Editor Marilyn Bedell/Meeting notes taken by Bruce Pacht (thank!)
Happy 4th of July
Upcoming Speakers
July 9, 2020: Amy Cook, Veteran-Friendly Business Recognition, A Program to Benefit Veterans and NH Employers
Amy M. Cook
Professional Bio
The administrator for the New Hampshire Division of Community Based Military Programs at the Department of Military Affairs and Veterans Services
Cook is responsible for coordinating statewide strategies between government agencies, federal partners and local service providers to benefit NH Veterans and their families.
Our Program focused on Our Rotary Foundation. Ron Bedell reiterated some statistics about the Lebanon Club’s TRF giving in 2019-20
Our average annual per Rotarian giving is 3rd in the District at $289.00
Our total giving of $13,020 was 1st in the district
Including PolioPlus, our total giving was $17,280, also first in the district.
Most Lebanon Rotarians gave during Foundation Month, November each year, gifts which cover the Rotary year (July-June). If you gave in November, Ron would not have sent you another reminder.
Marilyn Bedell then presented a brief program that shows how our donations to The Rotary Foundation are put to use. Of note in particular is that TRF has add a SEVENTH AREA OF FOCUS: Supporting the environment.
For the 12th consecutive year TRF was rated “4 star” (*highest) by Charity Navigator, an organization that ranks charities on their responsible operations.
Marilyn noted that Emily Gould a Montpelier Rotarian, has been working in Rwanda. Emily was just awarded the Donald McRae Peace award from our Zone—a huge honor. She has been working to get former perpetrators of genocide to work together with survivors who otherwise would have nothing but hatred for each other.
District 7850 participated in global grants in Ghana, Uganda, Honduras, Guatemala, India, South Africa, Nepal and Mexico.
District 7850 District Grants included the following:
4 teacher scholarships – we allow the person to use the money for anything they need, even childcare, transportation, etc. to finish their educ exp. We focus on teachers planning to remain in the classroom in D7850.
133 solar water boilers in Kenya
Renovated trail system with 2 benches
(Lebanon) Refurbishing the community room and distributing food gift cards at Romano Circle
Accessible playground
Food insecurity project
Refurbished old fire engine; provided breakfast at Town Meeting
Rebuilding playground
Non-disposable grocery bags distributed
Refurbish a community park
Eradication of polio is still our number 1 priority. Wild poliovirus is still circulating in Afghanistan and Pakistan where full population immunization as well as sanitation and health measures cannot be fully applied. Vaccine-derived poliovirus cases also are being dealt with. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is still our partner, matching donations 2:1
Peace Centers
Now 7 Centers: latest one in Uganda focusing on Africa.
Rachel Brooks, our scholar, is studying at the University of Bradford and continuing to work remotely.
Marilyn’s last slide juxtaposed a septic system built in southern Vermont after Hurricane Irene, and a septic system built with Walter Hughes’s assistance in Ghana. We can use Global Grant funds to make positive change here in the USA. Paul T will ask Cameron to see if he can arrange Walter as a program for one of our Zoom meetings.
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Moorings
President Paul Tierney welcomed us to a new Rotary Year. This picture is now posted on our club's home page.
Paul shared his appreciation for Liss Mooney's and Marion Steiner's leadership during the 2019/2020 Rotary Year.
Paul T asked for a round of recognition-applause to THANK MARION AND MELISSA FOR THEIR WORK as co-presidents over the past year!
President Paul shared his PLANS FOR PROGRESS AND HOPES FOR THE COMING YEAR
One of Paul’s main goals is to work with all members and through committees to have members have a more satisfying year than perhaps they’ve had in the past and make our club a better experience for them. Paul expects positive things to come from this.
Paul wants to emphasize community service this year. Service of youth is one of the primary foci in our strategic plan.
We have a re-instituted “grants and giving committee” of which Don MacMeekin is chair; he will reach out to fill the 5-member committee roster; Marion said she would be interested.
Carryover goal – When Paul was president 10 years ago, we had some very good TRF participation. He is motivated to make sure we support the Rotary Foundation and all its great work around the world.
There will be a whole bunch of other things that may already be percolating in his mind but haven’t yet been articulated.
Paul created what he called a new leadership task force with the following members: President-elect Hank, Vice-president Ed Friedman, Bruce Pacht, Marilyn Bedell and Paul T. Paul believes that a solitary president cannot assist, manage and move the club forward entirely by himself. He finds himself writing lots and lots of emails, so this group is splitting up committees and activities to help them keep moving forward. The group had an initial meeting with another set for two weeks from now. Paul anticipates drawing other club members into those meetings form time to time “so we’re not running off crazily into the bushes and can include those responsible for specific areas.” Paul has chosen some areas in which he will be more directly involved than in others, partly because of his interests and partly because he hasn’t found folks to whom to delegate these responsibilities.
PAUL SHARED A BIT ABOUT HIMSELF
“I’m primarily interested in new things. I’m an entrepreneur. I started a company which built some heating plants which we sold to Westinghouse. After that, I used microtechnology as a way to provide services to banking companies. We started Landmark Bank which required 3 years of major struggles. “We did very well until we decided there was too much FDIC risk for us.” Paul likes trying things in a new manner, in a new way. He likes to have people helping him and pointing out weaknesses. I wants everyone to have a good year.
Other Club Updates:
CLUB’S OPERATING BUDGET FOR 2021
Steve Whitman: The board passed it. Our dues will not be increased, so he thinks we’re all set. We have $19,000 in there. We should spend some money on advertising. We’ve committed $2,500 so far.
CHARITIES BUDGET
President Paul Tierney: There is a Charities plan to increase our giving from $20K to $30K. Don will oversee to whom we’re giving money. Don will be looking for new opportunities in the community. If our fundraising goes well, we will spend; if not, we will likely have to do some cutting. We need to identify new opportunities for revenue so we have more money to give out.
YOUTH BUDGET AND ACTIVITIES PLANNING
Steve Christy: Everybody on this call understands that youth service is the largest category within the charity budget of the club: about $14,000. We want to continue the work Steve W, Bruce P and Joy Gobin have started with the two Interact Clubs. They’ve been a great joy to our club to know we’re impacting youth, but it’s been very difficult since March.
We’ve rescheduled the RISE food packaging event to Monday, October 5. Bruce will remain in touch with RISE to see what restrictions they might be placing on their programs in the fall. (read how RISE is changing their procedures due to COVID 19. Click Here)
We hope to start Rudy Fedrizzi’s youth fitness program going next spring.
The 2nd annual Interact Symposium was canceled along with the 2020 District Conference.
RYLA, too was canceled this year. We hope to promote it more.
Steve hopes to get some of our youth involved with some of our work – at Riverside Park and Baker’s Crossing Conservation Area.
COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR THE COMING YEAR
Bruce Bergeron: We hope to be part of the new playground on Maple Street in W. Leb. It has funding. Our involvement will be minimal but it should be fun. Stay tuned for more information in the future.
MEMBERSHIP
Rich Wallace has been looking at RI web site, going to the training center. He’s started with assessing our club, engaging our members, looking at our diversity, connecting with leads as to who should be part of our club. It’s everyone’s job to nominate new members. 53% of our club is over 60 years of age; it won’t take long for us to be struggling for existence. A big part of this is our marketing: find ways to reach the demographic we’re looking for. The Valley News is happy to run free ads that promote the ideals of Rotary.
Rich met with a team designing our new “outward facing” website; they’ve another meeting scheduled for next week. Rich plans to reach out to the young professionals organization.
We must think of different meeting forms: perhaps we will have several different meetings and then all show up at community projects.
The membership committee includes Dan Affeldt and Dave Crandall in addition to Rich. Paul asked Bruce P serve on the committee; he agreed. Paul also asked Steve C who responded, “We’ll talk.”
OTHER TOPIC
Steve Christy used the term “China virus” to describe COVID-19. Bill Secord made a joking comment about the “Italian virus.”
Will Koppenheffer asked to speak, saying (paraphrased): This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say in Rotary, but describing the coronavirus as the “Italian virus,” as the “Wuhan virus”, as the “Chinese virus”, as the “Kung Flu” is just wrong. It demeans people; it implies that there is a malevolent force behind it and there’s absolutely no basis for either one.”
Paul Tierney: I’ve been thinking of this for all of us: “Approach things with a generosity of spirit within our club.” Be more considerate of everyone else. Thanks, Willie for expressing those values.
Cindy Jerome: I think of us as Rotarians. Whatever we say ought to pass the 4-Way Test. I agree that some of the comments don’t.
Marilyn Bedell: I’m happy to echo the sentiments. This has been distressing me also.
Dan Affeldt: My extended family is intimately connected to all things medical in various ways. What we have is a serious challenge, the source of which at this point is non-effective; it’s here and we have to deal with it. Its behavior may change into the future. We have to keep ourselves intact, healthy, and understand our responsibilities to others on the planet.
Bruce Pacht: I’m happy Will had the strength and courage to speak up and address this issue.
FUTURE MEETING PLANS
1st of the month – president’s agenda
2nd and 4th – Cameron Ford finds speakers
3rd meeting – club forum, activity of the board, keeping everyone up to speed on our activities.
Members in attendance:
Dan Affeldt, Marilyn Bedell, Ron Bedell, Bruce Bergeron, Steve Christy, Hank Clarke, Tim Guaraldi, Cindy Jerome, Willy Koppenheffer, JoAnn Lemieux, Jane Mason; Bruce Pacht; Bill Secord; Paul Tierney, Rich Wallace; Steve Whitman; John Yacavone
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SHARING HAPPY THOUGHTS OR CONCERNS:
Steve Christy – Between now and next week Steve will celebrate another birthday. Like the honest banker he was, he displayed a deposit receipt for $100 to the Doris Mollica Fund to go to the principal of the account.
Rich Wallace – Yesterday was his 25th anniversary of being in Rotary.
Paul Tierney – 44th anniversary of his life with Carol.
Will Koppenheffer – (a) “my current wife and I will have been married 37 years tomorrow” (b) took his daughter to the airport to fly back to Chicago after having spent 2.5 weeks with Will and Ellen. She is working from home in Chicago. She is a counselor in the Chicago school system where she was one of 10 finalists for “counselor of the year” for this past school year.
Bill Secord – tomorrow is Bill and Linda’s 49th anniversary.
Paul Tierney – Carol and Paul have purchased land and are starting into the process of building a new house in Meriden.
JoAnn Lemeiux – This meeting is JoAnn’s 2nd Rotary club Zoom meeting today. She went to meet with a person in the Brattleboro Club, Cindy Jerome’s former club.
Steve Whitman – (a) Carolyn and Steve have been married 56 years after dating for 4 years before that—a long time together! (b) This weekend 2 children with 2 spouses and 4 grandchildren are visiting. Steve is hosting fireworks on Saturday night.
Steve Christy – Steve and Donna’s son and his wife and daughter will arrive tomorrow from NYC for a 1-2 week stay. His granddaughter’s birthday was in June when she turned 3 years old; her cousin also will turn 3 – they about three weeks apart.
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Club News and Other Announcements
Request from Cindy Jerome - Looking for housing:
Cindy Jerome, health care administrator, is looking for a small condo or apartment, a studio or one bedroom, 400 square feet or more, in NH and within 15 minutes of APD. Also willing to consider a room with private bath in a someone’s home. Will use 3-4 nights/week, returning to my home in southeastern Vermont on weekends.
Tim and Bruce – PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF ANY MORE CLOTHES!! They are approaching 250 bags of stuff donated for Epilogos Charities.
Bruce Bergeron – Golf committee meets next week before our Rotary meeting.
Marilyn Bedell – Her father’s Rotary club in Pennsylvania is going ahead with their tournament. She will ask them about the format they plan to use to inform our own golf committee.
Paul Tierney – DG Jamie held a Zoom meeting with the district’s new presidents. Discussed how to adjust to the state of COVID and having alternative meeting types. Dan A will contact “some guy” in Boston about Zoom capabilities.
It has been decided that Brewfest will not happen this year.
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Upcoming Events - Save the Dates
Bedell Classic....Hold the Date
September 17, 2020
Golf committee has secured September 17 Thusday as a new date for the Bedell Tournament. Probably a smaller event this year, but one where we can raise at least some money.
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Listen Dinners 2020
We hope to be back cooking when Listen permits volunteer teams to help.
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2020 Holiday Party and Yankee Swap
It's never to early to plan...Mark you calendars now, our 2020 Holiday Party and Famous Yankee Swap! It will be on Thursday, December 17, 2020, at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms. Cost will be the same as 2019...$40/person
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Rotary International News
—By Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko
A bold Action Plan sets Rotary’s course for the future
COVID-19 has turned our world upside down and impacted us all in different ways, but we are still united, still connected, and guided by an Action Plan that focuses our work and prepares us for a stronger future. Rotary has quickly adapted to the times, with members finding new ways to respond to this pandemic through connections, action, and service.
In 2019-20, Rotary marked its 115th year — a testament to the staying power of our unique model of service and leadership. To guide our future and build upon our legacy, we launched Rotary’s Action Plan, a strategy to fulfill our shared vision for the organization.
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our lives and communities, but, together, we’re adapting and finding solutions to stay connected and help those affected by the coronavirus. It’s a perfect example of how we’re implementing the four priorities of our Action Plan: increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
And while clubs continue to connect with their members and communities, Rotary International staff remain committed to supporting Rotarians, Rotaractors, clubs, and districts. From providing resources so clubs can still operate to making personal connections to help club and district officers, engaging with our members continues to be our primary priority.
Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians in 36,000 Rotary clubs, serving together with over 200,000 Rotaractors in more than 10,000 Rotaract clubs.
Increase Our Impact
Through the progress we’ve made in the fight to end polio and the expansion of our grant programs and fundraising efforts, Rotary continues to make a difference in the world. To increase our impact, however, we must establish systems to identify and measure our results, learn from our successes and failures, and build on our partnerships.
Assigning value to Rotary’s global impact
What is the true value of Rotary’s work? Our efforts have been historically hard to quantify, but two leading institutions helped us begin to get answers:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies estimated that Rotary members volunteered nearly 47 million hours in a typical year. If communities had to pay for the services Rotary provides, that figure would translate into $850 million.
Harvard University estimated that Rotary clubs contributed $1.15 billion in cash to charitable activities in their local communities in 2018. This is in addition to contributions made to The Rotary Foundation.
By using innovative measurement tools, Rotary can better understand and measure our inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and begin to quantify and maximize the wide-reaching impact of our efforts.
The Rotary Foundation as a tool for change
The number of Rotarians and clubs contributing to the Foundation increased this year, providing more support for our causes, including the areas of focus, polio eradication, and disaster response. We redesigned the Rotary Direct landing page to make it easier for donors to enroll in recurring giving. As of April, we’ve raised $336 million. If contributions during the last few months of the Rotary year are as strong as in past years, we’ll meet our $400 million fundraising goal.
This year, we renewed our long-standing fundraising partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which generates $150 million annually for polio eradication. Rotary aims to raise $50 million a year for PolioPlus over the next three years, with each dollar to be matched with an additional two dollars by the Gates Foundation.
Doing good through Rotary grants
Rotarians supported the Disaster Response Fund by donating more than $2 million towards COVID-19-related projects. (Data as of 1 June 2020)
Responsive and innovative grant programs have inspired greater rates of participation, leading to more opportunities for members to help communities.
Global grants spending is at an all-time high, with 1,344 grants approved this Rotary year, totaling over $104 million (as of 1 June). Since we launched the global grants program in 2013, the number of approved global grants has risen more than 55%, while the average global grant award amount has increased by 42% percent.
In response to COVID-19, The Rotary Foundation released $3 million to the Disaster Response Fund. And, with additional contributions from our donors, as of 1 June, 207 districts have received more than $5.1 million in grant funding to provide critical aid to communities impacted by the virus.
We also introduced programs of scale grants — one grant of up to $2 million is awarded each year. Each grant will support a large-scale project, lasting three to five years, that benefits a large population in a significant geographic area. Programs of scale grants align with at least one of Rotary’s areas of focus and require sustainable, evidence-based action and measurable outcomes for impact.
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Rotary PSAs
Watch and listen for Rotary’s public service announcement (PSA), running nationwide in the U.S. Learn more about the campaign and view materials on our Brand Center
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