The guest speaker for March 17 was Joe Lallande, the chairperson of the Presque Isle Rotary Club’s Scholarship Committee. Other members of the Scholarship Committee are Tim Roix, Curt Paterson, Jim Bubar and Eric Waddell. The Scholarship Fund was established in 1993 with $30,000 and the intent to help provide higher education opportunities for local youth. As of the end of 2007, the Fund has grown to $181,000. According to Lallande.
“We are able to give $6,400 in scholarships each year to students from Presque Isle High School, Easton High School, Presque Isle Adult Education, Northern Maine Community College and University of Maine at Presque Isle. Over the past 15 years, it is estimated that we have been able to help 75 to 80 students,” he said.
The Scholarship Fund is currently pooled with the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s scholarship funds in order to better manage the portfolio and reduce costs. Lallande would like to see PI Rotary’s Fund reach $1 million, which would be a fantastic accomplishment!
Cliff Rohme addressed the club March 10 on the subject of multiple sclerosis and the National MS Society.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person’s healthy tissue. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 or as old as 75 have developed it.
MS is not considered a fatal disease as the vast majority of people with it live a normal life-span. But they may struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing increasing limitations. Anyone may develop MS but twice as many women as men have it. Studies suggest that genetic factors make certain individuals more susceptible than others, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited. It occurs more commonly among people with northern European ancestry
Approximately 400,000 Americans have MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS affects 2.5 million people.
There will be a walk for MS on Saturday, April 26th at Cary Medical Center in Caribou. Please contact Cliff if you would like to take part in the walk or contribute to the cause. Seventy-five percent of all of the money raised in Maine stays in Maine. The remaining funds go to the National MS Society for research.
In other business, Rotarians welcomed the club’s newest member: Dr. Jay Reynolds of The Aroostook Medical Center.
The Presque Isle Rotary Club meets every Monday at noon in the Northeastland Hotel.