Since its charter in October 2018, the Satellite of West Bay Rotary has engaged in various community service activities and fundraisers that have enabled it to provide significant support to organizations doing important work in Maine and beyond.

The Satellite works to support the focus areas of Rotary International, including alleviating poverty, clean water, environmental integrity and women and girl’s education and advancement.

In 2019, members participated in a Route 1 Roadside Cleanup near Camden Hills State Park and helped the Town of Camden Parks and Recreation department at Laite Beach with a bathhouse repainting and rehabilitation. Before the pandemic, the Satellite held a “So you Think you Know Maine” Trivia Contest at the Camden Snowbowl in January 2020 drawing almost 100 participations.

Later in the fall, at the old RES site in Rockport, the Satellite held a successful Cornhole Tournament and Painting Raffle.

Members participated again in a Roadside Cleanup in Camden during Spring 2021, and in June held a second Cornhole Tournament at Flatbread in Rockport.

Once again, the members participated in a project to benefit the Parks and Recreation Department of Camden with Picnic Table Painting in the in Spring 2021 and then Penobscot Park Cleanup in Lincolnville removing brush and pruning trees to make the park accessible again in the Fall 2021.

Several members also participated in the Window Dressers Community Build in Owls Head, and later raised funds through the sale of Blueberry Hand Pies at Christmas by the Sea in December. More fundraising activity included the successful ‘Boats, Books and Bling’ Super Raffle.

As a result, over the past three years the Satellite has made grants totaling over $7,000 to Hospitality House/Knox County Homeless Coalition, AIO, New Hope for Women, Window Dressers, OUT Maine, CAMFED, Casa Alitas, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project Maine and Partners In World Health.

Speakers at meetings have included David Wright, Lunasea Filmmaker, Elias Thomas, Past District Governor of District 7780, Ann Marie Almeida of CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education in Africa), and representatives from Southern Poverty Law Center, Midcoast Solid Waste, OUT Maine, Knox County Homeless Coalition, Hospitality House, and WindowDressers.

Charter Members include Peter Lindquist, of Camden; Mark Bergelin, of Lincolnville; Abraham Dugal, of Camden; Cindy Allen, of Camden; Heidi Karod, of Rockport; J.P. Fecteau, of Camden; and Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, of Camden. New member Ann Marie Almeida joined the Satellite in 2022.

The group meets the second and fourth Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at American Flatbread in Rockport. Membership includes being a member of the host club, West Bay Rotary. FMI, visit www.westbayrotaryofmaine.org.