Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary - Newsletter

President Steve Dates introduced our guests, all connected to The Memory Bridge Project: Toni Monsey, her daughter Shay Monsey, Michael Verde from Chicago, Ellen Gagner of the Arbors and Clyde Baldwin from Charlotte.

Rotary Foundation Thought

This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about Changing and Saving Lives.

Have you ever considered that your contribution to The Rotary Foundation may mean the difference between life and death? Rotary Foundation Matching Grant projects have helped provide the Malawi Children's Village (MCV) with everything from clean water, food and medications to blankets, sewing machines and a windmill. The Rotary Club of Canandaigua, New York, USA and Chakunga Sibale, director of the MCV, founded the program in 1997 and it is supported locally by the Rotary Club of Limbe. "The MCV has had a very great effect to relieve the suffering of children in my country," says Sibale. Rotarian's contributions to this project have literally meant the difference between life and death for many of the children in the MCV program.

Announcements

Ski Report

Trafton Crandall reported on the highly successful Williston Richmond Ski Ride Competition held on March 6. John and Sharon Beal, Kevin Spillane, Kevin’s son, Debbie Hanley and Trafton represented Charlotte Shelburne Club and took second place for a team by 1/100^th of a second. They also brought home the AARP Award for the best senior competitor, Kevin’s son took best under 12 and our skiers were third, fourth and fifth overall.

Makeups

Dennis Delaney had makeups at New Mexico Club and Burlington Sunrise.

Other

Future Business Leaders of America – still need judges – April 2 and 3
Double Match Status – 3 weeks left and four cash and three points matches left to claim
GSE – a team from Taiwan will be here May 8 to 17. We have been asked to provide nighttime hosts, daytime hosts and activities. The team includes a financial management person, a project engineer in machinery design, an LED engineer for a research institute, a risk manager in finance and insurance and a farmer interested in organic farming and marketing.
Colchester Milton is hosting a Casino Night and Texas Hold’em on March 20 from 7 to 11 at Hampton Inn. $100 buy-in limited to 100 players.
Basin Harbor – District Conference in May – thanks to Michael Dupee at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters we have a Keurig Coffee Machine for the silent auction. We will also place an ad in the program brochure and solicit ads from local businesses.

Sergeant at Arms

In the interest of saving time, Kris Engstrom did not assess pin or late fines. She paid a happy fine for Toni and Shay Monsey’s attendance

Happy fines:

Trafton Crandall – for the ski team and his granddaughter’s visit
Ric Flood – his prayers were answered – the market went up
Jim Spadacinni – that Gary Marcotte and Jim Fayette were at the meeting
Elaine Dates – for Steven’s help with the Vermont Flower Show – including stepping in to design an entry when they were short one designer – and he won second place
Tom Glaser – skiing last week and in Florida next week
Dennis Delaney – in Las Cruses, NM – attended the local Rotary meeting – forgot his wallet and they let him in
John Dupee – looking forward to sailing in warm waters
Paul Bohne – recommended that Steve Dates help Kris during the Mother’s Day rush
Don Condon – happy to sit at the architects’ table
Ric Flood – happy to see Clyde Baldwin
Pat Sokolowski – her son flew to Ireland with the UVM Soccer team
Steve Dates – Elaine did a great job organizing the Flower Show

Lucky Draw: Guest Michael Verde drew Bruce Willett’s number but Bruce missed the $128 pot.

MemoryBridge

Members of the Memory Bridge team (left to right): Ellen Gagner of The Arbors in Shelburne; Shay Monsey, a student who has taken part in the Memory Bridge program; her mother Toni Monsey, Executive Director of the program in Vermont; and Michael Verde, founder of Memory Bridge in Chicago

Kris Engstrom introduced Toni Monsey, executive director of Memory Bridge, a program designed to break down the loneliness that is a serious problem for people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. The disease, which afflicts about five million people in the US, and 11,000 to 13,000 in Vermont, and is expected to triple in coming years as the population ages, is characterized by a gradual loss of the ability to retain short term memory and communicate. There is no known cause and no known cure.

Toni said that a serious problem for people with Alzheimer’s is the shame felt by sufferers. “Not only does it cause a disconnection in the brain,” she said, “but it is also a rupture of the social fabric, careers and relationships between children and parents.” There is a terrible loss of purpose and oppressive feelings of loneliness.

A first step to combating the loneliness is teaching people how to communicate with Alzheimer’s patients and Memory Bridge, a program developed in Chicago by Michael Verde who was at the Rotary meeting with Toni, having come to Vermont to film the program in action here, teaches volunteers, including children, to create emotionally meaningful connections. Michael said that the strategy is to find ways to create meaningful opportunities to meet, talk and do projects with “buddies.”

Toni has organized a group of six students in fifth to eighth grades at Charlotte Central School who meet regularly with patients at The Arbors. Shay Monsey, her daughter, described her experience with her buddy, enjoying fashion and having a manicure.

Toni would like to organize more programs and is seeking funds to support them – at a rate of $3,700 per program. They have introduced an “I Am A Bridge” program at The Arbors, with volunteers raising funds from their friends and family through an active giving website. The funds raised through the online pledges are shared between local programs and the national organization. Toni says that Shelburne, Charlotte, Vermont Commons and Renaissance School are eager to have programs for their students.