Editor Marilyn Bedell/Meeting notes taken by Bruce Pacht (thank!)
First Grade Readers
Distributed remotely this year
Upcoming Programs/Speakers
July 23: Governor's Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative
Samantha Lewandowski will be discussing the Governor's Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative and the success it has had with businesses and helping people with substance use disorders stay employed while getting help with their recovery.
Speaker Bio: Samantha Lewandowski holds a Master of Science in Community Development & Applied Economics from the University of Vermont. She first began working with individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) back in 2013 through a residential harm reduction program. Presently, she is a Recovery Friendly Advisor for the Governor's Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiative, where her role is to work with businesses to help them develop workplace cultures that are more supportive to those in recovery or who have been impacted by SUD more generally. She is also a certified Recovery Coach.
Having loved ones with SUD, this work is especially near and dear to her heart, and she hopes that through continuing to provide research-informed and evidence-based supports, information, resources, and trainings, that stigma can continue to be challenged and barriers reduced so that those who have been impacted by SUD can access the support they need.
July 30: Golf Planning Meeting
August 6, 2020: TBA
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Moorings
President Paul Tierney welcomed us to the meeting.
15 Rotarians were present at the start for the meting; we were up to 21 members by mid-meeting.
Members at the meeting included: Marilyn Bedell, Ron Bedell, Paul Boucher, Michelle Buck, Hank Clarke, Karen Clements, David Crandall, Rudy Fedrizzi, Tim Guaraldi, Garlan Hoskin, Cindy Jerome, Wily Koppenheffer, JoAnn Lemieux, Jane Mason, Ernst Oidtmann, Bruce Pacht, William Secord, Paul Tierney, Rich Wallace, Steve Whitman, John Yacavone
Steve Whitman recited the 4-Way Test of the things we Think, Say or Do.
Video: Walter Hughes’s work in Ghana -- building schools with sanitary facilities and solar power, furniture, computers!!! Working with the Simple School Program. If you want to watch the video, Click Here
Marilyn Bedell: Back in 2005, Walter was invited by Ron Cowan to the district conference. Walter was working on Guinea worm eradication in Ghana. Every club in the district helped with a water project in Ghana; today, the country is basically guinea worm-free. Walter has now moved on to education and micro-flush toilets. He was named a White House Champion of Change in 2013.
Paul Tierney: One can sign up to go with Walter to Ghana from time to time. He is now doing water and sanitation work in South Sudan and Somalia. Paul asked him if he’d do a Zoom with us and he said he would be interested.
"Another miracle, says Paul Tierney: I want to promote our giving. I will match up to $50 for every member who contributes to TRF to support Walter. He will speak with Angela about the logistics."
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SHARING HAPPY THOUGHTS OR CONCERNS:
Sad news:
Ron Michaud’s wife, Hilary, passed away last week. Click here to read her obituary. We are sending our condolences to Ron.
HAPPY THOUGHTS
Hank Clarke – had lunch in Woodstock with a 93 year old veteran he hasn’t seen since march because of COVID. They had a lovely reunion.
Jane Mason– She shared that she has 5 nieces and nephews, most of whom have stayed close, though one is in Hopkinton and another in Charlottesville, VA. She just learned that they both are moving back to LYME because they can work from home!
Rudy Fedrizzi –He and his his family took a 4-day weekend in a Ludlow B&B. Stayed put there with their own food and spent time on the lake.
Ernst Oidtmann – On screen he Introduced us to Luna his granddaughter, 1 year and 1 day old! Ernst will be returning from Duxbury tonight where he’s been doing 2-3 hour hikes. Today they went to Dennis to look at hydrangeas with dinner in the harbor.
Cindy Jermone – Had her first great niece born in Hawaii to her oldest nephew’s only son. Cindy has a sister who’s lived in West Africa about 38 years, the last 15 in Ghana which she found safer than other places. Clearly a country that embraces its future. Last weekend, Cindy socialized for the first time over an outdoor dinner with friends. Their neighbor provides them from time to time with fine wine from their store! Cindy is still looking for an apartment:
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.
Paul Tierney – spoke to Ron Michaud and had lunch with him yesterday; he is doing well, as he’d been preparing for Hillary's death for a long time.
Paul Tierney – Let us know that hewill be closing next Wednesday on the property in Meriden.
Will Koppenheffer – Will will had company from Thursday-Sunday, His daughter and her partner and his son and his fiancé were here. Happily he shared that he didn’t have to cook a single meal. Daughter’s partner is a professional chef who cooked wonderful meals for three days.
Karen Clements – Will be a grandmom again next February! She attended a ribbon=cutting for River Valley Learning Center for LNA and LPN programs!! Very successful program.The school has 113 applicants for the LNA program.
Paul Tierney – He shared that it has been a great couple of weeks as president sitting in on several committee meetings and look forward to more!
Paul called on Michelle Buck for some happy comments. Michelle is back in school working on her doctorate. She then shared that both of her children are expecting and due the same week in January – “a COVID blessing”. Her son in Littleton, her daughter in Dover. Michelle exclaimed, “I’m going to need a bigger car.” She shared that on the news tonight she heard that the outbreak of Covid-19 in Manchester, VT may not be as bad as originally thought because of testing differences.
Rudy Fedrizzi then let us know that there was a community-wide testing in Manchester; first several hundred tests came back negative. We think we may have dodged a bullet but hundreds more tests are coming in from today’s testing. Vermont is advising against the use of the antigen test.
JoAnn – Last May let us know that she got tested and yesterday. She went down to Keene. She had no symptoms but she does have elderly in-laws and young children. Thee were no lines for the testing – in/out in 5 minutes. It’s a good feeling to know that you aren’t going to expose anybody.
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Announcements
Paul Tierney: Paul let members know that Steve Christy has resigned from the club. Paul indicated he would be sending a letter to him expressing his personal sadness about his departure and leaving the door open for his return in the future.
Marilyn Bedell: DISTRICT DISASTER RESPONSE GRANT
The Rotary Foundation created a relief program and COVID-19 fits. There have been over one hundred and fifty $25,000 grants approved. To fun the grants, in addition to funds budgeted for these grants the Foundation Trustees added $3 million from the world fund, and our Rotary International Directors approved additional funds from reserves to fund the remaining grants that had been filed. Our District 7850 was awared $25,000 in disaster relief funds to provide food to pantries in NH, VT and Quebec. In addition, clubs may apply for masks, gloves to distribute among communities. We have requested 300 masks for Lebanon.
John Yacovone: We received 2 thank you letters from the Upper Valley Haven and Listen for our donations to their food banks.
Will Koppenheffer got an email from Ian Smith, principal of Lebanon High School on behalf of Lebanon School District expressing thanks for our $5,000 contribution to ensure that school lunch program carries through the summer.
Hank Clarke reported on the Community Service Committee meeting this week. [All the planned events are listed below this section of the newsletter.] We will have loads to do between now and June 2021.
Dave Crandall is going to handle publicity for the projects we are doing. Paul Tierney reminded Dave that there is money in our operating budget to support public relations. Paul shared that Dan Affeldt and John Yacavone have helped with PR in the past.
Paul has established a small team to help him focus on member engagement. Bruce Pacht, Hank Clarke, Ed Friedman, Rich Wallace and Marilyn Bedell are members of this group.
Rich Wallace is working on a plan to help us increase membership and meet our goals. Rich hopes to have a plan written for the board to look over next week. Rich is pulling the membership committee together now – wants to work closely with the publicity committee.
The group is also reviewing Rotary International's Strategic Plan, and new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement to assess our alignment with our international organization goal and strategies.
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Community Service Planned for 2020/2021
Listen Dinners 2020/20210
Hoping to be able to cook in August, October, December, February, April and June. Hank Clark will let us know when we can be back in the kitchen again.
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Trail Maintenance
Ticknor Trail Trail Project - August
Boston Lot Trail Project - September
Ernst Oidtmann will share more information once dates are set.
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United Way Day of Caring
September 2020
Bruce will give us more information once we know this event can happen in September
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Our Park Clean-Ups
October and April
Baker's Crossing
Riverside Park
Willy Koppenheffer and Bruce Bergeron will organize these events
Airport - Air show Memorial Area Clean Up
Bruce Bergeron will organize this event
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Listen Food Drives
September, November, March
Tim Guaraldi will organize these events.
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Working with Cover on a Winterizing Project
Winter
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First Grade Reader Distribution
April May
Bruce Bergeron will organize this event.
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Mascoma River Clean-up & Rail Trail Clean-up
Summer 2021
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2020 Holiday Service Projects
Listen Holiday Basket Helpers Gift Purchases, and Basket Review at Listen
Working with our Interactors
Community Dinner Set-up on
December 24, 2020
Picture from the Valley News
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Club Social Events
Club's 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
Upcoming Fund Raising Event
Save the Dates
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Fund Raising
The Bedell Classic Golf Tournament
September 17, 2020
Golf committee has secured September 17 Thusday as a new date for the Bedell Tournament. Planning underway. Club will be updated on plans over the next few weeks.
Rotary International News
The Rotarian Conversation:
Marc Freedman
Marc Freedman
Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa
This longevity expert has found that both younger and older people thrive when they work together with a common purpose — something Rotarians know a lot about
While visiting a Rotary club in Sacramento, California, Marc Freedman was struck by the diversity of the group — in age as well as ethnicity. “There were so many barriers being bridged around this common sense of purpose,” he says. “It’s one of the reasons I love Rotary. So much of society has sorted itself into highly age-segregated arrangements. Rotary and other like-minded groups are resisting that trend and creating spaces where people of all generations can work together for the greater good.”
Freedman is the kind of person who would notice that. Named a Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum in 2014 and featured by AARP the Magazine in 2012 among its “50 over 50” influencers, he is one of the leading experts in the United States on the longevity revolution and the transformation of retirement.
Freedman is founder and CEO of Encore.org, a nonprofit focused on bridging generational divides and making “encore careers” for retirement-age workers a new social norm. He’s also co-founder of what is now AARP Experience Corps, a program that brings volunteer tutors age 50 and over together with students in kindergarten through third grade who are struggling to read. Researchers have found that the support of these volunteers has a beneficial effect on the children equivalent to a 40 percent reduction in class size; referrals for behavior problems have also gone down 30 to 50 percent. There are advantages for the adults as well; studies have found that the volunteers experienced physical benefits such as less arthritis pain and better blood sugar control. The program, a 2014 Atlantic article noted, “dusted off the cobwebs in their brains.”
Freedman, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, spoke with senior staff writer Diana Schoberg about his most recent book, How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of Connecting the Generations.
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