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AUBURN — Rotarian and activist Joanne Shea Bollinger and Tim Gallant, staff assistant for U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District, will be the guest speakers at the first two February Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Lunch Club meetings.
Bollinger is scheduled to share her story Thursday, Feb. 1, and Gallant will speak Thursday, Feb 8. The meetings are from noon to 1 p.m. at The Village Inn, 165 High St.
Sponsored by Monica Millhime, club president, Bollinger was inducted into the organization in October. She is a board member of “WISE — Women’s Initiatives that Strengthen and Empower” — a non-profit in Maine since 2005 seeking to move vulnerable women and children in western Zambia into self-sustaining lives.
Her first trip to the project in 2013, intended as a one-time immersion experience in a small African town, inspired her to become involved in a deeper way. She now travels to Zambia at least once a year to advise, collaborate and learn from the local women who do the actual work on the ground. Much of her time at home is focused on fundraising and sharing the WISE story around the country.
Her passion is the organization’s scholarship program, currently supporting 150 secondary students who otherwise would have no options for school beyond seventh grade, especially young girls at risk of early marriage. A special connection has been forged with the Nkwazi Rotary Club in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital — a trip to Zambia must include a visit with them. Bollinger grew up in Auburn and graduated from Edward Little High School in 1963, never expecting to return. Following a career in music — teaching in Camden, Woolwich and Brunswick — and singing throughout New England, she spent 12 years in Illinois with her second husband. Returning to Maine with her husband and following his death from Alzheimer’s Disease, the life circle to Auburn was completed in 2014, when Joanne came “home” to be near her son and his wife.
When he is not representing Congressman Poliquin at events or working on local veterans’ benefits and claims, Gallant volunteers at his church — Pathway Vineyard — and serves the community through organizations such as the Lewiston ELKS Lodge and more. He served in the Navy for 19 years from 1975 through 1994, including a stint with the Blue Angels in Pensacola, Fl. Upon retirement from the Navy, Gallant attended Concordia University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business management, and returned to Maine in 2001, accepting a positon as building, grounds and transportation director at Maine School District 43.
He then became the parks superintendent for Rumford, retiring in 2009 and returning to school to earn a second degree in applied science as a drug and alcohol counselor. During this time and as a disabled veteran himself, he was also helping veterans receive benefits through his local VFW and American Legion Posts. Since 2016, he has worked in Rep. Poliquin’s Lewiston office.
Reservations are not required for the luncheon. For more information, contact Millhime at 207-713-7045 or email millhime@myfairpoint.net. Events and other club information are posted at www.lewistonauburnrotary.org and www.facebook.com/lewistonmainerotary/.
