Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary - Newsletter

President John Beal shared a Rotary thought from the RI website, quoting statistics that show that 800 million people in the world can’t read or write, 500 million of those are women. Rotary clubs are encouraged to learn about literacy programs and how they can help.

Guests

Rotarian John C. Smith from Scotland, a guest of Joyce Errecart, Clinton Reichert of Colchester Milton Club, a former District Governor, David Gladstone of Burlington Rotary and joyce Huff, a guest of Colleen Haag were introduced.

Announcements

9/16 – Guest speaker from the Women’s Rape Crisis Center
9/19 – In charge of parking at the Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival

Reports

Pancake Breakfast

This fund raiser for the Disney World trip for the Shelburne Community School Woodwind Ensemble raised more than $1,000. Debby Hanley who headed the project thanked everyone for their help, and suggested that it would be a good idea to create a handbook on how to organize a Pancake Breakfast.

Harvest Festival Parking

Still time to sign up to help on Saturday, Sept. 19 – morning shift or afternoon shift.

Thank You

Thank you notes received from Kids Safe and Camp Agape. Also $1,400 of the requested $5,000 to support Ginetta’s college year expenses has been raised.

Vaccinations in Pakistan

The Pakistani government has reversed its ban on polio vaccinations and the program will be able to begin. The donations of 21 new contributors to Polio Plus from Charlotte Shelburne Rotary last year will pay for the inoculation of 3333 children.

Bowl-A-Thon

Ric Flood announced that Tom Glaser had added a check for $3,300, bringing his fund-raising total to $9,025.

Ric also said that Bill Hodgkins of the Essex Rotary Club had delivered the Golf tournament trophy to Ric’s office. They have offered to make our super successful golfers members of their club for a year to try to repatriate the trophy – and they inscribed it to Shelburne Charlotte Rotary!!

Hands to Honduras

Anyone who can help at the Hands to Honduras food booth at the Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival would be appreciated.

Sergeant at Arms

Don Condon levied “attire” fines – one on guest Clinton Reichert for his great bow tie, and one to Steve Dates for wearing shorts.

In this week’s “Where’s Waldo” challenge, Don asked that everyone make an effort to get their pictures posted on the website directory.

He also fined Ric Flood for the short-lived membership of Justin Brand who joined and apparently only attended one meeting.

Sam Feitelberg paid a fine for his anniversary – his 55^th – and reported that he spent it on a cruise with his wife Gail. He also said that while on the cruise he attended two Rotary meetings on board.

Happy fines:

Alan Hathaway – for his happy table
Tom Glaser – after attending weddings far away recently, he is looking forward to one in Malletts Bay this week
Jim Spadaccini – happy to sit with Past District governor Clinton Reichert
Kris Engstrom – her daughter Erica passed the first part of her bar admission process
Ric Flood – heading to Massachusetts for a 100 mile bike race
Terry Kennaugh – celebrated his mother’s 98^th birthday – and next week will be kayaking and sailing in Maine
Ric Flood – just as he was recovering from watching his daughter bungy-jumping, he learned that she had gone sky diving
John Hammer – the Mozart Festival is half-way out of its $400,000 hole – great to see Clinton – fun to be tutored in the fine art of pancake making by Jim Spadaccini – and fun to work on the Hands to Honduras drinks and snacks booth at the Balloon Festival.
Fritz Horton – he has passed his glider pilot license
Linda Gilbert – the Balloon Festival was a great event
George Ewins – made a donation – planning to give it away before he loses it
Joyce Errecart – happy her friend John Smith was visiting

Lucky draw: Our guest speaker drew Clinton Reichert’s number but he chose the wrong card and didn’t get the $486 pot.

Guest Speaker

Deb Lyons, assisted by Sarah Vogelzang, told the club of the Kids on the Block, an organization that uses large puppets to teach children to be safe, healthy and appreciate diversity. Founded 28 years ago with four puppets that were used to teach children about children with disabilities, Kids on the Block now has 21 different programs ranging from cultural diversity, childhood mental health, physical abuse and healthy bodies to bullying in school. This year they are adding a program on autism spectrum disorder, in response to requests from school for help in making students in Kindergarten through eighth grade aware of the problem.

Puppets are effective in talking to children about difficult subjects because the children feel safe confiding in them and will often verbalize their feels and share stories about personal experiences that they would not share with a parent or teacher.

Last year they made presentations to 14,800 people at 78 sites. Schools pay 2% of the cost of a Kids on the Block presentation. The rest of their funding is from grants, and donations by individuals and business sponsors.