Home Page | Rotary Club of Ludlow

Welcome to Ludlow, VT Rotary

Service Above Self

We meet Tuesdays at 12:15 PM
DJ's Restaurant

146 Main Street (not for mail purposes)
P.O. Box 216
Ludlow, VT 05149
United States of America

District Site

Venue Map

WCAX Weather Woman Sharon Meyer

WCAX Weather Woman Describes

Impact of Covid-19 to Ludlow Rotary

Sharon Meyer, key weather woman at WCAX-TV, was the guest speaker recently at the on-line meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club LRC).

Sharon devoted her presentation to the effect the Covid-19 crisis had on her personally and its impact on how WCAX adapted to the rigorous demands of dealing with the virus.

The meeting, held using the Zoom app, allowed members of the LRC to get a detailed picture of the changes that the station and its personnel had to make to operate. The main change was working from home. This required that the various reporters, weather staff, and production staff by in large work from home.

She noted that the most difficult phase of this adjustment was for production staff who needed to be “hands-on” with the various technical equipment used to produce live and recorded news and weather programs.

On a personal note, Sharon noted that she was on vacation in Mexico at the onset of the virus. On her return to Vermont, she learned that she would have to spend 14 days in isolation, following the newly-introduced requirements of Gov. Scott.

During a Q and A session following Sharon’s presentation, Brett Wright, a LRC Rotarian, described the similar difficulties he encountered when he tried to leave the Dominican Republic. He finally found a flight carrying American citizens back to the states only to learn that all the rental car companies had no more cars to rent due to the heavy demand created by the coronavirus crisis.

Caption to attached photo:

Pictured above is Sharon Meyer, a weather woman for WCAX, during her Zoom, on-line, discussion with members of the Ludlow Rotary Club.

Youth Exchange Tunjung

Robert W. Kirkbride

We are saddened by the news of our beloved Bob Kirkbride who passed away earlier this afternoon.

Bob was a devoted Rotarian of 63 years to our club. He often stayed after lunch to help clean the tables at DJ’s after our regular weekly luncheon. Bob kept our club on its toes with his general comments, happy dollar stories and weekly program music director. He had near 100% attendance .. very seldom did he miss a meeting.

He participated with all club activities and he never missed a Penny Sale!

His smiling face will be missed by many. He was a true friend to many in our town and touched our hearts dearly. We love you Bob ❤️❤️

Ludlow Rotary Raising Funds for Australian Fire Victims - Both Human and Animal!

Ludlow Rotary Raising Funds for Australian

Fire Victims – Both Human and Animal!

Given the enormity of the fires now threatening all of Australia, the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) has initiated efforts to raise funds to help the Australian people and the millions of injured and dislocated animals in that country.

According to Mark Huntley, LRC President, “We will be joining Rotary International in raising funds to help the be leagued Australian people and animals begin to recover from the devastating fires currently engulfing that nation”. He noted that the LRC’s fund raising effort would be in concert with Rotary International’s program to provide assistance, Rotary International Brush fires Appeal.

The local club will donate $2,000 to this fund split equally between humanity and wildlife rescue. All funds collected will be divided the same way.

The LRC Rotarians plan to distribute “drop-boxes” to many area stores and businesses so that additional funds will be secured for this effort.

Huntley indicated that “we suspect that everyone has been concerned about loss of life and property resulting from these fires in Australia and wants to find some way to help that nation recover and rebuild from this tremendous calamity”. He noted that he, like many others, were particularly overcome by the plight of the animals like the koalas and kangaroos that we have become attached to.

In addition to the LRC donation and the drop-box collections, interested people may also send checks to the Ludlow Rotary Club’s tax-exempt organization. The mailing address for such contributions is: Ludlow Area Rotary Charitable Fund, Inc. (LARCF), PO Box 216, Ludlow VT 05149. This is a 501 (c) (3) organization so all contributions are tax-deductible.

More information on this effort may be obtained by calling 802-779-7194 or emailing LRC at kimberlylampert@bensonschevy.com.

Ludlow Rotary Club Luncheon Cancellations

The Ludlow Rotary Club will be cancelling their weekly luncheon meetings through March 31, 2020.

RVTC Leaders Speak to Ludlow Rotary

The recent meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) featured leaders of the River Valley Technical Center (RVTC), located in Springfield, as they discussed the role and objectives of that school.

Both Scott Farr, the Superintendent/Director of RVTC and Dave Culver, its Cooperative Education Coordinator, explained how the school has created a wide variety of technical subjects aimed at helping its students select a career path or enhancing their educational background.

They noted that the school, which services a number of Windsor County high schools as well as one in New Hampshire, is dedicated to ensuring that attending students gain an in-depth view of selected technical career opportunities so they may opt for those they find rewarding.

Pictured above are Barbara Lemire, LRC Rotarian; Mark Huntley, LRC President; and Scott Farr, RVTC.

Springfield Co-op Expansion

Ludlow Rotary Club Learns About Springfield Co-Op Expansion

At its recent weekly luncheon meeting, the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) featured guest speaker Larry Kraft, Project Manager for the Springfield Food Co-Op's building expansion project.

Kraft described the history of the co-op and its new building expansion project. Currently the project, located on River Street in Springfield, is seeking $870,000 to fund the enlargement of its facilities. He noted that the purpose of this new expansion was to enhance the space used for co-op shoppers. Among the improvements will be a café area where customers and co-op members can relax. The project will also enable the co-op to hire more staff, provide a safer and more efficient store for shoppers and employees, and grow the co-op's economy.

Pictured above are, from left to right, Mark Huntley, LRC President, Glenn Heitsmith, LRC Rotarian, and Larry Kraft.

Ludlow Rotary Gavel Changes Hands

On Tuesday, June 25, 2019 the women of Rotary passed the gavel to President Mark Huntley. Rotary celebrates 30 years of women this year and our club had 5 past presidents step up and rotate time in sharing the position. Pictured here is Sharon Bixby, Jill Tofferi, Brigid Sullivan, Mark Huntley, Mary Crowley and Barbara LeMire. Barb was the first woman inducted into the LRC 30 years ago!

Congratulations to all!

LES Students Receive Personalized Books From Ludlow Rotary

Recently the 1st grade students at Ludlow Elementary School (LES) received personalized school books from the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC). Pictured above are members of Mrs. Lauren Seber's 1st grade class at LES as they show their new, personalized books, donated to them by LRC Rotarian, Sharon Bixby, on behalf of the club. According to Tom Harris, a fellow LRC Rotarian, "The Ludlow Rotary Club has been providing personalized books, titled School is Fun to every first grader in our service area for about 23 years. We started buying the books around 1996 from Roy and Judy Quimby who had a booth at the Ludlow Vermont Harvest fair and have continued every year since. The Quimbys moved to Florida in 1998, and Roy has passed on, but to this day Judy still makes the books for us and we are very grateful". The LRC has been donating these personalized books to all the 1st graders in the Ludlow, Cavendish, and Mt Holly elementary schools during this period as part of its literacy program. In addition to this program, the LRC also provides free monthly books to young toddlers as part of its Dolly Parton Imagination Library project.

June 18 Meeting Location

Our June 18, 2019 meeting will be held at Sam's on RTE 103 S in Ludlow. Please make note of this. Our scholarship graduates have been invited to join us for lunch.

Rutland EMS Leader Speaks to Ludlow Rotary Club

At its recent luncheon meeting at DJ's Restaurant, the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) heard from Jim Finger, CEO of the Regional Ambulance Service, Inc of Rutland, VT . Finger explained the various healthcare roles his organization played in providing medical assistance to Rutland area residents.

He devoted much of his address to the role of volunteers in manning EMS operations, noting the difficulty in getting volunteers and the impact it had on EMS service.

Finger indicated that current employment requirements made it difficult for many people who used to volunteer for EMS service to satisfy the needs of their jobs while still having time to work as volunteers. This was a problem that was not unique to Rutland or Vermont. Rather it is a national problem.

Pictured above are, from left to right, Barbara LaMire, LRC President; Jim Finger; and Frank Heald, Ludlow Rotarian.

LRC meets for lunch on most Tuesdays at 12:15 pm at DJ's Restaurant. The LRC is small and is always looking to welcome new members. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn how you may 'Serve Humanity' while enjoying the fun and fellowship of others, please contact any Rotarian or drop a note to Ludlow Rotary, PO Box 216, Ludlow Vermont.

VT Legislature Honors Ludlow Rotarian

For more than 20 years, Ralph Pace has been an outstanding member of the greater Ludlow community. Many of his contributions to this community were described by the Vermont legislature in a lengthy proclamation issued on March 1, 2019 to honor Ralph’s community leadership and public service.

The proclamation spoke to a large number of Ralph’s accomplishments, a few of which are highlighted here:

- Served on a committee to bring the Ludlow Town Hall into compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

- Spearheaded the effort to modernize the Ludlow Town Hall’s second floor auditorium while retaining the auditorium’s historic character and charm.

- Founded the Friends of Ludlow Auditorium to ensure that the auditorium, also known as the Heald Auditorium, would flourish as a popular venue for events such as movies, musicals, plays and political debates.

- Produced and hosted, on local cable television, over 300 episodes of a weekly news and public affairs program called “That Was the Week That Was”, a popular forum for local information and civic engagement.

- Served on the Ludlow Armory Committee, which transformed the former military complex into the multipurpose Ludlow Community Center, which now hosts a cafeteria, a commercial kitchen, a gymnasium and the headquarters for Black River Good Neighbor Services and Okemo Valley TV.

- Served as Ludlow’s town health officer.

The Ludlow Rotary is proud to have Ralph Pace as a member, where he continues to serve as an outstanding member of our community.

The entire proclamation was read at the Ludlow Town Meeting on March 4, 2019, and at the March 5 Ludlow Rotary meeting.

For more information contact David Almond at davidkalmond44@gmail.com.

Springfield Hospital CEO Speaks to Ludlow Rotary

Michael Halstead, the interim CEO of Springfield Hospital, addressed the latest meeting of the Ludlow Rotary club (LRC) about the current condition of the Hospital and medical center. Referring to numerous media articles about its financial status, he noted that the financial problems of the hospital were a national problem for many small, regional hospitals. Michael emphasized that Springfield Hospital had financial problems but it was the intention of the facility to make all necessary changes to ensure that it had a sustainable financial future. He cited the recent decision to eliminate the birthing clinic as an example of how the hospital is addressing the problem. He stressed that the hospital would still provide quality emergency services to pregnant women.

He indicated that the emergency ward was being transferred to a new unit as another step in reducing costs. Staff reductions and modest pay decreases were also part of the solution. When asked about the future of the hospitals outlying medical and dental facilities, he said that they all represented very solvent and successful operations. He noted that the Chester dental unit was adding "a second chair" to satisfy the demands for its services.

Pictured here is Michael Halstead and Jim Rumrill, LRC Rotarian.

Ludlow Rotary Club Sponsors FOLA Movie Series

Ludlow Rotary Supports FOLA Movie Series

At its recent meeting, held at the Big Eyes Bakery in Ludlow, the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) presented FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) with sponsoring support for FOLA's three movie series featuring the work of Peter Sellers.

The series will feature "The Mouse that Roared" (April 13), "Return of the Pink Panther" (April 27). and "Being There" (May 11). The films will be screened in the Heald Auditorium in town hall. The movies will start at 7 PM. The opening film on April 13 will begin with a reception at 6 PM which will feature a presentation about Sellers and his film career by Vermont film historian, Rick Winston. Food will bne served during the reception.

Other film sponsors include The Book Nook, Big Eyes Bakery and Marylou Scofield, Attorney at Law. Pictured below is (from left to right) Paul Faenza, Rotarian; Brigid Sullivan, LRC President; Brigid Faenza, Rotarian (and chef); and Scott Stearns, FOLA Chairman.

Ludlow Emergency Services Speaker

Ludlow Rotary Hears Bridges to Community Speaker

At its recent Tuesday luncheon meeting at DJs Restaurant, members of the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) listened to Paul Alcorn, a leader of Bridges to Community, describe the role his organization played in assisting rural communities in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic create homes and community development in areas lacking any such facilities. He noted that, with the help of American students during the summer, they would settle in remote areas in these two countries, build homes for residents using concrete, and assist the local people in developing community projects. In certain cases, Mr. Alcorn indicated that the group would build small mdical facilities in under-served areas. He indicated that this was a long, labor-intense effort since the areas being served lack the resources usually associated with such projects.

Pictured below is Suzanne Garvey, LRC Rotarian, Paul Alcorn, and Mary Crowley, LRC President. LRC meets for lunch on most Tuesdays at 12:15 pm at DJ's Restaurant. The LRC is small and is always looking to welcome new members. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn how you may 'Serve Humanity' while enjoying the fun and fellowship of others, please contact any Rotarian or drop a note to Ludlow Rotary, PO Box 216, Ludlow Vermont.

November 13, 2018 Club Meeting

We will be meeting at BRVSC for lunch on Tuesday, November 13, 2018.

Rotary Hears a Message of Hope

Sean Perry of the organization We R H.O.P.E., INC talked about the increasing anxiety that people face to the point of it crippling their daily activities including their ability to thrive in society. He founded an organization whose mission is “Preparing the people of today for the anxieties of tomorrow. “

We R H.O.P.E. is a non profit organization that brings anxiety education, coaching, trauma informed interactive services and suicide prevention to individuals and schools struggling to find affordable support options. Sean spoke about the schools they work in to increase a student’s ability to focus on their studies and control the anxiety that plagues many students today. He also counsels adults who suffer from extreme anxiety and other mental illnesses.

Rotarians asked many questions and discussed bringing him to a broader local audience. He can be contacted at sean@werhope.org.

World Polio Day

World Polio Day will come and go again as it does every year. This year clubs in Rotary District 7870 are pledging $20.19 per member in an effort to make 2019 the first year around the world as Polio Free!

The Ludlow Rotary Club is just one of 60 clubs that comprise District 7870 and the club has always been active in Polio efforts for years now. Ludlow Rotarians collect pennies all year long and make a club contribution annually. In 2018 the club has collected over $50 in just pennies! Along with pennies Rotarians pledge individual monetary contributions.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to help eliminate the disease through a mass immunization campaign. At this time Polio was in more than 125 countries; paralyzing 350,000 people every year. In 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined other health organizations; to help eradicate polio. The Gates Foundation is committing to contributing $450 million toward eradicating polio to the end. As of today, there are now 2 countries with this dreadful virus. Rotary has committed to raising $50 million per year since 2017 and every dollar will be matched by two additional dollars from the Gates Foundation. Any amount of donation will help through the Gates Foundation efforts; coins or dollars. All donations are tax deductible. For more information please visit www.ludlowrotary.com.

This is just one of the many projects the Ludlow Rotary Club is proud to support. The Ludlow Rotary Club meets Tuesdays at DJ’s Restaurant in downtown Ludlow from 12:15 –

1:30.

Donations can be made payable to: Ludlow Area Rotary Charitable Fund, Inc. (LARCF, Inc.) and mailed to: PO Box 216, Ludlow, VT 05149

It's Chili Time!

Come join the fun this Saturday, October 6, 2018 for our 28th Annual Chili Cook-off!

This event is held rain or shine!

Chamber/Rotary Mixer Night

Ludlow Rotary Joins Okemo Valley Chamber in Mixer, October 22

The Ludlow Rotary Club is looking forward to celebrating ROTARY WEEK the week of October 21- 26th. On the evening of Monday October 22nd we are joining with the Okemo Valley Chamber in a joint Mixer to share highlights of our mission, our accomplishments and local fundraising results. So Chamber members and friends of Ludlow Rotary mark your calendars for Monday Oct 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 at DJ's Restaurant. Best selling author, Dr. Linda Thomson, considered one of the world’s leading experts in the field of pediatric clinical hypnosis, will also be joining us.

Join us for light fare and a cash bar and conversation with your community neighbors. The program will begin shortly after 6 PM. The 50/50 raffle that evening will be supporting the eradication of Polio, one of Rotary's long time commitments.

Any questions please contact Rotary President Brigid Sullivan at 259-2274.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott visits Ludlow Rotary Club Luncheon

Governor Phil Scott was the featured speaker recently at the Ludlow Rotary Club's (LRC) luncheon meeting at DJs Restaurant. The meeting was well-attended by Rotarians and invited guests. The Governor spoke at length about the need for continued cooperation in Vermont between the legislature and executive branches as well as the need for greater bipartisanship in the US Congress. He noted that he had attended the funeral of the late Senator John McCain and was impressed by the message that speakers stressed on the need for greater cooperation between the major political parties. Scott indicated that McCain's own life was an example of placing concern for the nation over political priorities. He detailed what objectives Vermont needed to make to improve its economy and enhance its "working age" population. In this context, he cited the need for policies that would encourage younger workers to move to the state and provide resident students with reasons to remain in the state subsequent to graduation. LRC meets for lunch on most Tuesdays at 12:15 pm at DJ's Restaurant. The LRC is small and is always looking to welcome new members. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn how you may 'Serve Humanity' while enjoying the fun and fellowship of others, please contact any Rotarian or drop a note to Ludlow Rotary, PO Box 216, Ludlow Vermont.