January 28, 2015 Minutes

 
Sunrise Rotary of Brattleboro
Notes of a Very Early Very Late January Morning
 
Having survived the Little Storm that Didn’t, a valiant 22 of us lucky Vermonters made it to the Legion.  
Smiling through were members Ali B, Marcy C, Toni C, Dan D, Ed D, Mark E, Amelia F (with Lucy), yours truly, Drew H, Tristam J, Damon K, Turner L, Mark L-R (with Talia), James M, Jennifer M, Todd M, Jason P, Will S, Sandy S, Jill T, Josh T (with speaker), and Kevin Y.  Student Rotarians Becca Freeman and Casey Manning were on hand as well.  
 
President Todd, uncharacteristically smug about Vermont keeping its cool while all around us were losing theirs as they declared states of emergency, themed his quotation to snow.  His choice of Coleridge was brilliant!  “Advice is like show.  The softer it fals, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.”      
 
We acknowledged Turner for greeting us and thanked Ali for agreeing to do so next week.
 
Student Rotarians Becca and Casey told us about a raffle they’re working on to raise money for attendees going to State.  10% of their haul will be given to the March of Dimes. 
 
Todd kicked off Announcements with several of his own:
  1.  Promoting the Rotary Survey that’s been distributed.  (Note: I completed it yesterday during a break in TCM’s Donna Reed’s Birthday Film Festival in about seven minutes – even giving serious thought to some of the questions… ).
  2. Reminding us about the need for volunteers for the Harris Hill Ski Jump in February.
  3. Bringing greetings and gratitude from M. J. Penfield for our expression of condolence on John’s passing.
  4. Bringing same from the Project Feed gang for our participation and for the $2K gift this year.
  5. Bringing same again from Isaac Roach, one of the recipients of the 2014 Sunrise Rotary Scholarship.  (Note:  I think it was a lovely gesture, one all too frequently not made… ) 
  6. Finally, bringing thanks from BMH for the club’s contribution of $600 to the Perpetual Care effort. 
 
Tristam J followed with a Coffee update. 
  1.  First, to announce that the coffee is here! 
  2. Then, to answer a few astute questions (I guess posed by Toni) about where the funds raised  via the selling of this coffee would go. I didn’t take detailed notes on this.  Just a few key words might help you get there:  Little mountain village.  Only an elementary school.  Scholarship program.  Job preparation.  Not much, I know, but you can reach Tristam who will I’m quite sure fill you in over a cup of coffee and an apple!
Fresh on the heels of the whole Club Runner / Website thing of last week, Toni announced that the site has been redesigned and there are new directions on how to navigate your way.  (Note:  Having taken Jon S up on last week’s challenge this Rotarian managed to make it through the ‘send-email’ process.  I have serious doubts that I can learn to do this again with new rules……………  Sorry!)
 
Brags
  1.  Someone bragged for the very same Jon who would, undoubtedly, thank me and whoever else (Nick?  Josh?) took him up on his challenge.  Apparently Jon’s taken off for Whitefish, Montana.  (Whitefish?  He could more easily have gone down the Crown Deli in West Hartford for that…).       
  2. Sandy S bragged for Cota & Cota, hired by Sandy’s law firm to set up the heating system in the firm’s new offices.  C & C met the handily challenge of deceased feline removal.  Nuff said about that.  Sandy also told us about a football game this Sunday.  Something about Ann Arundel County in Maryland and their Rotary Club and our……… well………… I just didn’t understand what, so.
  3. Kevin bragged for Dr. McClarney for the great job she did on K’s wife Ginny’s carpal tunnels.  He also cited the nursing staff for their excellence.
  4. Will did a great sell for the Northern Roots Celtic Music event and the Traditional Music Festival coming up next weekend.  He will distribute a schedule.
  5. Jill filled us in on the pre-apocalyptic air travel comings and goings of her mother and her husband.  Both managed to avoid delays, etc.
 
“Happy Birthday, dear Turner, happy birthday to you!”
 
Cahds:  The 9 o’ hearts was in the deck, in the deck, in the deck……    
 
Bowl o’ Life
“Last year I walked 2,000 miles while in my office.”    
Will to Marcy to Jason to Mark E to Damon to, yay!, Josh!!!  Seems Josh set up a treadmill with a desktop at the head of it and he spends about half the day desk-working whilst treading.  We did not believe, however, that mumbo jumbo about doing it on skates!
 
Somehow Kevin slipped in that lots of us should be fined for not wearing our Rotary pins. Geeeeeeeeez!
 
Josh then introduced his speaker:  Richard Berkfield, Executive  Director and co-Founder of Food Connects, a rather new non-profit promoting Healthy Families, Thriving Farms, Connected Communities. 
 
A quite lovely Annual Report stated the organization’s mission:  To cultivate healthy food and farm connections in classrooms, cafeterias, and communities in and around Windham Country, Vermont.
 
Random notes on partnership and parsnips:
  • Improve meals kids are having in schools
  • Farm to School:  serving 30 schools in Windham and some in Windsor Counties.
  • Offices at VABEC (the old Famolari Farm)
  • Harvest of the Month (a quite lovely calendar)
  • Good – kids eat more veggies
  • Working on strategic plan:  questioning whether to expand out from or concentrate in on Brattleboro
Questions:
  • James M asked how the program works for schools?  Do they each have their own kitchens? Answer:  Academy school only elementary school with kitchen, so that serves for all.
  • Tristam J asked about the balance between the produce grown during the harvest season and the academic year (not coinciding too much).  Richard answered that there are more and more local farms doing winter production.
  • Tristam then asked about the percentage of the total food requirement for local schools is provided locally.  Answer:  Over 50 % comes from local.
  • Josh asked about private schools in the program.  Richard answered that this has not yet happened.
  • Amelia jumped in with a cryptic something about Montessori and working with Food Connects on some garlic project.  
  • Will asked about the larger providers (food contractors) like the Abbey Group.  Richard said that more is done by that sort of enterprise in other parts of the state.
  • Toni asked who cooks the food?  I don’t remember the answer except that Tristam jumped in with something about someone called Chef Joe (of the Abbey Group) who works on this sort of thing willingly and is great. 
 
Todd thanked Richard Berkfield for presenting and all of us for coming.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Jerry Goldberg