Steve Taylor was introduced by Ron Michaud. Steve Taylor is a farmer, newspaperman, and longtime public official. He served as commissioner for agriculture in New Hampshire. He has studied, written, and spoken for many years about New Hampshire's rural culture and the state's agricultural history. With his three sons, he operates a livestock and maple farm in Meriden Village. He has been a newspaper reporter and editor and was founding executive director of the New Hampshire Humanities Council. He served 25 was the state's commissioner of agriculture.
Steve reflected on being a lifelong resident of NH and the environmental changes he has witness in the Upper Valley and in New Hampshire.
He talked about open pastures/forest; rivers and brooks; dumps to landfills; wildlife changes, land investments and social capital.
Our president, David Crandall called the meeting to order at noon.
Richard Wallace led us in reciting the 4-Way Test.
Since Ernst Oidtmann was off on his winter camping adventure, we weren't brave enough to sing without our piano player.
Birthdays: Angela Nelson, today; and Joy Gobin, tomorrow.
David then quizzed us with sports history. What major sport victory took place on this date in history in 1980? A good number of members remembered!
The Miracle on Ice at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The USA hockey team (the youngest team on the ice) beat the Soviet Union. This wasn't the gold medal round. USA went on to win the gold by defeating Finland. The Soviet Unit won the bronze by beating Sweden.
Then it was on to our buffet lunch.
After lunch, Steve Taylor talked to us about the changing environmental landscape in the Upper Valley. See above.
Bill Secord presented the book for the Kilton Public Library's Children's Collection being given in honor of Suellen Griffin:
Runs with the Stars
by Darcy Whitecrow (Author), Heather M. O'Connor (Author), and Lenny Lishchenko (Illustrator)
A moving picture book about the Ojibwa Horse, the only Indigenous-bred horse in Canada. As they await the birth of a new foal, a man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwa Horses that used to roam the forests of northwestern Ontario. The horses once ran wild and free, but when Grandfather was a boy, they almost disappeared. Now he is the caretaker of his own small herd, keeping the breed alive for future generations and teaching his grandchild about the loving bond between human and animals.
Announcements
Report from the Poker Room: We received our check for our first week at the Poker Room...$6,400!
Report from Charities: Bruce Pacht reported,
At its meeting February 21, Charities voted to appropriate $2,400 to the Upper Valley Music Center for the continuing expansion of its program to bring music into the curriculum of local summer camps. Because this allocation was not in Charities’ approved 2023-24 budget and the allocation exceeds $1,000, a vote of club members is required to confirm the gift. Send you vote electronically to Bruce Pacht’s email address: brucepacht67@gmail.com
Lebanon Rotary supported the inauguration of this UVMC initiative with a grant of $1,000 when the program first began in the summer of 2022. Because of an administrative oversight on our part, UVMC’s request for an expansion of the program in the summer of 2023 did not reach Charities in time for it to be acted upon in a timely manner.
As part of its submission this year, UVMC submitted letters of support from its partners in this effort who operate summer camps whose children benefit: Special Needs Support Center, Lebanon Recreation and Parks Department, and the Carter Community Building Association.
The program’s total budget is slightly more than $9,600; Mascoma Bank and Hypertherm’s HOPE Foundation have been approached for amounts similar to the request we received, with the remainder of funds generated by other UVMC donors.
Charities strongly endorses our Club’s participation in this excellent program. The UVMC is a major arts resource in the Upper Valley and has accomplished extraordinary work in its short existence. They were with us at the dedication of Rotary Harmony Park.
As usual, an electronic voting period will open today, and will conclude with any last in-person votes at the end of our regular meeting on March 7. A simple majority of members-in-good-standing is required to affirm Charities’ decision.
Food Drive at CoOp at Centerra on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Tim Guaraldi thanked everyone who volunteered a the food drive. We received $203 in dollar donations; and 250 pounds of food. When Tim delivered the food, he received a big thank you as supplies of food are running low.
There will be no meeting on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
Round 2 of the Speech Contest has been moved to Saturday, March 2nd. It will be help at Computac, 2 Buck Road, Hanover at 11 AM. Members are welcome to come and hear Riley speak again. Once again, she will be the only speech contestant. She is required to participate in a second round of the contest to be eligible to move on to Round 3 at the district level.
Our meeting on February 29th is being cancelled. This is the 5th Thursday of the month. The speech contest will replace this meeting.
From Rotary District 7850
District Conference - April 19-21
Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee VT
Please register now Click Here for the District Conference. We will be at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT the weekend of April 19-21, 2024. Friday night is just a gathering, fun night. There is nothing planned except meeting and greeting. Saturday starts with breakfast and a business meeting. We then break into sessions for youth service, membership, and peace centers. These break out groups repeat so you can pick 2.
Our special Rotary International guest is Carol Tichelman, Endowment/Major Gift Advisor for Zone 28, and was the District Governor for District 5050 in Canada 2020-2021. She will be speaking at breakfast and dinner on Saturday. Our other special guest is Eileen Rau from the Rotary Club of West Hartford. She was District Governor 2012-2013 and is the Rotary Regional Foundation Coordinator for Zone 32. She will be our Peace Center presenter during our break outs and throughout the conference. Our Youth Exchange students and our Interact students will share their stories. The theme of the weekend is, “Look how we are Creating Hope in the World!” Please bring artifacts from your International Projects and travels! Let’s share how we are creating hope together!
If you have been to Lake Morey, you know the food is amazing, and the water – well…I love the water!! Sunday we will have a Memorial Service to honor those who passed away this past year. As I have been going from club to club, I am meeting our Rotary Family. I want you to all have the same wonderful experience of meeting the other family members. Now I sound like a grandma! I want my family to get together! Please plan to attend – at least on Saturday. There are many options and packages. You can register on the website and call the Resort to reserve your room.
During the business meeting, we will take some important votes. Our DGND Ariel Mondlak will be officially voted in to be District Governor 2026-2027. We have new By-Laws which we are presenting. The summary and the proposed By-Laws will be sent to each Rotarian following this newsletter. According to RI, “The purpose of the district conference is to bring together members and community leaders in the district to inspire greater involvement with Rotary, strengthen existing relationships, and to showcase the impact and outreach of Rotary in the world.” Clubs will be recognized, and the Governor’s Bowl winner announced! There will be discussion and adoption of last year’s audited financial statement for PDG Caroline Earle’s year.
Voting at the District Conference for the DGND shall be by electors. Each club shall select and certify at least one elector to its conference. A club with more than 25 members has one additional elector for each additional 25 members. A club with up to 37 members gets one elector. A club with 38 to 62 gets 2 electors. 63-87 members get 3 electors, and so on. Electors must be present at the conference to vote. All Rotarians present may vote on By-laws and the approval of the financial statement. Club presidents will get the elector information by email.
Please join us to dive into crucial topics affecting our region and bi-state area - housing, workforce and childcare. This is a great opportunity to hear predictions and trends for 2024 from our panel of experts.
Speakers include:
Rob Dapice, Executive Director of NH Housing Finance Authority
Maura Collins, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency
Brian Gottlob, Director, NH Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
Joanne Roberts, Early Childhood Education Consultant and coordinator of Vital Communities Early Childhood Education Initiative
Chris Emond, CEO, Boys & Girl Club of Central New Hampshire
Clay Adams, President & CEO, Mascoma Bank
Thank you to our sponsor Mascoma Bank.
Date/Time
Thursday, March 21
8:00 - 10:00 am
Fees/Admission
$35 pp includes breakfast buffet
$165 for Table of 5
$300 for Table of 10
Location
The Fireside Inn
25 Airport Road
West Lebanon NH 03784
Happy Dollars
Wil Koppenheffer will be in Mexico next week, Porta Viarta.
Bruce Pacht is headed to Florida to see his sister and brother.
Angela is celebrating her birthday today, and made a donation to the Charities in honor of her birthday! Angela had a lovely time at Mohegan Sun and even came home with a "jingle in her pockets".
Ed Friedman had a wonderful time in Las Vegas despite coming home with no extra dollars in his pockets. The U2 concert at the Sphere was great.
Tim Guaraldi is going the the Rolling Stones concert at Gillette Stadium in May. He will be in a box seat.
Raffles
Queen of Hearts
Will Koppenheffer pulled the Jack of Diamonds . The hunt for the queen continues.
Car Wash
Jim Damren won the carwash.
Upcoming Speakers
February 29: Meeting Cancelled
Saturday, March 2: Round 2 District 7850 Speech Contest to be held at Computac at 11AM. Address: 2 Buck Road. Members welcome to attend.
March 7: Club Business Meeting
March 14: Susan Mathison – Common Man/Plymouth Rotary, Ukraine.
Common Man for Ukraine is a nonprofit alliance of donors and heroes working with Rotary Clubs in Plymouth, NH USA and Zamosc, Poland.
We have funded an all-volunteer network to provide basic humanitarian aid to refugee orphans and children with parents in Poland and Ukraine.
We are "common men" working to help our neighbors who face a needless war in Ukraine. Fiscally, we are a separate fund operating within the Plymouth Rotary Foundation 501(c)3.
So far, Common Man for Ukraine has delivered:
• 900+ tons of food
• 10,000 sleeping bags
• Hundreds of generators
• Bloodmobile
• More than $400,000 toward kids' mental health services
June 20: NH Childrens Trust
Meeting Adjourned at 1:03PM
Attendance
Bill Babineau, Marilyn Bedell, Ron Bedell, Bruce Bergeron, Phil Bush, David Clarenbach, Dean Cashman, Hank Clarke, Dave Crandall, Jim Damren, Tim Guaraldi, Ed Friedman, Ahmad Haidari, Will Koppenheffer, Ron Michaud, Angela Nelson, Bruce Pacht, Phil Rentz, Bill Secord, Rich Wallace, Richard Wallace, Cal Wolfe, John Yacavone
Guest: Chris Haidari*, Dan Russell*, and Don Koury*
*Joined by WebEx
Standing Meetings
Membership Meetings: Third Tuesday at 3:30 PM
Contact: David Crandall
Youth Services: Second Wednesday of the month at Noon
Contact: Joy Gobin
Charities: Third Wednesday of the month at 1:00 PM
Contact: Bruce Pacht
Board Meeting: 4th Tuesday of every month at 4:00 PM via Zoom
Contact: David Crandall
Golf: Let Ed Friedman know if you want to know when Golf Planning meetings are happening. Dates vary.
Brew Fest: Let Phil Rentz know if you want to know when Brew Fest meetings are happening. Dates Vary.
Community Service Projects
Lebanon Poker Room
Poker Room week will be
March 27 to 32, 2024.
Styrofoam Collection
The next Styrofoam Collection will be April 6, 2024
31st Bedell Classic Golf Tournament
Save the Date
Friday, May 17, 2024 at Eastman Golf Links
Changeover 2024
Save the Date:
Changeover 2024 will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Time, place, activity to be announced later.
Brew Fest 2024
Save the date! August 31, 2024
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 News
From Rotary International
WHO grants a key approval to the innovative polio vaccine nOPV2
Countries will soon have easier access to the novel oral polio vaccine type 2, also known as nOPV2, a crucial new tool for stopping outbreaks caused by variant poliovirus. The World Health Organization made this possible by issuing a key approval for nOPV2 in December.
This is the first approval of its kind for a vaccine being used under the WHO’s Emergency
Use Listing.
With nearly 1 billion doses administered already, this next-generation vaccine will continue to play an important role in tackling type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, also known as type 2 variant poliovirus, and in protecting millions of children against illness and paralysis.
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization would like to extend gratitude to Rotary International for the generous contribution of US$69.19 million in 2023 to support technical assistance in headquarters and the African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, operational costs for Supplemental Immunization Activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, global outbreak response, surveillance in Nigeria, and research activities.
UNICEF
From polio eradication to climate change, Rotary and UNICEF’s shared commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of the children of the world has made our partnership a special one. In December, at the United Nations climate change conference known as COP28, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden recorded a message of gratitude for Rotary members.
To: US Rotary and Rotaract Club Presidents and Secretaries Cc: US District Governors, US District Governors-Elect, US District International Service Chairs, US District Community Service Chairs
Dear Rotary leader,
As the Partnerships Manager for Rotary International’s service and project partnerships, I am pleased to share an opportunity for Rotary members (18+ year-old, US citizens) that comes to us through our service partner, Peace Corps. Please feel free to share this opportunity to your members and community through your club's outreach platforms.
Announcement / Newsletter Make a lasting impact in communities around the world without leaving home
Rotary and Rotaract members are eligible to serve in Peace Corps’ Virtual Service Pilot. Participants donate 5-15 hours per week for 3 to 6 months to support organizations abroad with their community-level projects related to education, health, agriculture, youth development, and entrepreneurship. Apply your professional skills, language skills, and interest in both global friendships and cultural exchange to build capacity and sustainability through a short-term, virtual engagement. Learn more about Virtual Service opportunities and apply
Social Media Post
💻 A few hours of your time each week can make a lasting impact in communities worldwide. 🌍
Rotary and Rotaract members are invited to serve through Peace Corps Virtual Service Pilot. Virtual engagements connect US citizens with communities abroad to complete health, economic development, education, and youth development projects. This is a great short-term, part-time opportunity to lend your skills for service, gain intercultural experience, and learn about a new culture without leaving home.
Explore the virtual opportunities and apply at the link in our bio. Virtual Service Pilot Engagements
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