Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary - Newsletter

The goal of polio eradication remains elusive, with four countries still polio-endemic. In recent years, some in the scientific community have raised a difficult question: Can the world eradicate polio, or should we try to contain it? According to an article by Harvard researchers, controlling the disease would be far more costly than eradicating it. The developing world can save more than $1 billion a year by eradicating, while switching to a control strategy would condemn 10 million children to polio over the next 40 years alone.

We must not lose sight of our vision of a world without polio. We must finish our work and hold true to our promise to the children of the world.

Announcements

Adam Bartsch and Michael Lash have volunteered to share the duties of program chair for the coming year.
The report from the GSE Team that visited Russia is being circulated by email.
John Dupee and his committee have studied the proposal that we do a pancake breakfast as part of the Americade Balloon Festival event at the Museum on Labor Day Weekend. A show of hands indicated that the members would be available to help and John will continue to negotiate and handle the logistics.
The budget for the new year was approved by the meeting. Based on the success of last year’s fundraising events, with a surplus carryover from last year, and knowing that our membership fees and breakfast payments cover the operating costs of the club, we can be sure that we will be able to use all money raised by fundraising events for charitable purposes.
A $250 donation to KidSafe was approved by the club.
Linda Gilbert brought a banner from the Barre Club where she and Colleen Haag and John Hammer had spoken about the Hands to Honduras project.

Paul Harris Fellowships

Steve Dates, Rosalyn Graham, Guy Babb, and John Beal

With the certificates, medallions and pins now in hand, the club presented Paul Harris Fellowships to Rotarians Rosalyn Graham and Steve Dates in recognition of their service to the club and the community. District Governor Guy Babb made the presentations to Rosalyn and Steve.

Sergeant at Arms

Don Condon introduced District Governor Guy Babb as a visitor from “the dark side” – a reference to Babb’s profession as an attorney.

Notoriety fine – William Wessell for a great story in the Shelburne News

Where’s Waldo: Don continued his campaign to bring members who have not been regular in attendance out to meetings. His target this week is Tami Jo Dickenson. If you see her (she’s on summer vacation from CVU) bring her along.

Happy fines:

Robert Maynes – golf tournament on Saturday
Bill Root – why was Don Condon wearing grown up clothes (a tie, even!)
Ron VanMynen – recovered from eye surgery
Linda Schiavone – George’s birthday
Steve Dates – further comment on Don’s tie and jacket
Terry Kennaugh – good weather yesterday
John Hancock – down to one doctor
Katie Camardo – glad to be back – and her son was in the Free Press
Judy Christensen – congratulations to Roz – and thrilled that John just turned 21
Ric Flood – 42 years of working with John Hancock – going to Whistler, BC.
Russ Blodgett – those Yankees
Michael Lash – congratulations to Steve Dates on his Paul Harris Fellowship
Denny Bowen – clearing his wallet of a wrinkled bill
Terrell Titus –
Trafton Crandall – cheers for the second place team
Debby Hanley – can a happy fine really get rid of wrinkles?

Lucky draw: DG Babb drew Debby’s number, but she chose the wrong card and missed the $362 pot.

Guest Speaker

Guy Babb and John Beal

District Governor Guy Babb began by congratulating two members of Charlotte Shelburne Rotary for their loyal service to the district – Jim Spadaccini for handling the exchange student program, and Terrell for being on the popular committee that gives away money.

He spoke about the theme of the year: The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands – a theme that is represented by the colorful pins he distributed to everyone at the meeting.

The future of Rotary, he said, quoting RI President John Kenny, is not shaped by the governors; it should be shaped by the local clubs. In current economic times, local clubs will make decisions that will keep Rotary strong.

He quoted Henry Ford as saying, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

DG Babb described the many successes of Rotary that have come from seeing serious challenges and taking those challenges – from reducing the number of cases of polio from 350,000 a year in 1985 to 1,000 a year. “In that time Rotary has helped five million children from bring crippled or dying,” he said.

When Bill Gates gave $355 million from his foundation as a challenge match for Rotary, he demonstrated his belief in Rotary’s ability to meet the match by giving the money up front, not waiting for the match to come in – and in the first year Rotary has raised almost half of the required match money.

Other projects are addressing the world problem of girls being sold into slavery by parents who were in abject poverty, helping people in times of natural disasters with shelter boxes, improving water and sanitation in third world countries (with the side benefit of girls being able to go to school when they don’t have to spend most of their day walking to distant wells for water).

The Rotary Foundation needs your support, he said, it’s your foundation. He said it is important that every club finds its cause, its passion.

He also encouraged everyone to try to attend the District Conference next year on June 11 and 12 at the Davis Center at UVM (where one feature will be the answer to the mystery of why Rotary founder Paul Harris was kicked out of the University) and the RI conference in Montreal from June 20 to 23 where inspiring speakers including Greg Mortenson (author of Three Cups of Tea) and world class entertainment guarantee a worthwhile event.

Two more quotes worth sharing:

British Prime Minister Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”
Plan for more than you can do and then do it.