President Carla Lineback welcomed all to the May 21st meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held via ZOOM. <ED NOTE: 28 Rotarians attended.> Ana Saavedra offered the following meaningful invocation:
As Rotarians, we are generally blessed with lives of relative luxury, and opportunities unknown to many. May we review not only our checkbooks, but also the registers of our lives with honesty as we consider our priorities, and our opportunity to help others. May we open our hearts, as well as our accounts, to those in need, while still enjoying the fruits of our own labors. May we share not only our tangible wealth, but also our intangible riches of knowledge, leadership, and creativity to make our town, our nation, and our world, a better place filled with peace and love.
This was followed by the pledge of allegiance. Birthday greetings were extended to Dave Neumeister.
GUESTS: Rev. Lise Sparrow and John Willis (Speaker)
Since this was a virtual meeting, everyone was on their own for lunch.
TRIVIA QUESTION
Which baseball player from what team is depicted on the most valuable baseball trading card, considered “the Holy Grail of all trading cards.”
(Answer below)
JOKE OF THE WEEK
For the joke of the week, Gina Pattison offered two riddles:
Q: What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
A: Queue.
Q: I am something people love or hate. I change people's appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of themselves, I will go up even higher. To some people I will fool them. To others I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will never go down. What am I?
A: Age.
At our May 28th meeting, Tami Purcell will tell a joke or lead us in song and Andy Rome will offer a Rotary Minute. 2019-20 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
ROTARY MINUTE
For today’s Rotary Minute, Marty Cohn reported that $6,400 towards our goal of $10,000 has been raised towards our Rotary project of recovering raw milk from being disposed of while creating a new, temporary food supply for the Vermont Foodbank. To learn more about how Rotary is collaborating to help Vermont farmers, the children's summer food program, and food-insecure families, click here.
<ED NOTE: BREAKING NEWS... After today’s meeting, we recorded episode 26 of the award-winning show, Rotary Cares, which featured a discussion about the Rotary Youth Exchange. At the conclusion of the show, we learned that this year's students have decided to donate $350 towards the Rotary project to recover raw milk from being disposed of while creating a new, temporary food supply for the Vermont Foodbank. We have now raised $6,750 towards our goal of $10,000. Rotary in Action!>
At our May 28th meeting, Tami Purcell will tell a joke or lead us in song and Andy Rome will offer a Rotary Minute. 2019-20 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
05/28 – Michael Clough, Vermont Natural History Museum
06/20 – Dave Neumeister, “Transitioning from a rural dental practice to a University Medical Center; One person's view"
NOTE: 2019-20 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 the43thnewsletter 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
The Seasonal Overflow Shelter is now housing 70 residents at the Quality Inn on Putney Road. The club will be supplying their dinner, Friday, May 29th at 6 PM. Groundworks staff will serve the meal, we will need to drop off ready to serve. We still need veggies and salad. If you can help, contact Stan Nowakowski by May 22nd.
The scholarship committee selected the recipient of the Jesse Corum Scholarship that will go to a CCV student completing her Early Childhood Education degree.
Eleven applications have been received for this year’s high school scholarships.
BRAGS / HAPPY DOLLARS
<ED NOTE: Yes, we are keeping track of these happy dollars and brags.
Unless noted, happy dollars and brags are $1>
Betsy Gentile ($5) – for Alex, Padma, and other students for the video fundraiser for “Simply Smiles,” the organization that is helping residents of the Cheyanne River Indian Reservation. To view the students' fundraising page, click here.
Ana Saavedra – for Phil Steckler and his recommendation that cutting oranges in half and putting them on your bird feeder will attract Eastern Orioles.
Rob Szpila – for Betsy Gentile and Mara Williams who watched the Simply Smiles video and donated generously.
John Mabie – for his father’s memory who passed away at aged 94.
Mara Williams ($10) – for John Willis’ upcoming show at the BMAC.
Mara Williams ($10) – for John Willis receiving emeritus status at Marlboro College.
Mara Williams ($10) – for Paulina Willis remaining a nurse at BMH while her family moved to Providence, RI.
Phil Steckler – for his daughter, Erica, being on the tenure track at UMass Lowell.
Had time not run out, Marty Cohn would have bragged for his granddaughter Talia who loves going on hikes.
<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 25 – Rotary Takes a Bite Out of Hunger
In episode 25 of the award-winning, monthly show, Rotary Cares, Brattleboro Rotary Club past president Marty Cohn discusses two Rotary community nutrition projects with Gayle Ottmann, Community Service Chair of the Rotary Club of White River and Lorelei Morrissette, Resident Wellness & Services Manager for the Brattleboro Housing Partnership. Directed by Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club past president Kevin Yager in the studio of 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...
ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION
Honus Wagnerof the Pittsburgh Pirates. The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series, but because Wagner refused to allow the production of his baseball card to continue, a total of only 50 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public (no one is sure exactly how many), as compared to the tens or hundreds of thousands of T206 cards for other players. For more info, click here.
