President Rob opened the meeting at our lunch meeting site: Holiday Inn Express Brattleboro, VT. Rob welcomed all to the August 29, 2024 meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary www.brattlebororotaryclub.org

Invocation:

Polio has returned to Palestine for the first time in 25 years. Let us pray for our shared humanity for the two groups who have historic claims

Rob lead the club with the Pledge of Allegiance

Rob presented -

Motto - Service above self

Four Way Test - Is it… the truth? Fair to all concerned? Building goodwill and better friendships? Beneficial to all concerned?

24 Members, 0 Student Rotarians and 4 guests attended the meeting.

Guests:

John Lightfoot – Greg’s guest

Theresa Glabach – second posting

Steven Dotson – Reuben’s guest
Clarissa – speaker

JOKE OF THE WEEK - For our joke or song of the week:

Regina (care of Carla):

Shel Silversteen poem: Sick

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more—that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut—my eyes are blue—
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke—
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

ED NOTE: 2023-24 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.

Rotarians for Rotarians:

Greg noted Robin Sweetapple’s husband passed away. Memorial service in November.

New Members:

ROTARY MINUTE

Nina - Projects going on around the globe: education, school projects, school systems. One project is teaching kids to swim in Thailand as it’s the greatest risk for kids under age 15. Approx 100 kids since April taught to swim.

Liberia – effort to support women’s health. Large cause of women not attending school is due to the inability to afford feminine products

Note for future presenters; The Rotary Minute could also have the speaker talk about their personal involvement in Rotary or personal background.

Years of Service in our Club for August:

On Behalf of our Club and all Rotarians, thank you for your Service Above Self

Student Rotarian updates:

Birthday greetings -

BIRTHDAYS FROM RUBIN -

Rhonda Calhoun – on the 21st

Meeting location -Brattleboro Holiday Inn Express off of Putney Rd.

Announcements

Stan: Groundworks meal is on 9/11 (Wednesday) featuring spaghetti meatballs, Theresa providing bread. Could use help for Milk, cider, salad. Waiting for dates for October

Mara: Dollar and Dream raffle at Gallery Walk next Friday 9/6

Rob: 9^th Annual Disc Golf on October 5 (scramble) & 6 (two round tournament). Check your email for sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. Will need help in fairways with spotters.

ED NOTE: Weekly assignments for the invocation or motivational thought can be found on the club website.>

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Jim Haine announced

Next week: Mollie Burke & the arts

Mike from Brattleboro Country Club teaching how to keep your grass green

9/19 – Guardian Adlitum

9/26 – Gateway foundation having annual meeting

REMINDERS

Please bring your bottles and cans to the Putney Road redemption center to benefit APPN. Pure Water for the World is no longer operating in the USA; it continues in Honduras as APPN.
Maria Inestroza, the PWW country director for Honduras is continuing the work in that country under the name APPM, acronym for Agua Pura para El Mundo, or Pure Water for the World in Spanish Pure Water for the World. Please remember to inform the staff that the bottles and cans should be credited to the club.
“Like” the club’s Facebook page

FINES & Happy Dollars

Rob: First day of school – Rob’s wife had a great beginning and one of the children the club has sponsored is reading books, speaking good English, and helping translate for other Afghanis.

Mara: To the next generation of Brattleboro: excited we have young people who’ll grow up and get educated and keep our town thriving.

Rotary Club History: Brag fund was originally made to raise $1,000 for the club

To her grandson and his beautiful bridge

Lake Tahoe was beautiful

Stan: Bragging for Phil – grandson came up to play golf for 36 holes and Phil took them to a place and taught them how to flyfish. Stan almost turned into a fish, but was saved by a pickerell

Bill: For Rotary International for everything they do great.

A happy dollar, for buying out the lease of his car. Also happy to say he’s a four-time Paul Harris fellow

Chris: Brag for grandson who started pre-K. He loved it.

Greg: Frank and the Holiday Inn. Greg’s daughter and son-in-law stayed and loved it.

SherriAnn: For hot food!

PROGRAM

Speaker: Steven Dotson – Sustainability coordinator for Town of Brattleboro & Carissa Brewton – local foods system provider. Registered dietician, circus performer and acrobatics

Introduced by: Reuben

Program: Brattleboro Farm & Food System Assessment

Recognition of Food Connects, Food Bank, Groundworks, Retreat Farm – a lot of work to bring together assessment: https://drive.google.com/file/d/147QSa3ZpFty-x4ClInrTjlDmHUn5-8IG/view

Goal to understand gaps, goals and opportunities and build collaboration in the community to cultivate a resilient food system locally.

Provided recommendations to the town and population at-large. Acknowledgement that not all the recommendations are within the scope of the town government and that there are opportunities for people in the communities to support the food systems.

Will be integrated into Brattleboro’s Town Plan which is coming up for review soon.

Themes identified: agriculture is important to Vermont and Brattleboro; the food system is becoming increasingly pressured due to housing effects, economics, etc; lack state attention to Southern Vermont; read the report for more!

SWOT:

Strengths:

Local food for local eaters is a priority in Brattleboro

Diverse markets and strong local supply chains to deliver food in Brattleboro

Threats:

There are many…labor and climate are two big ones. Lack of resources, funding, grant cycles. Need for more manufacturing and retail of food (wheat processing, community vegetable processing facilities). Need for deeper connections in all the programs internally and outreach for meaningful ways to talk to the community

Brattleboro is really innovative – callout to waste management facility leading the state in composting

Agra-tourism – ways to bring economies from larger areas to support local businesses which local farmers can use to invest in the community.

Recommendations:

Need for multi-purpose community space. Food, healthcare, place to eat, play, kids can hang out.

Need for a food systems coordinator that puts an intentional eye on doing this organizational work. Someone who can do the administrative lift for the non-profit organizations with the above issues.

Expand Moover to local farms and grocery stores

Scribe: Mark Anderson

REMINDERS

FINES & Happy Dollars

DISCLAIMER