Rockland Rotary had a celebratory evening at their Centennial banquet at the Samoset Resort on October 23rd. Emily Dillon, Master of Ceremony, did a superb job of introducing guest speakers and keeping the evening flowing on schedule. Rockland Rotary's president, Mike Flanagan, gave brief remarks about Rockland Rotary and welcomed dignitaries and guests. Ken Gricus, who has been a Rotarian for 52 years, gave an inspiring invocation. A pre-recorded video highlighted Rockland Rotary's All-Inclusive Playground Project that was gifted to the City of Rockland upon completion for the community to use and enjoy. Susan Ware Page, who spearheaded all the fundraising and ordering of the playground equipment, explained the process of this monumental project and community build. Kermit Voncannon spoke about the history and some of the logistics of the project. Ferolyn Curtis shared some heartwarming, emotional aspects of the community build that encompassed over 160 dedicated volunteers from local businesses and community members. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Nirav Shah, was introduce by Eric Hebert, who added a note of humor to his introduction. Dr. Shah is the principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a job he has held since January 2023 after being Maine's CDC director. Shah joked that when people ask him what keeps him up at night, he tells them, "I sleep like a baby, which is to say, I get up every two hours, kicking and screaming and crying. There is a lot going on in the world. Whether it's the next pandemic threat, climate change, ticks finding their way here, or whether it's polio in another part of the world. The challenges facing public health are innumerable." he said.
"We at the CDC have our hands full. But the truth of the matter is that none of those things is the biggest challenge. Our biggest challenge at the CDC is not Ebola, or polio or climate change or hurricanes, or PFAs, or heart disease. Our biggest challenge is trust," Dr. Shah said. "The real thing that keeps me up at night is not a scary virus or the next hurricane or flood, it's those frayed bonds of trust," the deputy CDC director said. "When the real next threat arrives, if the advice of the CDC is ignored and assistance is turned away, that means lives are lost and communities are destroyed. That is where Rotary comes in. Rotary is an example of people from different groups coming together for face-to-face meetings over a long time to work for a common community goal." After Dr. Shah’s powerful message, Past District Governor, Doug Curtis, Jr. closed the evening by sharing information about past hands-on projects and community service that Rockland Rotary has engaged in to help others globally and locally. Doug left us with this query, "What will the next 100 years bring for Rockland Rotary?”
Top collage: Rockland Rotarians, Emily Dillion, President Mike Flanagan, Eric Hebert, and guest speaker, Dr. Nirav Shah
Bottom collage: Ken Gricus, District Governor Dino Marzaro and his wife, Karen, and PDG Doug Curtis, Jr.
View professional pictures of the banquet in Photo Album, on right side of our webpage.