Story tellers and story lovers – Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 21 from 6-8 p.m. at the Williston Central School auditorium for the 3rd annual Bill Skiff Story Slam.
Our theme this year is The Snow Storm.
Modeled after the Moth Story Hour, our friendly storytelling competition is a fun fundraiser to support home heating assistance and other local charities.
$20 entry includes refreshments. Purchase tickets here!
For more information, visit page/bill-skiff-story-slam
Our guest speakers on February 5th was Sean Leach and Lesley Adams from Vermont Odyssey of the Mind, an international program of all volunteers that teaches students from elementary school through college important life skills such as creativity, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and public speaking. Sean is the International Problem Captain in charge of the technical problem and a Board Director. Lesley is an Association Director, leading and expanding the program statewide after serving many years as coach, Board member and VT Problem Captain for Performance.
Students can pick a problem (maybe one from their passion) in areas of Vehicle, Technical, Classic, Structure, Performance or Primary – something for every student to excel, showcase or further develop their curiosity skills. The program follows the 4Cs and 5Es in modern education -
Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication
Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate
As part of the presentation, Rotarians were asked to participate in a challenge of the mind by table and using supplied objects to start the process. What a fun way to start the day and get those creative juices flowing.
To see and hear Sean and Lesley's presentation, please visit: https://youtu.be/Er045S2XPkM
On Jan 29th, we had another great presentation from the CVU Student Amnesty International club leaders- Maddie Morris, Lauren Morris, Emma Main, and Maya Girard.
The presentation started with an introduction to Amnesty International and the good work these amazing students are doing to advocate for others around the globe. A 2025 Rotary grant of $250 was given last spring, and the club told us who the funds were spent - stamps for letter writing campaigns advocating for international detainees and a portion for the NE Regional Amnesty International Convention in Boston. The CVU students were the only high school group at the convention and were thus invited to National Amnesty International Youth Week in the Capitol (Washington DC). What a pleasure to see youth in our community making global change and embody the spirit of Rotary. Our future is brighter with these leaders contributing to positive change.
To learn about the specific detainees the CVU AI club writes campaigns on, visit: https://write.amnestyusa.org/cases/
To donate to the CVU student Amnesty club, you can provide funds to our Treasurer at our meeting and we will cut a single check from the club for their causes
To see and hear the CVU Student talk at our meeting, visit: https://youtu.be/zg6Uk_vg8yU
On Jan 22nd, speakers Stephanie Clark and Brian Pine from the White + Burke joined our club meeting. Stephanie and Brian's presentation was regarding Tax Increment Funding (TIF) and the Community Housing & Infrastructure Program (CHIP), both captures the future increment (increased tax revenue) generated by rising property values to fund project costs.
TIF is a tool that a municipality applies to a property through investment in public infrastructure like streets, sidewalks and storm water management systems.
CHIP is a tool that applies to a district or community to designate housing development sites.
Without these tools, a developer could not fund massive infrastructure needs on there own. Williston is looking into TIF for projects today. Great presentation for those who want to understand how a town grows and the needed funding to carry out a Master Plan.
On Jan 15th, our speaker was Kyle Ferguson, actor and Board member of Vermont Repertory Theater. Vermont Repertory Theatre is a nonprofit, all-volunteer, award-winning company based in Williston, VT, dedicated to making classic plays and musicals entertaining and accessible to modern audiences. Founded in 2022, this young company has grown quickly, producing seven successful shows and securing its own rehearsal space in Williston in 2025.
Kyle provides a (visually stunning) presentation on the shows and progression of the VRT, with many plays held at Isham Farm selling out multiple showings of 150 theater goers. In 2025, VRT won many categories at the 2025 BroadwayWorld Vermont awards ceremony including best musical, lighting, music, and sound for Sweeney Todd and best play, direction and supporting performer for The Miser.
To learn more or get tickets to Uncle Vanya, visit: https://www.vermontrep.com/uncle-vanya
To learn more or donate to the Vermont Repertory Theater, go to: https://www.vermontrep.com/
To see Kyle's presentation to our club, visit: https://youtu.be/oabFTz_kFls
Our Jan 8th speaker was Williston Rotary member, Kel Bachus, who provided a classification talk on “how I was kidnapped in Ethiopia”. Each new Rotary member or transferee is asked to give a "classification talk" after they have been in our Club for 1 - 6 months. Members are assigned a classification when they joined Rotary relating to their business and position - it is more of an conversation starter than anything . These classification talks are a chance to let members share a part of their lives with others so that we know them better.
Straight out of a Clive Cussler novel, young Kel was traveling overseas with their UN Nations Dad and Foreign Service Mom when the plane got diverted to Addis Ababa, run by a ruthless dictator in 1977. Passports were turned over under duress (of a machine gun) and they were then disappeared by the government. Saving the day was a French clerk in the French Embassy who fake paperwork/passports and the French claim the Bachus's as their own. The tale is one of true bravery from the clerk and the escape by Kel's family.
To see and hear Kel's full talk, visit: https://youtu.be/QU4scLTfIQI
Donated toys ready for pick up at the Williston Fire Station.
2025 was a big year for our toy collections for the Vermont Marine Corps League Toys for Kids! This year we gathered over 70 bags of toys along with at least three bicycles. Last year we collected about 47 bags, so this was a big increase.
The statewide Toys for Kids effort served 2000+ families, over 4000 children and 1500 teens. Thanks to financial donations, the organization was able to purchase 982 Visa $30 gift cards.
Children and their parents across the region had a happier holiday season thanks to the generosity of those who donated toys and gift cards. Many thanks to members of our club and other Rotarians who helped make this big annual program a success.
In the last bulletin, we neglected to thank ALL of our direct donors to the Williston Rotary Senior Luncheon. The original story has been corrected, and we want to share those donors with you.
Vermont Home and Marine Williston Meat and Fish Market
323 Industrial Ave, Williston 104 Cornerstone Drive, Williston
Williston Place Williston-Richmond-St George Rotary
422 Blair Park Road, Williston Meets at 44 North Williston Road, Williston
Thank you to all these great organizations for supporting our club, our seniors and our events.
Best wishes to all of you for a joyful holiday season and let's have a safe, healthy and happy 2026
We revived a club tradition this holiday season – inviting children to write letters and receive responses from Santa. Organizers Sherry Pidgeon and Kel Backus worked with big help from the staff of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library to set up a special mailbox for the exchange of notes to and from the North Pole. Santa and his elves (who, of course, all happen to be Rotarians in good standing) received 18 letters and had a great time writing fun responses to the children. We started small this year to ensure we had a good process. Next year the elves may have more missives to manage!
On December 18th, the club got the gift of FUN from our speaker Natalie Miller, executive director of Vermont Comedy Arts, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to making comedy education, performance and community accessible to all. Natalie taught us about saying NO BUT, YES BUT, and YES AND, the last an important part of comedy improv. Did we plan a party? YES AND it had, lasers, Beyonce, fabulous food and so much more!!! Comedy, as Natalie told us, helps us manage the anxiety of unpredictable times, relieving tension by being in the moment, helping improve mental health, allowing us to make better connections and providing us life skills. What a fun way to start the day.
To learn more about or donate to Vermont Comedy Arts, visit: https://www.vermontcomedyarts.org/
To see and hear Natalie's talk at our club, visit: https://youtu.be/vGKV78RLDPc
Left to right, Rick Maguire (sponsor), new members Cindy Ody-Ortego and Gerry Ortego and Vince Conte (club president).
On Dec 18th, we gladly inducted two new members into our club - Cindy and Gerry Ortego. Cindy and Gerry have both been active participants at our community events and team meetings even before they became members, and their contributions are much appreciated. Cindy was previously a Rotary member in the Seneca Falls, NY and Essex Junction, VT Rotary clubs, and Gerry is getting his first admittance into Rotary through our Williston club.
Both are Williston residents, volunteer at other nonprofits including AgeWell and the Williston Community Food Shelf, and also volunteer as Friends of the Dorthy Ailing Memorial Library. When asked why they want to be Rotarians, their responses were to be involved with an organization that provides service to the community and for the social interactions with other Rotarians and speakers to the club. Welcome aboard Cindy and Gerry!
What a wonderful time was had at this year's Jonathan Milne Senior Holiday Luncheon. We had about 100 seniors join us, plus students from the Williston Central School Varietones choir. The students put on a splendid performance of seasonal tunes and new member Gerry Ortega played his guitar. All enjoyed a delicious roast turkey feast, laughter with friends, and table side visits from Santa (Gary Howard). Some lucky raffle winners took home gorgeous poinsettias.
Much thanks to Sally Stockwell-Metro for organizing another joyful event and for all who volunteered to make the magic happen. Special thanks to this year's event sponsors - Vermont Home and Marine, Williston Meat and Fish Market, Williston Place, and Williston-Richmond-St George Rotary members.
Please enjoy these photo memories captured by Elizabeth Davidson.
It was a chilly afternoon, but we helped make the Williston Community Tree Lighting on Sunday, Dec. 7 a bit warmer with steaming hot servings of hot cocoa. The annual event on the Village Green, hosted by the Williston Federated Church and our club, was filled with music, treats and colorful lights from the tree and the SD Ireland holiday truck.
On December 4th, our speaker was Mary K. Dennison, an ambassador for Braver Angels. Braver Angels is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide. Their pledge is to understand the other side's point of view, which for many Americans seems like an impossible task. Mary K told us a key is to get to know people better with direct, non-antagonistic, and non-judging dialog. Braver Angels got its original name from a famous Abe Lincoln quote: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” They later changed from Better Angels to Braver Angels.
Two books are available from Braver Angels authors: 1) “In Search of Braver Angels: Getting Along Together In Troubled Times” by David Blankenhorn and 2) “I Never Thought of It That Way” by Monica Guzman.
For those interested, the Essex Club meets on the 1st Thursday of every other month, with the next meeting in January.
To learn more about or donate to Braver Angels, visit: https://braverangels.org/
To see and hear Mary K's talk at our club, go to: https://youtu.be/M16ArfNhqlM
Although we have had a family membership option in our club's bylaws for a long time, we haven't had a family membership in a very long time (if ever). In our plan update, both (or more) family members become Rotary members and will save 10% off their club membership dues. A little something to keep affordability in mind and hopefully grow our clubs ranks. Those interested, talk to any Board member or any Membership team member.
The holidays give us wonderful opportunities to gather and celebrate our community. Coming up in December are two cherished Williston-Richmond Rotary traditions:
Sunday, Dec. 7, 4:30-5:30 p.m. - Williston Community Tree Lighting - Join us on the Village Green for carols, hot chocolate and cookies. This annual celebration co-hosted by the Williston Federated Church includes special music from the church's children's choir. Warm hats, mittens, gloves and socks will be collected at the tree lighting for the Williston Community Food Shelf.
Thursday, Dec. 11, 11 a.m-1 p.m. - Jonathan Milne Senior Holiday Luncheon - Our jolly gathering brings senior neighbors together for a holiday turkey feast, a visit from Santa, poinsettias, and music from Williston Central School students. Due to limited space, RSVP required by calling Barbara LeWinter at 802-872-5968 by Dec. 6.
Both events are free of charge.
On Thanksgiving, think about what you're thankful for, such as family, friends, health, and simple pleasures like good food and a roof over your head, and those that are not as fortunate. It's also a good time to reflect on memories, practice mindfulness, and express gratitude to others, either by sharing your thanks directly or by giving back to the community. Enjoy your day in your own way – from our Rotary club to each of you.
The good folks at Adams Farm Market invited our club to sell hot cocoa to raise funds for our charity and service work as they hosted special guests from the Vermont Reindeer Farm. Attendees got to have photos with Santa's own Cupid. Local acapella group Root 7 got everyone in the holiday spirit.
It is with great thanks and appreciation to Vermont Home and Marine in Williston in becoming one of the sponsors to our Jonathan Milne Senior Luncheon, where our club serves approximately 100 Williston fellow community members for a holiday luncheon on Thursday Dec 11th at the Williston Federated Church. VT Marine has been a long time donator to our club's charity service and events, and a true friend to our club and the community.
Our speaker on Nov 20th was Kathleen Culver, project management consultant and cofounder of PMEZ.org (Project Management Made Easy) with Kelly Lozo. Kathleen's fascinating talk today was entitled “Keep Calm and Carry On”, which she originally gave as a TEDX talk and is a project management approach to the stresses and worries of anyone's daily life.
A key to project management is risk analysis and mitigation, and she masterfully used the elements to reframe worries as a risk. The approach was a simple but elegant way to get us understand our worries, assess the likelihood that it will happen, visualize the impact, ask “so what”, and take action if the likelihood and impact looms large. Kathleen was able to connect to the entire room of club members, whether we understood project management or not, and gave us the tools needed to remove / lower stress. It was a pleasure to have Kathleen in to our club today.
To learn more about the PMEZ, visit: https://pmez.org/
To see and hear Kathleen's talk with our Rotary club, go to: Published on YouTube as private. Video is available upon request
On November 13th, our club had a special meeting of updates from our teams (committees). Each team provided a list of team members, when meetings are held, current issues under discussion, events/actions for the next 3 months, and progress on the 1 year plan to be completed by Jun 30th. Our teams are the planning and organizing backbone that keeps us focused on our 1 year and 5 year plan, and this meeting gives you a glimpse of at all the great work going on by our members for the community.
To see and hear our club's business meeting, visit: https://youtu.be/93vDb2MBHRk
New members representing Williston's Dorothy Alling Memorial library, Lori Ledak (3rd from right), Kevin Unrath (2nd from right) and Bonnie Lord (not pictured) were inducted at our Nov. 6 meeting. They are our first members in our new Business membership category, where up to three representatives of a business or non-profit organization can share a club membership, making it easier for working professionals to meet attendance requirements and become involved in club activities.
We're excited to gain their valuable contributions and look forward to welcoming more members in this category.
Our speaker for Nov 6th was Hazen Metro, overall Winner of the 2025 Grade 1 (premiere) CLASP World Solo Piping Competition in Glasgow, Scotland, and he came in with bagpipes awhirl with a haunting rendition of the Lament of the Laird Dungallen, a style of bagpipe music called ceol mhor, translated to meaning big music, followed by a short oral history of scottish music rich with instruments of the clarsach (celtic harp) and bagpipes. I recommend watching our meeting YouTube video to see and hear Hazen's music and talk.
To see and hear Hazen's piping and presentation at our club meeting, visit: https://youtu.be/t6a7-QO_oYY
Service Above Self
44 North Williston Road
Williston, VT 05495
United States of America