Taking thing Personally...The Amazing Things that Can Happen Through Our Rotary Foundation
Carolyn Johnson is passionate about the Rotary Foundation. She shared a variety of stories about projects she has participated in or initiated using funds from the Rotary Foundation for Global Grants.
She has done numerous literacy projects in Guatemala. She described a project that included teacher training and provided books for schools.
When Johnson went back to the school to evaluate the outcomes of the grant, she went into a classroom and asked the children about the value of having more books. One young boy exclaimed, "reading has changed my life". He then went on to talk about a book he read about a bully and how the story about this bully turned his life around. He shared the boy in the book was just like him. In the book the bully turns from a bully to a friend. He decided that he could and should become a friend too. His classmates shared that he had been a bully and not well like. But now he is a friend. Johnson reminded all of us that our donation had a hand in changing the life of this young student.
Another education project made it possible for a young women to get a job that let her earn five times the salary her father earned. Education is helping to transform this family's well being now and into the future.
In addition to projects in Guatemala, she has worked on projects in India, Romania and Uganda.
In India the project was to provide solar power to a school and home. With power at the school more innovative teaching methods could be employed to teach students. Graduation rates are now much higher, and kids are staying in school for more than one year. Solar power in the home permits students to study more safely. Prior to solar electricity, children studied with karosene lighting. Karosene was poured into a bottle, a rag was inerted, and then lit to provide light. As you can imagine this was very dangerous at many levels. Again our donation to the Foundation have helped change lives.
In Romania, a micro credit loan program is permitting community members to be self-sustaining. They are paying back their loans which then help fund the next loan. She described how a tractor, and a computer repair business are changing the lives of two families in Romania.
In Uganda, a Rotary Foundation grant helped equip a cancer center and permitted a vocational training team from the USA to go to Uganda and a team from Uganda to come to the USA to learn ways to help improve cancer care in Uganda.
Throughout her talk, she provided quotes from Dr. Seuss. As our Foundation team asks you to think about making a donation to the Rotary Foundation, keep this quote in mind, "Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not".
If you would like to go to Guatemala in early February, Carolyn has asked members to reach out to her and she will get you information about the trip. Contact Marilyn Bedell for her e-mail address.
Again from Dr. Seuss, "You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so...get on your way!".
Our Speaker Carolyn Johnson
Carolyn Johnson is a member of the Rotary Club of Yarmouth, Maine, and has been a Rotarian since 2001. Her introduction to Rotary was as a spouse, but she soon decided it was much more rewarding - and fun! - to be a member of a club.
Professionally, Carolyn is an educator with more than 30 years experience. She taught and was a principal at the elementary school level. She was selected as a Distinguished Educator by the Maine Department of Education to assist schools in developing student support teams and anti-bullying programs. In 2006, she began volunteering with the Guatemala Literacy Project. This volunteerism evolved into developing a program to improve the quality of literacy instruction for indigenous children in Guatemala. She created and directs the Culture of Reading Program, which provides books, school supplies, and literacy training and support to rural schools in Guatemala. This initiative has grown from a single school in 2007 to now serving more than 4200 children in 38 primary schools.
Carolyn has addressed audiences at Zone Institutes and Rotary International Conventions on promising literacy practices in developing nations. She was a keynote speaker at the 2012 Northeast PETS (President Elect Training Seminar). In 2009, Carolyn was honored to be awarded Rotary’s Service Above Self Award.
Book given to the Children's Collection at the Kilton Library in honor of Carolyn Johnson was What Is Given From the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack
Announcements
November
Rotary Foundation Month
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary International, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.
Phil Rentz announced that as part of Rotary Foundation Month, all members who make a donation of $100 to the Rotary Foundation by November 20, will be entered into a drawing to have their donation matched with recognition points to help them reach their next Paul Harris level a little more rapidly. Currently 14 members have made donations to be entered into the drawing.
Listen Community Services
Today's update from Angela Nelson about the Dinner & Holiday Basket Helpers both the dinner and basket activity are both happening on 10 December:
The Holiday Basket assembly will take place at the Listen office at 60 Hanover Street from 2:00 to 5:00. Complete the Doodle that has been emailed to club members so that Angela will know the workers that will be available. Can you help with baskets?
The Listen dinner that afternoon/evening has three people signed up and could use two more volunteers. Can you help at the dinner?
Our Interact Students will be helping us with the baskets
Dinners
The Next dinner will be December 10, 2019 staring meal prep at 3:30 PM.
We have signed up to do dinner every other Month. The dinners we signed up for will be the second Tuesdays of October, December, February, April, June, August
Holiday Basket Helpers
Angela Nelson let us know that we will have a variety of children needing gifts this year. If you prefer not to shop, you can give her funds and she will shop for you. Here are the items we need to provide by 5 December 2019:
Gabrielle – 17 year old – girl
Likes wolves, Japanese art and animation, drawing with pencils, doesn’t like “girly” characters like unicorns, but likes bracelets and rings: Favorite colors – Purple, green and blue
Sweatshirts – Women’s XS or girls 14/16 – Prefers zip up hoodies
Footie Pajamas – Women’s XS or girls 14/16 – prefers prints with animals but no unicorns, like camo too
Sweatpants – Women’s XS or girls 14/16 – Any color
Long Sleeve Shirts – Women’s XS or girls 14/16 – Any color
Snowpants – 3T/4T – Prefers bibbed and prefers pink and purple
Morgan – 17 year old – girl
Likes dirt racing, softball, perfume, and bath & body products
Sweatshirt – Juniors XL – Hoodie preferred
Legging Pants – Junior Large – Black
Jeans – Juniors 13 – skinny jean style
Pajamas – Juniors Large – Any color
Hat & Mittens – Juniors regular – Any color
Name not given – 2 months – baby boy
Long sleeve shirt – 3 months – Blue, red, boy colors
Snowsuit – 3 months – Blue, red, boy colors
Hat/gloves – 3 months – Blue, red, boy colors
Fleece Slippers – 3 months – Blue, red, boy colors
Socks
Damien – 4 years old – boy
Likes cars, trucks, tools and Paw Patrol: Favorite color is green
Sweater – 4T – prefers green
Winter jacket – 4T – prefers green
Pants – 4T – prefers green
Sweatshirt/Hoodie – 4T – prefers green
Winter Boots – Toddler 10 – prefers green
Rotary Club White River Junction - Polar Express
All Aboard!
THE HARTFORD, VT POLAR EXPRESS
Come and celebrate our 13th year with us in 2019. All Aboard! December 14 & 15, 2019
Tickets are now on sale for the Polar Express. Click here for more information.
Happy Dollars
Hank Clare is celebrating Dartmouth's football win..
Don MacMeekin is back from 14 days in the British Isles.
Tim Guarldi spent 5 hours in the woods and did not come home with a deer. He described the adventure as COLD, COLD, COLD!
Our guest speaker, Carolyn Johnson, shared she was happy to be reconnecting with Rotary Friends in the Upper Valley.
Bruce Pacht then reflected on the cold temperature reading recored in Burlington at 9 degrees...but it is only 6 weeks until the days start getting longer. I guess we are one day closer to spring.
Card and Car Wash
Bruce Pacht pulled the 6 of Clubs as the search for the Queen of Hearts continues.
Jean Wulpren won the car wash this week.
Rotary International
Rotary members don’t turn a blind eye to need
Posted on
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of reflections on Rotary’s Vision Statement: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
Paddy Rooney
By Paddy Rooney, governor of District 7390 (Pennsylvania, USA)
It is said that the greatest problem with adolescents is that they are selective listeners … although I personally believe that the problem is not limited to adolescents! We all hear what we want to hear and choose to ignore those things that we don’t want to hear. We pick and choose from the information offered to us, accepting that which pleases us to hear at the moment and ignoring that which we find uncomfortable.
And if that is true for hearing and listening, it is equally true for seeing. We have become selective in what we see, again ignoring those things that make us uncomfortable and seeing only those things that please and satisfy us.
But the problem with such selective seeing is that we can easily miss those things that are critical and important. We would rather frame our reality around those things we see which reinforce our own perceptions and beliefs rather than the sometimes brutal reality which is our world today.
As Rotarians we choose to see those around the world who are dying from diseases because there is no clean water or sanitation; we choose to see those who are displaced children of war or other humanitarian crises; we choose to see those who live without hope because there is no sustainable economic development plan to lift them out of poverty.
We see because the world has chosen to turn a blind eye to these issues, these problems, these crises. But we are Rotarians and we have chosen to open our eyes to the needs of the world and our communities and having seen we cannot turn away.
True sometimes the images are hard to see. But then other images offer themselves for us to see – the parent who cries knowing that those two drops will save her child from polio; the faces of the children when that clear, clean water bubbles up from the earth; and the families who know that we have helped to bring peace and resolution to the conflicts that afflict our world. That is why WE are Rotarians…because TOGETHER we are open and ready to SEE
Upcoming Rotary Programs
November 21 Noontime Meeting Dartmouth Football Coach Buddy Teeven’s
November 28 NO MEETING THANKSGIVING
December 5 Noontime Meeting Rob Stender from Simple Energy- Petroleum Industry
December 12, 7AM Meeting Allie Campbell Energy
December19 Noontime Meeting Jim Ohern, Addiction
December 26 NO MEETING
January 2, 2020 Noontime Meeting Teri Eastman, Mentoring 1st. year medical students
January 9, 7AM TBD
January 16, Noontime Meeting Rotary Speech Contest
January 23, 7AM Meeting Cheri Bryer, Substance misuse, Mom’s in Recovery Program, DHMC
February 20, Noontime Meeting, Professor Elizabeth Newton -It wasn't a typical first week at work: meet your colleagues, get settled in, confirm the existence of a new planet about 900 trillion miles from earth. But for physics and astronomy professor Elisabeth Newton, that's exactly how she started her new job at Dartmouth College earlier this year.
