Called to order by: President-Elect Kevin
Opening Song: R-O-T-A-R-Y
Patriotic Song: My Country Tis of Thee
Invocation: Garlan
Song Leader: Bruce Song: The Fox went Out on a Chilly Night
Visiting Rotarians:
none
Guests:
none
Raffle: Won By Marion but the correct card was not drawn
Announcements:
- Oct 24 is world Polio Day; see Bruce if you want to participate in the “purple pinky” project on the 24th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at DHMC &APD
- November 21st is the Pre-PETS training seminar at DHMC. All are invited to attend to learn more about Rotary and your part in Rotary.
- Ernst announced a clean up of the trail off Slayton Hill on Oct 17th, beginning at 9 a,m. Sign up with Ernst
- November 6 is the Hanover Rotary Club’s annual auction to be held at Dowd’s Country Inn in Lyme
- Ernst announced that $820 was raised for the auction by doctors and professionals
- Kevin read a thank you letter from West Central thanking the club for our contribution of $1000 to Paddle Power.
- Ernst announced the Crop Walk on October 18th; check with him to participate.
- Willie fined both Ron M and John Y for having their pix in the paper.’
- Salt Hill makeup/social hour on Monday Oct 12th at 5:30
- Board of Directors meeting Tuesday, 5:30 Heater Road Room 1A, Oct 13th
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Brags:
see above
Rotary Minute: Bartolo confessed to have written a special focus on Rotary in preparation for his Minute today but left it on his desk! Never mind, he did a wonderful essay on Not Cutting Corners. As coach at Avon School for Boys in Connecticut he was greatly influenced by a colleague who taught him a life lesson in how to manage picking up a scrap of paper rather than passing it buy; or cutting across the grass rather than the cross walk. Thanks Bartolo!
Speaker: Nicole DiDominico, Rotary Club of Northfield, VT spoke about the Upendo Mmooja (it means “One Love”) project in Tanzania to which our club has contributed financial support last year. She is one committed person to this project since 2005, going to help construct a new building to house 17 orphans ages 6-12, to educate them with basic skills and to train then in this vocational training center. She explained the interesting history of the facility when a men’s carpentry group and a women’s craft group got together with her assistance to plan such a project to help their young people prepare for life with skills necessary to survive. Since then she has taken many Rotarians and Rotaract members to Tanzania to work on the project. She sees this as a participation in the “New Generation” focus of RI—engaging youth in service, giving them tools, vision and hope to make this one rural community in East Africa a symbol of what can be done through Rotary. (She didn’t say it quite like that, but close enough.)
The project really began building the foundation of the building in 2013. In 2014 a group of Rotarians and Rotaract from Northfield went to view the project. In the summer of 2015 three groups went to finish the building. However, it still lacks windows and winter is approaching. When asked what it would cost, it’s $1700. I would suggest the Grants and Financial Operations Committee explore our club giving the $1700 from the excess funds raised from the auction rather than having it sit in our bank account. ….or from funds raised last year.
It costs $360 a year to sponsor a child in this home, including food, clothing and fees. Plymouth Congregational Church of Boston contributed $3000 to put a fresh water well at the school. Toilets are next, exploring composting ones to replace the latrines.
