Meeting Notes: Wednesday, August 27, 2014

President Todd called the meeting to order at 8:15 with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Quotes: Paul Harris “when an individual, a sect, a click or, a nation hates and despises another individual, sect, clique, or nation, they simply do not know the objects of their hatred--ignorance is always at the bottom of it.  – Paul Harris, Founder of Rotary

Greeter: Will Shakespeare, Ed Dews, and Ed’s nephew Nicholas Coughlin

Greeter Next Week: Nick duBois

Announcements:

Jason: There is a container that will be on the table each week for members to add tickets and money for the dinner raffle. The dinner raffle grand prize is $500 in restaurant gift certificates. Runner up prizes are $50 gift certificates to North End Butchers and Windham Wines

Linda: Second Charity Quiz Challenge Trivia at Ramunto’s on Putney Road from 6:15-8:45 on Wednesday, September 10. Reservations recommended: 603-819-8146. Goal of 60 participants this time.

Jill: Windham Health Festival September 20 from 11am-2pm. The three county hospitals are putting it on. The event is free and they’re looking for volunteers. Contact Jill with questions.

Tristam: International projects meeting after the morning meeting today.

Touch a Truck on Saturday, September 6. All proceeds go to BMH. Need help between 11am-1pm when they’ll be the biggest rush.

Todd: Board meeting next week. Regular place and time: 7:15pm at WKVT.

Bill Stevens: Representing past Dist Governor David Hoops. If Sunrise’s immediate past president had attending, he would have received his gift then, but as he didn’t and was the only one, Bill delivered it in person.

Carmen: If you’re not going to Touch a Truck, United Way is holding a Day of Caring on Saturday, September 6 and a back to school supply drive and so if you want to purchase supplies for students. Can  bring them to day of caring or rotary next week. She has cards with details.

Brag:

Turner: 49 years ago today, he woke up and his guts were churning and he had three bowls of oatmeal, and then he went to the church to get married with the lump sitting there all day.

John: Two brags: one is for the state of VT for providing a new coat of pave on Western avenue. The second is he completed his first 80km dirt road bike tour. Shooting for the 50.

Jon: has been away for much of the summer, not for lack of affection but because of timing of events. Had friends for Lithuania, and before that two weeks away, one of which took Will’s canoe, and spent 7 days and nights with six other friends white water canoeing. The longest portage around a waterfall was a mile. Kids in sleep away camp. No cell service. Got a sudden invite to go to Martha’s vineyard. Couldn’t take the car, so took backpacks with everything and peddled two hours to our friend’s house. Reserved a place called the pinnacle a lean to in Westminster. Camped on the mountain and hiked out at 5:15am this morning to see the District Governor and all of us. Good to be back.

Todd: Misspelled district in the email about our district governor joining.

Sandy: apologies for not being here next wed or touch a truck or day of caring. Will be in the Bahamas working with dolphins in an integrative therapy program working with dolphins treating patients.

Jill: In St. Louis for the weekend for a conference. Went up the arch which was fun. The retreat President was given an award was exciting to be there and meet with other mental health and addiction treatment centers across the us.

Kevin: Will be away next week. Kevin and his wife are flying to Oakland to meet son who is driving on his own from Mobile, Alabama who is starting with the Oakland athletics baseball team. Daughter Sarah started third year of nursing. Excited about the process of becoming nurse.

Jennifer: Brattleboro School of Dance starts fall classes Monday, September 8. Open house 5pm-8pm Friday September, 5 (gallery walk night). Drop in and say hello.

Drew: Took last two weeks. Supposed to go to Maine but as he cannot go in the water, the family went south instead and camped, biked, hiked all over Pennsylvania. Kids all back to school.

Card: 2 hearts. In the deck. You lose, losers.

Bowl of life: Jon Seacrest: My Ancestors include a deaf man run down by a train from behind and a drunken Hessian mercenary who was captured when General Washington cross the Delaware River on New Year’s Eve.

Guests: District Governor Richard A. Berryman, DDS (2014-2015 District 7870) and Bill Stevens from Keene, Junior Rotarian Nichols Coughlin, Billie Slaid, and Mark Rayes.

Speaker: District Governor Richard Berryman

Excerpted Notes from Governor Richard’s talk:

“Had a lovely dinner last night. Like the vacation food program that our chapter runs and the charity quiz thing is fantastic. Congratulates us for all we do in our community. Told the board that he likes to prepare for each club. Read a half dozen Archer mayor book. Gave away copies to anyone who hadn’t read any of Mayor’s books.

It is the responsibility of the District Governeror to help you be a better club. If you have questions or concerns, call Bill. If he can’t answer the issue, he will reach out to Rich. Gets to go around all year and talk with wonderful Rotarians and talk about what happening on the rest of the world.

September 16 is the district golf event. This year wanted to make it central so it’s in Grantham. Noon shotgun start. Box lunch, golf, dinner, $125.

October 24 is world polio day. Have been awarded public image grants for our district—used for public service. No grants this year and our district budget is $3K only so trying to come up with creative ideas. Vermont residents can get a Rotary license plate.

October 25 is district membership conference at the Brattleboro Retreat. It’s a great day. Need to send people. There is an exchange of ideas at the conference. Typically rotary clubs lose 8-12% of members. At times new members are told oh we tried that. And so in 1-3 years, they drop out. Some take the newest members and give them a little money and say go do a project. They did that and three weeks ago they did a basic business seminar for nonprofits-had 17 nonprofits attend.

November date TBD have two foundation dinners one in Nashua, NH one in Ludlow, VT to learn about international projects. Peterborough eyeglass exam in n Thailand, project in Mongolia. Doug Rupert’s $188K for water projects in Honduras. Have five or so more in process as well.

Last but not least, district conference going back to Portland, Maine. District 787 conference will be May 28-31, 2015. Have three plenaries and play golf. Indoor lemans cart racing. Will have reserved time at the lemans cart racing and a tour of the Portland art museum.

Discussing ways to increase district conference attendance. Distance and cost are issues and have to hold part of it on Friday. Are discussing different options. Please think about have you been to a conference, what did you like, didn’t like. Think about it and Todd will ask for our feedback in a few weeks. There isn’t a good place in the district to hold a conference of this size.

In addition to membership, public awareness is an issue. Rotarians do incredible things and people don’t know what we do. If we do a better job telling people what they do, they will want to be Rotarians or friends. People join Rotary for three reasons: Fellowship, community service, networking.

 “Rotarians are selfish because they feel good when they do something for someone else”

Dentist and wife. Seven months after moving to Concord, was asked to join rotary. Joined concord rotary. Thought about dropping out and stayed because someone asked him to do something.

This year’s theme is light up rotary. You all have a pin now.

Need to let our communities know what we’re doing. Rotary is not included in End of Plagues, except once, so wrote the author a letter detailing rotary international work on the eradication of polio.

Update on polio eradication: as of last year contained to three countries. Rotary no longer able to go into Pakistan. Southeast Asia now polio free. India has not had a case in three years. Pakistan is the big problem. 6 cases in 2013. 54 so far this year. Several other countries with 1-3 cases. 2018 had been the eradication goal. Gates foundation has a 2-1 match on Rotarian dollars.

Rotary foundation is our bank. We are rotary international, not just sunrise or Vermont or New Hampshire, so one of the obligations is to put money in. pays for the work we do out of interest. Now if you give $100 to the foundation, $50 goes to the int’l projects and $50 goes to the district, which can be used for grants, up to 50%.

If we use money for international projects combined with another rotary club, you multiple the money by 3.5x.

Rotary has sent more scholars around the world than Rhodes, Fulbright, Truman combined. Now have 431 peace grant scholars.

President Huang wants every club to have a Rotary DA

Meeting adjourned at 8:27.