Students competing in the second round of our annual speech contest are recognized by President Elect Jim Damren after they delivered their speeches. [l to r] Xavier Oellrich of Randolph High School, Benji Madory of Lebanon High School, and Helena Mielcarz of Lebanon High School.
Rotarians attending in person: William Babineau, Marilyn Bedell, Ron Bedell, Phil Bush, Dean Cashman, Dave Clarenbach, Hank Clarke, Dave Crandall, Jim Damren, Mila Dela Peña, Steven Grant, Tim Guaraldi, Christian McDonald, Ron Michaud, Daniel Nash, Ernst Oidtmann, Philip Rentz, Bill Secord, John Stalvey, and John Yacavone.
Attending remotely: Jane Mason and V. Bruce Pacht.
Guests/others: Sonny Holt, Randolph; Lynne Petrocelli, Randolph; Bonnie Robinson, Lebanon High School; Christina Annas, Potential member; Bob Haynes, Rotary Club of Hanover; Ian Smith, Principal, Lebanon High School; Keegan Carpenter; and Dustin Luster.
Meeting called to order by President Elect Jim Damren at 12:00 precisely.
Four-way Test led by John Yacavone.
Ernst's song selections: “Rotary Song” and “For He's a Jolly Good Fellow” and “For She's a Jolly Good Fellow.”
President's thought of the day: Quote attributed to Mohandas Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Lebanon Rotary Anniversaries:
Birthdays: James Carroll, Feb. 19, and Angela Nelson, Feb. 22, Carol Keeffe, Feb 25 (we think).
Program:
Round Two of Rotary High School Speech Contest.
Topic: How can I be an instrument of Peace?
Ron Bedell gave the ground rules for the contest.
Judges: Sonny Holt, Phil Bush, and Bob Hayes.
Timer: Phil Rentz.
Scorekeeper: Tim Guaraldi.
Participants: Three student speakers, each of whom had advanced from the first round. All were anonymous as were their schools. Each speech was limited to not more than five minutes.
Contestant One (later revealed to be Xavier Oellrich of Randolph).
Topic: An open mind leads to peace.
Contestant Two (later revealed to be Benji Madory of Lebanon).
Topic: How can we be instruments of peace.
Contestant Three (later revealed to be Helena Mielcarz of Lebanon. The eventual winner). Topic: Life habits that lead to peace.
After the winner was announced, Bill Secord presented the contestants with two books that the Club will donate to the children's section of the Kilton Library in recognition of their efforts. He asked that each speaker sign the donation bookplate of each book.
Service and other activities:
- Bob Haynes [pix left]: The Rotary Club of Hanover is adopting the exemplary initiative of the Lions to accept donations of used medical equipment for donation to those who might need them. The storage of these donations has been at a facility owned by Hypertherm, but the company wishes to re-occupy the building. The Hanover Rotary project will be entitled, "Health Closet." The Health Closet will be housed in a basement unit in the Lebanon Village Market Place, 2 Mascoma Street. The House Closet will be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization.
- Rotary and Sustainable Lebanon: Sustainable Lebanon and Lebanon Rotary are recruiting volunteers for our Saturday, April 11, foam collection from 10-Noon at Lebanon High School. Please RSVP directly to Cindy Heath (cheath58@gmail. com) if you can help out and what role you'd like to play; i.e., traffic control, hospitality/check in, truck loading, car unloading, etc.
- Marilyn Bedell: She wishes to donate two tickets that she purchased for a performance at Northern Stage tomorrow, Friday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m.
- John Yacavone: Our club meeting will take place at the Service Credit Union next week. Lunch will be provided by Jake's. Do not arrive earlier than 11:45.
- Marilyn Bedell: New on our ClubRunner webpage. Our membership application can be accessed under the tab "For Members" on the home page.
Induction of new member: John Stalvey
John Stalvey, formerly of the Rotary Club of Anchorage, receives his membership certificate and pin from President Elect Jim [r] and sponsor Dave Clarenbach [l].
New Paul Harris Fellow
President Marilyn had the opportunity to present
Ahmad Haidari his Paul Harris Fellowship one evening at her home since he wasn't sure when he would be able to attend a meeting.
A Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition is one of the highest honors in Rotary, acknowledging individuals who have contributed, or in whose name a contribution of $1,000 or more has been made to The Rotary Foundation. Established in 1957 to express appreciation for significant contributions to the Foundation’s humanitarian and educational programs, this honor is named after Paul Harris, who founded Rotary in 1905.
Happy dollars:
- Ernst: Two dollars for two items. 1. The scheduled meeting of Upper Valley Ship Modelers Guild will be canceled this weekend due to inclement weather this weekend. 2. A recent study found that short bouts of exercise (e.g., taking the stairs, walking the dog, walking to the store) were as effective as longer, structured exercise regimes for improving cardiovascular health and life expectancy.
- Marilyn: Five dollars to celebrate her return to a meeting following her hip-replacement surgery.
- Dan Clarenbach: One dollar for John Stalvey both as a member and a client.
Card and car-wash raffle:
Queen of Hearts: # 530—Marilyn drew the King of Diamonds
Car wash: # 528—Benji Madory
Upcoming:
