August 5, 2026 Newsletter

Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary

Meeting Minutes

• Members were reminded to contribute to the Bowl of Life.
• Tristam announced Club T-shirts have arrived. Members who have not yet paid are reminded to coordinate payment with our dear Treasurer in Hawaii, John Blake.
• Congratulations were extended to Toni on her appointment to the District Finance Committee, reflecting the club's growing leadership role within Rotary District 7870.
• Members were reminded of the Garden Party on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Volunteers were asked to bring garden stakes to support the growing sunflowers. General garden maintenance, including deadheading, will also be completed.

• MJ - Donating leftover food from the Golf Invitational to Groundworks.
• Evelyn and Mona - Participation in Caleb's Charities Back-to-School Head-to-Toe Clothing Drive, providing backpacks, school supplies, and clothing for 56 children.
• Kevin – Provided assistance to a neighbor in locating in-home care resources prior to upcoming hip replacement surgery, with appreciation expressed to club members for recommendations.

• Greg described, a family celebration of his parents' 68th wedding anniversary. He told a poignant story about his father who has dementia, asking his mother if she was married
• Debra told of a weekend beach trip featuring a first experience driving Dan’s self driving Tesla.
• Diane expressed recognition for her grandson becoming captain of his high school tennis team.
• Appreciation for Tucker's artful tennis skills after joining Debra’s club tennis match.
• Will celebrated  paying off a 30-year mortgage and enjoyed a multigenerational family trip to the Adirondacks.
• Josh recently restarted his assistant district governor role and made his first or second road trip in that capacity. He visited the Noontime Club at the Holiday Inn and met with Mark Anderson, the club president.
• Nick shared that their daughter Caroline had just turned 12 and is entering seventh grade.
  and his son is about to become a high schooler.

• Career and Technical Education helps students discover confidence through meaningful, real-world learning experiences.
• Students complete authentic business projects, including developing food truck business plans, securing financing, and presenting to community leaders and bankers.
• CTE prepares students for both college and careers while emphasizing communication, critical thinking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
• She stressed that there is more than one way to be smart and that every student deserves opportunities to discover their strengths.
• Challenges facing Vermont education include transportation barriers, declining enrollment in career centers, literacy and math gaps, and misconceptions that CTE is an alternative to college preparation.
• Linda described her statewide Teacher of the Year activities, including presentations across Vermont and nationally, participation in Google's AI for Education program, Space Academy for Educators, national education conferences, and professional development through Harvard and other organizations.
• She concluded by emphasizing the importance of helping students recognize their own abilities, advocating for equitable access to CTE programs, and strengthening partnerships between schools, communities, colleges, and employers.