It is October! Which means it is time for socks. For the past eleven years, the Inter-Lakes Interact Club, sponsored by Meredith Rotary, has held its annual Socktober project to collect socks for those in need. Last year, the club collected over 5,700 pairs, and over the past eleven years, it has collected and donated more than 28,700 pairs of socks to those in need.
Bring your sock donations to any club meeting this month. Contact Gary Dehnel with questions.
CLUB BUSINESS
Next week we’re meeting at the Grange, joined by our District Governor, Ruth Clough. For dinner, we will have a Taco Bar Fiesta. The club is supplying the ground beef. Please RSVP and sign up to bring something by Sunday. If you sign up for something like salsa or lettuce, bring a serving bowl. If the night goes well, the Grange may join our regular meeting rotation with themes like a soup, chili, and stew bar.
The Mayhew Program believes in at-risk New Hampshire boys before they believe in themselves. What sets it apart is that support continues well past the summer, since outreach workers visit each boy monthly throughout the school year to make sure he has a place to live, food to eat, and gets to school. That steady presence pays off: Mayhew boys graduate at a rate above 91%, compared with about 74% for boys at the poverty line statewide. Mayhew currently serves about 31 boys in the Lakes Region, including seven at Inter-Lakes.
For the first time since 1979, Mayhew is expanding. New cabins and an eighth outreach worker will let the program serve 30 more boys. Mayhew has asked our club to help fund the rebuilding of one of its six island cabins, and every member is invited to tour the island.
Delivered by Peter Saliba
THIS WEEKEND AND BEYOND
Squam Fest: An Enchanted Market runs October 17 and 18 at Cottage Place on Squam Lake in Holderness. You’ll find vintage treasures, artisan goods, live music and food trucks. Learn more
Squam Lakes Association Fall Workday is Saturday, October 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Volunteers help close the SLA campus and campsites for the season, and the day starts with a bagel breakfast. Learn more
Belknap County Day at Gunstock is Sunday, October 18 in Gilford. Belknap County residents with proof of residency get a free ride on the mountain coaster or the Panorama chairlift. Learn more
Forum on Veteran Homelessness is Sunday, October 18 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. at Wicwas Lake Grange in Meredith Center. Harbor Care will present on its work to end veteran homelessness in the Lakes Region. Learn more
New Hampshire Day at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is Sunday, November 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Holderness. New Hampshire residents get $10 trail admission, and tickets must be bought in advance. Learn more
FISHING DERBY: TICKETS ON SALE NOVEMBER 1
Online Fishing Derby ticket sales open November 1. Committee members can now find the Derby Operations Manual on ClubRunner, the club’s online member site, under the Fishing Derby Committee documents. We'll post a new “Vault” document with links to the Derby’s secure information system there within a day or two. The next Derby Committee meeting is October 28 at 4:30 p.m.
Delivered by Bruce Reichlen
CENTENNIAL: IDEAS WANTED
The Centennial Committee is looking for one or two organizations to benefit from the club’s centennial project. The finalists will be invited to present, and the board will make the final choice. In the meantime, Gary Dehnel is talking with three other Rotary clubs about how they celebrated their own centennials.
Email your beneficiary suggestions to Kevin Kelly.
HAPPY DOLLARS AND GOOD NEWS
Jim: He has an appointment next week at Concord Eye Center and hopes it will speed his recovery from double vision.
Bonnie: She’s celebrating one year with her puppy Darby, who has since chewed up her fall decorations.
Bob: He’s happy the Giants and the Rangers aren’t the worst teams in their leagues this year.
Dean: He celebrated a terrific Rotary Youth Exchange weekend. He also told the story of a Gilford Rotarian named Jay who climbed the mountain in the pouring rain at 11 p.m. with night vision binoculars and found a student’s lost phone after her brother pinged it from Argentina.
Chuck: He left his grandson’s soccer game, where Meredith beat Laconia 5 to 1.
Kevin: He hosted exchange students from Sweden and Poland who got up at 6 a.m. to swim in the lake.
Bruce: After a third set of x-rays, he finally has an appointment with the New Hampshire Spine Institute for his back.
Janine: Her husband has recovered from surgery, and they’re seeing The Nutcracker in Boston with their daughter in December.
John: He turns 80 in a few weeks, and all five of his children are meeting him in Charleston, where they’ll share a rental house for the first time in years.
Doc: He has started playing hockey and already scored a couple of goals. He also spoke about his long history with Mayhew and is looking forward to skiing in Banff.
Jack M won the drawing and donated it to the pantry.
