Meeting Minutes from 2/18

 

 

Todd opened the meeting with a Mark Twain quote “Do the right thing.  It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

 

Thanks to our greeter Amelia.  We chose Ross as our greeter for next week.

 

Jennifer is scribing.

 

Tony Farnum of Tony Farnum construction, Jon Secrest’s daughters Alana and Alexa, Rhianna Kentrick of the Drop-In Center

 

Todd fines himself for not having a pen.  The meeting after next (first meeting in March) is our club assembly meeting.  We’ll have a pot luck breakfast.  Bring small breakfasty things.  We passed around a list.  Tristan and Justin offered to make oatmeal, juice and coffee.

 

Next Wednesday 2/25 is the Rotary Social at the Marina at 5:00pm

 

Kevin announced the 3 on 3 tournament.  Letters have gone out to solicit sponsors.  Posters are available – please hang them up.  Registration forms are available.  Please distribute them.  Toni will have a list in the next couple weeks to follow up on sponsor letters.  Sign up sheets will be coming soon for volunteers.  We will need volunteers on Saturday March 14^th for registration (foyer again), t-shirts, concessions, and break down.  March 14^th  8 am until 4pm or so.  We will also need volunteers for set up Friday March 13^th to create the brackets, taping the floor, etc… Concessions will be a huge undertaking.  The 3 point contest will need ball people (FBLA has volunteered but we need more)  Sandy Shriver is organizing the free throw contest – again, he will need ball people.  We also need t-shirt volunteers and Court monitors.  We hope to draw from court monitors in the past.  Ross’s expertise could be used from the past.  He has a good knowledge of how it works.  Peter Carvell has agreed to help out with court monitoring.  Court monitors are basically just a time keeper and someone with some knowledge of the game to referee and keep heads cool.  They enforce the rules.

 

Jim said last year was his first year as a monitor.  Peter had a meeting in advance for the monitors last year that was very useful.  Can we do this again?  Kevin said we will have that again this year.  The registration form has the rules on it.  Monitors have the final say – they are the authority.

 

Volunteer sign-up sheets are going around.  Most of the work happens the night before, first thing in the morning, and again at 12, clean up of the middle school which shuts down first (2pm)

 

 

Turner spent 6 hours mailing out registration forms this weekend.  If someone has a contact at a school that would be better than putting them in the mail.  Registration forms are also on the website.  Posters and registration forms are available electronically also.  Toni can e-mail them out to you. This is our major fundraiser for our scholarships ($10000 to 14000 each year is our goal for scholarships).  We need everyone’s help to make this happen. Middle school and up is the goal for players.  Women’s teams would be great.  Let’s start recruiting registrants.

 

 

Sandy Ladd bragged her 2-1 (26) anniversary on Valentine’s Day and also for her sister who was here last night when they started watching a movie and heard a dripping sound.  They ran out and started raking the roof but it was still dripping.  She got a drop of hot water on her head while in the house which led her upstairs.  One of the base board water coils upstairs was leaking.  There was a foot of water in the basement.  Dead River oil came immediately – Nate was wonderful – he showed up and turned off the boiler to stop the flooding.  They found the leak quickly.

 

Ali – Sadie called her last minute with an extra ticket for the NEYT show.  Excellent show – bragging for Evie and Lucy.

 

Nick – will be out for a conference next week and then a vacation in Mexico the week after that.  Maya Riviera?  Playa Riviera?

 

Jon brought his kids because there’s no school.  Woke the kids up they grumbled about it being break but then asked if they could go to Rotary (possibly for the pancakes) but mostly for the company.  Tonight they are heading out to a family night out at a hotel with a pool and lots of fun.

 

Jill and Simo are moving from their 1 bedroom downtown to a 3 bedroom apartment.  They have time and lots of help to make the move.

 

Drew bragged for Oliver Olson, the Jamaica Representative pursuing ambulance specific legislation to get the EMTs paid.

 

Kevin bragged a dollar for date night with his daughter.  They attended the Winter Carnival variety show.  She bought him cookies and they had a wonderful father/daughter bonding time.

 

Dan bragged for Grease at BUHS which he attended Saturday night with his family.  Great talent – Ralph’s daughter, Kristina had the lead.

 

Todd bragged for Maya’s Croka adventure program.  They’re on the trail somewhere near Rutland.  They just received the update that she’s fine.  Also bragged for the Jo Val music festival.  It was 1500 people in a hotel in Framingham Massachusetts.  There were hallway jams in the hotel, stairwells etc.  Everyone was very friendly and it was a lot of fun.

 

Jen bragged for Johnny at Sovernet for fixing her phone jack wire to get her internet up to speed at Brattleboro School of Dance.

 

Birthdays: 

Dan Deitz got a lovely birthday song – She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain…

 

It’s up to 13 million…  King of Diamonds was drawn.  There was no winner.

 

My grandfather, also a Rotarian, founded the first conflict resolution department in a higher education setting, at Depaw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

 

Jill guessed Turner.  Turner guessed Jim.  Jim gave a guitar pick and guessed Amelia.  Amelia guessed Will Shakespeare.  Will guessed Ross.  Ross’s mother graduated from Depaw and he was just out in Indiana for a funeral.  Ross guessed Nick.  Nick guessed Marcy.  Marcy guessed Mark.  Todd said she is in the room.  Marcy guessed Ali.  Ali gave the answer Jen.

 

This meeting was the anniversary of Jen’s father’s passing a year ago, which made for interesting timing of this clue being chosen since it was a fact about her father’s father that she did not learn until her father’s passing last February.  Her grandfather was a medic in WWII and decided that no war was worth it and therefore dedicated his life, outside of his duties as a doctor, to creating the conflict resolution program at Depaw.  He was successful.  Jill commented that she attended a summer conflict resolution seminar there years ago, so the legacy had come back around.

 

 

Rhianna Kentrick was called up to speak on behalf of the Drop-In Center.  She was called in at the last minute late last night by Sadie who was not in attendance today.  Rhianna just joined the drop-in center in January.  It’s a day shelter.  They cater to  those who need daytime food and shelter Mon-Fri 7-5, Sat 7-10,  as well as the overnight shelter all week from 5pm-7am at the First Baptist Church.  This is the first year they’re paying rent to the church for the overflow shelter services.  So far they have served 130 unduplicated people through the overnight shelter.  They always need for volunteers and that need is growing for the overnight shifts – 7pm-1 in the morning, then 1am-7 in  the morning.  There is also a food shelf at the drop-in center.  Their mission is to serve Brattleboro and its surrounding areas with the help of the VT food bank.  The Food Shelf is open Mon, Wed, Fri 7am-5pm and Tues 10am-12pm for Seniors only and all others from 1-3pm.  Emergency food is always available whenever they’re open.  Clothing and other items are also provided.  There is case management for those in need as well as housing placement. 

 

One question asked was “What’s the different between Morningside and the Drop In Center – The Morningside Shelter is for a longer term (90 days)  They try to work together and co-ordinate more.

 

John Hoover at Morningside is the overflow shelter coordinator.  When our group did the dinner last Friday, there were some people who were intoxicated and Will had never seen that.  Morningside is a dry shelter, but the Overflow shelter is a wet shelter.  This year has been really changing with regards to the issue of intoxication.  Their rule is if they can’t walk in on their own, they need to be taken to the emergency room.

 

Kevin asked about outreach during the day.  Paul Manser does street outreach.  He has an incredible story and goes out at night and brings donated coffee from Dunkin Donuts on Putney Road. 

 

Dan asked about volunteers.  At the overflow shelter the volunteers keep the peace, and get people settled for bed.  They provide assistance for those that are there and keep them safe.

 

Rhianna got involved with the drop-in center after her time working in human services.  She realized she enjoys supporting all people with the elements of basic human decency.