Feeling sad that we weren't eating pie on Saturday.
April 2, 2020
Editor Marilyn Bedell
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We are still social distancing
No face to face meetings
Harvest Hill is closed to the public
due to COVID-19.
All in person meeting are cancelled for the foreseeable future...We plan to schedule a web based meeting in the next 10-14 days.
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Moorings
Are you feeling like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day?
Hope you are all finding ways to stay connected during this worrisome time.
We are still working to set up a Zoom meeting. The account has been ordered, but your secretary, Marilyn Bedell, misspelled the e-mail address connected to the account.
Marilyn is still waiting to hear back from Zoom Support Staff. Marilyn reached Zoom's answering service, and the person who took Marilyn's message couldn't predict when she would hear back from the support team. After three days, she called again and is still waiting.
In addition, Marilyn tried to do an online chat and there have been > 60 people in front of her in the queue each time she has tried to reach Zoom.
Here's hoping a phone call will come soon. Once we get the account, we will set up our first zoom meeting. We hope to do this on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 5:30 PM. This is the time of day that will work best for Marion Steiner. It may not be possible to Melissa Mooney to join us as she is working hard at DHMC to make sure staffing is in place to support patients during this COVID-19 crisis.
Please take a moment to think about our front line club members who are helping to care for many of us during this pandemic.
Healthcare:
Melissa Mooney - Nursing DHMC
Michelle Buck (she just had a birthday too) - Nursing DHMC
Karen Clements - Nursing DHMC
Melissa Golightly - Nursing DHMC
Rudy Fedrizzi - State of Vermont Public Health
Jean Wulpren - VNA-VNH
Cindy Jermone - APD Lifecare
Cameron Ford - Headrest
Peggy O'Neil - WISE
Essential Services:
Saun Mulholland - City of Lebanon - City Manager
Bruce Bergeron - Jake's Food and Gasoline
Richard Gallow - Eastern Oil and Propane Delivery
Dean Cashman - Mascoma Bank
Phil Rentz - Service credit Union
Marion Steiner - Bar Harbor Bank
Thank you for all you are doing to support us during these challenging times. You all rock!
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Listen Dinners 2020
NEXT DINNER APRIL 14, 2020
Hank has notified everyone who signed up to help with this meal. Your help is still needed. If for some reason you signed up and now can't help, please let Hank know ASAP. So far, only one person and to cancel.
Cook team to arrive at Listen at 3:30 PM
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Subject: A Proposal and a Request...How can we support our community?
A few days ago this message was sent to our members. We have only heard back from a handful of our members. What are your thoughts about how we might support our community post COVID-19 Social Distancing?
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
At our Club's board meeting in March, we discussed how we might support our community during these changing times.
We discussed that often Rotary is better positioned to be a recovery organization than a immediate relief organization.
Although we could make a monetary donation for immediate needs, it won't be very large, and might be lost among many that are being given. (Giving a monetary donation has not formally been ruled out, but would want to make sure it's impact is felt as a Rotary intervention)
To that end, Steve Whitman and I came up with a draft of a proposal about holding some sort of celebration for our community when we are finally allowed to be together again.
This is just one idea...we bet you may have other ideas that should be considered. Send ideas to me to share with the board. If you like the proposed idea, let us know that too. No matter what we decide to do, we all need to be engaged to the degree we are able.
Steve Whitman and Marilyn Bedell
PS:
Reminder, we need your ideas if there are ways you would like to see funds allocated for the rest of this "strange" Rotary year.
PS: By email I will send members how funds have been allocated to-date, and what funds that were approved for spending will not be spent this year.
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Gathering on Thursday, May 14, 2020 - Cancelled
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27th Bedell Classic
GOLF TOURNAMENT
Cancelled for May
Goal is to reschedule later in the year. Stay tuned for the Golf Committee's new plan
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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
From the Rotary Web Site:
Rotary clubs help fight the COVID-19 pandemic
Members use ingenuity, flexibility to help people affected by coronavirus and to stay connected
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads uncertainty and hardship around the world, Rotary members and participants are innovating, caring for those affected, and showing that even at a distance, there are ways to help.
As people of action, Rotary members are engaged in their communities — gathering for projects and offering help to those in need. But in many areas, life is changing drastically. Health experts are urging people to maintain distance from others or even isolate themselves in order to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus.
Fighting disease is one of Rotary’s main causes, so members already support efforts to promote proper hand washing techniques, teach people other ways to stay healthy, and supply training and vital medical equipment to health care providers. Now they’re helping health authorities communicate lifesaving information about COVID-19 and donating protective gear and other supplies to clinics and hospitals that are under strain because of the pandemic.
These are just some of the ways that members are supporting their communities right now:
In Italy, one of the countries that has been affected most, clubs in District 2080 are raising funds to purchase ventilators and protective gear for overstretched hospitals. And when the worst of the outbreak was raging in China, the district’s clubs raised more than $21,000 for protective masks to prevent spread of the disease there.
Clubs in District 2041, also in Italy, raised funds online to buy protective gear for health workers who will care for COVID-19 patients at a 400-bed hospital being built at Milan’s fairgrounds.
In Hong Kong, Rotary clubs have raised funds, packed medical supplies, and visited public housing to distribute masks and sanitizers.
Rotary clubs in Sri Lanka installed thermometers in airport bathrooms and produced posters to raise awareness about the coronavirus for schools across the country.
The Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan, Sind, Pakistan, distributed thousands of masks to people in Karachi.
Clubs in District 3700 (Korea) have donated $155,000 to the Red Cross.
Rotary clubs in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom state conducted a campaign to raise awareness about the threat of the virus. Members shared information about the illness and how to keep safe at two schools and distributed materials about using good hygiene to stay healthy.
The Rotary club of Metro Bethesda, Maryland, USA, is contacting neighbors who live alone and are quarantined. Volunteers are asked to contact at least five of those people each week to ask how they are and if they need anything. Members are also leaving flowers on their doorsteps.
Using technology to address the crisis
Although clubs and districts are canceling or postponing their in-person meetings and events, they are still finding ways to keep up their fellowship, reimagine their service efforts and respond to the pandemic:
The Rotary E-Club of Fenice del Tronto invited the public to its 11 March online meeting to raise awareness about the coronavirus. A virologist spoke about the virus, how it spreads, and how to keep safe.
The Rotary Club of Singapore hosted a webinar in which an epidemiologist and an infectious disease expert addressed questions and concerns about the coronavirus and the pandemic.
The Rotary Club of East Jefferson County, Washington, USA, used crowdsourcing to create an online listing of area grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants that offer home delivery.
Rotary members in Hereford, England, created a Facebook group for Rotary members and others to use to link people who need support with people or organizations that can help. More than 6,900 people have joined the group since it was started 14 March.
Two days before its annual fundraiser, the Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA, moved the event to Facebook. It auctioned more than 100 items and raised more than $100,000, about the same amount as in previous years. Food set to feed 350 people at the event was delivered to those in need.
The Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley, California, USA, held an online meeting for members of other clubs to share advice on using digital tools to remain connected. The club recorded the meeting so members could watch it later and share it with others.
Rotary clubs in Zone 34 (Georgia and Florida, USA, and the Caribbean) created a guide to help members stay connected online. The Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean 7020 is helping clubs in the zone arrange online meetings. Read more.
Upcoming Programs
All in person meeting are Cancelled!
Harvest Hill is Closed to the public due to Covid-19.
Stay tuned for news of our first web based meeting in the near future