Marty LeWinter
"You will feel really good about what you do with Rotary"
I joined Rotary because I admired the generosity and civic-mindedness of its membership. The only "agenda" at Rotary is helping people and institutions in our community, something which is both unusual and refreshing these days.
I continue to be active in Rotary because it provides opportunities to be of use to our community and interact with a group of people who are fun, smart, always interesting and completely unselfish.
I would tell a prospective member that you will feel really good about what you do with Rotary and form multiple friendships that you will cherish.
Howard Novak
"The organization is chock full of people with the skills and wherewithal to make many good things happen."
I joined Rotary because I was asked by former Rotarian, now deceased, Heath Riggs. I was looking for a community service opportunity and had heard good things about Rotary.
I continue with Rotary because I think their tenets are sound and their opportunities for service are exceptional. Rotary operates on a local, national and international level and one can participate in many ways and thru many avenues. The organization is chock full of people with the skills and wherewithal to make many good things happen.
For prospective members, I would say come join us for a meeting and see what kind of people we are. I think they will find Rotarians fun, friendly and driven to participate in opportunities for service.
Angela Arsenault
"In this club you will find support, friendship, and a community of people who want to help"
I joined Rotary because my very kind neighbor, Charlie Magill, invited me to attend a Rotary meeting and I thought that it would be well worth my time to check out any group of which he was a part. The first time I visited the club, the speaker was a wonderful local dog trainer and her two search and rescue golden retrievers. I thought, “Where else am I going to hear this person speak while eating a delicious breakfast and in the company of people who care so much about our community?” I was sold.
I continue to be active in Rotary because this club is comprised of some of the warmest, most welcoming, most generous people I’ve ever met. And because Rotary provides all kinds of meaningful ways to contribute to our community.
What I’d love to tell a prospective member of Williston-Richmond Rotary is that this club’s weekly meetings have been a true bright spot for me through a relatively dark time for our community and the world. In this club you will find support, friendship, and a community of people who want to help – in a million ways big and small. It is an uplifting group where everyone is welcome.
Jude Hersey
"They are, indeed, the best group I have ever worked with"
When we first moved to Williston, my husband had just retired after teaching high school English for 35 years. He hadn’t had the time to volunteer. I had found volunteering so rewarding and was involved in rewriting the Transportation section of the Williston Town Plan. One of the other volunteers, Mike Coates, was working with me and suggested that we speak to the Williston-Richmond Rotary about what was evolving as future goals. Mike was a Rotary member.
I was so impressed with this active group in the community and suggested that my husband Don might find joining the organization a good way to meet others. He joined and remained an active member for 17 years until he passed away. It was a treasured part of his life working with others who were so committed to making a difference in the community. He also learned so much from the weekly speakers who represented other organizations!
As his spouse, I frequently joined in to help with the Rotary projects, as did other spouses. When Don was diagnosed with Parkinson’s it was a devastating blow. He had always been a very athletic person, so it was a particularly difficult time. Yet, his work on Rotary activities and the friendships he had made became even more important and brought a sense of accomplishment.
Don was physically hit once again, this time it was stage four cancer. His Rotary friends were so supportive during the year and a half he waged his battle, keeping him in the loop of the group’s community actions. They even surprised him with a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship award, arriving on mass at our home to deliver the honor!
It occurred to me that I could try and carry on his work with Rotary. I told him about my plans. So, after Don lost his battle with a spreading cancer, I kept my promise. It has become one of the best decisions in my life, just like Don’s.
It is an honor to work with these special people who are so dedicated to making our community a better place with activities that engage community residents and provide funds to aid those with special needs.
Along the way, I, too, have the same sense of friendship from Rotary members that Don had. They are, indeed, the best group I have ever worked with over the many decades of volunteering and I would encourage others to join in this worthwhile work with such a committed group!
Terry Macaig
"The meetings are stimulating with great speakers"
I joined Rotary because I finally had time to attend meetings and was invited by a friend. I continue to be active because the meetings are stimulating with great speakers and topics and the members are very diverse in their views.
What I'd love to tell a prospective member of Williston-Richmond Rotary is this is a wonderful way to get involved in your community. There are many events sponsored by the club that can use your expertise to help others.
Gary Howard
"The breakfasts and camaraderie drew me in"
I first went to Rotary because my neighbor, Bill Skiff, promised to show me a Red Sox World Series ring. I found a group of welcoming friends, parents of ex-students, and people who want to make a difference. The breakfasts and camaraderie drew me in. The wheel chair ramps, fuel donations to those in need, leadership conferences for HS students and our other charitable works cemented my membership. The weekly speakers are always
informative and worthwhile. Rotary is polio's worst enemy.
informative and worthwhile. Rotary is polio's worst enemy.
Armand Fournier
"Rotary's business is mankind and its product is service"
I had for a long-time a desire to join Rotary but felt that I didn't have the time to be a good and contributing member until recently.
About 4 years ago Lesley and I attended the Williston-Richmond Rotary's Easter Egg Hunt, which I was familiar with but had not attended before. It was a fun event and watching the kids excitement was exciting.
We met Barbara LeWinter, a Rotary member. She invited us to attend a meeting and meet some of our local Rotary members, which we did.
Rotary is a great way to meet other like-minded community members, create new friends and to give back to the community.
Rotary is fun and exciting plus it enables local members to also become a country citizen and even a world citizen, through Rotary International. It's an opportunity to meet people from our state, other states and around the world and join them in making a difference.
As a service club, Rotary's business is mankind and its product is service. This is perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do good in the world.
Barb LeWinter
"I have gained tremendous pleasure knowing my efforts have made a difference"
A triptych is what brought me to Rotary. I wished to purchase a triptych done by a college classmate who had died much too soon. The owner of the painting was long-established Williston resident, Louise Ransom, one of the original members of the Williston Rotary. She had begun the Williston Whistle, the local paper in town and we were both alumna of the same college - Vassar, though separated by several years. As a condition to my purchase of the beautiful painting, Louise made me promise to join Rotary. Louise was relocating to Wake Robin and felt she could no longer be an active member of the Williston Rotary. She took seriously the charge to replace herself so that club membership would be maintained and thus tapped me to be her replacement.
In the almost twenty years that I have been involved with the club, I realize Louise had done me a great favor. I have been able to continue my interest and use my background and expertise in supporting literacy, working with children, and helping families through various projects with the local schools in Williston and Richmond. Whether it has been to interview high school candidates for leadership training through RYLA, help with the mentorship program at Williston Central, work closely with the Dorothy Ailing library or provide Thanksgiving baskets for 40 families, I have gained tremendous pleasure knowing my efforts have made a difference. In 2007-2008, I was President of the club. I learned a great deal about all aspects of Rotary from attending District training to leading our club in many projects. I have hosted Rotarians from different parts of the world and attended some international club meetings. I am a Paul Harris fellow and have given Paul Harris recognition awards to several people. Every time I look at the triptych hanging in my hallway, I am reminded of the world of Rotary that was gifted to me.
Barb LeWinter, a proud Rotarian
Charlie Magill
"A place to learn more about the community and the world"
I joined Rotary because ...
My father, who belonged to Lions Club, believed that everyone should belong to a service club, to give back to their community. I was in Jaycees when I was young enough, and part of a group that introduced the brand new “Special Olympics” to the county I lived in. The Williston/Richmond Rotary Club started while my wife and I were working in Guyana. We had been introduced to the Rotary Club of Greater Georgetown. They had developed a program of giving micro-enterprise loans to groups of women. They described how they tried just giving loans, and had a high failure rate, so they modified the program to teach business management and formed groups of women who co-signed for each other’s loans. I was impressed by the process, the program, and the success. I wanted to be a Rotarian. As soon as we moved back to Williston, I asked Bill Skiff about being a member. He was my sponsor in 1996.
I continue to be active in Rotary because ...
There are three reasons I stay active, in no particular order: the friendships, the speakers who introduce me to parts of our area and the world that I would never hear about without Rotary, and the opportunities to serve. I’ve had chances to serve in Williston, in Honduras, and in Mexico. I’ve visited clubs in England, Spain, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, and many US states. All clubs are unique, but the best clubs (in my opinion) sing.
My father, who belonged to Lions Club, believed that everyone should belong to a service club, to give back to their community. I was in Jaycees when I was young enough, and part of a group that introduced the brand new “Special Olympics” to the county I lived in. The Williston/Richmond Rotary Club started while my wife and I were working in Guyana. We had been introduced to the Rotary Club of Greater Georgetown. They had developed a program of giving micro-enterprise loans to groups of women. They described how they tried just giving loans, and had a high failure rate, so they modified the program to teach business management and formed groups of women who co-signed for each other’s loans. I was impressed by the process, the program, and the success. I wanted to be a Rotarian. As soon as we moved back to Williston, I asked Bill Skiff about being a member. He was my sponsor in 1996.
I continue to be active in Rotary because ...
There are three reasons I stay active, in no particular order: the friendships, the speakers who introduce me to parts of our area and the world that I would never hear about without Rotary, and the opportunities to serve. I’ve had chances to serve in Williston, in Honduras, and in Mexico. I’ve visited clubs in England, Spain, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, and many US states. All clubs are unique, but the best clubs (in my opinion) sing.
What I'd love to tell a prospective member: Williston-Richmond Rotary is ...
An opportunity to contribute to the community, to make new friendships and connections, and a place to learn more about the community and the world.
An opportunity to contribute to the community, to make new friendships and connections, and a place to learn more about the community and the world.
.png)
Service Above Self
44 North Williston Road
Williston, VT 05495
United States of America