Nurse Practitioner Linda Wentworth's des­crip­tion of her recent trip with the Camden First Aid Asso­ciation to bring medical care and oral surgery to the residents of remote villages in Honduras held the members of the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club spell­bound at the club's meeting last Thursday evening. The talk was accompanied by vivid photos of the trip, Linda's 13th in the past 12 years.

Linda told how she first learned of the program through Tony Bok, the leader of the group. She had to take Spanish lessons for a year to qualify for the trip, but after that first mission, there was no turning back. It was, she said, a transformational experience. Linda was accompanied by Lisa Burger, a colleague at St. Andrews, who participated in the most recent trip. Lisa, who is also the minister of the East Boothbay Methodist Church, confirmed the life-changing effect of the program on those who serve as well as on those who are served. The two women are preparing for the next trip, which will be to Guatemala.

Vice president Vic Taylor, presiding in the absence of president Skip Kreahling, thanked Linda for her presentation and presented a check to the Association to assist in their efforts. He remarked that it was the first time he had seen a speaker able to hold the uninterrupted attention of the group for 40 minutes.

Guests at the meeting included Ann Sutter, whose father, Delmont Tilton, was a past president and long-term member of the club, as well as Tammy Blackman's children, Jacob and Savannah.

On Thursday, January 10, Wells Rotarian Terry Hodskins will tell us about Wrap-a-Smile, the project she started (with the help of the Boothbay Harbor club) six years ago, and which is now an international program that has provided over 7,000 quilts to children undergoing Rotary-sponsored surgeries worldwide. Bill Bailey will be greeter that night and offer the invocation, with Andy Hamblett and Angelo DiGiulian as waiters and Marty Helman as program chair. January housekeeping assignments are: steward, Doug Harley; innkeeper, Marty Helman; 50/50, Tammy Blackman; and sergeant at arms, Tom Carroll. The board of directors will meet at 4:45 p.m. that afternoon at the Walter Foundation offices, 7 Oak Street.

January 17 will be Rotary Recognition Night, with recipients of club grants telling about their experiences. The meeting on January 24 will feature fish stories by Bet Finocchiaro, and to complete the month, Peter Morrison will speak on the Red Cross Blood Bank on January 31.

Want to learn more about Rotary or about our Club? Interested neighbors, visiting Rotarians and guests are invited to join us for our weekly meetings each Thursday at our one-of-a-kind Rotary Clubhouse at 29 Oak Street in downtown Boothbay Harbor. The bell is rung and dinner is served promptly at 6:30 p.m., then comes a short business meeting and special speaker, and the evening ends by 8 p.m. Check us out on the Web: www.boothbayharborrotary.org.