Farmington Rotary Club: Caring About Community
By Lisa Laflin, Farmington Rotary Publicity Chair
One in a series of articles spotlighting members of the Farmington Rotary Club in this centennial year.
Farmington Rotary is 100 years old this year. It has achieved this milestone through the dedication of members like Terri Winslow. Terri joined Rotary ten years ago and has committed herself to the club’s ideals. She is currently the co-chair of the Centennial Committee with Al Feather; assistant district governor covering area 13 (Rangeley, Skowhegan and Farmington) where she helps incoming presidents of those clubs and then the current president; youth advisor; and past Farmington club president.
Terri came from a navy family so she, “grew up all over the place.” Born in Washington state, her family then moved to Japan and many other places throughout her early life. Before settling in Farmington having raised four children, she lived in Orrington for eight years with her husband Doug who is a talented chef who now works for Sodexo in a management position building menus worldwide. (They met at a dude ranch!) Doug and Terri live in New Sharon.
When she was new to the area and looking for a way to get to know people, she researched civic organizations and really liked what she read about Rotary’s mix of local and global activity. “Rotary was a great way for me to get to know the needs of my new community.”
“I am passionate about the fact that we work with young people and have the ability to show young people how important they are in the community and how they can be an integral part of their community.” As a testament to her commitment to youth, Terri has been an advisor for the Mt. Bue High School interact club fro the last seven years. “I love when students are with us multiple years and I see their leadership roles mature. You can just see the pride in the work they are doing. There is nothing better than talking to a group about how to contribute what they have raised back into the community.”
Terri also appreciates that Rotary never goes to another place in the world and tells the residents what to do. We work with them to solve the problems. We do not act like we have all the answers.
If I had just one thing to tell people, I would say, “Rotary is a great organization to be part of if you want to work with like-minded people on some pretty big projects to make a difference. The collective power is amazing. Volunteering with a bunch of do gooders is inspiring.”
Terri’s interests outside of Rotary are diverse, but centered around family, of course. All her children live in Maine, so she loves spending time with her eight grandchildren ranging from ages 6 to 23. She also loves to cultivate her vegetable garden; is an avid runner; cross country skier; cycler; kayaker; and hiker. When not outdoors, she can be found reading - particularly historical fiction.
Terri has an elevated 27-year career in the elevator industry. She currently works as an account manager for Otis Elevator. This involves working with clients to build a maintenance plan that works for them, providing repair quotes, overseeing new installations, and project management. She loves customer service and has a huge service area to maintain, traveling from Augusta south and all of New Hampshire.
In closing, Terri encouraged people to stop in and have breakfast with other Rotarians and see what they think. “You never know, it might change their lives.”
For more information about Farmington Rotary, visit farmingtonrotary.us or reach out to lisaparklaflin@gmail.com. Meetings are open to all on Thursdays at 7 am at the North Dining Hall on the UMF campus.