Prayer delivered by Dean Cascadden: "Oh God, let us serve people well and have a great meal."
Guests
Lissa Goodby, wife of member Rick Goodby
Kevin Millar, Meredith Police Department (guest of Wendy Bagley and potential Rotary recruit; joined the department September 5, 2025; nearly 19 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as Chief of Police in Woodstock, NH)
Justin Dearborn, husband of member Ellen Dearborn and co-host of exchange student Keza
Curtiss Clark, guest of Gary Dehnel
Connie Dehnel, wife of member Gary Dehnel
Announcements
Member Health Update
Jack Foster is currently hospitalized with a cardiac issue
Doctors planned to implant a combination defibrillator and pacemaker
Members asked to keep Jack in their thoughts and prayers
250th Parade Float (Bonnie Ireland)
Bonnie Ireland will hold a brief meeting immediately following tonight's meeting
Topic: the July 4th parade float the club has agreed to build for the town's 250th anniversary celebration
Members with interest are encouraged to stay
Memorial Day Remembrance (Gary Dehnel)
In honor of Memorial Day, a moment of silence was held for veterans
Interact Club End-of-Year Ceremony (Gary Dehnel)
The Interact Club has completed its last regular meeting of the year
End-of-year ceremony and dinner will be held on June 7th at the usual venue
Gathering at 6:00 PM, meeting and dinner begin at 6:30 PM
Members wishing to attend should respond to Gary Dehnel by email so he can provide a headcount to the venue
Make-A-Wish Rotary Rafting Team (Gary Dehnel)
Bruce Reichlen is organizing a Rotary rafting team for the Make-A-Wish fundraiser on Meredith Bay, scheduled for July 17th
Participation does not require going out on a raft; volunteers can do shifts and support roles
The board approved a $3,000 sponsorship for the team, which will be donated to Make-A-Wish
Members interested in participating should contact Bruce Reichlen
Presentations
Youth Exchange Program 2025-2026
Committee Recognition
Heidi Barrett-Kitchen and Wendy Bagley served as inbound student counselors
Brian Harris, Monica Cashin, and Ellen Dearborn served as host families (first or second)
Ellen's husband, Justin, also participated as a host family member
Monica Cashin also served as outbound coordinator for Ivy, who will be going to Denmark next year; Ivy recently had a Zoom call with their first host family
Gary Dehnel serves as both the club and district short-term exchange program leader; only one student in the entire district is participating in the short-term summer exchange program next year
Rick Goodby serves as a male counselor and will be the counselor for incoming student Arthur from Brazil next year; this year, he assisted with transportation for district events
Bruce Reichlen served as phone coordinator, obtaining phones and phone plans for the inbound students
The full committee handles all transportation to and from 8+ district events; all members are background-checked
Outbound Students
Ivy will be going to Denmark next year as an outbound exchange student
Ivy's mother, Emma, and stepfather, Jeremy, were in attendance
Olive Kleckner was introduced as the club's exchange candidate for the 2027-28 school year; she recently completed her interview, and Heidi Barrett-Kitchen will serve as her outbound coordinator; Olive's preferred destination is France
Host Families
Hilary Conklin: Esther's first host mom; her daughter, Sydney, could not attend due to a lacrosse game
The Cartier family (Louisa, Isadora, Bea, and Gil): Esther's current host family; will also serve as Arthur's second host family next year
Emma and Jeremy: Arthur's first host family for next year
New Exchange Plaque (Gary Dehnel)
The two existing plaques at Meredith High School outside the guidance office have 96 names on them, and recently ran out of space
Gary enlisted his neighbor, Curtiss Clark, described as a skilled woodworker, to create a matching new plaque
Curtiss visited the school multiple times to take measurements and locate matching black face plates
Curtiss designed, purchased the wood, cut, and stained the plaque entirely on his own and refused any payment
Esther's and Keza's names are among the first on the new plaque
Rotary Foundation Recognition (Gary Dehnel)
Gary presented a Paul Harris Fellow recognition to Curtiss Clark
Brief overview of the Rotary Foundation: member donations up to $1,000 can earn Paul Harris Fellow recognition; accumulated recognition points can be used to recognize others
The Paul Harris Fellow pin was presented, with the explanation that wearing it signals to other Rotarians that the recipient is someone who has meaningfully contributed
Keza's Presentation (Exchange Student from Uganda)
Keza arrived in September from Uganda and has been in Meredith for approximately eight months
She opened with a traditional Ugandan song, explaining it is about embracing opportunity and being grateful when it ends
Pre-arrival expectations: came in nervous, having watched many American movies and being uncertain about arriving as a Black person in a small New England town; pleasantly surprised by the warmth and curiosity of the community
She found the questions people asked gave her opportunities to educate others about Uganda and her culture
First host family was Brian and Monica Cashin; highlights included her first baseball game just two days after arriving
Activities and experiences this year:
Skiing: struggled at first but eventually enjoyed it
Long jump/track: joined the track team and hates running
Music: discovered a love of music and personal creative space
New York City: visited twice, including a trip to a makeup store that she described as a highlight; enjoyed a VR experience at a museum
Washington D.C.: visited museums and monuments, went on a bike ride, saw the Washington Monument
Vermont ski trip with other exchange students from around the world
Personal growth themes:
Independence: learned to handle situations on her own without relying on friends or family, the way she had back home
Communication: her second host family, the Dearborns, introduced a weekly "State of the Union" family meeting structure where everyone shares three positives and three areas for growth; Keza initially strongly resisted this practice but came to value it as a healthier model of communication
Mental health and resilience: navigating a new country without a built-in support system taught her how to manage difficult situations and advocate for herself with adults and teachers
Prom: a major highlight; Keza planned her dress from Uganda with measurements sent ahead of time; Keza also navigated asking a date to prom, describing the experience humorously in detail; called prom the highlight of her exchange year
Closing remarks: expressed deep gratitude to her mother back home for supporting her through every dream and ambition; thanked Rotary for making the exchange possible; thanked Brian and Monica Cashin for her first host family experience and for pushing her to do her first presentation when she did not want to; thanked Ellen Dearborn for being dramatic right back at her, for the "State of the Union" meetings, and for making prom happen; thanked Justin Dearborn for instilling a love of trucks; thanked her friends for driving her everywhere and making the experience what it was; expressed special gratitude to Esther for making friends on her behalf
Esther's Presentation (Exchange Student from Spain)
Esther came from Spain, and described initially not knowing what to expect about Meredith, New Hampshire
Was very excited at the airport; described laughing at her mom, who was crying when she left
Pre-arrival expectations: anticipated people who might be indifferent, but found people who were genuinely warm, curious about where she came from, and invested in her well-being
First host family: described an initial adjustment period since neither she nor the family had hosted before; bonded over daily routines, conversation, and time spent together
Activities and experiences this year:
Basketball: had not played since age 8 but improved significantly and helped the team win games; described the camaraderie as one of the best parts of her year
Skiing: first time out without Brian was described as a disaster; she and other students spent 30 minutes at the top of a run because no one wanted to go first; eventually improved and enjoyed it
Soccer: described her first day as very stressful because she did not know anyone and felt out of her depth
Homecoming: attended the homecoming dance and described it as unexpectedly low-energy ("three people in circles") but still fun
Lip sync battle: participated in the school's lip sync competition; the seniors won, but she and the juniors won the overall winter carnival
Vermont ski trip with exchange students from around the world: described meeting students from Sweden, Thailand, and other countries and gaining new perspectives
New York City: visited with exchange students; described it as interesting but not the standout trip of the year
Boston: attended a K-pop concert with a friend named Keira, who organized the tickets; described it as a fun and unexpected experience
Prom: went with a friend; danced and sang all night, including to Bad Bunny; arrived home at 6 AM Sunday and slept until 6 PM; described being so exhausted Monday morning she could barely function
Washington D.C.: visited museums and monuments
Personal growth themes:
Independence: became more self-sufficient; now handles situations on her own that she would previously have asked for help with
Maturity: described growing up fast and learning to face difficult moments differently
American cultural observations: noted teenagers driving at 16, different social schedules, and early morning weekend energy from her host family's younger kids
Appreciation: coming to Meredith made her more grateful for what she has at home
Closing remarks: thanked every person in the room for making it feel like home, especially during the hard moments when she wanted to leave; expressed that she has been a great representative of Spain and hopes people will remember her as a genuinely good person; gave specific thanks to her host families, to all the Rotarians on the committee, and to Keza for making the entire year better
Counselors' Closing
Heidi Barrett-Kitchen and Wendy Bagley presented the girls with gifts from home
Both girls were recognized as wonderful ambassadors for their countries
Dean noted that one prospective exchange student, Olive, told him it was something Keza said that helped her decide she wanted to apply for the exchange program
Happy Dollars
Skipped due to timing
Kevin Kelly: shared that in his father's final days, Chuck Thorndike — fitting into his original uniform — came to perform a veteran recognition visit, and expressed how much that gesture meant to his family
Winner: Kevin Millar (guest) won the 50/50 drawing and donated his winnings to the food pantry.
Adjournment
Four-way test recited by members
Reminder issued that Bonnie Ireland's float planning meeting would take place immediately following adjournment
