Events

Scott Boucher, President of the Old Town Rotary Club, is also the PolioPlus Chair on the District Foundation Committee for the Maine side of the border. Scott will provide us with an update on the status of PolioPlus in our district and globally. Undoubtedly, he will provide ideas for clubs to utilize to celebrate World Polio Day on October 24th and bring awareness of the disease to our community. 

A Rotary Club Assembly is a regular club meeting dedicated to discussing and coordinating club business, such as future plans, projects, and committee reports, rather than a formal program. These assemblies provide a forum for member participation, enabling the sharing of ideas, addressing concerns, and fostering a collective understanding of the club's direction, with the club president typically leading the discussion to ensure transparency and engagement. 

Key Purposes of a Rotary Club Assembly

• Monitoring Progress:

Directors and committee chairs provide updates to the club on their projects and activities. 

• Strategic Planning:

The assembly serves as a platform to develop long-term plans, coordinate committee efforts, and discuss upcoming initiatives for the new Rotary year. 

• Member Engagement:

Assemblies encourage members, especially new ones, to learn about the club's operations and contribute their ideas and feedback. 

• Information Sharing:

Members exchange information on topics of importance to the club, ensuring everyone is informed about goals and ongoing activities. 

• Education:

The meetings offer ongoing education about Rotary, including the importance of membership development, community outreach, and Rotary's values. 

How a Club Assembly Typically Works

• Leadership:

The club president or a designated officer leads the assembly, guiding discussions and ensuring member interests are addressed. 

• No Formal Program:

Unlike a standard Rotary meeting, a club assembly lacks a pre-scheduled guest speaker or entertainment, focusing instead on internal club business and member interaction. 

• Focus on the Future:

While past performance might be reviewed, the primary goal is to look forward, outlining the president's aspirations and the plans of various committees for the upcoming Rotary year. 

• Member Input:

The assembly provides a crucial opportunity for members to voice their ideas, concerns, and commitments to the club's goals. 

Why They Are Important

• Transparency:

Assemblies promote transparency and inclusivity by providing a clear channel for communication between club leaders and members. 

• Shared Vision:

By involving members in the planning process, assemblies help create a shared vision and commitment to the club's success. 

• Improved Administration:

Regular assemblies facilitate effective club administration by fostering communication and allowing for adjustments to plans.

Five years ago, Matt Billian left his fifteen-year career in public safety and turned his passion into a business. He is now known locally for his aerial photography.

“It all started with an interest in aviation,” he said. “And seeing things from up high.”

As a teenager, he paid for flight lessons by cleaning hangars at the Twitchell Airport in Turner. He could fly planes before he learned to drive a car. When drones began to be released, he was immediately hooked.

Billian Moments Productions has a memorandum of understanding with Franklin County’s emergency management services. Billian provides aerial visuals of emergency events as a community service. His background in public safety gives him an understanding of how emergency management operations work and how to operate safely in a crisis.

“To see something in its entirety and to utilize that for disaster relief,” he said, is immensely valuable to the county. During the December 18 flood, Billian took drone footage that was published by the Daily Bulldog and widely shared in the community, helping the public to understand the gravity of the event.

Billian recently changed his company name from Billian Moments Photography to Billian Moments Productions to reflect his wide range of offerings. The list is long: aerial cinematography, cinematic interviews, aerial construction footage, long term construction time lapse, commercial advertising, aerial live broadcasting, contract videography, event videography, real estate videography, directing commercials, and full production from planning to producing.

“Now it’s what you need me to be,” he said, instead of simply photography.

Despite his multi-faceted skillset, Billian’s roots are in photography. He has been playing around with cameras since he was young, owing his skills to never letting himself use an automatic camera setting. “I made myself go to manual right away,” he said. “It was very frustrating, but it’s definitely paid off.”

Billian said that he has found that splitting the business roles with his wife, to make sure “it doesn’t ever become stagnant,” has kept his excitement for visual art alive.

Learn more about Billian Moments Productions at www.billianmoments.com.

 Our Rotary Foundation                                                                                                

   The Rotary Foundation, established in 1917, is the charitable arm of Rotary International.

Its primary objective is to promote world peace, understanding, and goodwill through humanitarian efforts.

The Foundation focuses on seven Rotary’s strategic areas: peacebuilding and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water, sanitation, and hygiene, maternal and child health, education, community economic development, and supporting the environment.

One of its flagship initiatives is PolioPlus, launched in 1985 to eradicate polio worldwide.

This program has mobilized resources, funding, and volunteers to immunize billions of children and raise awareness about the disease.

Through partnerships with organizations like the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Bill & Belinda Gates Foundation, PolioPlus has made significant strides toward a polio-free world.

Global Grants, Ambassadorial Scholarships and Rotary Peace Centers are also major areas of focus for The Rotary Foundation.

The Rotary Foundation exemplifies the spirit of service, striving to create lasting change and improve lives globally, making it a cornerstone of Rotary's commitment to humanitarian service.