Posted by Toni Ciampaglione on Aug 02, 2017
Empress Pong started the meeting with this day in History…......  
 
1790- 1st US census conducted, the population was 3,939,214 including 697,624 slaves. Today there is over 325 million in the US.
1819- First parachute jump from a balloon in the US.
1875- First roller skating rink opens (in London)
1990- US President George H W Bush orders troops to Saudi Arabia
 
Quote for the day……”There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.” Stephen King
 
GREETER:
Sadie very warmly greeted us this morning and next week Ross is going to be at the door with a smile to say good morning.
 
GUESTS:
Linda Torunski- former member visiting from New Orleans
John Kohler– Nooner
Katja- Nooner and possible convert
Camille & Paul Peter- visiting Rotarian from Virginia Beach, VA
Chad Reilly- Jacques son
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS:  
  1. Board Meeting tomorrow morning 7:15 am at WKVT.….all are welcome.
  2. Sadie- passed around a list in hopes to accurately capture the amount of community service hours we put in for the club. YTD total  23.5 hours.
  3. Tristan & Sadie…our new parking police gently reminded all members that if a spot is posted for state employees only and you are not a state employee please don’t park there. Michelle mentioned that fines and public shaming will be enforced going forward in case anyone plans on parking in those spots!!
  4. Jim V- Foundation Chair, received notice of a district grant available for our club up to $2500 (matching). However the application is due by August 15th so if you have a plan…. JOSH, talk to Jim soon!
  5. Josh- Sunday October 1st will be our 2nd annual Disc Golf Tournament, need committee help with event. Side note- a brag for Rob Spilza who donated 20 discs (from his personal stash) to the park for campers to play on the course.
  6. John Kohler- put out information about material donations for quilt making for the Pine Ridge Reservation. Collection has started and if you have anything to donate you can bring it to Vt Artisan Designs on Main St. Also as a side note the noon clubs proceeds from the Disc Golf tournament are going to Pine Ridge.
  7. Paul- visiting Rotarian from VA mentioned he went to a very moving church service this past Sunday in Brattleboro and was very moved by a display from kids from Israel. Rev Canon Nicholas Porter is the director for Jerusalem Peacekeepers and he thought these kids would make excellent Peace Scholars for Rotary.
  8. Debra- her and Ali will be spending some time at the Rotary garden if anyone wants to join them (guess this newsletter will be a little too late for that). Also a sign-up sheet for our 2nd blood drive on September 6th was circulated. The 8-9 am slots were blocked off for Rotarians.
  9. Jacques- had a free Rotary guide that she picked up in Hillsborough and thought it maybe a god idea for our club to pursue.
 
BIRTHDAYS: Marcy was serenaded by our very own Sunrise crooners.
ANNIVERSARIES:   Jim Verzino joined our Rotary club 2 years ago...time flies!!
CARDS:  King of Diamonds..… and the winner is ~  YOU LOSE LOSERS!!!!
 
 
BOWL OF LIFE:
This Rotarian’s family member was a first round draft pick for the NY GIANTS in the very first NFL draft!!!…..Kevin was picked to go first and he guessed Doc Bob who wasn’t there so he guessed Lisa ( a New Yorker and Giant fan) who guessed Jim Verzino (another New Yorker) who guessed Nick who guessed Ross who correctly guessed Turner….so Art Pappy Lewis from Ohio University was ninth overall for the first NFL Draft in 1936.
 
BRAGS:
 
Bethany: Had 3 brags…first for Santiago, the exchange student that spent last year with them. He came for a visit and has is spending a month with them. 2nd for KJ the great Rock Voices Choir they all went to on Friday night which prompted a possible fundraiser of karaoke with Ali. 3rd brag was for Jessica’s Closet a non-profit in Wilmington that rents out designer dresses for various special events. They had their Blueberry Ball fundraiser this past weekend.
 
Nick: Bragged for his daughter sweet Caroline who just turned 3 recently . He also bragged for the crazy Red Sox’s game last night and for their incredible week spent in Maine.
 
Turner: Bragged for the play he wet saw Sadie performing in …Table Manners….spectacular. Also Turner will e performing in the Yankee Male Chorus 4 nights in a row. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday next week.  The Wednesday show will be at the First Congregational Church in West B at 7:30pm. He will give us more info on the remaining dates next week.
  
Cindy: Bragged for her husband and Yankee frugality. He has been driving his 1999 Chevy Silverado for 18 years, it had 357k miles on it and he refused to replace it until it broke down recently. Finally bought a new truck and Cindy said it’s like watching Rip Van Winkle wake up to technology.
 
Jacques: Bragged for son Chad being home from college. He was part of the Keene Interact Club and went to El Salvador twice, it was his involvement n Rotary that made her want to join the club….Thanks Chad!!
 
Jim V: Bragged for the business pitch competition going on today at 3pm at the River Garden. A group of investors on motorcycles will ride into Brattleboro to hear business pitches and award prizes. Public is welcome.
 
Ross: Bragged for Kevin O’Keefe’s 15th year putting Circus Minimums. Pours his heart and soul into and continues to build the kids confidence and self-assurance.
 
Jon - Bragged for all the community support that NECCA rec’d in the past weeks that helped it survive the bad leadership that almost ended the school. Wanted to thank Peter and Dan from BS&L for being integral to the behind the scenes help that made the school staying open possible. It also wouldn’t have been possible without the community that rallied around them and showed their love for the organization.
 
Sadie: Bragged a $1 for each member that serves on a non-profit board.
 
Kevin: Was not here last week because Ginnie’s mother passed away after a 6-7 year battle with colon cancer. He bragged for the hospice workers who are very special people and for Ginnie for keeping her father together. His message was GET SCREENED because things like this can be caught early and treated!! His second brag was that he managed to fill up his car for $1.35 last week after using his Price Chopper Advantage Card points…..that must be some grocery bill!!
 
Jeff: Bragged a $1 for his very astute 12 year old daughter. She was looking through his new member packet and found the red ribbon that attaches to the name badge stating he is a new member…so we can take the time to introduce ourselves to him (hint, hint). Anyway, she pulled out the ribbon and look dad you came in second place!!
 
 
 
GUEST SPEAKERS:       Tristan Toleno       Farm to Table Apprenticeship
 
In 2015, Strolling of the Heifers organized its first Farm-to-Table Apprenticeship Program, which recruited, trained, and placed 11 formerly unemployed or underemployed people into permanent, full-time employment in the culinary field.  They are currently in their 3rd season.
 
This program is designed to tackle several significant:
  • Underemployment in the region among certain population sectors
  • A shortage of adequately trained workers for the region’s food production enterprises, restaurants and institutional kitchens
  • Other economic factors including an aging population, a lack of in-migration by younger people, and a tight housing market with high rents.
 
The Program is designed to have a positive impact on the region’s economic challenges, simultaneously raising family incomes in the target groups, improving the regional economy, and boosting growth in the farm/food business sector, a key component targeted for growth in the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.
 
The Apprenticeship Program addresses these issues through a comprehensive training and apprenticeship program that enabled motivated individuals to learn food-related skills, gain knowledge about food production, food safety, the regional food system, and the value of locally sourced food, in a classroom and kitchen laboratory setting. They are then placed in internships at local food establishments for on-the-job experience, and receive further coaching and follow-up. The program provides permanent job placement for trainees who successfully complete the program; and by solving the workforce problem of local food enterprises, it helps build a stronger local food-related economy.
 
The program begins with three weeks of classroom and kitchen lab. Classroom/lab topics include:
  • Food processing skills: basic food preparation, knife safety and techniques, kitchen safety, commercial dishwashing, culinary math skills, customer etiquette, nutrition, plating and presentation, expediting, minimizing food wastage
  • Exposure to higher level concepts such as inventory and cost control, management
  • Commercial food basics: sanitation, cooking science, nutrition information, sourcing
  • Understanding the nature of the local food system and the value of maximizing use of local food
  • Job readiness skills: timeliness, cleanliness, grooming and appropriate dress, personal finance, time management, being supervised, resume building
  •  
After the classroom component, participants spend 9 weeks in internships at one of the internship host locations, which include local restaurants, food producers, or institutional kitchens, 4 days per week, 7 hour shifts. On the 5th day of each week, they return to classroom and kitchen lab for additional knowledge and skills training, and to review as a group their work at the internship host locations.  Participants are monitored by the job coaches who touched base frequently during both the classroom and internship periods.
 
Outcomes: We set the following goals for desired outcomes as part of planning and fundraising for the program.
(a) The training and internships in this program result in permanent paid positions. All internships are pre-arranged such that if the participant successfully completes the program, the internship automatically converts into a permanent job.
(b) The internship and subsequent employment create references for use with future potential employers.
(c) Participants gain highly desirable skill sets, increased knowledge and understanding, and improved confidence in their ability to be gainfully employed.
(d) The participants become more financially independent, by means of earning higher wages and having more permanent employment.
(e) Participants gain enough skills, knowledge and motivation to potentially enable them to launch independent business enterprises.
(f) An workforce with better food-related skills and knowledge will enable more food-related enterprises to be launched and to thrive.
(g) Farmers and other enterprises will benefit from the increased use of locally-sourced foods.
(h) Our goal is that 95% of participants who start program will complete it and receive job placements.
(i) This will be regarded as an exemplary program that can be used as a model for implementation in other communities.