June 21st, 2018 Rotary Meeting minutes – presented by Cindy Delgatto
President Michelle called the meeting to order. Pledge of Allegiance. 
This day in history….
- 1782: Congress approves Great Seal of the United States and the bald eagle as its symbol.
- 1840: Samuel Morse patents his telegraph.
- 1863: 1st bank chartered in US (National Bank of Davenport Iowa).
- 1893: Lizzie Borden acquitted of the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River Massachusetts.
Thanks to Ed for greeting. No greeter next week, changeover party at Lisa’s.
- Rotary minute: Please consider becoming club officers, president is the easiest job, club officers do a lot to keep the club running. KJ and Lisa will be celebrating 3 years in the club.
- Quote: There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part. So just give me a happy middle and a very happy start. Shel Silverstein.
- Birthdays today: Happy Birthday Debra Cox & Sandy Shriver
- Guests: Alina and Alexa Secrest; Annamarie Pluhar
Announcements:
- Sandy – Ping Pong Party that our club is co-sponsoring at 118 Elliott Street 6/23 5pm-11pm
- Lisa – Reminder that club dues will be payable on 6/29. $160.00. Please settle your account upon receipt of your statement. Lisa would like not to have to send out reminder notices for nonpayment of dues.
- Sadie – Sign up sheet going around for community service hours. July 14th is our fundraiser at the Guilford Welcome Center. Still need people for the afternoon shift. Need coolers with ice. Need dog treats. Need donation box (Cindy will make).
- Lisa – Needs high quality, high resolution photos for poster board. Send to lisa@fitzgeraldtravel.com
- Lisa – Changeover party at her house. Directions handed out today. Bring your own lawn chairs and beverages. Sign up sheet went around for what to bring. Parking is limited, Lisa will be out there directing. 5:30 – till…..Club is providing Burgers & Hot Dogs. Items needed: paper products, deserts, appetizers, salads.
- Ali – Grateful for gardening help!
- Kevin – Offered to be a surrogate bragster.
Brags:
- Damon – Accomplished a year early his goal of completing a ultra-marathon which is a 50km (31 mile) race. He finished in 6.5 hours which is amazing with a 4000 ft elevation change. His motivation was the tremendously sad and unexpected passing of Rob Lind and the realization that time is short and not to wait to do things.
- Sadie – Congratulations for Evelyn who graduated 6th grade - everyone very happy, no tears.
- Josh Unruh also had a 6th grade graduate who received the presidential award from Vernon Elementary. Celebrating 20 years total coaching and very proud of the 4 team members that will be heading to the All-Star Game in Winchester.
- Kevin – 1. Surrogate brag for Dan Deitz who took a recent trip to California. While the traffic and smog were not to his liking he had a very nice time with Debra. 2. Thank you to Jacques, Caleb, Bethany and Ali for their tremendous help with cleaning out the garage. Ginny and Kevin are so very grateful for the help. 3. Will not be at the changeover party as they will be on their way to California to visit their new grandson.
- Ali – Sorry for being not a good greeter and thank you to those who have been pitching in her place. Congratulations to Cindy for joining the short hair club. (your welcome 😊)
- Jon – had tried to explain to his daughters what a surrogate is but they already knew and schooled Jon that a surrogate is what Kim Kardashian used to have a baby. Jon shared that Alexa is on the Swim Team and Alina started track season. They are both having a great summer so far.
- Nick – Congratulations to son who graduated Kindergarten and is now on to 1st grade.
Someone declared today wonderful dude sock day, and everyone shared their great socks.
- Jacques – Congratulations to son who graduated Keene High School of which she is an alum.
- Turner – He and Kay took a great trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and they were beautiful and then they went to Tanglewood for a concert to see Alison Krauss. Wonderful performance.
- Michael – Announced that he accepted a new job at a Keene Tech School and will be leaving Windham Regional Career Center as well as the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary. We all wished Michael the best of luck.
- Toni – Kyle performed her last horse show and there was an absolutely beautiful tribute to her service which was a very emotional dedication. She received a Blue Ribbon, did a Victory Ride and they played America the Beautiful – there was not a dry eye in the arena.
- Josh T. – Thank you, Michelle, for being a great president and for bringing so many new faces from the “southern” region into the club.
- Debra – Thank you Dan for travelling to California with her to visit with her family. She is grateful for his patience with environments that are not to his liking. Also, congratulations to her daughter for joining the 6th grade graduation club and she will be in horse camp this summer. Thank you, Ali, for all your hard work in coordinating the garden work.
Cards – Ace of Clubs – Congratulations to Michelle for winning!! 
Guest Speaker – Annmarie Pluhar – BrattleMasters (hosted by Dan Deitz)
Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., the organization's membership exceeds 332,000 in more than 15,400 clubs in 135 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders.
BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro, Vermont-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. We normally meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., Brattleboro.
At our meetings and contests, guests are always welcome, and refreshments are provided. There is no pressure to speak, and members are working at their own pace and with assigned mentors to help them meet their speaking and leadership goals. You can be a guest for as long as you like at no charge.
The meetings have agendas and about 2-3 people prepare speeches to present. During the meetings there are assigned roles. Timers, umm,ahh counters, grammarians, snack masters and evaluators Each given speech is evaluated in a safe, loving environment. It is the best and cheapest form of professional development at $120.00 per year. Many individuals utilized BrattleMasters to include Becca Balint when she was considering running for office.
Members of our Rotary community have used Toastmasters in different locations and attested to the benefits and features of the program.
Jimmy V rounded out the praise for Toastmaster with this to say – “Amazing program that is full of very friendly people!”
A word from your scribe – I hope I have captured the essence of what you all said and felt, and I apologize if there are any errors or omissions.
Don’t forget to support the Tiny House Festival this Saturday June 23rd 10am-5pm Brattleboro