Jamie Milne, a resident of Joe’s Pond in West Danville, and a long-time member of the St. Johnsbury Rotary Club, became Rotary District 7850’s Governor for the 2020-2021 Rotary year on July 1, 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the District was unable to hold a formal ceremony with an in-person gathering, however Jamie was presented with the District’s Rotary Bell (with Jamie’s name engraved on it) by Ron and Marilyn Bedell, members of the Rotary Club of Lebanon in New Hampshire, who have both served as District governors in the past and continue to hold offices and chair committees in the District.
Jamie was first introduced to Rotary by his father, George Milne, who served as District 7850 Governor from 1975-1976 and is still a member of the Barre Rotary Club. Jamie joined the Barre club in 1995, and then became a member of the St. Johnsbury Rotary Club in November 2007, where he served as president for the club in the Rotary year 2012-2013. He is currently St. Johnsbury’s secretary, and is chair of the Rotary Foundation Committee.
Jamie was also an assistant governor for District 7850 from 2013 to 2017, serving Rotary clubs in Littleton, Lancaster, Wells River/Woodsville and St. Johnsbury.
Jamie has been named a Paul Harris Fellow multiple times (PHF+8) after reaching the $9,000 mark in giving to the Rotary Foundation. Donors of $1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus or the Humanitarian Grants Program through the Rotary Foundation, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Because of donations such as this, the Rotary Foundation transforms monetary gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.
Jamie grew up in Barre, Vt. and attended Spaulding High School, Class of 1977. He went on to graduate from Babson College with a bachelor of science degree in Finance and a master’s in Business Administration. He has three grown daughters, two sons-in-law and two grandsons. In his free time, he enjoys water skiing, snow skiing and garage-time working on a variety of car projects.
Rotary District 7850 includes 41 clubs, with 25 clubs in Vermont, 11 in New Hampshire; four in Quebec; and one club that spans the Vermont-New Hampshire border, along the Connecticut River. The theme for Rotary this year is “Rotary Opens Opportunities.”
As for being a Rotarian, Jamie states, “My Rotary Story — pretty simple —- it’s the people. It feels good when we make a difference in people’s lives. A bit of what I like to call RotaryHappy.”
In his latest newsletter, Jamie has issued a Change Challenge to all District 7850 Rotarians: “I want to gather club stories of change. Clubs have experienced so many changes before the Rotary year even starts there are so many Rotary Change Stories to share. And remember; be sure to share those changes that didn’t work – Rotary works best when we learn from each other!”
For more information about Rotary District 7850, go to https://rotary7850.org/