club meetings, especially during the summer and fall. The club also responded to economic and environmental factors that affected the MDI community. Recalling his 1973/74 year as club president, Jim Surridge noted that energy concerns are nothing new. “Energy conservation was a concern then as it is now,” he commented, “and we established an exercise program of walking from downtown Bar Harbor to the Wonderview Restaurant for the weekly meetings in the summer season. Some of the Rotarians rode their bikes.” A sign of changing times occurred in 1989 when (after the International organization approved it) the club began admitting women. The first three women members all joined that year: Pat Curtis, Gina Farnsworth and Barbara Fox. Mrs. Curtis was elected the club’s first woman president in 1995. All three remain as active members today. Club fundraisers and other activities accelerated in the new millennium. In March 2002 the Rotary-affiliated Interact Club was chartered at MDI High School. That same year, the club established its website. It also awarded the first Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching to Connie Blaney, and presented the Paul Harris Award, Rotary’s highest honor, to John Reeves, who was not a club member. Since then the “Non- Rotarian Paul Harris Award” has been presented to a number of community leaders who exemplify the principles of Rotary. One of the most significant developments in recent years was the formation in 2005/06 of the Sunrise group, which meets every Thursday morning. The breakfast meetings make it possible for Rotary to retain and recruit members who cannot attend at lunchtime, and give members a chance to make up for missing the Wednesday luncheon meeting. Most MDI Rotary meetings continue to feature a program given by a club member or guest speaker. Recent speakers have included an historian, an ecologist, an astronomer, an artist, a novelist, an expert in avoiding identify theft, and the chancellor of the University of Maine System. From its beginnings with 27 members, MDI Rotary membership has grown to 70. Along with fun and fellowship, Rotary gives each member an opportunity to utilize their own knowledge, skills and sense of purpose to serve their community and the world. Founders Represented a Cross Section of the Community In March 1968, several prominent businessmen met in the judge’s chambers on the upper floor of the old Bar Harbor Police Station to form a Rotary Club. Attending were members of the Ellsworth Rotary Club, which was willing to sponsor the new club, and District Governor Dennis Lombard of Bangor. The founders of Rotary believed in diversity. A classification system was established to ensure that diversity, and to develop a pool of resources and expertise to implement service projects successfully. Each club was limited to one member in each classification – only one lawyer, one doctor, one insurance agent. (This practice was relaxed gradually over the 100 years of the organization until today; a club may have as many as 10% of its members in any given classification.) Early members of the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club were chosen to ensure that, like all other Rotary Clubs, the group had a good cross section of the business and professional community it would serve. Solicitation of members scrupulously avoided approaching members of other service clubs and thus Rotary maintained a good working relationship with existing organizations According to Rotary's classification principle, members join Rotary as the representative of their particular business or profession. This gives Rotarians the dual responsibility of representing their vocation within the club and of exemplifying the ideals of Rotary within the workplace. The founding members of the new Rotary club embodied this principal. President Edwin Smith was a lawyer, Vice President Don Hobbs was an insurance agent and Treasurer Richard Libby was in banking. Secretary Cary Swan, insurance, was newly arrived in town from the Rumford Rotary Club. The three living members of the original slate of officers – Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Libby and Mr. Swan – are still members of the local club. Other early members and the vocations they represented were: Robert Avery Robert J. Brown, grocer Derek V. Bush, hospital administrator Dwight B. Carter, real estate Douglas B. Chapman, lawyer Dwight L. Eaton, trust administrator John L. Fuller, scientific research Earl L. Green, laboratory administration Donald H. Hackett, educator David R. Harding, general insurance Thomas B. Hyde, park superintendent John A. Phelps, fuel oil retailer Bernard C. Staples, criminal law practice James Vardamis, restaurateur David L. Wallace, plumber Peter L. Young, electrician Today, MDI Rotarians represent more than 50 different vocations and nearly half are women. This diverse group of business and professional leaders works actively within the community to support many charitable activities. After 40 years, the Rotary Club of Bar Harbor (MDI) still meets weekly and has expanded its help to service projects around the world while enjoying the fellowship of membership. How Do MDI Rotarians Raise Money for Local Service Projects? Membership dues Proceeds from events such as the Seafood Festival, the Holiday Party, and the Adventure Golf Tournament “Happy and sad dollars” at club meetings Fines for failing to answer trivia questions at club meetings Grants from the Rotary District and Rotary International [ARE THERE OTHERS?] Who Benefits from MDI Rotary? MDI Rotary supports a number of community organizations and projects on an ongoing basis. These include: Backpacks for Foster Children. Since February 2007 the club has provided backpacks to more than 60 foster children through the Hancock County office of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. To ease the children’s transition into foster care, the backpacks are stuffed with age-appropriate items including toiletries, clothing, school supplies, toys and blankets. Bar Harbor Food Pantry. Club members assist the Food Pantry in a number of ways: checking in clients, stocking shelves, distributing frozen foods, helping clients find certain items and carrying goods to their cars.