President Michelle Pong called the meeting to order at 7:15am
Members Present: Caleb Atwood, Ali Barry, Marcy Caulkins, Toni Ciampaglione, Daniel Deitz, Cindy Delgatto, Ed Dews, Jeff Dunklee, Sadie Fischesser, Lisa Fitzgerald, Ross Gibson, Diane Hashagen, Drew Hazelton, Tristam Johnson, Kris Johnston, Damon Kindopp, Staci Leffel, Turner Lewis, Bethany Martin, Jim Maxwell, Jen Moyse, Erin Maile O’Keefe, Michelle Pong, Jason Postern, Jacques Reilly, Debra Rosenzweig, Jon Secrest, Will Shakespeare, Sandy Shriver, Valerie Stuart, Tristan Toledo, Josh Traeger, Jim Verzino
Thank you to Bethany Martin, our greeter. Sadie will greet next week.
This Day In History:
1775 - US Continental Congress creates United States Post Office (U.S.P.O.) in Philadelphia under Benjamin Franklin
1788 - New York becomes 11th state to ratify US constitution
1993 - Mars Observer takes 1st photo of Mars, from 5 billion km
Quote: You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face… Do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Jen is scribing for Erin today. The following members will scribe on…
8/2/17 Jason Posternak
8/9/17 Debra Rosenzweig
8/16/17 Jon Secrest
Upcoming Speakers…
Tristan Toleno will host our speaker next week 8/2/17.
Josh Traeger will host Jim Verzino as speaker on 8/9/17.
Jim Verzino will host Michelle Simpson of Windham Grows on 8/16/17.
Valerie Stuart is today’s speaker.
We celebrated Debra Rosenzweig’s birthday today.
The following guests were introduced:
-Katia from the noon Rotary club
-Amber Round of Richard’s Insurance
-Staci Leffel and Bethany Martin, soon to not be guests in addition to Jeff Dunklee, a dairy farmer and Vernon select board member.
Today we inducted new club members Staci Leffel, Bethany Martin, and Jeff Dunklee. Staci told us she joined the club because she telecommutes for work and wanted the opportunity to meet people in the community and enjoys coming despite not liking to wake early. Bethany Martin is a 19 year old attending Franklin Pierce College who was a student rotarian and loved the club so much she wanted to come back. Jeff Dunklee is a self-employed dairy farmer from South Vernon who’s also on the town planning commission and the Vernon town select board. He believes in serving our communities and this gives him a chance to do so.
Cards: $25 to the winning card - Jack of spades - no winner. You lose losers!
Bowl of life: Rode a mechanical bull at Tequila Cowboy in Nashville. Ali guessed KJ, who guessed Marcy, who guessed Jim Maxwell, who guessed Drew, who guessed Diane, who guessed Toni - yes it was Toni.
“There was not much alcohol involved. We went to Nashville- my daughter Kyle and my sisters and family. We had to talk Kyle into it. I had to ride it first. I made it 4 or 5 seconds. They tell you not to hold it with your dominant hand which doesn’t sound like a solid plan, but…” Toni told us.
Valerie collected her things left at Turner’s - lipstick, argan oil and handkerchief.
Announcements:
Sadie: Community service hours are being recorded on the sheet that’s going around. Examples include work on the visioning process, making up new member packets, typing the notes - all yes. Not social events like drinking with rotary members (not so much…)
Jim Verzino: The Visioning process will happen on a Wednesday night mid-September to mid/late-October. At least 15 people are needed. (5-9pm on a Wednesday)
Brags:
Sadie has a really good life that’s why she brags so much
- Evie’s new haircut
-Sandy and Diane hosted at their house dinner before Mother Courage. They then all attended the play Mother Courage, featuring Jim Maxwell. The Apron theater company does incredible work.
-Also, at Actors theater playhouse the next four weekends - Table Manners by Alan Ayckbourn featuring Sadie! An interesting play about family wars.
Valerie had a bad year, losing many people in her inner circle and now her niece Paige Stuart has Dengue fever in Thailand. Please say a prayer for Paige.
-Also, their daughter, a second lieutenant, made it home from
-She and John will be traveling to Brittany with three couples for their 60th birthday and a much needed vacation.
Jim Maxwell mad a $10 brag for Rotarians who came to support him in Mother Courage. It’s a challenging play with depth, richness and tough themes. Brecht was a genius and what Apron Theater does for community theater is amazing - great plays that big theaters can’t put on because they’re too expensive. Regional theaters can’t afford to do a play with 9 or 10 actors. And it’s hard to cultivate an audience. Theater stimulates the brain and the heart.
Debra turned 50 this week. She realized her dream of riding her bike through the lavender fields of Provence. Dan and Debra were able to do this together because Dan’s sister lives in Provence. They also went to Paris. It was a dream come true.
KJ bragged for Jim Maxwell’s play and Sandy hosting dinner. Also, Rescue Inc raffle tickets are available through him. The drawing is in October. KJ also has 2 free tickets to the Rock Voices show at BUHS (Diane is singing in it). Friday at 7pm. You can go with KJ. The concert features 80’s music. It’s really cool and fun and KJ would love to have dinner before hand.
Sandy bragged for Lissa Weinmann and John Loggia and their event at 118 Elliot St. on Saturday, an informal ping pong tournament, featuring food by Tito’s Tacos and music. 6pm registration, 6:30 tournament. The event is to help raise funds for 118, which heavily subsidizes the arts and community events held there. These funds help cover the costs. $15 donation per player.
Marcy bragged for her daughter Roan who’s swimming again this summer. They had a meet in Bennington last night. Roan swam the Individual Medley and took 11 secs off her time. Their relay team swam in a mixed relay and placed second.
Valerie bragged Happy birthday Lissa Weinmann.
Ed bought 6 bags of coffee from Tristam’s coffee project and gave them out to club members.
Michelle bragged for Lisa Fitzgerald who attended the Burlington Brew Fest with her last weekend - a great time was had by all.
Michelle proposed a fine for Jim Verzino who was on the front page of The Commons newspaper. For new members, if you catch a fellow rotarian being featured in the media you are encouraged to solicit fines from those members. It has to be a picture in the paper though, a mention of the radio (not advertisements)
Valerie Stuart, our speaker, gave an update on her work in the legislature this year.
She is on the Education and Commerce committees. Education, workforce development and economic development are the top problems for our area. She believes everything else will work itself out if we can solve these problems.
*I will post Valerie Stuart's remarks in a separate post. She is writing out her remarks for us*
Jim Maxwell thanked Valerie for her energy and activism. Although our population is aging it is an energetic and active population.
Jim Verzino said education and commerce are not sexy (except for you Valerie). He thought it would be nice to see the inclusion of adult education with regards to the Career Pathways Coordinator.
Valerie responded that adult education is very important and poverty is another important issue. The Micro-business Development Program will help provide the resources and possibly the capital help with economic growth. The Community Action Agencies were granted the authority and ability to help adults with financial education and training.
The state did green light $200,000 to promote Vermont and the ability to live here.
Poverty awareness day is about lifting people out of poverty. We have a shrinking middle-class and a burgeoning underclass.
Sadie pointed out that the Community Action agency in our area is SEVCA. She also commented that the Agency of Education employment structure is such that pay grades are lower than any other state agency. They also have the lowest job satisfaction rating.
Valerie responded that Rebecca Holcombe, the Vermont State Secretary of Education, and her assistant care deeply. The help to write the legislative language. They are hard-working and passionate and we’re lucky to have them.
Sadie asked how much telecommuting comes up as a topic in economic development. She noted that within our state we don’t even allow for telecommuting from Waterbuy to Bennington.
Valerie responded that broadband challenges as well as the digital economy make it difficult, but the commerce committee is aware. They also feel the transportation challenges and the housing stock are challenges to moving to Vermont.
Thanks Valerie and all for your input.
Happy Rotary anniversary to Drew Hazelton for three years and to Bouie for 14 years.
We closed the meeting with the 4-way test.