• Matt Gatzke announced that Game night will be on Saturday, February 7^th, at 6:00pm. The membership committee is finalizing food, Members can bring their own games. All ages included. Members can bring their own games. Tanya Frost has a wide variety available.

• Katie Minihan mentioned the 4-way speech contest is on March 31st at the Baker Free Library.  A backup date is set for April 7th in case of a snowstorm.  The contest will begin at 6:30 and theme is Rocking and Rolling.  The committee is looking for one club member to join the judges and welcome attendees.
• Dick Swett reviewed the Club Goals as foll ows;
• Club Membership: Goal of 49 members.  Brad Abel joined, Dean Cascaden left for the Meredith Rotary Club.
• Strategic Plan: Update the existing plan from Gerry Carrier presidency.
• Service Participation: Goal of 46 members participating in service projects was met
• Annual Fund Contribution: Goal of $2,000 was done
• Polio Plus Fund Contributions: Goal was met last year.
• Social Activities: The third social activity is coming up on the Feb 7th.
• Service Projects: Meeting goals, considering Turrey Pond park cleanup in the spring.
• New membership/sponsorship goal is 4, with one secured, leaving three remaining.
• Online presence is strong due to the public relations committee's work, including Vanessa Palange’s contributions to online content and newspaper articles.
• Rotoract Club - we do not have one but did help with the Hooksett Club under Gerry Carrier’spresidency.
• Bob Couch has been helpful with website and social media updates.
• Leadership - People are attending PET & PEL.  The club is assisting District Governor Donna Deos with her District conference this spring.
• District conference attendance goal for our club is 3 people, but more are expected to attend due to helping with Donna Deos’s conference.
• Inbound Exchange - The club assisted with a soccer player from Brazil, but he didn't end up being hosted by our club.
• Outbound exchange – No one from the Bow club or area is planning to be an outbound exchange student.
• Lucas Gendron will discuss this and other scholarship programs.
• Use of Rotary Materials - new materials were released and are being used.
• Media Stories - Vanessa Palange has been doing a great job on this.
• Rotary Fellowship participation includes meetings at other clubs, such as Cornhole competition etc.
• District training – Tanya Frost has been participating in district training.
• The goals will be reviewed at the end of June.
• Mike Ard and Dave Farr are co-chairs of Concert Committee.  Mike will not be present as he will be in Texas assisting with daughter’s newborn.  So he and David are seeking a replacement chair for the concert committee.
  • The committee needs help reaching out to bands.
  • Several bands have contacted the club about performing.

• Birthdays: Linda Bliss had a birthday last week under the old policy.

• Chris Parkinson is in Peru and attended a makeup meeting on a ship with seven Rotarians from various locations.  He will be back on February 8th.

• Donna Deos - $2 Appreciates David Farr’s ability to involve members as sergeant of arms and granddaughter spent her first overnight.  (Might have been Grand-Dog)
• Ben Kiniry with his wife went snowmobiling & cross-country skiing.  Also went skinning up Mount Sunapee and his legs were so tired trying to ski back down afterwards he thought he wasn’t going to make it.
• Vanessa Palange $2 – also got skinning skis for Christmas, was on WMUR with no pin, and will be at Pat’s Peak this weekend in the “Ready-The prepared Puppy” mascot suit.
• Matt Gatzke and his wife went to NY, saw a couple of shows – commented that his wife was a big J-walker.
• Judy Goodnow has an Indiana University lanyard now - in reference to the College championship they won on Monday.
• Linda Bliss referenced that the Goal of three people to go to the district conference is not acceptable.  She believes it should be more substantial.
• Gerry Carrier echoed Linda's challenge, he said we should be supporting our District Governor.  In John Sheridan’s year, the expectation was 100% participation.
• Dick Swett – has written an article in the Real Clear Politics about his take on the Greenland issue.

Secretary's Report (December)

• Bill Ames reported that the club was at 85.2% attendance, about a tenth higher than average.
• The club has 44 active members and 3 honorary members.
• $18,640 billed for breakfasts and dues; $16,607 received, leaving an outstanding balance of $2,030.  Names of tardy members to go public to please square up your account.

Treasurer's Report (End of December)

• Tamar Roberts reported that the club had $13,626.36 in the club account.
• The foundation had $108,847; $25,000 went out on January 9 for scholarships, bringing the balance down to $83,847.

Committee Reports

• Community Services: Nothing to report.
• Club Vocational Services: Nothing to report
• New Generations: Ryan was unable to attend. Early act is doing incredible work.
  Peter Imse shared a story about the Early Act club making Linus Blankets for kids in hospitals and shelters.  They received a donation of fabric from a gentleman whose wife had passed away.  The kids decided to make a blanket for him in return.
• Club Property – Joya Dennehy doing a great job – she reported that she did the eggs this morning.
• Grants – Tanmar Roberts had nothing to report
• Membership – Matt Gatzke had nothing to report
• Publicity – Vanessa Palange had nothing to report
• Scholarship - no update
• Four-Way Test Speech Contest – Katie spoke about this earlier in meeting.

• Programs are funded by the Department of State and are essentially free for students.
• Lucas emphasizes that these programs align with the Rotary's mission of advancing understanding, goodwill, and peace throughout the world.
• The speaker encourages the audience to promote these opportunities to family members, community members, and high school students.

Program Details

• US Citizens can participate in international programs that allow students to go abroad.
• Domestic programs involve students traveling around the US with peers from other countries or staying at home.
• The speaker asks for help in promoting these opportunities, emphasizing the valuable skills gained regardless of future career paths.

Benefits of Participation

• Programs are fully funded, covering airfare, tuition, host family, and food.
• Personal growth, valuable skills, and a global perspective are gained.
• Participation builds a strong track record for job or college applications.

Highlighted Programs with Deadlines

• Youth Ambassadors program in Algeria and the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program:
• Two-week summer programs in Florida, North Carolina, or Washington D.C.
• Focus on leadership skills and civic dialogue.
• Application includes a written statement and a recommendation letter.
• Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship:
• Four-week program at Purdue University with classes in international relations.
• Includes activities and workshops, followed by travel to Washington D.C.
• Deadline is March 8.

Questions and Answers

Programs

• There are three different programs: high school, college, and young professionals.
• The high school program is designed for immersion, requiring no prior German background or language study.
• The intention is to take classes in the language and spend the year learning about the culture.

Financial Impact

• Domestic programs are largely fully funded. Travel and activities are covered, including tours and trips to places like Washington, D.C.A stipend is provided for incidental costs.
• For overseas programs, the only costs are passport fees, doctor checkups, and souvenirs