October 10 7AM Meeting Steve Taylor, Changes in the Upper Valley Environment
Steve Taylor is an independent scholar, farmer, journalist, and longtime public official. With his sons, Taylor operates maple syrup, and cheese making enterprise in Meriden Village.
He has been a newspaper reporter and editor, and served for 25 years as New Hampshire’s commissioner of agriculture.
Taylor was the founding executive director of the New Hampshire Humanities Council and is a lifelong student of the state's rural culture.
October 16 Wednesday, Noontime at Jesse’s Joint meeting with Hanover Rotary-Group Exchange
Steve Whitman reminded everyone about the combined meeting with the Hanover club on Wednesday, October 16. We will be hosting the friendship exchange folks from Canada. We have 22 members planning to attend this meeting. If you haven't signed up and plan to attend, please let Steve Whitman or Marilyn Bedell know ASAP. We need to give a head count to Jesse's.
October 17 NO MEETING
October 24 7AM Meeting Richard Fox, District Governor
Richard is an attorney with the Law Office of Richard J. Fox PLLC, specializing in real estate conveyancing and real estate litigation. He is a current member of the Charlotte-Shelburne-Hinesburg (VT) Rotary, and served as its President (2014-15) and as an Assistant Governor (2015-18) for District 7850. Richard is a Paul Harris Fellow and a Paul Harris Society member.
Richard is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Miss Vermont Scholarship Organization and is a volunteer presenter for the Champlain Housing Trust’s First-time Homebuyers Education Seminar. His past civic activities include serving as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) with Shelburne Rescue, Cubmaster for Shelburne Cub Scout Pack 607, and as a Pro Bono Attorney for the Vermont Bar Association’s Military Family Law Project.
Richard J. Fox is a Vermont native and a graduate of Rutgers University (BA, History, English, and Political Science) and the George Washington University Law School (JD). He resides in Shelburne, Vermont with his wife Erica, who is also a Rotarian, and their two daughters.
Program
October 3, 2019
Classification Talks
Today we learned how two of our members ended up in the Upper Valley, and as members of our Rotary Club.
First up was Bill Secord
Bill Secord
Bill grew up in Connecticut. Near Willamantic. He shared early memories of learning how to shoot a rifle, and how he became proficient.
There was a reflection of taking Ancient History at Wilamatic State Teacher College and how the best part of class was getting to watch co-eds sunbath on the adjacent roof.He then went on to tell us about his move to East Hartford, CT. (Aside - This is John Yacavone's home town too.]
His educational journey took him to Forham University in NYC (The Bronx). He remembered that in the 70s he felt safe being out on the streets and riding the subway system late at night. He reflected, "It was a safe place".
His educational journey then took him to Harvard where he pursued a Master's of Art in Education. This program is no longer offered at Harvard. Again he reflected that it probably because most teachers aren't able to leave large endowments to the school. Thus Harvard did away with the degree.
He then shared his love of teaching and his experiences in East Hartford and in Fairfield Connecticut. In Fairfield he met his wife, Linda They were both teachers. They often had Friday night dinners together with friends. One night Linda invited everyone back to her place after dinner...and Bill was the last to leave (he claims it was around 2 AM). They became engaged and married. and moved back to East Hartford. The "Gold Coast" of Connecticut was beyond their means.
Bill shared his experiences with teacher's unions, going back to school to get a second Masters in Library and Medias Science...He gained even more education in administration. He has a stories about overseeing school newspapers too.
He is very proud of the work he did to set up an International Charter School in East Hartford, Connecticut. It was a school established to promote diversity. This school achieved awards for excellence.
From the schools web page:
The International Magnet School for Global Citizenship prepares students in Pre-K to Grade 5 to become global citizens, appreciate diversity, and perform academically at the highest level. At this International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, a world-standard curriculum nurtures students to become thoughtful and inquiring learners.
The International Magnet School aims to develop internationally minded global citizens who take action for a better, more peaceful world. We are committed to providing equity, excellence, and success for all through high-quality educational services.
Bill became an educational consultant, and established another charter school, Connecticut River Academy that was focused on science education. It is still an active and respected school today.
After his long educational career in Connecticut, he headed to the Upper Valley in 2008 to be closer to his grandkids who live in Fairlee. He also shared that he spent a lot of time at his parent cabin in Lydonville, VT as a child.
He now occupies his time with Rotary, working on courses for Osher at Darmouth (which is moving to One Court Street in Lebanon), the Lebanon Democratic Party, weight lifting with Carl Wallin (Bill set a world record in his age group as a swat lifter), he is teaching a class for his home schooled grandkids too.
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Hank Clarke
Sorry Hank, I forgot to take your picture, so this is from our ClubRunner files. Note the tie, we may never see Hank in a tie again, as he got rid of most of them on his retirement from Mascoma Bank.
Hank Clarke
Hank grew up in Redneck, New Jersey. He was born on St. Patty's day, and shared how he can often drink for free on his St. Patty's day birthday.
Hank is a veteran and served four years in the Air Force. One of his assignment was in Maine where he met his wife Carol.
After leaving the military, he worked for Sears for many years. Often working 6 days a week. It became too intense, so he looked for another line of work.
He came to the Upper Valley in a three piece suit to interview for a ski company. The owner interviewed him in his comfortable tee-shirt and jeans. He enjoyed the laid back nature of the work and was amazed it was truly a Monday through Friday position.
He worked for Tecnica for 10 to 12 years. Tecnica was reorganize, and he chose to take a exit package. He then took a job with Mascoma Bank as a collections officer. He is now happily retired.
When he moved her is daughter Wendy was 5 years old, and Stephanie was less than a year old. The girls are now grown and married. Hank enjoys being near Stephanie's kids, 3 boy. They are into sports, baseball and football.
Like Bill he is involved in Osher at Dartmouth. In addition, he plays lawn croquet at the Woodstock Inn and invites other to join him in this activity. He loves to travel, and often take extended trip to see friend and family.
He has been a member of Rotary since June 1993.
Announcements
Rotary Friendship Exchange
If you would be willing to be a driver for our Friendship Exchange Team from Alberta, Canada on October 16,17 or 18 let Steve Whitman know.
On October 16, the team will start the day at DHMC seeing the simulation lab and taking a tour of DHART. Then Rotary at Jesse's at noon, then return to their host's homes.
On October 17, the team will head to St. Gaudens for a tour focused on President Lincoln, and the Civil War, and how both influenced St. Gaudens work as an artist. Then a photo stop at the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, lunch at Harpoon, then glass blowing at Simon Pearce.
October 18, the team will tour the new and improved Hood Museum with docent Linda Oidtmann, then head to the rare book collection library at Baker Library. Then have an opportunity to walk in downtown Hanover before heading back to their host's homes.
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Paul Tierney provided additional details about our plans for the Veterans Appreciation Dinner to be held Sunday, October 20. The Listen dining space holds about 130 people, and Paul is approaching service organizations such as the VA, APD, the American Legion, and Listen to extend invitations to area vets. The dinner is being designed as a relaxed social occasion allowing for our mingling with the veterans and getting to know them. Paul passed around a sign-up sheet for various tasks—setting up, greeting, photography, etc. Paul Tierney and Bruce Pacht will be holding a planning meeting at Tim Gauraldi's Nationwide Insurance Office on Bank Street onThursday, October 10, 2019 at noon (12h00). Please consider joining the team to make this event a success. Paul is asking us to find sponsors for the meal. The goal is to not ask our golf or Brew Fest Sponsors as we don't want to keep going back to the "same well". If you want to help solicit sponsors, contact Paul.
If you know a Vet, please ask them to join us for this meal.
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Angela Nelson gave a heads-up about our annual Holiday Basket project for Listen. She will need drivers for “meetups” to collect material since she will be sidelined with surgery on her foot.
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Bruce Pacht gave a brief update on planning thoughts for our Club's 100th Anniversary. The committee would like the club to consider focusing on West Lebanon as a place for a Centennial Project. The city is beginning a community needs assessment in West Lebanon to talk about potential plans to revitalize West Lebanon.
We would like to find members able to go to the West Lebanon Village Visioning Charrette. Members of the Anniversary Committee are unable to attend these session. CAN YOU HELP? If yes, Let Bruce Pacht know you which session(s) you can attend. Below is a link to a survey, please take a few minutes to fill it in.
Save the dates of Friday, October 18th and Saturday, October 19th. West Lebanon Village has been the basis of revitalization discussions for a number of years. The City is preparing for a two-day charrette to explore how Main Street and the surrounding area could be enhanced through multimodal, placemaking, and economic development enhancements.
We are looking for residents, property owners, and business owners with an interest in the future of West Lebanon Village to take part in the charrette. Together we will collaborate on ideas that will formulate a potential future vision for the Main Street area of West Lebanon. We will be exploring topics such as:
What makes West Lebanon Village great?
What improvements will make West Lebanon Village a better place to live, work, shop, and play?
What should the image of West Lebanon Village be in the future?
The City has created a dedicated project page for the West Lebanon Village Visioning effort at LebanonNH.gov/WLVision where you can find additional information and supporting documents.
In advance of the 2-day charrette, please take our online survey to begin sharing comments and ideas about West Lebanon Village.
Listen Community Dinners
The Next dinner will be October 8th staring meal prep at 3:30 PM. Members signed-up for this dinner include: Marion Steiner, JoAnn Lemieux, Ron Bedell, Don MacMeekin, Marilyn Bedell, Shaun Mulholland, Hank Clarke and Paul Tierney
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
Rotary Foundation Presentation
Suellen Griffin had the pleasure of honoring Marion Steiner with a Paul Harris fellowship to thank her for all the work she did to make Brew Fest a success. Congratulations, Marion.
The presentation of Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation’s way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs. It is named for Rotary’s founder, a Chicago lawyer, who started our organization with three business associates in 1905.
Donations to The Rotary Foundation permits us to carry out an array of programs that achieve beneficial changes in our world: Improved living conditions, increased food production, better education, wider availability of treatment and rehabilitation for the sick and disabled, new channels for the flow of international understanding, and brighter hopes for peace.
Happy Dollars
Tim Gauraldi -- When Anna informed him that their stove died, he exclaimed, "how as I going to eat?" Anna responded that he should be prepared to eat a lot of salads.
Bill Secord -- He attended the a silent movie, Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, at the Lebanon Opera House for the dedication of a new baby grand piano (Steinway B). Our club, via the Doris Mollica Fund donated "two of the 88 keys" (donation = $900) to help fund the piano. He sent a poster around so we could see our sponsorship listed on the flyer. [It was noted that Doris Mollica played the piano for silent movies...so a fitting tribute to her]
Cindy Jerome -- Cindy traveled to Fairhaven to watch her grandson play soccer. Soccer is his passion. The team won 5-0, and her grandson scored one of the goals!
JoAnn Lemeaux -- JoAnn reflected on "participation". She shared the story of a Rotary service project in Montana, an annual flea market. It has been an anticipated community event that now raises $600,00/year. Wow.
Ernst Ointmann thanked Bruce for his new Rotary pin.
Card and Car Wash
Bill Babineau had the winning raffle ticket and pulled the 4 of Spades. The hunt for the Queen of Hearts continutes;
Our guest, Richard Gallow won the car wash.
Rotary Grants in Ghana
Update From Walter Hughes
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
It was been a great trip to Ghana. There's a lot to celebrate with 17 US Rotarians on the team who saw clean water in so many communities. We dedicated two elementary schools at Nkrankrom and Soronoase and broke ground on Adadease Junction Jr High School. You can watch the school dedication video at https://youtu.be/c5Ff7P68Hjs .
We are very close to finishing large water and sanitation projects with Bolgatanga Goodwill, Sunyani East and Kumasi Rotary Clubs. We've helped to get clean water to over 600,000 people in the past 13 years. The micro-credit loan results are beyond our expectations with the Kumasi Rotary Club and Stegenor Microfinance. The Obuasi farm is a miracle employing around 300 farmers where we've introduced varieties of vegetable seeds that yield higher prices. The farmer coop is growing pigs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, guinea fowl, catfish and talapia. Loans are funding the expansion at the farm for groups of farmers. There's good news happening with Techiman Rotarians, too.
We learned this week that two freed men from the Sunyani Prison left to start a new life after gaining the skills to weave Kente cloth. Rotary provided clean water in 2015 to the prison and conducted a vocational training project that gave the men and women future careers that avoid going back to jail. Lives are changing years after our work is done. We thank Sunyani Central RC for their hard work on the school and the prison.
President Prince Prempeh and Nana Mensah of the Kumasi Rotary Club, DGE Peter Verbeeck of D6990 and I conducted advanced grants management training in Ilorin, Nigeria. This training is used to equip leaders implementing large projects around the world to know how to build partnerships and empower communities. Michael Anyekase also conducted Microflush toilet training course and built a six-unit Microflush toilet block for a school. The Microflush toilet trainees were from around Nigeria.
I'm in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia now focused on Microflush toilets. We are working with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) to conduct 250 classes to teach 5,000 Microflush toilet makers to build 60,000 Microflush toilets in about one year. We are bringing expert Microflush toilet maker/trainers from Ghana, Uganda and Kenya. I've been here this week doing the planning with Global Sustainable Aid Project, CRS and USAID. It is our hope that this project will transform sanitation in Africa and move many NGOs including Rotary away from pit latrines into the future of composting toilets. I'll be home on Monday to rest.
We need funding for the following new projects:
Grant 19-90400 New water and sanitation project in Ghana. We will be drilling new boreholes and building Microflush toilets.
Grant 19-82390 Kenya School Project to allow children to finish high school education. We are targeting the Maasai tribe in western Kenya.
Grant 19-90743 New School near Kumasi, Ghana. We call it the "hilltop" school.
Medical Grant in Ghana to ship baby incubators and other medical equipment to hospital in Sunyani and Kumasi.
We have contacts in Nigeria if you want to fund a clean water and Microflush toilet project there.
YOU are the reason so much is happening. Thank you very much. I'm honored to know you and partner with you.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Walter Hughes
Rotary Club of Rocky Mount, VA
Whatsapp Only: +1 540-493-4715
Rotary International News
When we talk about PolioPlus, we know we are eradicating polio, but do we realize how many added benefits the program brings? The “plus” is something else that is provided as a part of the polio eradication campaign. It might be a hand-operated tricycle, access to clean water and additional medical treatment, or providing bed nets or soap.
Learn how we are doing so much more than eradicating polio.
Read more about what the Plus means in PolioPlus byclicking here
Upcoming Rotary Programs
October 10 7AM Meeting Steve Taylor, Changes in the Upper Valley Environment
October 16 Wednesday, Noontime at Jesse’s Joint meeting with Hanover Rotary-Group Exchange
October 17 NO MEETING
October 24 7AM Meeting Richard Fox, District Governor
October 31 Noontime Meeting. Paul Tierney, Leadership
November 7 Noontime Meeting Liz Tentarelli, Pres. League of Women’s Voters
November 14 7AM Meeting Carolyn Johnson RI Rep, Foundation
November 21 Noontime Meeting Dartmouth Football Coach Buddy Teeven’s
November 28 No Meeting THANKSGIVING
December 5 Noontime Meeting Rob Stenger from Simple Energy- Petroleum Industry
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