President's Message
Scarborough Rotary is dedicated to serving the local and surrounding communities. For those that don't know what Rotary is all about, we are an international service organization with over 35,000 clubs, and over 1.5 million members. The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
- FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
- SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
- THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
- FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service
The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self". Rotarians serve their local and international communities through Five Avenues of Service:
- Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.
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Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community, through projects like the House Numbering project. By providing numbered signs throughout the community, Scarborough Rotarians were able to help emergency response personnel to better locate homes when on a response call.
- Club Service focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.
- International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace. Rotarians can support International Service by sponsoring a project, in another country, seeking international project partners to support projects in their own communities, or by personally volunteering at an international project site.
- New Generations Service recognizes the positive change implemented by youth and young adults through leadership development activities such as RYLA, Rotaract, Interact, Rachel's Challenge, the 4 Way Test Essay and Speech Contest, and Student of Quarter recognition.
Scarborough Rotarians believe that when we invest in our youth, we invest in the future of our community. We are priveledged to have a very active Interact club at Scarborough High School who believes in the importance of serving in the community. These students have mentored students at the Root Cellar, spent time with our Veterans at the Veteran's home, and served in local soup kitchens, in addition to many other things.
In addition to Interact, each year we recognize several students from the middle school and high school, as Students of the Quarter. These students are nominated by the staff at the school based on a set criteria for demonstrating leadership within their school, community service, or for overcoming a personal obstacle. A special ceremony is held in their honor, where we invite their family, school staff, and members of the club to celebrate their accomplishment. Each winner's name is also displayed on a plaque at the school.
RYLA, or Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, holds a very special place in our hearts. Not only is the Executive Director of RYLA, a member of our club, but also we have historically been one of the top clubs for participation in the RYLA program in Maine. RYLA is a week long experience that is held at Camp Hinds in Raymond, Maine, where high school sophomores from across the district come together to learn important lessons in teambuilding, leadership skills, and how to be more prepared for the events they will encounter in their lives as they get older.
It is an incredible experience for both the staff and the RYLA participants, and lifelong friendships are made. Many of the participants come back as facilitators for many years to come.
Many of these events would not have been able to happen without our sponsors. I would like to personally thank Sam's Club, Hannaford's, Biddeford & Saco Savings Bank, Scarborough Mobile, Passionate Stitches, Cabela's, Wells Fargo, The Study Hall, Ace Hardware, and many other local businesses. Without your support, our club could not do all of the great deeds that we have been able to do over the years.
Now that you've read and heard many of the great things we do, do you want to be a part of this great club? I would like to invite you to be my guest at one of our meetings. We meet weekly at 5:45pm at Cabela's in Scarborough, just off of Payne Road. We'd love for you to come and experience what we are all about!
Yours in Rotary
Mindy Dearborn
President Scarborough Rotary 2012-2013
