October 28, 2021 at Noon at Harvest Hill: Sylvia Dow, Visions Residential Housing
November 4, 2021 at Noon on Zoom
November 11, 2021 at Noon at Harvest Hill: District Governor Michael Carrier
Important Reminder for In-Person Meetings:
If you have not attended our in person meetings at the Harvest Hill or the Woodlands, you will need to present your Vaccination Record Card at the door, proving that you are fully vaccinated.
Once again temperatures will be taken for all to assure that you don’t have a fever.
-A clear photograph of your Card, on paper or on your cell phone, will suffice.
-Cindy will have a list of members who attended the August 12 meeting to check off those who have already presented their vaccination card. If you aren’t on the list, you must present your verification of vaccination.
-Everyone attending the meeting will have their temperature taken.
Please plan to arrive between 11:45 and 12:00.
-If you feel unwell, in any way, please do not attend. COVID symptoms can be anything from: Runny nose is the most frequent symptom, with a sore throat and upper respiratory symptoms also common; nausea to headache to fever to loss of sense of smell.
Next Board Meeting
Our Next Rotary Club of Lebanon Board meeting will be November 9, 2021 at 5:30 PM on Zoom.
Rudy Fedrizzi said our speakers would talk about humanitarian relief in the Valley of Sucrerie, located in Haiti’s southern peninsula, a location horribly devested by the earthquake this August. There may be a possibility in time of a team of Lebanon Rotarians joining a group from Dartmouth doing some hands-on work in Haiti.
Rudy introduced Peter Wright, a physician, and Jack Wilson, a professor of design at Dartmouth. Paul Leger, a Haitian native, is an oncologist in D.C. Peter is an infectious disease specialist who has worked in Haiti on HIV and other diseases.
Dr. Leger: I have a very deep personal connection with the Sucrerie community. My father was in the first generation from Sucrerie to learn how to read in 1950s, and was founder of first elementary school there. Paul and his siblings attended that school.
Life is getting harder and opportunities fewer in rural Haiti. The goal of this collaboration is to support initiatives for long-term, sustainable community development.
Sucrerie is less than 10 milers from the epicenter of the 8/14/21 7.2 earthquake. “Mountains behind mountains” is a description of this area. Sucrerie is on the main road from Haiti’s capital, Port Au Prince, to the southern city of Les Cayes. There are about 20,000 persons in the Valley’s communities, the biggest of which are Solon, Sucrerie, and Corail.
Agriculture is the main source of income. They have a booming young population looking for opportunities to emerge from poverty. Haiti has active members in the diaspora willing to assist their community in sustainable development. All linked by the WhatsApp social media platform. There are great opportunities here to pilot community interventions that impact the lives of all people.
Sucrerie’s main school, Ecole Sainte Anne, was totally collapsed along with 5 other schools. The town’s only community health center was severely damaged as well. 75% of private houses have collapsed. Most of the churches also were destroyed.
The initial community response among the citizens was to create an organization to save the valley of Sucrerie: RESSOVAL. Board members include a diverse collection: a Catholic priest, young physician, field worker, Baptist pastor, and youth leaders from two youth organizations: Lasikri pap Peri (“Sucrerie will not perish”) and Vision Lakay (“Global vision for Sucrerie”).
Mission statement of RESSOVAL:
Ensure leadership of the community and define top community priorities
Coordinate actions of the diaspora and other organizations and donors in assisting victims of the earthquake
Promote sustainable development in the community beyond relief
Initial Response:
Contributions from friends and diaspora to create temporary shelters to open school classes
FINACT – “Fruit in Action” -- Haitian professionals living in US, Canada, and Haiti to support life-changing training in Haiti, starting in Sucrerie
Work with local leaders to recruit talented young men and women for vocational training in Les Cayes, with goal of opening a vocational school in Sucrerie
Currently,
4 students are studying construction masonry
4 cabinetmaking
4 in electricity
4 nursing
2 agriculture
Anticipated impacts of vocational training
Skilled workers to address construction needs – schools, health center churches, houses
Trained nurses to deliver health serve
Trained techs for agriculture
Human resources for long-term community-building
Restoration of sense of hope in community
Four potential impactful projects
Implement mutual solidarity to empower women in Valley of Sucrerie
Prior efforts need support
Promote promotion of egg production and child health
Denise Leger is an agronomist with experience in rural community development and gender equity. She has volunteered to supervise and provide technical assistance to these efforts. Project planning and budget would be developed with Denise
Start small agricultural enterprises
Acquire appropriate tools. Technical assistance supplied by agronomist. The enterprise would borrow money in order to multiply the experience or create other projects.
Planning and budget to be decided.
Sponsor 4 students for 3 years to cabinet-making school; support a department of this type in Sucrerie in 3 years; create of a workshop to produce furniture
Estimated $3,000/year to train 4 students for 3 years; budget of department of cabinet-making to be created later.
Community library with internet access and books
Language lap to teach fluent English
May not realistic right now – larger budget for construction and staffing
In summary: Dr. Leger is looking for investments in these four options to contribute long-term sustainability to Sucrerie with a model which might be applied to other communities in similar circumstances:
Implementation of mutual solidarity to empower women
Creation of small agricultural enterprises
Vocational training followed by a workshop in furniture production
Community library with language laboratory – good English skills are crucial to the students’ futures
Peter Wright – Dartmouth and DHMC physician
I’ve worked in Haiti for a very long time. First, in 1974 during infectious disease fellowship, a frustrating and rewarding experience. One thing we did was work in the south of Haiti. Had support from the Kellogg Foundation looking at the axis of maternal and neonatal health. Picking Sucrerie, we tried to establish what primary infant care would look like for the future. Peter knows the village well and maintains a continued association with Haiti,.
Jack Wilson is an architect thinking about ways to improve community health through re-building the school and individual houses. We have a sort of unique collection of people here and in Haiti coming together with strong connections since the earthquake, which was stronger than the one in Port-au-Prince in 2010.
We are reaching out to a variety of foundations. Potential of working with Rotary very attractive to us. Dilemma – when we ask the community what’s needed, they say, “Everything!”
We are working on restoring hope. We must be selective in what we propose to you and other charitable foundations.
Jack shared a short slide show picturing the Dartmouth connection with Sucrerie:
Photos of 2010 visit. Housing development. Engineering students visited. Environmental Studies students visited. Tuck students met with community health workers in several different communities. Water purification, distribution. A housing development workshop in Hanover generated a $300 earthquake-resistant house.
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
John Yacavone: Is there a Sucrerie Rotary?
No, but there is a club in Les Cayes with which Paul’s been in touch. They have someone who is closer to Sucrerie who is willing to work with Rotary if there is a project there.
John emphasized the importance of a local Rotary connection for large projects. We need a club to take the lead in the country; we become partners but cannot provide constant oversight on the ground.
Paul – We started that connection in case Rotary would like to support our efforts.
Bill Secord: Rudy mentioned that Jack has a special low-cost high efficiency house design.
Jack: Been focused on this for a long time. Empowering local communities to do things for themselves. Studied local building materials, typologies, etc. We developed a small-scale, very typical, rural housing design that could be implemented for $5-8,000 per house. Implementing a building plan is very tricky at this time: the supply chain has been disrupted, there is political confusion, but we do have plans. Jack has some grant money that could be used.
Caleb: I run Emmah’s Garden which has similar goals for a Kenyan village. Would love to see what you have for fairly inexpensive and easy-to-construct housing. Would also like to talk with Paul’s sister Denise about what she’s trying to do to improve agriculture in the village.
Peter said the group has been meeting regularly by Zoom at 8:00 on Thursday mornings; they would welcome attendance by a Rotarian.
Rudy: Paul mentioned a UNICEF connection, that he has a colleague there who might be interested in the educational aspects in the community.
Paul: UNICEF is planning to help with the main school. They have a design for progressive additions to the school.
Moorings
Marilyn and Ron Bedell missed their first club meeting in over a year and half. Marilyn had been invited by the Rotary Club of Colchester-Milton to speak and be a part of a Rotary Foundation celebration in anticipation of Rotary Foundation Month in November, and World Polio Day on Sunday, October 24, 2021. It was a fun meeting. Marilyn spoke about international projects, Louisa Tripp talked about district projects, and Dave Monte, a member of the Rotary Club of Burlington, is a polio survivor and talked about his memories of that experience as a 5 year old child in 1947.
My thanks to Bruce Pacht for taking on Zoom meeting responsibilities. The speaker story above and the notes below are from the notes Bruce sent me after the meeting.
12:02 p.m. – Hank created a “Bong!” with his voice as he didn’t have a bell to ring
Ahmad asked if two members of his family could attend for the speakers
Cindy recited the Four-Way Test
Club Business and Announcements
(Prior to the arrival of our speakers at 12:30 PM)
Bruce Bergeron mentioned next week’s speaker, October 28, 2021, at Noon at Harvest Hill: Sylvia Dow, Visions Residential Housing. We will surprise Sylvia by naming her our honorary Paul Harris Fellow designee for this year.
100th Anniversary committee will meet this Monday, continuing discussion of 3 projects. This Saturday, noon-2:00 PM at Kilton Library, there will be an update on the Westboro Rail Yard. Several Rotarians said they planned to attend.
Brew Fest : A thank-you ad will be published shortly in the Valley News. September 3, 2022 is the next Brew Fest date.
The community service committee is seeking 6 Rotarians to help with the Styrofoam collection. Businesses also can bring Styrofoam. Collection site behind Jake’s Coffee Shop behind the storage units. Rotary will promote this through our social media. Also, Lebanon Sustainability and another group are doing similar publicity.
Update on the Niroula family from Dipak:
“We finally moved to new house on October 8th and building two bedrooms in the basement now.
We got building permit. I am still looking for a plumber to build a new bathroom in basement level. We are a super busying all these homework and kids' school, activities and our work. I hope everything will be managed within a month or so.”
Fall Park Clean-up – Will Koppenheffer coordinating: Friday, November 5, Riverside Park, 2-4 PM. Bring raking and cutting implements and a leaf blower.
Cal reported that Emmah’s Garden is now providing a Zoom Room for Kisumu Rotary for their meetings. Cal will go to the club’s meeting this Sunday and will report on it at our next meeting.
Listen will let us know when they are opening to in-person dining. Even though they aren’t having group meals, do they need help to prepare food-to-go? Perhaps we could reach out to Larry for days he might need extra help in the kitchen.
Joy has put in a request for use of the Lebanon High School gymnasium for an April 1-2, Friday night/Saturday 2022 Pie to End Polio event.
Dr. Ernst’s historical perspective for today: “What battle was fought 216 years ago in 1805?” Will correctly stated, “Trafalgar”. It was a sea battle between the British and the French/Spanish. "England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson from his flagship HMS Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.”Nelson was killed on the main deck of the Victory, now serving as theoretical headquarters of the British fleet.A model ship Ernst has built was a signal ship in that battle:“HMS Euryalus”.The last of 5 British ships with this name was an antiaircraft ship.
Wikipedia: “Euryalus, the Argive son of Mecisteus and Astyoche[5] and one of the Argonauts. He attacked the city of Thebes as one of the Epigoni, who took the city and avenged the deaths of their fathers, who had also attempted to invade Thebes. In Homer's Iliad, he fought in the Trojan War, where he was brother-in-arms of Diomedes, and one of the Greeks to enter the Trojan Horse. He lost the boxing match to Epeius at the funeral games for Patroclus.[6][7] He is mentioned by Hyginus, who gives his parents as Pallas and Diomede.[8]”
Bruce Bergeron: We have gift cards we are auctioning off until next Thursday at 3:00 PM. Goal is to raise $500. Bruce wants to see people outbidding each other by $1 at a time. Don’t feel bad about taking it from anyone else. Funds raised will contribute to golf tournament income.
Happy dollars and concerns
Ernst Oidtmann has a new snow blower
Ahmad Haidari’s son had a delayed commencement, but all the siblings flew in from around the country to join him
Cindy Jermome is flying Saturday to Atlanta for a conference. Right now, Covid incidence in NH is about 4 times that of Georgia. After the conference, Cindy will see her sister in Georgia, whom she hasn’t seen in a long time.
Dean Cashman and his wife went to Nashville for hockey games. Every establishment was packed with people enjoying themselves. Dean’s friend is coach of the Nashua Predators.
Rudy Fedrizzi is off to Denver for a meeting of the American Healthcare Assn. Rudy’s daughter scored her first soccer goal in high school, one of very few her team has scored this year!
Cindy Jerome: Brattleboro started an annual 4-Way Test award for businesses which exemplified the principles in their work. She will bring it up at the next Club board meeting.
Ahmad Haidari: What happens to the food we don’t consume at APD? Cindy says, “They are miracle workers at conserving food. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Car Wash Raffle
Bruce B conducted a random drawing by mouse for a free car wash – Dean Cashman is the winner.
On-Line Auction
Via email, Bruce Bergeron let us know that we have a variety of gift cards leftover from the Golf Tournament. He has organized an online auction for that he sent to all of us. Feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues. Here is the link:
We will promote this event via Rotary Social Media. Please like and share with your friends.
Thank you
Bruce Bergeron
Event Details: Saturday, October 30, 2021, 9-11 am behind Jake’s Coffee, 227 Mechanic Street, Lebanon, NH
Styrofoam Collection Day in Lebanon
Lebanon, NH
Sustainable Lebanon is partnering with the Lebanon Rotary Club to offer a polystyrene (styrofoam) collection day on Saturday, October 30, from 9 - 11 am at 227 Mechanic Street in Lebanon (behind Jake’s Coffee). The event will be held rain or shine.
All types of foam will be collected for recycling. Polystyrene #6 (EPS), #4 LDPE (EPE), and #6 XPS insulation board foam will be driven to a recycling facility in Palmer, MA. This includes packaging foam used for TVs, computers, and other appliances, as well as foam coolers. All other foams, including clean food containers, egg cartons, cups, and packing peanuts will be recycled via Terracycle. (Please also consider contacting local shipping and packaging centers to donate of packing peanuts for reuse.) We ask that all tape and labels are removed and all foam is clean, dry, and free of food residue or other debris.
A donation of $15 per person is requested to support the cost of transportation.
For more information and to volunteer, please contact Liane Avery at L99Liane@aol.com, 860-556-3114.
100th Anniversary
Three projects are being reviewed by the 100th Anniversary Committee. Now that the Westboro Railyard is being cleared, there may be an opportunity for the club to be a part of the revitalization of this property.
Eight members of the club went to the West Lebanon Block Party to learn more about the plans the city is considering.
Speaker Book
Three Books were given in honor or our speakers this week.
Child of the Universe
Perfect for fans of The Wonderful Things You Will Be and That's Me Loving You, this picture book by a renowned astrophysicist is a lyrical meditation on the preciousness of one child and the vastness of the universe.
Just like the sun gives shine to the moon, you light up the world beyond this room . . . You are grand and marvelous, strong and mysterious. The history of the world is in your fingertips.
A lyrical meditation on the preciousness of one child and the vastness of the universe, this gorgeously illustrated picture book shares the immensity of a parent's love along with the message that we are all connected to the broader cosmos in important and intimate ways. A perfect bedtime read-aloud, Child of the Universe is a book to cherish forever.
The author is an astrophysicist who has been fascinated by the universe since he was a child. As a parent, he has developed a new appreciation for the deep connections between billions of years of cosmic evolution and this one tiny human.
Dark Was the Night
The poignant story of Blind Willie Johnson--the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night" was included on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record
Willie Johnson was born in 1897, and from the beginning he loved to sing--and play his cigar box guitar. But his childhood was interrupted when he lost his mother and his sight. How does a blind boy make his way in the world? Fortunately for Willie, the music saved him and brought him back into the light. His powerful voice, combined with the wailing of his slide guitar, moved people. Willie made a name for himself performing on street corners all over Texas. And one day he hit it big when he got a record deal and his songs were played on the radio. Then in 1977, his song--"Dark Was the Night"--was chosen to light up the darkness when it was launched into space on the Voyager I space probe's famous Golden Record. His immortal song was selected for the way it expresses the loneliness humans all feel, while reminding us we're not alone.
Black Is a Rainbow Color
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on.
Red is a rainbow color.
Green sits next to blue.
Yellow, orange, violet, indigo,
They are rainbow colors, too, but
My color is black . . .
And there’s no BLACK in rainbows.
From the wheels of a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and thrive.
Stunningly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner Ekua Holmes, Black Is a Rainbow Color is a sweeping celebration told through debut author Angela Joy’s rhythmically captivating and unforgettable words.
All Membership Survey from Rotary International
The 2021 all-member survey is coming in November
The 2021 Rotary All-Member Survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a member — what you like, what you don’t, and how we can make your membership experience even better.
The survey is sent to all Rotary and Rotaract members for whom we have a current email address. To ensure that you receive it, sign in to My Rotary and update your email address by 1 November.
You’ll find the survey in your inbox in early November.
From, Rotary International
Members at our meeting on October 21, 2021
Bill Babineau
Bruce Bergeron
Dean Cashman
Hank Clarke
David Crandall
Jim Damren
Rudy Fedrizzi
Ed Friedman
Joy Gobin
Tim Guaraldi
Ahman Haidari
Cindy Jerome
Willy Koppenheffer
JoAnn Lemieux
Ron Michaud
Ernst Oidtmann
Bruce Pacht
Phil Rentz
Bill Secord
Marion Steiner
Janet Vaughan
Steve Whitman
Cal Wolfe
John Yacavone
Guests: Chris Haidari and their children
Our Speakers, Peter Wright, MD at the Geisel School of Medicine, Jack Wilson, a professor of design at Dartmouth. Paul Leger, a Haitian native, is an oncologist in D.C.
Upcoming Service Projects and Fund Raisers
Styrofoam Collection Day set for 10/22/30.
We will be partnering with Sustainable Lebanon and the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.
Bruce Bergeron will send a Doodle next week to see if there are a few Rotarians interested in helping on 10/30 at the collection site.
Rotary to promote event via our social media once the official announcement is available from Cindy Heath.
Rotary is not spending any money on this event, just volunteer labor needed.
Good news is that hopefully....Styrofoam isn't heavy to lift.
Collected Styrofoam will go to a special disposal outfit in MA, so it doesn’t harm the environment.
Listen Holiday Basket Helpers
Update from Angela Nelson (this was sent in a separate email too):
Hello everyone!
Crazy enough it is almost the holidays! Where HAS this year gone! Listen has started their holiday basket program again. Unfortunately due to the COVID variants, they are doing cash donations in order to purchase gift cards to clothing stores and grocery stores again. Not nearly as much fun as shopping for adorable clothes for everyone, but still fulfills the needs and purpose.
For new members who don't know about this program. Listen creates holiday baskets for applicants. Community members/organizations sponsor these families and usually receive wish lists of 5-6 clothing items with sizes and likes for each child (or senior) and then each family is given a $50 gift certificate to a grocery store. The community members/organizations then would normally shop for these clothing items. It usually costs about $100 per child. Last year and now this year the shopping part has been eliminated due to COVID, but the need is just as high, if not higher.
The club itself budgets $450 for this program, but usually we sponsor 6-7 families. Rotary members, as they wish, donation funds (or had chosen items to shop for) to the charities account and then one big check is written to Listen from the club. If or how much someone gives is completely up to the member and I am the only one who knows!!!! Since the funds are going to the charities account, any contribution made is considered a charitable donation for tax purposes. If you would like to donate there are a few ways. You can mail a check to PO Box 132, Lebanon, NH 03766 (just put a note in or email me saying it is for Listen) or you can bring a check or cash to a face to face meeting (I should be at the next couple face to face meetings, but if I am not you can give it to Tim (or whoever may be filling in for him) and I will get it). If either of these don't work, you can email me and we can work something else out.
If you have any questions please let me know. Thank you for your help with keeping kids and seniors warm and fed for the holidays!
Ang
Hold the following dates for 2022
Golf Tournament will be May 26, 2022
Brew Fest will be September 3, 2022
Rotary International News_________________________________________
How to bring in new members
Posted on
By Tom Gump, immediate past governor of District 5950 and a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Edina / Morningside, Minnesota, USA
Rotary’s recently launched Membership Society for New Member Sponsors has created a high level of enthusiasm for bringing new members into our organization and forming new and innovative Rotary and Rotaract clubs. How do you attract new members into your club? Or form a core of people interested in launching a new Rotary club? As someone who has brought in more than 50 new members (Membership Society Gold Level), I want to share a few thoughts.
Know why people join Rotary
A great starting point is to review the research we already have for why people join Rotary. Data from Rotary International’s last global survey shows that a majority of respondents said they joined Rotary or Rotaract for local community service and friendship. Respondents also listed personal growth, professional development, and professional connections as important reasons for joining. With this in mind, it’s good to make sure your club can provide these things, and that you advertise them to prospective members. You have to Ask! This might seem obvious. But you know what, if you don’t tell them about Rotary AND ask them to join, most people won’t. The survey showed that more than 85% of new members found out about their clubs because a Rotary member personally invited them. Don’t miss out on the opportunity. Ask your family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and other acquaintances to come to a meeting or event, and then follow up on any interest with an invite to join.
Why I love “Each One, Bring One!”
I find the “Each One, Bring One” initiative of Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta to be brilliant because it focuses on what we can do to grow Rotary now – attract new members. His initiative makes it clear that it’s not just the responsibility of a membership committee of a few people, but every member’s responsibility.
Rotary’s value proposition for individuals
As noted above, we need to be very clear with prospective members about what value we offer them, and then deliver on the promise. The survey results suggest we need to:
Provide a variety of service projects – both local and international;
Have engaging and fun social events;
Host professional development opportunities;
Offer leadership development opportunities, including our partnership with Toastmasters;
Connect seasoned veterans with younger professionals in mentoring relationships;
Provide networking opportunities beyond your club; and
Make our events easy to bring the entire family to.
Rotary’s value proposition for new clubs
Sometimes the best way to meet prospective members’ needs is to gather enough people with similar passions to form the core of a new club. The value proposition we can share with them is the ability to join others who share a similar passion to create lasting change. Why start a new nonprofit venture when you can take advantage of all of Rotary’s resources, it’s long track record of financial stewardship, and its expertise in planning sustainable service projects? The Rotary Foundation provides grant support. Action Groups and technical cadres provide technical support. Members of cause-based clubs can do far more than write a check.
Every member has what it takes to bring in other members. And now, there’s a place to be recognized for it. I look forward to seeing your name in the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors. If I can do it, you can too.
Learn more about the Membership Society for New Member Sponsors. This new program recognizes members who have expanded Rotary’s reach by sponsoring 25 or more new members.
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.
The First and Third Thursday at 12 Noon via Zoom
&
The Second and Forth Thursday at Noon in the Dwinell Room at Harvest Hill or at the Woodlands on the Campus of Alice Peck Day Hospital.
For in person meetings we ask that you only come if you have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19
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