Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting Summary
Date: September 10, 2025
- Announcements & Committee Updates
- 30 Years of Rotary / 30 Acts of Kindness
- Disc Golf Tournament Update (Nick/Josh)
- Trivia Night - 9/15/25
- Board Meeting Summary
Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club Meeting Summary
Date: September 10, 2025
Meeting Called to Order: 7:15 AM by President Deb Rosenzweig
Announcements & Committee Updates
- 30 Years of Rotary / 30 Acts of Kindness:
- Josh shared that he and Will Shakespeare recently did a Facebook Live video interview about the Gallery Walk to promote the club's 30th anniversary. He encouraged other members to create similar live videos for their "30 for 30" acts of kindness to increase the club's visibility.
- Disc Golf Tournament Update:
- Fundraising: The tournament has raised approximately $5,000 from sponsors so far. The club is still seeking one more event sponsor for $1,500. The deadline for sponsorships is the 19th to ensure logos can be printed on the discs.
- Volunteer Needs: Nick provided an update on volunteer positions. Key remaining needs include:
- One person for leaf blowing and one for setup on Saturday.
- Two welcome greeters.
- Four spotters for Saturday and additional spotters for Sunday.
- Nick will be reaching out to the Noon Club to help fill the remaining spots.
- Trivia Night:
- Kristin announced that the next Trivia Night is the upcoming Monday, with doors opening at 6:00 PM and the event starting at 6:30 PM. The cost is $25.
- This month's event will benefit the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.
- Since Kristin will be on medical leave, she asked for a volunteer to distribute flyers for the October event. A Facebook event has been created for all upcoming Trivia Nights through December.
Board Meeting Summary
A summary of the previous week's board meeting was shared:
- Meeting Menu: The breakfast menu will be slightly changed and streamlined to improve the speed of service.
- Meeting Cancellation: The meeting scheduled for October 1st will be canceled. This is due to a club "disc party" being held that Friday evening at Saxtons River.
- New Club Positions:
- Diane McCormick has volunteered to be the club's official photographer and marketing specialist.
- Nick has volunteered to serve as Vice President for the remainder of the term.
Member Updates
- President's Leave: Deb Rosenzweig announced she will be on surgical leave for six weeks starting the first week of October for a spinal procedure. Vice President Nick will preside over meetings during her absence.
- Meeting Coverage: A volunteer was requested to run the October 15th meeting, and Kevin volunteered.
- Katja's Move: Katja announced that her move is imminent, with a planned flight on the 23rd. She is collecting donations for items she is giving away in a piggy bank named "Rosie the Rotary Pig," with all proceeds going to the scholarship committee.
Brags & Fines
- Brags: Members made donations to recognize various people and events, including:
- The Friends of Island Park board and its 100 members.
- Katja celebrated her 14th anniversary and thanked fellow members for their help with recent car trouble.
- Jon Seacrest praised Missy Galanis' work at St. Bridget's Kitchen and welcomed a new lawyer to their firm.
- Club Secretary Melissa was recognized for her hard work managing the website and ClubRunner.
- President Deb bragged about Nick for immediately stepping up to the VP role and thanked Landa and Kristen for their work on Trivia Night.
- Fines: The Sergeant-at-Arms issued fines for members not wearing their pins, for "sappy Rotary behavior," and jokingly, for remarks made about another member's appearance.
Guest Speaker: Missy Galanis, St. Bridget's Kitchen
- Overview: St. Bridget's is a soup kitchen and food pantry on Walnut Street in its 44th year of operation. It serves 200 meals four days a week through in-house dining and deliveries. In 2024, it provided over 40,000 meals to 2,600 households.
- Operations: The organization runs on an annual budget of about $90,000, relying entirely on grants, fundraising, and donations. It is supported by a team of over 85 volunteers.
- Challenges:
- Due to a change in federal food bank regulations, St. Bridget's will no longer receive free protein (meat, fish), which is projected to add $2,000-$3,000 per month to their expenses.
- This funding challenge puts their annual Thanksgiving program, which serves 200 families, at risk.
- How to Help: The organization is always looking for volunteers, with a specific need for a cook every other Saturday. Donations are accepted through the St. Michael's website.
Closing Activities
- Bowl of Life: Sandy was correctly identified as the member who worked as a mall Santa Claus in Virginia in December 1989.
- Card Drawing: A member won the card drawing for the second week in a row and donated the $8 prize back to the club.
- The meeting concluded with the recitation of the Four-Way Test.