President Carla Lineback welcomed all to the September 12th meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held at the American Legion in Brattleboro. Greg Worden offered a very meaningful invocation about the two of the most important words in the English language – THANK YOU!
This was followed by the pledge of allegiance. Birthday greetings were extended to Ricky Davidson, Frank Rucker, and Phil George. As a luncheon of pork chop suey, baked chicken, tofu, rice, corn on the cob, green salad, rolls, and ice cream for dessert was being digested, the meeting continued.
GUESTS: Visiting Rotarians RJ Johnson and Diane Hagen (Sunrise), Kate Barry, and Teddy Kramer.
TRIVIA QUESTION
The Bahamas are an archipelago of islands located off the east coast of Florida. How many islands are there in the Bahamas?
(Answer below.)
JOKE OF THE WEEK
For today’s joke, Jeremy Coleman offered a version of the following:
A blind man walked into a bar one night. One of the patrons at the bar saw him and helped him get to a barstool and get a drink. After a few minutes, the blind man leaned over to his new friend and said, "I just heard the world's best blonde joke. Would you like to hear it?"
The other man said, "Friend, before you say another word, there's something you need to know."
"What's that?" the blind man asked.
"There are five people besides you in this bar. The bartender is blonde. The bouncer is blonde. There are two women sitting at the end of the bar. One is an off-duty police officer, and the other is a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, and they're both blond. I'm six-foot-four, two hundred and sixty pounds, and I've got a third degree black belt in karate, and I'm blonde.
"So," the man concluded, "Are you sure you really want to tell that joke?"
The blind man thought about it for a minute and said, "No, not if I'm going to have to explain it five times."
At our Sept. 19th meeting, Cathy Coonan will tell a joke or lead us in song and Meg Donahue will offer a Rotary Minute.
NOTE: 2019-20 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
ROTARY MINUTE
For the Rotary Minute, Ricky Davidson talked about the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).
At our Sept. 19th meeting, Cathy Coonan will tell a joke or lead us in song and Meg Donahue will offer a Rotary Minute.
NOTE: 2019-20 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
NOTE: 2019-20 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
REMINDERS
Bottles and cans can be brought 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.
If you can help coordinate a club roadshow on October 24, contact Carla Lineback.
The following members were acknowledged for their years of service: Gary Goodemote (28), Phil George (25), Andy Rome (23), Frank Rucker (23), Al Jerard (3) and Meg Donahue (1).
Board minutes can be found on the club website.
This year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser for Groundworks will take place on October 12. To purchase tickets, click here. If you can volunteer, contact Betsy Gentile.
Only two members signed up for the next Sort-A-Thon on September 14th. We need two more. Contact Stan Nowakowski
FINES
NONE ;-(
BRAGS / Happy dollars
RJ Johnson – for the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night starting up on Sept. 16. ED NOTE: The fundraiser benefits Bahamian relief efforts
Ricky Davidson – for his photo with long pants appearing in Commons about the Boys & Girls Club winning a new set of wheels.
Bill Vermouth – for Jeremy Coleman’s fundraising idea.
George Weir– for all his 75th birthday family celebrations.
Liz Harrison - for Marty Cohn and all he does with BCTV. ED NOTE: The BCTV annual meeting is on Sept. 18.
Jeremy Coleman – for the Boys and Girls Club.
Marty Cohn – for his daughter Jessica using Facetime at least three times a day so that he can get his “Talia” moment.
PROGRAM
The 2019 Brattleboro Rotary Club Gateway Foundation annual meeting was conducted.
President's Report:
The Brattleboro Gateway Foundation was founded by our club in 1986 to create a local fund to award scholarships to deserving, area students pursuing higher education. Historically, the Gateway Foundation has been supported through club fundraisers, such as Christmas Tree Sales, as well as individual donations from dedicated Rotary members. For the past two years, we received a donation from the Golf Committee.
Every Brattleboro Rotary Club member is a member of the Gateway Foundation. Many of us on the board have served multiple terms. While the workload is light, the oversight of the foundation is vital. Please consider serving on this important arm of the club.
Gateway gave the Scholarship Committee $20,500 this year. In addition to six students from area high schools, we presented the fifth recipient of a $2500 scholarship to a Community College of Vermont student pursuing a career in medical assisting. This award was created to honor Jesse Corum, a dear Rotarian who recognized the need for education.
Since the Gateway Foundation’s formation in 1986, the cost of a college education has more than doubled. According to Forbes, the average student loan debt of graduating college seniors is over $26,000, with 1 in 10 students owing over $40,000.
Scholarships such as Gateway Foundation are important for students as they embark upon their college education. However, our current award amount of $18,000 is not enough to fund even one year of college for one student.
We know that we can do better. Our goal is to raise $10,000 from our club membership before December 31, 2019. This money will allow us to sustain our endowment and award more scholarships to more deserving students. You can help us reach this goal! Please bring your check to the next club meeting or send it to:
Gateway Foundation
PO Box 6433
Brattleboro, VT 05302-6433
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours in Rotary,
Marty Cohn
President, Gateway Foundation
Rotary Cares - TV Show
Rotary Cares, Episode 19 – Passing the Gavel
On episode 19 of the award-winning, monthly show, Rotary Cares, Brattleboro Rotary Club past president Marty Cohn discusses “passing the gavel”, a time when a club president steps down, with Brattleboro Rotary Club Past President Mara Willams and Brattleboro Sunrise Club Past President Sandy Shriver. 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
There are over 700 islands in the Bahamas, although most of them are uninhabited.
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