International Service

There are many ways that Rotarians can serve.  One of those is to participate in the many programs of the international organization of which we are a part.

International Project

In Program year 2001-2002 our club initiated its first International Project (at least in the memory of members current at that time).  Rotarian Rob Fry as head of the International Service Committee coordinated the development of the idea and submission of the project support request to Rotary International.  Funds were provided by our Club, the Ellsworth Club, and the Los Chillos, Ecuador Club. Matching funds were added by District Governor Jan Goddard; all of which were matched by Rotary International.

Youth Exchange

Every year approximately 7,000 students ages 15 to 19 go abroad under the auspices of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, either for the academic year or an extended period of time. The increased self awareness and global perspective that they derive from the experience would not be possible without the commitment of the many volunteer host families and the dedication of those Rotarians who serve as Youth Exchange officers. Our club began to make an international impact in 2000-2001.  In that year we sponsored our first "outbound" student in Rotary's Youth Exchange program.  In the next program year, we sponsored our first "inbound" student.

Current Youth Exchange Students

The club was not able to arrange a Youth Exchange for the current program year.  Plans are in place to sponsor the first student from Mount Desert Island for program year 2004-05.

Former Youth Exchange Students

2001-2002 Outbound - Kendra Treadwell, from Dover, New Hampshire to France.  
2001-2002 Inbound - Gabriela (Gabi) Ribeiro, from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2002-2003 Outbound - Diana Sweet from York, Maine to Taiwan
2002-2003 Inbound - Isabella Francesca (Chesa) laO', from the Philippines

Group Study Exchange

Since its inception in 1965, the Group Study Exchange program has provided grants for countless teams of men and women in the early stages of their business and professional careers to travel abroad and share vocational information with the representatives of their respective professions in another country. Team members (who must be non-Rotarian business or professional people between the ages of 25 and 40) spend four to six weeks studying the host country's institutions, economy, and culture, while observing how their own professions are practiced abroad. More than 500 exchanges between paired Rotary districts occur each year, advancing the program's ultimate goal of promoting international understanding and goodwill. In the past several years our club has had visits by GSE groups from Australia and more recently from south central France.

In the 2001-2002 program year, the club hosted a team from India for three days with a comprehensive tour of the area arranged by Rotarian Dick Donohoe.  The team included Dr. Kapil Kulshreshtha, Orthopedic Surgeon; Mrs. Amita Khanna, Pharmacist and Travel Agent; Dr. N.N. Sirotha, Rotarian team leader, retired professor and agricultural specialist;and Dr. Shyam Naravan Dubey, Cardiologist. The visitors were hosted in the homes of Rotarians Bob & Judie Noonan, Mike Gurtler, Bill Hanley, and Dick Crawford.

The visit included a welcome luncheon at the Rose Garden restaurant (thanks to Rotarian Wil Gaines) followed by a tour of Acadia National Park in a van loaned by Bay Ferries Co. (thanks to Rotarian Annette Higgins) driven by Rotarian Dick Fox. That evening the group had dinner with the Ellsworth Rotary club where they made a presentation  showing their homes and families, work environments and features of their cities on the Ganges river in northern India, as part of the club's regular program.  

The following day included a series of vocational visits where the visitors got a chance to see how their vocations worked in our town.  Rotarian Art Blank hosted those who visited MDI Hospital, and Rotarian Diane Woodworth coordinated a tour of the Jackson Laboratory. At noon they gave their program and presentation to the Bar Harbor club at our regular Wednesday meeting. On the last full day they toured the College of the Atlantic (arranged by Rotarian Becky Buyers-Basso), visited the Abbe Museum (led by Rotarian Sharon Broom) and enjoyed an afternoon of leisure before a farewell dinner hosted by the club and attended by club officers, and the hosts and their spouses.

Ambassadorial Scholarships

The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program is Ambassadorial Scholarships, established in 1947. Since that time, more than 30,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today, the Ambassadorial Scholarships Program of The Rotary Foundation is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. More than 1,200 scholarships were awarded for study in 2000-01. Through grants totaling approximately US$26 million, recipients from some 69 countries will study in more than 64 different nations.

World Community Service

Every time a Rotary club in one country helps a Rotary club in another to complete a local project it's an example of World Community Service (WCS). Since 1962, Rotary clubs have been working together across international borders under the auspices of this popular program.

Rotary Volunteers

The Rotary Volunteers Program is the embodiment of Rotary's ideal of "Service Above Self." It provides opportunities for Rotarians and other skilled professionals to offer their services and expertise to local, national and international projects in need of assistance.