Poem read, delivered by Dan Whitney. Titled "The Work That Outlives Us": The work that outlives us Is seldom loud or grand; It grows in our quiet moments When we lend a willing hand. Not seeking praise or profit, Nor counting what we gain– But giving for the common good Through sunshine and through rain. For service is our legacy That no wealth can ever buy; It lifts a weary neighbor And teaches our hearts to try.
Guests
Tony and Diane Giamberardino
Jen Grisi
Announcements
Thank You Notes
The club has started collecting thank-you notes, and we will add them to the Documents section of ClubRunner. Please take a moment to read them and see the impact our club is making:
The town approved the grant application for the Styrofoam recycling program.
Bins still need to be ordered.
Members discussed pairing the final collection with a kickoff celebration.
Rotary Badges (Jim McFarlin)
Members who need a new Rotary badge should contact Ellen Dearborn. She will handle reordering member badges.
Senior Dinner Committee (Wendy Bagley)
The senior dinner is about three months away.
Committee members who signed up will meet soon.
A $10 gift card contribution is requested from participating members.
Dan Whitney is creating artwork and illustrations for senior dinner promotion across the newspaper, Facebook, email, and ClubRunner handouts.
Calls for the senior dinner begin at the end of October, and Wendy Bagley and Bonnie Ireland will be tracking incoming calls.
Projector Screen (Jim McFarlin)
The club has purchased a new projector screen of its own, rather than continuing to use the one at Hart's Turkey Farm.
September 11 Observance (Steve Aiken)
The observance begins at noon at Hesky Park, then moves to the fire station to view the new memorial monument.
Votes
Kids' Work Learning Center Project
Project involves replacing the deck, railings, and damaged structural supports on the main ramp at the Reservoir Road location.
Motion to proceed made by Doc and seconded by Fred Strader, all in favor, motion passed unanimously.
New Board Members
Kevin Kelly approved as incoming Vice President, moving into the Presidency in the following term.
Janine Neggers approved as Vice President Elect.
Motion made by Heidi Barrett Kitchen and seconded by Jim McFarlin, all in favor, motion passed unanimously.
Rotary Youth Exchange Budget (2027 to 2028)
Budget not to exceed $10,000, previously approved by the board on August 19.
Motion made by Fred Strader and seconded by Heidi Barrett Kitchen, all in favor, motion passed unanimously.
Presentations
Ice Fishing Derby Update (Bruce Reichlen)
A new Derby Project Office has been formed, made up of Steve Aiken (Derby Chair), Harry Reichlen, Gary Dehnel, and Bruce Reichlen, meeting regularly to coordinate planning.
The first release of the Derby Operations Manual is complete, currently 91 pages including appendices, with Gary Dehnel serving as lead editor. Additional sections are still being added.
A new secure Derby Information System has been created to manage passwords and sensitive materials such as vendor and hosting logins.
Access is tiered across roughly 9 permission levels depending on each volunteer's role.
Login occurs through the icefishing.org portal using a club login, followed by email verification and a one-time 6-digit PIN.
Only 3 to 4 people have access to the full system.
Questions can be sent to the email address technology@icefishing.org.
Marketing support is still needed:
One volunteer is needed to manage email blasts using Constant Contact, including HTML formatted emails (roughly a dozen sent per year, increasing near the derby).
A second volunteer is needed to manage Facebook updates as derby activity increases.
Signboard placement requires coordination with the town and GMP.
Ownership of the derby's Instagram account is currently unknown, and a separate unofficial Ice Fishing Derby Facebook page exists that the club does not control.
Sales and printing:
Brochures and tickets are now at the printer, targeted to reach households by the first week of November.
The printer had already begun an initial print run but was able to pause it in time to update the phone number before continuing.
New derby specific phone number has been established, separate from the main club line.
The system uses simultaneous ringing across 5 phones so that the first available person can answer.
Unanswered calls roll to voicemail after 30 seconds, and messages are automatically transcribed and emailed to the team.
The main club voicemail has been updated to redirect derby related callers to the new number.
Volunteers are still needed to staff the phone line.
Payment processing:
The club is transitioning from PayPal to Authorize.net for online ticket sales.
Bruce has been building the new integration, describing the vendor's documentation as difficult to work with, but reported a breakthrough in getting the new system running.
Testing is needed across Android, iPhone, tablet, and desktop before the system goes live, including verification that declined transactions are handled correctly.
Test transactions will be capped at $5 and refunded before reaching participants' cards.
Online ticket sales are targeted to begin November 1.
Mail-in ticket orders will continue using the same two-part paper form process as prior years, though the team responsible for processing them is still being finalized.
Fish and Game asked whether the club will again participate in the Turn In and Win program this year and requested two volunteers to help run it. A second measuring table will be built this year so outside participants have their own separate station.
Year in Review (Fred Strader)
The derby had a very successful year, despite doubling prize money for daily winners and raffle drawings.
The lake culling project, added late in planning, was highly successful and well received by Fish and Game.
Many new volunteers stepped into key roles this year.
The club distributed approximately $70,000 to 21 organizations and causes, including:
Local food pantries, supported through an initiative started by Jim McFarlin in response to federal food security concerns.
Dress a Girl, veterans support organizations, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Educational and leadership programs including the Circle Program, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, dictionaries for local students, and Destination Imagination.
Make-A-Wish and community caregiver and wellness support organizations.
The club awarded 20 scholarships totaling $41,000, roughly double the typical annual amount.
Rotary Youth Exchange: the club sent its first outbound student in four years, currently studying in Denmark, and hosted two inbound students.
Senior dinner hosted 215 guests.
The Loon Center event served 400 hot dogs.
Major project of the year: building an accessibility ramp for a disabled resident in Sandwich.
The non-major project focused on the Styrofoam recycling initiative, which is now transitioning to town ownership.
Club growth: 7 new members.
The club held a successful Four-Way Test event with several guest speakers.
New mini-split heating and cooling units were installed at the Grange.
A short survey was distributed to members asking what they enjoy about Rotary and what programs they would like to see going forward.
Happy Dollars
Doc: For the Derby and to Wendy for sending a thank you note along with a Meredith Citizen newspaper feature about the Lake Smart program.
Ellen: shared that they received an email asking when Styrofoam collection would resume, and was glad to confirm it will continue.
Gary: described a motorcycle ride held over the weekend honoring 18 service members killed during the Afghanistan evacuation.
Ted: For all the accomplishments we made this last year.
Jim McFarlin: mentioned seeing an advertisement for the first annual Camp Resilience gala on September 18, benefiting veterans and first responders coping with PTSD, and noted the event had already sold out.
Sarah Goren: shared that she will be traveling for two weeks to hike toward Machu Picchu in Peru.
Bruce Reichlen: shared a lesson learned while building the new derby payment system, noting that an AI doesn't know the bugs you haven't told it about.
Winnings went to the food pantry.
Adjournment
The Four Way Test was recited to close the meeting.
