This is the story of a man who – both in his career and in his family – came up against a largely unmentioned crisis in our society, and how he turned to his Rotary connections to help mitigate the crisis. 

The man is Bob MacKenzie, a 36-year veteran of law enforcement and, since 2008, chief of police in Kennebunk. Bob is also a 17-year Rotarian, and our District Governor this Rotary year.    

The crisis is the opioid epidemic, which Bob has confronted as a police officer for many years. “I see a lot of people who may have done a criminal act to feed their addiction, but they are basically good people,” he says. “Drugs rewire your brain and make you need to feed your addiction. It’s a disease – the addict no longer has a choice.” 

Unfortunately, addiction has also hit Bob as a parent. “Between me and my wife, we have five kids. And addiction has become an issue for three of them.” Two of his children are in recovery, the third is still struggling.   

Bob believes that Rotary can help resolve the problem. “Stigma is the number one barrier that keeps people from seeking help,” he explains. He believes that we can all be part of the solution by learning more about addiction, and by breaking the silence of stigma.   

About eight years ago Bob started a District-wide Recovery Initiative. The group is having its third annual conference Sept. 28 at Noble High School in Berwick, and we are all invited. There, attendees will learn how to build collaboration in our communities to work together to fight this problem. “Too often,” Bob says, “we tend to work in our silos.”

Bob is also initiating some exciting public relations to promote the cause:  He left copies of “Recovery” magazine, the only print publication of its kind, and invited us to take the magazine to doctors’ offices and other places where it will be seen and read.  Already, “Recovery” is including an ad promoting Rotary. Also in the works is a partnership with WGME to carry short spots promoting Rotary. The District committee is also investing in drug disposal packets (take old meds, add water, and safely dispose) and Narcan nasal spray (used to counteract opioid overdoses) and these devices – plus information on Rotary – will be available for distribution. 

“As Rotarians, we need to do a better job of promoting what we do,” Bob says.  Not, he hastens to add, for a proverbial pat on the back, but because there are plenty of people out there who would join us – if only they knew more about the work we do. 

Amen to that. 

In other news, Bob mentioned the funding available to us through District grants – over $56,000 was dispersed this year to clubs who applied.  (We haven’t applied for several years – it was a District grant that helped us with our food insecurity program and also helped build the playground at BRES.) Bob also mentioned the SHARE Forever $1 million challenge to build Rotary’s endowment with gifts that come back to support the work of clubs in this District.  The short story is that donations blew past the $1 million mark and the District has now raised the bar to $5 million.  And why not?  The Rotary Foundation is one of the best managed non-profits in the world, and every year wins the highest praise from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of US-based charities. And there’s plenty of work for The Rotary Foundation to do! 

It was a pleasure to host Bob and Nancy MacKenzie, to feel his passion for opioid recovery, and to recognize that Rotary can be a player in this fight. 

In other news, we welcomed Marcus and Mireia, and their baby Aina, for another visit, but the welcome was also a goodbye as they will be returning to Catalonia until next summer.  Already, this correspondent is looking forward to a bigger Aina next summer, walking and who knows, maybe even talking in multiple languages.   

Graham Hurst was introduced – he is soon to be a member. And Irene spoke of the welcome totes complete with thank-you cards that are part of our ongoing reach to vets who move into the VETS trailers. Another 10 totes are ready to go to Ed Harmon along with our thanks for the good work he does.   

Tom Marston reported that the barn is (again) full – many pickups make profitable Saturdays. If you have stuff you would like to donate – “stuff” being the operative word – send an email to rotarybarnpickup@gmail.com and be sure to include what the stuff consists of, and the physical location where you and it are located.  And don’t forget to come out on Saturday to buy! The Big Grey Barn opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes promptly at 11 a.m. So be there. 

On Aug. 22, local author Steven Long will introduce us to his recent book, “Rivers of Ink: Literary Reflections on the Penobscot.” The book is an anthology of articles that offer insights into the river’s lasting impact and its role in Maine’s heritage. The following week, Aug. 29, Karen Pritchard asks us to bring our purses and be prepared to bet on horses racing right down the middle of the Clubhouse. Karen demonstrated what will happen, and it made sense at the time, but I can’t describe it here – you have to see it to believe it. Anyway, our Fun Committee is always coming up with crazy stunts that turn out to be just wonderful, so don’t miss the horse racing! 

Interested in learning more about Rotary and everything we do for the community?  Ask any Rotarian or just come to a meeting, most Thursday evenings at our Clubhouse, 66 Montgomery Road.  We gather for conversation and adult beverages at 6 p.m.; dinner is served at 6:30, and we all turn into pumpkins at 8:00.  We have fun! Join us and you will too.