March 12, 2025 Newsletter

Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Agenda 
Assembly: 
3/12/2025
 
7:00-7:15 AM Arrival  
7:15 AM Welcome
 Welcome - Call Meeting to Order
  1. Pledge of Allegiance
  1. Rotary 4 Way Test - Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, Will it build goodwill and better friendships, Is it beneficial to all concerned
  2. Thank this week’s servers –  
    1. Next week’s server Melissa_
  3. Thank you to this week’s scribe – Evelyn
    1. Next week’s scribe – ??
  4. Thank you to this week’s greeters Justin and John
  5. Welcome GUESTS and Student Rotarians
    1. Bill Stevens: District Governor from the Bellows Falls Club.
    2. Bill Holliday: Esteemed guest.
    3. Hinsdale High School students.
    4. Adam: International exchange student extraordinaire.
Student Updates
Hinsdale Students
  • Senior Class:
    • Hosted a semi-formal dance on the past Saturday.
    • No more fundraisers planned for the remaining school year.
    • Planning for the class trip underway.
  • Junior Class:
    • Upcoming dance scheduled for next Friday.
    • One basketball player named All-State for next month.
Adam's Update
  • Ski Jumping:
    • Advanced to the 18-meter jump.
    • Preparing for a 35-meter jump.
    • Scheduled to participate in a ski jumping competition in New Hampshire Andover on the upcoming Sunday.
  • Academic Presentation:
    • Delivered an online presentation on English muffins and related pastries.
    • Received positive feedback for content and delivery.
Bill Holliday on History Tour Audio Tour
  • Thank You to Rotarians: Expressed gratitude for the support organized by Tim. 
  • Sign Approval:
    • Unanimous approval from the select board for new historical marker signs.
    • Chose more readable signs over aesthetically pleasing ones.
    • Signs to be produced by the end of the week.
District Governor Bill Stevens
  • Purpose of Visit:
    • Monitoring Adam's participation in the youth exchange program.
    • Participating in the raffle fundraiser.
  • Raffle Details:
    • First prize: $1,000 cash.
    • Ticket Price: $10 each.
    • Encouraged purchase through various payment methods including PayPal and Venmo.
  • Collier's Absence: Expressed thanks to members who covered for him during his illness and internet outage.
  • Thank You Letter:
    • From Chloe Leary to Katja for a $100 donation towards the Early Learning Express bookmobile.
  1. Service Above Self-
 
7:25 AM Social Break - Talk with your fellow Rotarians!
 
7:45 AM Reconvene
 
  1. Birthdays – None
  2. Anniversaries –
    1. Justin- 6 years 3/13
    2. Tristan - 19 years 3/15
    3. Evelyn - 2 years 3/17
Announcements:
Tony's Fundraising Update:
  1. Details on selling raffle tickets via PayPal.
  2. Drawing Date: April 2nd.
  3. Encouraged new members to participate in ticket sales.
Scholarship Committee:
  1. Melissa and Deb working on converting the scholarship application from PDF to Google Docs.
  2. Applications expected to be released within a week, due the first week of May.
  3. Call for more members to join the Scholarship Committee.
Groundworks Fundraising:
  1. Evelyn announced that $520 was raised from the sale of Hearts for Groundworks.
  2. Plans to make it an annual Valentine’s Day event.
Trivia Night:
  1. Scheduled for next Wednesday.
  2. Supporting the Brattleboro Women's Chorus, a project by Kate Traege
  1. International Update – Tristam  -
    1. Wendell Yellowbull is trying to create the perfect training program rather than starting it and tweaking as it progresses.  He has all the material and enrollments and is ready to run. 
    2. The Haiti program for water is being reprogramed with more input from the community recipients.
    3. The international Rotary is aiming to engage local clubs and beneficiaries in the program’s operations.
30 Acts of Kindness (30th Anniversary Initiative) Toni presented the idea of 30 acts of kindness. 
  • Concept: Commemorate the club’s 30th anniversary by performing 30 acts of kindness throughout the year.
  • Implementation:
    • Encourage spontaneous and organized acts of kindness.
    • Potential projects include community support and historical society collaborations.
    • Ideas to be visually tracked, possibly on a poster board or tree.
 
Brags-
Jim:    Upcoming trip to Florence and Siena in Tuscany.  She is an excellent planner.
Will:  Wife undergoing knee replacement surgery.
Nick: Successfully raised over $9,000 as part of the ski-a-thon.
Daughter excelled in gymnastics, securing second place at a competition.
Justin:   Overcame public speaking challenges and delivered a moving presentation.
  1. Positive feedback received for presentation skills.
Katya:   for John for filling in for me last week as the treasurer and getting a Little taste of what next year is going to be like.
Went to New York for the weekend seeing Richard's family who traveled from Ireland to spend a week in New York. And they did a lot of sightseeing, more than probably we've ever done in 20 years. And I had to go to New Jersey on Saturday morning to have an English test to prove that I speak English for immigrating to the UK. So that's the first step of our moving process.
And last brag is for Melissa, who's such a great server, always steps up for it. And I know it got a little busy in there today. Get your orders in as early as possible please because it causes a little stress by walking there with last minute breakfast orders.
 
Breakout Sessions on International, 30th Anniversary, Book program and Scholarship Initiatives.
 
 
Upcoming Speakers:
  1. 3/19/25: Insight Photography
  2. 3/26/25: Collier Shutter
  3. 4/2/25: Sandy Shriver
9. Action Items
  • Scholarship Committee:
    • Finalize and release the scholarship applications.
    • Recruit additional members for the committee.
  • Fundraising Efforts:
    • Increase raffle ticket sales before the April 2nd drawing.
    • Participate in upcoming events like Trivia Night and the Noon Club to sell tickets.
  • Book Program:
    • Coordinate with Mary Jane and the publisher to finalize book details.
    • Focus marketing efforts on Hinsdale Elementary School.
  • Mentorship Program:
    • Assign mentors to new members.
    • Implement Bill's suggestion to have new members develop their own service projects.
10. Follow-Up
  • Raffle Drawing: Scheduled for April 2nd; ensure all ticket sales are completed.
  • Next Meetings:
    • Breakout sessions to focus on international, fundraising, book program, and scholarship initiatives.
    • Monitor progress on the 30 Acts of Kindness project.
  • Lost Banner:
    • Investigate the disappearance of the club’s American flag and banner.
    • Potential involvement of local members in resolving the issue.
 
8:25am Wrap up Meeting