President Carla Lineback welcomed all to the June 4th meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held via ZOOM. <ED NOTE: 29 Rotarians attended.> George Anthes offered the following meaningful invocation as we mourn the murder of George Floyd.
Please forgive me, what I have to say will take a few moments. We know the immediate cause of the tumult that our country is experiencing. Brattleboro adults turned out on Sunday to say that Black Lives Matter. Brattleboro high school students turned out on Tuesday. Our former student Rotarian, Danaysa Vargas, was quoted in the paper, saying that racism and police brutality need to be discussed even if people do not think it is an issue here. You may also spot one of our present members.
Chief Fitzgerald wrote in the Reformer about how he is still working to solve the problem here in Brattleboro.
But Racism does not only pose a threat as it manifests in policing. Racism against Black people, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Jews are all intertwined. This slide shows the words and images broadcast together the other night on America’s most popular news channel. Destabilizing Western civilization, encouraging tribalism, and blaming Jews, serves the interests of accelerationist Nazis like the New Zealand mosque shooter and the interests of countries that see themselves in competition with us. Fascists want white people to be afraid of those who oppose fascism and racism. Mainstream political actors mainstream the fascist deceptions to millions of people.
They’re thin on the ground here, but there are fascists active in Vermont. This picture was posted on social media by Patriot Front to brag of posting flyers at the State House last month. In March, they paid a visit to downtown Brattleboro. This is the Kyle Gilbert Memorial Bridge over the Whetstone Brook.
As Rotarians, we make commitments to certain ideals. I don’t know that I’ve seen anybody more concisely describe what anti-racism and anti-fascism require of us than Dale Murphy did the other day: “If you're a beneficiary of systemic racism, then you will not be able to dismantle it at no cost to yourself. You will have to put yourself at risk. It might not always result in being physically attacked, but it will require you to make yourself vulnerable.”
Visiting Sunrise Rotarians Tom Franks and Sandy Shriver, as well as Josh Davis (speaker).
Since this was a virtual meeting, everyone was on their own for lunch.
TRIVIA QUESTION
Which club sponsored the Brattleboro Rotary Club in 1950?
(Answer below)
JOKE OF THE WEEK
For the joke of the week, Carla Lineback offered the following:
A cell phone rings in a locker room, A man answers the phone...
He puts it on speaker
Man: "Hello!"
Woman: "Hi honey, it's me. Are you at the club?"
Man: "Yes."
Woman: "I'm at the mall and I just saw this beautiful leather coat and it's only $2,000, can i have it?
Man: "Sure!"
Woman: "Oh, and I just stopped by at the Lexus dealership and saw a car I really liked, can I have it?
Man "How much is it?"
Woman: "$90 thousand."
Man: "Well if it's that much I want it with all the features."
Woman: "Of course I will! Oh yeah, one more thing. I just finished talking to Sarah, and the and the house I wanted is back on the market, they're asking $880 thousand for it."
Man: "Ok, make an offer for $900 thousand, if they don't take it offer them an extra $80K if that's what you really want."
Woman: " Thank you so much honey, love you, bye!"
Man: "Love you too, bye."
The man hung up, everyone in the locker room was staring at him in astonishment. The man then calmly looked around and asked "Ok... whose phone is this?"
At our June 11th meeting, Andy Rome will tell a joke or lead us in song and Frank Rucker will offer a Rotary Minute. 2019-20 weekly assignments, as well as 2020-21 weekly assignments, are posted on the club website.
ROTARY MINUTE
For today’s Rotary Minute, Sandy Rouse talked about the parallels between today’s COVID-19 pandemic and the polio epidemic of the 1950s. To read Rotary’s statement on COVID-19 and its impact on polio eradication efforts, click here.
At our June 11th meeting, Andy Rome will tell a joke or lead us in song and Frank Rucker will offer a Rotary Minute. 2019-20 weekly assignments, as well as 2020-21 weekly assignments, are posted on the club website.
06/20 – Dave Neumeister, “What does a 24-year old science major need to hear from an old person?”
06/27 – Mario Fantini, TBA
NOTE: 2019-20 weekly assignments, as well as 2020-21 weekly assignments, are posted on the club website.
REMINDERS
Please bring your bottles and cans to Putney Road redemption center to benefit Pure Water for the World. Please remember to inform the staff that the bottles and cans should be credited to the club.
This is the45thnewsletter of the new club year.
If you like this newsletter, please brag at next Club meeting.
So far, there have been only 8 brags!
Since everyone is home, there should be an increase in readership and subsequent brags!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WRCC Student Rotarians Alex and Padma gave their final report of the year.
BUHS Student Rotarians Jesse and Elias gave their final report of the year.
The activities directors of Vernon Green and Pine Heights report that the card project has put “smiles on many faces.” Residents at Thompson House will be receiving cards next week.
The youth group is continuing to help Simply Smiles maintain summer programs at the Cheyanne River Indian Reservation by making videos.
We will be picking up a check from the Redemption Center on June 22 so please bring your bottles and cans to the Redemption Center.
Dues were due on June 1.
Invoices will be sent out for brags and happy dollars.
The scholarship committee selected six students to receive $2500 scholarships each.
BRAGS / HAPPY DOLLARS
<ED NOTE: Yes, we are keeping track of these happy dollars and brags.
Unless noted, happy dollars and brags are $1>
Cyndi Ferrante ($5) – for Marty Cohn’s efforts with the card project to nursing home residents.
John Mabie – for this year’s Student Rotarians.
Betsy Gentile ($10) – for this year’s Student Rotarians.
Cathy Coonan ($5) – for the good weather we would have had for today’s annual golf tournament.
Rhonda Calhoun ($10) – for the birth of her second grandchild, Lucas Michael.
Mara Williams ($10) – for the reopening of BMAC on June 18.
Betsy Gentile – for Libby Bennett at Groundworks.
Carla Lineback ($5) – for Josh Davis and the entire committed staff at Groundworks
Had time not run out, Marty Cohn would have bragged for his granddaughter Talia pulling herself up to stand.
PROGRAM
Mara Williams presented Josh Davis, executive director of Groundworks Collaborative who gave us an update on how Groundworks is responding to COVID-19. To read his recent commentary in the Brattleboro Reformer, click here.
<ED NOTE: On BCTV you can now watch the club’s new show, “Brattleboro Rotary Club Speaker Series” by clicking here.>
Rotary Cares - TV Show
Rotary Cares, Episode 26 – Rotary Youth Exchange
In episode 26 of the award-winning, monthly show, Rotary Cares, Brattleboro Rotary Club past president Marty Cohn discusses Rotary Youth Exchange District Chairperson for Rotary District 7870’s International Student Exchange Program Jim Rumrill who is also a past president of Ludlow Rotary Club and two Youth Exchange students, Sofia from Sweden, and Paul from Germany. The show is directed by Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club past president Kevin Yager and edited by Brattleboro Community Television.
Past President Martin Cohn who attempts to give a gist of the meeting respectfully submitted this bulletin. However, it is always better to attend. If you have any complaints about the contents of this bulletin...
He puts it on speaker
