The Rotary Club of
Lebanon, NH, USA
 
Chartered 1923
There are 50 Rotary Clubs and 24 Rotaract Clubs in Ukraine.
 
While we hope for peace and safety for all Ukrainians we extend a special hope for the safety of all Rotarians, Rotaractors and their families at this time
________________________________________________________________________
Currents
February 22, 2022
Editor: Marilyn Bedell
Notes from Meeting taken by Bruce Pacht. (Kudos)
 
We will meet only by Zoom on Thursdays at noon until case number decrease to a point where we can safely meeting in the Dwinell Room.
 
  • March 10 or 24, 2022, Noon on Zoom, Susan LaMontagne will speak about her Adventures in the Arts and on Broadway.
Susan Lamontagne started dancing at the age of 3 like so many. Her training includes, Classical Ballet, Jazz (Mu. Theater plus others), Modern and tap. She has trained in NY, Japan as well as many other places. Her 22 year professional performing career included Broadway, National and International Tours, including Fosse (Original B’way co), CATS, West Side Story, Starlight Express and the NY Metropolitan Opera’s The Merry Widow to name a few favorites.
 
  • March 31, 2022, 11:45 AM, In Person Meeting at SNAX, A Celebration of Service to Rotary
  • April 28, 2022 , Noon on Zoom – Joe Major, Executive Director at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center
Joe Major is a 20+ year veteran of the health and wellness industry. He comes to UVAC from Sport Fit tennis club in Bowie, Maryland. A graduate of Howard University, Joe has managed ten clubs during his career. He has been responsible for such clubs as the Chevy Chase Athletic Club, the Downtown Athletic Club in Miami and West End Executive Club in Washington, D.C. Joe also served as the district manager for the Western New York region of World Gym. Joe, a native of Buffalo, loves golf and was an all conference tennis player while at Howard University
 
Upcoming Board and Committee Meetings:
 
Board of Directors Meeting — Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 5 PM (NEW TIME AND DAY)
____________________________________________________________________
 
Stories
Intersections - A New Podcast
Intersections, a platform for sharing our experience of community in the Upper Valley.
 
Our speakers, Julius Turner and Michelle Rogee shared the new podcast they have developed for our local cable TV channel, CATV8.  Julius has been in the Upper Valley for two years.  Julius shared he met Rudy Fedrizzi at a board member of Health Council of the Upper Valley. Michelle has been in the Upper Valley for 6 years.  She previously lived in France. Both work at Novo Nordisk.
 
Background: Michelle and Julius began having conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion.  This led to broader discussions about what does it mean to be a part of a community. Out of these discussions came the idea of developing their podcast.  They are looking for volunteers to sit for recording sessions that ask the participant to share their experiences of being part of the Upper Valley Community.  The sessions will not be interviews but will only ask participants to talk about the following topics.
 
“What does community mean to you?  What are your personal experiences of inclusion and exclusion in the Upper Valley?  
 
They believe it is important for podcast listeners to only listen to the voice of the speaker. Michelle and Julius have no preconceived ideas of what the volunteer should share. It shouldn’t be a dialogue.  If should just be the persons views. All individuals recorded are not identified by name.
 
As of today, four conversations have been recorded and two are “in the can” and can be listened to on CATV8.  Here is a little information about the first two episodes.
 
Episode 1:  Our first guest recounts a vision of community grounded in a childhood in East Texas, and the challenges of losing a sense of connection upon arriving in New England.
Episode 2:  Our second guest shares a vision of how our cycles of life feed the source of community, amongst humans and throughout the natural world, offering a gentle map of the small things that bring us together: harvesting tomatoes, the neighbor’s mailbox, the porcupine, the cockroach, the softening of the eyes.
You can listen to the recording at https://catv8.org/listen/
 
Interviews take about 30 minutes to record, and they are then edited to remove long pauses, ums and ahs.  The final recordings are about 16 minutes long.
 
For the volunteers, it provides an opportunity to listen to your own voice, and reflect on your views of being a part of the Upper Valley Community.
 
To share your story or questions with co-creators Michelle and Julius, you’re invited to email them at: misharogge@gmail.com and julius_turner2000@yahoo.com
 
Again, they are seeking volunteers to candidly share your firsthand accounts of living in Upper Valley communities in the format of a new local podcast called Intersections.
At the end of the of the talk, Rudy shared that this Margaret Wheatley poem is one of his favorite poems and that it is very consistent with what Michelle and Julius are trying to do.
Turning to One Another
 
There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Ask “What’s possible?” not “What’s wrong?” Keep asking.
 
Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams.
 
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don’t know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
 
Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised.
Treasure curiosity more than certainty.
 
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what’s possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.
 
Remember, you don’t fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.
 
Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world.
 
Rely on human goodness. Stay together.
 
 
—Margaret Wheatley, “Turning to One Another,” 2002
Moorings
 
Yesterday, February 23, 2022, was the 117th Anniversary of Rotary International.
 
 
As members arrived, we has an eclectic conversation. Her are a few of the topics.
  • We noticed that Dan Affeldt had some Rotary PR signs behind his desk. He shared by working on a variety of Rotary projects he has acquired many signs, and then held up a sign from the flu vaccine clinics where we worked back in the fall. 
  • Jane Mason shared her Dad, Pete Mason, is home and happy to be cooking, and Jane is happy to have her in-home chef. She shared he is doing very well at 93.  They are monitoring his heart for several weeks to determine if he might need a pacemaker.
  • We talked about all the snow that is in the forecast...predicting about 8 inches.  Marilyn suggested John Yacavone create a weather map like he did when he was our local weatherman at WNNE. This led to John telling us about a snow storm he "over forecast", and how the next day when he was at the post office, he was call "Dusty", since instead of many inches of snow, we only got enough snow to track a cat. 
  • Jimmy Brock thanked the club members for there notes of supports.  Jimmy has been helping his sister and his family comes to terms with the death of his nephew.
Meeting review:
  • At 12:01, President Ed Friedman called the meeting to order and asked Marilyn Bedell to ring the Rotary bell.
  • Dan Affeldt volunteered to recite the Rotary 4-Way Test.
  • We welcomed Phil Bush back to Rotary.
  • Ed then turned the meeting over to Jane Mason and she introduced our speakers, Julius Turner and Michelle Rogge who shared info about a new podcast.  See the story above.
  • We then had announcements, and happy thoughts (see below)
  • The meeting was adjourned at 12:50 PM with us reciting our Rotary Motto
One Profits Most Who Serves Best
Announcements/Updates:
  • John Yacavone updates:
Our new Brew Fest glasses are in his barn.  Here is a picture of the new glasses.
Our new Road signs have arrived and they are in the barn too.
 
He spoke to Sam at Harvest Hill. 
 
 
We may be able to be back at Harvest Hill weekly starting on April 4. John is waiting for more information from Sam, he will update the our Board of Directors, and then announce the plan for in person meetings.  Stay tuned for details.
  • Food Drives
Tim Guaraldi announced that our food drives will start again in March.  The first on March 19 followed by one on April 30 (note the date change from what was announced at the meeting.  Date changed because of our Styrofoam drive that will be on April  16 at Jakes). 
 
All to be held at the Lebanon CoOp from 9 AM to 1 PM.  
 
 
Doodle Poll will be sent out soon for sign-ups. We need 8 members to volunteer per event.
  • Listen Community Dinner to start again on April 12. 
See information about signing up below.
  • Press release for Styrofoam Collection in April

Media Contact: Liane Avery, L99Liane@aol.com, 860-556-3114

Event Details: Saturday, April 16, 2022, 9-11 am behind Jake’s Coffee, 227 Mechanic Street, Lebanon, NH

2022 Foam Collection Day in Lebanon

Lebanon, NH

Sustainable Lebanon is once again partnering with the Lebanon Rotary Club to offer a polystyrene (Styrofoam) collection day on Saturday, April 16, from 9 - 11 am at 227 Mechanic Street in Lebanon (behind Jake’s Coffee). The event will take place rain or shine.

Various types of foam will be collected for recycling, including polystyrene #6 (EPS), polyethylene #4 (EPE), and #6 XPS insulation board foam which will be driven to a recycling facility in Massachusetts. This includes packaging foam used for TVs, computers, and appliances, as well as foam coolers. Food service foam, including clean food containers and egg cartons will be collected and recycled separately. We ask that all tape and labels be removed and all foam is clean, dry, and free of food residue or other debris.

PLEASE NOTE: Foam peanuts should be brought directly to the UPS Store at True Value Hardware in Hanover.

For more information and to volunteer, please contact Liane Avery at L99Liane@aol.com, 860-556-3114.

  • From the Cohase (Woodsville, Wells River, Bradford Area) Rotary Club
The following appeared in today's Upper Valley listserv.
  • 100th Anniversary Update
David Crandall updated us on the 100th Anniversary Committee meeting yesterday.  The members of the committee met with Parks and Recreation Director, Paul Coats.  Although he hopes to add additional playground elements in the future, he is supportive of our plans to install musical park elements.  The next step is to present our plan to Shaun Mulholland, our City Manager.  That should happen in about two weeks.
  • Cohase Rotary (formerly the Woodsville/Wells River Club) Event in Bradford VT, at the Space on Main, and via Zoom
WTF is Rotary? Public Event
From: "Monique E. Priestley" <mepriestley@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2022 01:07:07 +0000

*WTF is Rotary? | Monday, March 21st 5:30-8:00pm*

Our current club President, Monique Priestley, loves Rotary International. So much so that she agreed to sign on as a future District Governor! As she did for her first birthday as a Rotarian in 2017, she is celebrating with a Rotary outreach event. We hope you will join us! AND if you cannot join us in person, we will have a Zoom up and running. You can Zoom in from anywhere - Rotary covers the globe and we would love to help you find a club local to you (or you can join our eClub)! *Please RSVP here for pizza count and/or Zoom details: https://bit.ly/wtf2022 ( https://bit.ly/wtf2022?fbclid=IwAR038FNyQ1WArDenx8jKD5qfmPk6boI-juiYPOmnR-dn2_CNnIxbx2NPo7U )*

*Agenda:
* 5:30-6:00pm Rotary Overview
6:00-7:30pm Rotarian Visitors from Around the Globe
7:30-8:00pm Q&A

We will be joined by fellow Rotarians from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, the Philippines, St. Croix, and other states in the USA! 
Please RSVP here for pizza count and/or Zoom details: https://bit.ly/wtf2022 ( https://bit.ly/wtf2022?fbclid=IwAR038FNyQ1WArDenx8jKD5qfmPk6boI-juiYPOmnR-dn2_CNnIxbx2NPo7U )
  • Upcoming meetings:
Board of Directors Meeting — Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 5 PM (NEW TIME AND DAY)
  • Rotary Leadership Institute, Northeast (RLINE) 

Rotary Leadership Institute Is Alive and Well! 


RLI NE Seminar - District 7950 - Bourne, MA - In Person
March 26th, 2022

RLI NE Seminar - District 7475/7490 West Orange, NJ - Virtual
April 9th, 2022

RLI NE Seminar - Dist 7930 - Wakefield, MA - In Person
This session will include a Facilitator's Training Session.  If you have completed Part III, and wish to be part of this training session, your current District Governor must send a recommendation to our Executive Director Deb Glisson at  deborah7150@gmail.com
April 30th, 2022
 
Books for the Children's Collection at the Kilton Library in honor of our speakers:
 
Kilton book for Michelle Rogge
 
Cast Away: Poems for Our Time
By Naomi Shihab Nye
 
 
Acclaimed poet and Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye shines a spotlight on the things we cast away, from plastic water bottles to those less fortunate, in this collection of more than eighty original and never-before-published poems. A deeply moving, sometimes funny, and always provocative poetry collection for all ages.
 “How much have you thrown away in your lifetime already? Do you ever think about it? Where does this plethora of leavings come from? How long does it take you, even one little you, to fill the can by your desk?”? Naomi Shihab Nye
National Book Award Finalist, Young People’s Poet Laureate, and devoted trash-picker-upper Naomi Shihab Nye explores these questions and more in this original collection of poetry that features more than eighty new poems. “I couldn’t save the world, but I could pick up trash,” she says in her introduction to this stunning volume.
With poems about food wrappers, lost mittens, plastic straws, refugee children, trashy talk, the environment, connection, community, responsibility to the planet, politics, immigration, time, junk mail, trash collectors, garbage trucks, all that we carry and all that we discard, this is a rich, engaging, moving, and sometimes humorous collection for readers ages twelve to adult.
Includes ideas for writing, recycling, and reclaiming, and an index.
 
Kilton book for Julius Turner
 
Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z
By Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
 
 
A is for Acceptance
B is for Belonging
How can we make the world a better place?
This inspiring resource for middle-grade readers is organized as a dictionary; each entry presents a word related to creating a better world, such as ally, empathy, or respect. For each word, there is a poem, a quote from an inspiring person, a personal anecdote from the authors, and a "try it" prompt for an activity.

This second poetic collaboration from Irene Latham and Charles Waters builds upon themes of diversity and inclusiveness from their previous book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. Illustrations from Iranian-British artist Mehrdokht Amini offer readers a rich visual experience.
"Latham and Waters's personal stories are plainspoken and relatable . . . and the suggested actions, accessible. . . The approach creates multiple pathways for engagement. Extensive supplementary materials include an index of poetic forms."—starred, Publishers Weekly
 
Happy Thoughts/Concerns
 
Phil Bush is happy to be back.  He let us know that he is a member/treasurer of the Lebanon Library Foundation, and thanked the club for all we have done to support the library.  He encouraged members to go to the downtown Lebanon Library to see all the renovations. Phil is also a part of Sustainable Lebanon, and thanked the club members and in particular, Bruce Bergeron for helping with Styrofoam collections.
 
Bruce Pacht isn't exactly happy, but now know where the blockage is in his sewer line, and a plan is coming together to get it fixed.
 
Rudy Fedrizzi shared that his daughter, Ella, has been on an Interact trip to Puerto Rico. As a service project, they help clean the property of a local recluse. She reported that while doing this she saw her first rat...yikes.  On the trip were 20 interactors and 8 chaperones.  Rudy said it was a great experience for Ella.
Car Wash Winner 
 
February 24, 2022: John Yacavone
Members at the meeting:
 
Dan Affeldt
Marilyn Bedell
Ron Bedell
Dean Cashman
Hank Clarke
Dave Crandall
Jim Damren
Rudy Fedrizzi
Ed Friedman
Tim Guaraldi
Ahmad Haiardi 
Joy Gobin
JoAnn Lemieux
Jane Mason
Ernst Oidtmann
Bruce Pacht
Phil Rentz
Bill Secord
John Yacavone
 
Returning Member — Phil Bush

_______________________________________________________________

Rotary Meeting from June 27, 2023
 
 
  • With the ringing of our bell, President-elect Ernst Oidtmann called the meeting to order at 12:05 
  • No guest today.
  • 4-Way Test — Ernst Oidtmann suggested a 4-Way Test parody, but we decided to recite the traditional version.
  • No piano at Service Credit Union, so no singing today.
  • Ernst shared his Dad/Bad jokes:
    • When does a dad joke become a dad joke?
      • When it becomes a parent.
    • Why does a golfer take two pairs of socks to the golf course?
      • In case he gets a hole in one.
  • No speaker today, but we did have one important piece of Charities Business to review and to have a club vote to approve the appropriation of $1,890 for thirty jerseys displaying the Rotary International wheel for a new Hanover Youth Hockey 16U team organized and coached by Rotarian Dean Cashman?
    • Motion to approve the appropriation of $1,890 for the hockey jerseys was made by Bruce Pacht.  The motions was seconded by Angela Nelson. The floor was then opened for discussion about the motion.
      • A question was raised about whether or not this donations fit our Charities guidelines.  Should this donation come out of our club's marketing budget as one member believed the donation was more about marketing our club on the jerseys than being a charitable activity. Another questions was asked if parent(s) should pay for the jerseys.
      • Bruce Pacht and other members of the Charities Board shared that the Charities Trustees approved this as a Youth Service activity. We would be supporting a large number of kids from many Upper Valley towns.  It was not seen as a marketing endeavor, though the kids and their parents may learn a little mor about Rotary.
      • Hockey Coach, Dean Cashman, shared that in addition to supporting the kids, he has been able to introduce these kids and their parent(s) to Rotary.  He plans to use the Rotary 4-Way test as part of his coaching strategy.  In addition, he was able to recruit over 30-40 students and parents to help us with Mascoma River Clean-up.  Although the clean-up was postponed, he still believes the students and parents will show up in September to help us.
      • Although parent(s) have paid $1,000 for their child to participate in the program, this would be one less expense for the parent(s)
      • There was discussion about the Rotary logo being used on the jerseys.  A student did the design, using Rotary brand logo.  There was not enough space on the jersey to use the full Lebanon Rotary Logo.  But every jersey will have a Rotary wheel.
Brand to be used
 
Our Club's Logo
  • Another member expressed his belief that getting involved with kids will provide more opportunities for us to tell their parents about Rotary.
  • The dollars for the Jersey are going to a hockey 501(c)3 so giving money for the jersey fits our guidelines.
  • A few more remarks by trustees shared that the Charities Board approved bringing this request to the club as it was viewed as a Youth Service activity.
  • Ernst then asked if it was time to call the question.  No other comments were offered.
  • Vote on the motion was in the affirmative with one nay vote and no abstentions. 
  • Dean thanked the club for supporting youth hockey.
 
  • Brew Fest
As was mentioned last week, Phil Rentz has a limited number of Brew Fest posters that can be posted "around town".  If you know a place where you can hang one, let Phil know.  You can arrange a time to pick them up from Phil at Service Credit Union on Mechanics Street.  If you are posting a poster please use push pins and not staples.

Jim Damren again talked about the importance of sponsorships.  He is asking every member to reach out to businesses to request sponsorships and/or ads.  If you need forms, let us know. The form was sent by Marilyn Bedell for Jim previously.  As of today we have 24 confirmed sponsors or ads with several pending.
Deadline for ads and sponsorships will be  1 August 2023, so we have less than a week to go.
 
Reminder....EventBrite ticket site is now up and working.  Q code can be used to access the site. 
 
Q-Code takes you to EventBrite Order Page
 
  • Poker Room 
John Yacavone reported that the State has made the application process simpler for the Poker Room.  We will have dates in April 2024.
 
  • Announcements and other upcoming events:​​​​​​
Mascoma River Clean-up Due to flooding and ongoing high water levels, River Clean-up moved to September 23rd.  Stay tuned for details.  Tim Guaraldi will co-lead the event with Ernst with the plan for Tim to chair the event in 2025.
 
From Lebanon Opera House: 
 
From: Maureen Krauland <mkrauland@lebanonoperahouse.org>
Date: Tue, Jul 18, 2023 at 10:42 AM
Subject: Fwd: You're invited: Final Bow...For Now
To: Bruce Pacht <brucepacht67@gmail.com>

 
Hi Bruce.
 
I hope you received the invitation below to the August 9 open house at Lebanon Opera House. This promises to be an exciting event as we prepare to celebrate our centennial year and launch the next 100 years in a new and improved LOH. Please extend this invitation to the full team at Rotary Club of Lebanon! 
 

The RSVP link and more information can be found by clicking here
 
All the best,
Maureen
Maureen Krauland  I  Development Relations Manager  I  Lebanon Opera House
 
Happysmiley/Sad Dollars  sad
 
smileyAhmad Haidari shared that his niece and her family are immigrating from Iran to Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.  He will be helping her as she transitions to her new home country.  Ahmad will miss a few meeting as he helps get her to Fredericton.  Ahmad and Chris are celebrating their 32nd anniversary.
 
smileyAs mentioned above, Dean thanks us for supporting the donation for youth hockey.  He will work hard to get volunteers for Mascoma River Clean-up...but sadSad he won't be able to attend as he will be out of town on September 23rd.
 
smileyBruce Pacht finally had a day without rain for an all day motorcycle ride to Enosburg Falls.  He had lunch at Kathy's Tavern...a burger and poutine. He saw a lot of flood damage on his trip.  The ride included 6 miles of dirt road...well maintained dirt road.
 
sadJohn Yacavone shared news about all the road damage in his part of the world.
 
smileyTim and Anna Guaraldi spent a day on Newfound Lake.  They thought it would be a day by themselves on the lake, but a family member found them...oh well. He also learned his name was drawn for one of 35 moose permits for this fall.  He will be hunting in Pittsburg, NH.  Guess what he won't be joining us at meeting in moose season.
 
smileyRich Wallace took his wife to Great Woods (Xfinity Center) for a Boy George and Culture Club Concert.  Sounded like this made his wife happier than he was.
 
smileyErnst gave 2 happy dollars one for USA and Netherlands women's soccer tie.
Queen of Hearts Card Draw
 
No Card Draw this week.
Car Wash
 
 
Ron Bedell won the car wash. 
CORRECTED
 
Members at the meeting on July 27: Marilyn Bedell, Ron Bedell, Dean Cashman, Jim Damren, Tim Guaraldi, Ahmad Haidari, Will Koppenheffer, Ron Michaud, Angela Nelson, Ernst Oidtmann, Bruce Pacht, Phil Rentz, Marlon Steiner, Rich Wallace, Steve Whitman, John Yacavone.
 
 
Projects and Fundraisers
 
 
 
  • Next  Listen Dinner August 15, 2022, Volunteers needed.
  • See email sent last week with other dates when help is needed.
ONLINE SIGN UP HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.  
 
Let Dean Cashman know if you can help and he can email Larry the names of members who will help at the dinner.  Currently only one person has signed up to cook the meal.
 
 
  • Lebanon Senior Center
 
Contact the Senior Center for Dates and Time when Helper are needed.
 

Papa John helping at the Senior Center
 
 
  • Mascoma River Clean-Up — September 23, 2023 at 9 AM
 
 
Save the Date! September 23rd for our next Mascoma River Clean up!
Ernst Oidtmann with Tim Guaraldi as co-chair will lead the event.
We will do this in partnership with the Lebanon Conservation Commission and other interested community members.
 
  • Brew Fest 2023
 
 
Brew Fest on to
September 2, 2023
CHEERS!!
 
Our next fund raising priority.
  • Top Stitch Rotary Vests and Jackets 
  
John Yacavone has arranged for members to order light and heavier weight jackets and vest for us to wear when doing service projects...for days when our tees shirts just aren't enough to keep us comfortable and warm.
 
If you click the link below, Top Stitch has created a special website for Lebanon Rotary Club members to order the following clothing items.
 
1. Men’s and Women’s light weight jackets
2. Men’s and Women’s fleece vests
3. Men’s and Women’s fleece jackets
 
All jackets and vests will have Rotary Logo and club name.
 
 
Just pick your item and follow the instructions for ordering.  If you decide to pick up your item at Top Stitch located at 233 Mascoma Street Lebanon, NH 03766 there will be no charge for shipping, otherwise shipping will be charged.  If you have any questions about your order please contact Cody at Top Stitch at 603-448-2931.  Turn around time is 3.5 - 4 weeks.  Once you place your order your order will be processed no waiting on other orders to be fulfilled.
____________________________________________________________________________
 
Rotary International News
 
How to Bounce Back – Build resilience in yourself and others

Learn practical tips to strengthen your resilience, and how to instill resilience in others

by 

Why do some people spring back from hardship while others struggle? Experts agree that resilience is a function of several elements, including genetics, trauma, and personal development, not necessarily in that order. Each of us is genetically hardwired to recover after a failure — some more quickly than others. And, to an extent, our resilience is informed by our experiences. A young person who is abused, neglected, or abandoned is less likely to develop the resilience of one who was nurtured and supported. But most important, whatever degree of resilience we possess, we can always work to increase it. Resilience gets projects accomplished and polio eradicated. It beats the odds, turning losses into wins. Which leads to the question: What, exactly, is resilience?

According to George Everly Jr., professor of psychology and public health at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed, resilience is a matter of both attitude and actions. Tenacity is an action. “People won’t be tenacious if they assume they are going to fail,” he says. “A resilient attitude is optimistic; it’s the belief in a self-fulfilling prophecy.” If you expect to be resilient, you will become resilient. “But the attitude is impotent without subsequent action,” Everly adds. “This ain’t rocket science. We tend to couch it in psychobabble and the ethereal, and it is not.”

Here’s how to learn the art of bouncing back.

Don’t let your genes rule you

Kenneth Ginsberg, an adolescent medicine specialist, professor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of the book Building Resilience in Children and Teens, came up with the term “7 C’s” (see sidebar). “I drew on concepts from the leading thinkers,” he says. “It’s about raising youth to be resilient.” The model, however, applies to adults as well.

While Ginsberg acknowledges a hereditary component to resilience, he is reluctant to bring up that fact in early visits with patients. “If you put genetics first, people feel disempowered. It may be true that certain things are genetically predicted, such as intelligence and anxiety, but really more than anything else it’s that people around you support your growth and recovery.”

Let kids solve problems

Jenny Stotts, a social worker who is a member of the Rotary Club of Athens Sunrise, Ohio, and District 6690 membership chair, says we can build resilience in young people by simply supporting them. “Maybe they are having a conflict with a peer,” she says. “Instead of swooping in and fixing it, look for opportunities for them to problem-solve. That is a resilience-building activity.”

Think yourself positive

As trite as this may sound, the key to resilience is maintaining a positive attitude. The good news is that if you don’t feel positive, you can still build resilience by acting positive. Fake it till you make it, says Everly. Act as though you are tenacious and bound to win. “Even if you don’t believe it, just adopt a positive attitude that views the future as bright and failures as steppingstones to success.” He points out that the silent movie star Mary Pickford once said, “This thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

A resilient attitude is optimistic; it’s the belief in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Everly says that when we accustom ourselves to acting as though we will succeed, our perspective changes. That shift allows us to begin to see life as a journey, not a destination.

Distance yourself

According to Stotts, “One cool thing about personal resilience is that what you are born with doesn’t necessarily remain static.” As a social worker, speaker, and trainer who specializes in resilience, leadership, and organizational change, Stotts says there are many ways to increase resilience. “People prosper from success and learn from others,” she says. “If we break down resilience, it is the space between a stimulus and a reaction to the stimulus. In that space are your coping skills.” Trauma, a lack of security, and disruptions can erode those coping skills and diminish our resilience.

Building resilience, she says, is a function of increasing that space between the stimulus and the reaction. With more space — more time to consider, to take a breath, to reframe the world — we learn to get back up.

One way to open up that space is to challenge your perspective. Say you’re at an airport and see a flamboyantly dressed woman walking toward you. “I’ve been socialized to draw conclusions about her,” Stotts says. “But I can challenge my own perspective.” Instead of asking why she would dress that way at an airport, “I might wonder if she is an artist.”

Stotts recommends getting into the habit of developing alternative hypotheses when we encounter a stimulus. “Then, when you are under stress you are more likely to do it,” she says.

____________________________________________________________________________

Rotary International Convention in Houston Texas 2022
 
  • RI Convention June 4-8, 2022 in Houston TX
Ron again announce that the Rotary International Convention will be in Houston.  Read more by clicking here Registration fee until 15 December will be $475.
We are now meeting every Thursday via Zoom.
 
 
 
Links
Lebanon Rotary Home Page
Rotary District 7850
Rotary International
The Rotary Foundation
Upper Valley Business Alliance
Executives & Directors
President
Dave Crandall
 
President Elect
Ernst Oidtmann
 
Immediate Past President
Ed Friedman
 
Rotary Foundation
Ron Bedell
 
Secretary
Marilyn Bedell
 
Treasurer
Angela Nelson
 
Community Service/At large Board Member
Bruce Bergeron
 
International Service/At Large Board Member
Caleb Wolfe
 
At Large Board Member
Marion Steiner
 
Youth Service
Joy Gobin
 
Membership
Ahmad Haidari
 
Public Relations
Marion Steiner
 
Web Master
Rich Wallace
 
Charities Trustee/Chair
V. Bruce Pacht
 
Charities Trustee
Ernst Oidtmann
 
Charities Board Treasurer
Angela Nelson
 
Charities Trustee
Marion Steiner
 
Charities Trustee
John Yacavone
 
Charities Trustee
Rich Wallace
 
Sargant at Arms/At large Board Member
Hank Clarke
 
Advertisement for Russell Hampton
Advertisement for ClubRunner
Advertisement for ClubRunner Mobile
Please add mailservice@clubrunner.ca to your safe sender list or address book.
To view our privacy policy, click here.
 
ClubRunner
102-2060 Winston Park Drive, Oakville, ON, L6H 5R7