Thank you for joining us for the 61st Annual Waterville Rotary Auction. Every year, for over six decades, this important community event has supported Rotary’s efforts to make a difference in our community.Welcome to our Club!
Service Above Self
We meet In Person
Mondays at 12:00 p.m.
Best Western Plus
375 Main Street
Mail: PO Box 192
Waterville, ME 04903-0192
United States of America
Mail: PO Box 192
Waterville, ME 04903-0192
United States of America
Thank you for joining us for the 61st Annual Waterville Rotary Auction. Every year, for over six decades, this important community event has supported Rotary’s efforts to make a difference in our community.
Rotarians Jeff Melanson, Michele Prince, Andrea Pasco and Dan Eccher volunteered to help distribute hundreds of LLBean backpacks filled with school supplies at the South End Neighborhood Association's 18th Annual "South End National Night Out Event on August 6 at the Green Street Park in Waterville.
Club member Jim Chapman, Advisor of the Kennebec Valley Business Club and Student Senate also volunteered at the festival. The students offered face painting and a ring toss game with prizes. They loved spending time with the community and are looking forward to future collaborations
Despite 90F+ record breaking temperatures on Wednesday June 19, Rotary volunteers weeded and mulched gardens at the Riverwalk at Head of Falls, one of our club's signature projects.There is a planned tour of the Riverwalk for attendees at this weekend's Rotary District Conference, so we want the walk to look its best!
Thanks to (in alphabetic order):
Roger Crouse
John Dalton
Dan Eccher
Peter Garrett
Jeff Melanson
Michele Prince
Suzanne Uhl-Melanson
and thanks also from the Sunrise Rotary Club members Mary Morrison, Tom Munson & Jim Nelson
....and also to Roger and William, missionaries from Roger's church who lent a hand!
Plan to join us in Waterville - on June 21, 22, and 23 for the 2024 District Conference. Our Keynote Speaker will be Kevin Hines, author, filmmaker, mental health advocate, and suicide prevention activist. There will be amazing speakers, interactive activities, a summer garden party, a House of Friendship, and many opportunities to experience Hope in Action! For additional information and registration, please see: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50110/Events/district-7790-conference-2024
Our club was happy to join the Sunrise Club to collect toothpaste for the Waterville Area Essentials Closet. Over 5 dozen tubes of toothpaste was donated by club members. The Closet is a program of the 1srt Congregational Church of Waterville and provides personal and household items for community members in need. They have served over 1650 different people who represent more than 4500 family members in their homes.
Members of our club participated in the South End Neighborhood Association Annual Spring Clean Up, which was held on Saturday April 27. Rotarians gathered trash from both sides of Donald Carter Memorial Drive leading from
the bridge to the intersection of Grove St in Waterville.
18 contractor size garbage bags of roadway trash were collected along with a pickup truck bed of larger items, We estimated that at least 90% of the trash collected was plastic!
At a recent club meeting, Dan Eccher, club president and Michele Prince, Community Services Chair present Paula Raymond of the South End Neighborhood Association (SENA) a check for $1500.00 to support purchase of bikes for SENA's annual bicycle program.
The Waterville Rotary club continues to support local non[profits who address food insecurity in our community. The club recently made $1,000 donations to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter, The Winslow Community Cupboard and the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen. On 2/26 representatives attended a club meeting/luncheon and were recognized for their efforts in addressing hunger in our communities.from left to right:
Tom Canavin, Kitchen Coordinator and Tanya Fossett, Director of Development and Communications, both from Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter;
Steve Bolduc, Volunteer, Winslow Community Cupboard;
Janet Brunette, Board Member from Waterville Area Soup Kitchen
At the club meeting on Monday February 12, Dan Eccher, Club President presented a check for $890.00 to Keith Davis, of the Salvation Army. The funds were collected as "cups and fines" at meetings during the months of November and December 2023.
The Waterville Rotary Club raised $5,000 this year to support local organizations that address food insecurity. In the prior three years the club donated a total of $40,622 to organizations addressing hunger and basic needs.
According to Club president Daniel Eccher, “Our club became aware of the intense need in our community during the pandemic. We have directed a portion of our fundraising efforts each year since 2021 to help support the great work of local meal programs and food pantries, including some housed in our schools. We know that they operate on tight budgets and are dependent upon donations in order to feed people who don’t have enough resources to prevent hunger.”
Ron Joseph, author of "Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs, and Hermit Bill: Memories of a Wildlife Biologist In Maine" talked to our club about his 30 years of working in the woods of the northern and western part of the state. At one of the largest attended club meetings, Ron, a retired Maine wildlife biologist, spoke of growing up on his grandparent's farm in Mercer and related many anecdotes about his encounters with wildlife throughout his career. 
Chris Myers Asch, Executive Director from the Capital Area New Mainers Project (CANMP) spoke to the club today about the organization's efforts to help welcome refugee newcomers to Central Maine. For the past 6 years, CANMP has offered English classes, housing assistance, scholarships, an Activity Fund, celebrations and more as they have helped to build a thriving and diverse community together. He explained their Family Mentor Team approach in which volunteers help new refugee families adjust to life here in Maine through shared activities.
For more information: newmainersproject.org
"Immigrants have been the lifeblood of Maine since colonial times and they continue to be. Today's new Mainers bring energy, cultural vitality, and economic promise to our community and we are fortunate that they have chosen to live here."
---Bill, elected official
Volunteers from the Waterville Rotary Club recently helped the Waterville Elks Club's "Tools to Thrive" Backpack Giveaway program. 600 backpacks were packed with school supplies which are distributed to students grades K-12. Hygiene bags for the students were also packed.
Dan Parks, former member of our Rotary Club and now member of the Wilmington East Rotary Club in North Carolina poses with his wife and Svaitlana and Natasha and their two children who recently fled Ukraine with nothing more than their suitcases. Their husbands were not allowed to leave with them.. With the help of Dan's club they settled in Wilmington and are learning English. Dan thanked our club for our $4000 donation which helped them move into an apartment, get a small car and help build a sense of normalcy for themselves and their children. They now have jobs. As Dan put it "things are still a bit tight for them, but they are working through it. They are very thankful for the help and support of Rotary."
On another note, Dan related that their club just started the process of bringing over another family. Rotary makes a difference in our community...and the world!
The Waterville Rotary Club raised funds over the past year in order to support local schools, churches and other organizations providing food and basic necessities to our neighbors in need. Grants were awarded to 13 local organizations who work hard to ensure that no one goes hungry or lacks basic living supplies in our community.
The Waterville Rotary Club is accepting applications to provide mini-grants to organizations, schools and churches in the Greater Waterville area to address food insecurity and lack of basic necessities. Applications are due by November 30. If you have questions, email Michele Prince at michelep@kvcap.org.
DGE Tina Chapman attended the Zone Institute in Toronto in September 2022 for District Governor Elect Training.
DGE Tina with DG Denis Blouin, PDG Yves Fecteau, DGN Dino Marzaro
RI President Jennifer Jones with 7790 new District Governor Denis Blouin
District Governor Elect Tina Chapman with RI President Jennifer Jones
Waterville Rotary Club was recently featured on WABI-TV for our support of local high schools' efforts to help youth experiencing homelessness. Click this link to see the story on-line.
Welcome to Spring!!
We invite you to join us in an evening of wine tasting, Rotary trivia, and membership. Why? So we can demonstrate a simple opportunity for an in-person or remote fellowship experience while discussing membership ideas and creating a list of ideas to bring back to your club. Below is an invite to the event and some details that you can use should you decide to do this event.
We hope you or someone from your club will join us for the evening. Who doesn't want to share a glass of wine and increase ideas for recruitment and retention of our most valued assets, our members!!
Click the image above to register!
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