The Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club’s last meeting in The Gallery gave us a lot to be thankful for. Kim’s traditional turkey and trimmings proved a great draw, and as we are about to move into new quarters, we are also well aware of how much we owe Laura and Steve Francis for their generous hospitality since last winter.

Guests at the meeting were Patty Seybold, who is “checking us out” as a potential member, and Annette Stormont, a former member who came back for the turkey and fellowship. We welcomed them both.

Deb Graves has a tree for us to donate to the Festival of Trees; she just needs decorators to make it festive. Seth Hedgcock volunteered Ann for this duty, and Connie Jones volunteered Annette. Who said you have to be a Rotarian to do Rotary service?

Some finishing touches on the club house: Steve Salorio arranged for Conley’s to landscape the new club house at no cost to the club. Wow! Daren Graves dug a ditch for the water line, which meant that no one else had to be on ditch duty. And our high school Interactors have volunteered to serve as waiters at our upcoming 75th celebration, which is greatly appreciated! Thank you, Deb Graves and girls.

Speaking of the 75th: We will celebrate our new club house with a gala evening on Thursday, Dec. 4. Our speaker will be Rotary Foundation Vice Chair Mike McGovern; we will also honor a number of community leaders with Paul Harris Fellowships. And we will dedicate our new home and prepare for the next 75 years of service. Cost for the evening to dues-paying members of our club is $20; cost to everyone else is $25. RSVP to Marty Helman by Nov. 30! Please, no unannounced walk-ins; the planners and Kim don’t need the excitement.

To get ready for the night: Saturday, Nov. 22 we had a work party to move everything out of Doug Harley’s barn and into our new space. Then on Saturday, Nov. 29 we will have a similar work party to move out of the Gallery. All hands on deck!

We all know what the Building Committee has been up to. The evening was a chance to learn what several of our other committees have been doing, with similar diligence but less fanfare.

Skip Kreahling talked about The Rotary Foundation, the 501(c)3 that funds all the good that Rotarians do here and around the world. He reported that club members and the club (in a matching program based on how much individuals give) donated $7,200 to The Rotary Foundation last fiscal year.

An example of how this money is spent is a project championed by clubs here in the Midcoast to train healthcare workers in Zambia. Skip pointed out that it is by building an appropriate medical infrastructure in developing nations that we can combat Ebola, polio, and other life-threatening diseases.

The foundation doesn’t just work overseas, however; it is up to us as a club to come up with projects (either in our own backyard or across the world) and apply for foundation dollars to fund it. Skip pointed out that any dollars contributed either by a check or online are tax deductible this calendar year.

Connie Jones caught us up to date on the activities of the Elder Services Committee. The committee has been striving for some years to find a way to expand upon the good work of FISH, which provides transportation to elders to go to medical appointments. But what about elders’ needs to get to the supermarket, the Y, or just to socialize? The MCH organization received a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund half of eligible seniors’ cab fares. Our club has donated $5,000 to provide the other half of the fare for eligible seniors.

Connie emphasized that this is a demographic group that is fiercely independent and doesn’t like to ask for help. And so the committee has had to educate seniors about the services and urge them to apply. Right now, the group is working with eight seniors. “That may not seem like much,” said Connie, “but it is critical to these individuals and it is a good start.” The committee plans to grow the program by word-of-mouth.

The committee has also put on an ongoing series of bimonthly meetings for local community groups involved in services for elders. “It was the first time these groups have ever had the opportunity to network,” Connie said, adding that only good can come out of their participation.

Connie also said that FISH is in need of volunteer drivers. Anyone who is interested in this good work is urged to get in contact with Susan Wilson at St. Columba’s.

Irene Fowle presented for the International Committee. She mentioned two ongoing projects of the committee. We have coin collection cans for Polio Plus around town: At the YMCA, East Boothbay General Store, Oak Street Provisions and Griffin Law Offices.

Last year we collected around $150 from these sources, all of which goes to help eradicate polio. We also have a collection point at the Y for Crutches4Africa. All the crutches, walkers, canes, and wheelchairs we collect go to people who need them — in the past four years our district has filled four 40-foot containers with these mobility devices. Irene asked that we all get the word out on both these projects.

The committee is asking the board of directors to approve donations to Rotaplast, ShelterBox and for our club to get involved in a Rotary Foundation grant for Safe Passage in Guatemala. Additionally, the committee is looking for a good way to help fight Ebola.

While not a club committee, LifeFlight is something that the club has supported in the past. John Welsh reported that Linda Bean has contributed $3 million toward the $7 million cost of a third helicopter. He thanked the club and many individual members for their continued support of this critical service.

Dwight announced monthly assignments for December, and it appears that Marty and Deb will be splitting the job of Steward. Mike Thompson will handle the 50/50, and Frank Helman will be Scribe. Brian McGrath will be Innkeeper in place of a recuperating Stephanie Blecharczyk. Assignments for Dec. 4 have already been discussed; on Dec. 11 Sheriff Todd Brackett will be visiting us to talk about drug challenges in Lincoln County. Waiters that night will be Deb Graves and Jonathan Tindal; and Mo Osman will be Greeter and give the Invocation.

Interested in all the good work that Rotary does, both here in the region and across the globe? Check us out on Facebook or the web: www.boothbayharborrotary.org. And come visit us in our new clubhouse on Montgomery Road.