President Mark opened the meeting at the meeting site: Holiday Inn Express of Brattleboro, VT
. Mark welcomed all to the September 24 2026
meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club, www.brattlebororotaryclub.org
Invocation:
Chris H.
Autumn Equinox where we are asked to make peace with what is unresolved in our hearts, to release what is no longer relevant to us, to let go of our outer adornments and attachments to material goods.
Autumn Equinox reminds us of our ecological belonging and interconnected world, where who we are becoming and everything we have gained or worked toward is placed on the altar of our life.
Autumn Equinox invites us to reflect on…how we have changed and matured over this growing season; the things that have shaped us; and the fruits we are harvesting.
It is time to place your harvest basket on the table, to celebrate the wins, grieve the losses, feast with loved ones, and prepare for the coming winter.
Mark led the club with the Pledge of Allegiance
An outstanding Rotarian led the club with the Rotary motto and Four Way Test.
Rotary Motto: Service Above Self
Four Way Test -
Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
24 Members, 0 Student Rotarians and 0 guests attended the meeting.
Guests:
None at start of the meeting.
JOKE OF THE WEEK - For our joke or song of the week:
Rudy, then Cindy J, gave varying accounts of their first meeting “pick-up lines”
EDITOR NOTE: 2026-27 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.
Rotarians for Rotarians:
Greg reported no news, but welcomed President Mark back
New Members:
ROTARY MINUTE
Betsy a reflection on the meaning of the 4-way Test. It can be found in this month’s Rotarian Magazine
Years of Service in our Club
Stay tuned.
On Behalf of our Club and all Rotarians, thank you for your Service Above Self
Student Rotarian updates:
Betsy announced the L&G group will be returning Oct. 1; Stan is trying to gather the Hinsdale group for Nov. 1; feelers are out to the BUHS group about returning.
Birthday greetings -
BIRTHDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS Cindy-
Betsy Gentile’s Birthday!
Announcements
Betsy reported Hope House, the new Groundworks building replacing Morningside Shelter is built and beautiful. The kitchen needs cooking items, etc. Mara volunteered she knew of a household that is being broken up and would check with the family about gifting appropriate kitchen items.
Rob and his counterpart from the Sunrise Rotary announced The Disc Golf volunteer sheet is making the rounds. This has become a major fundraiser for both the Brattleboro Rotary and the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary. Please sign up.
Stan announced the next Groundworks Meal on Oct. 14 still needs a lot of items. Please volunteer if possible.
THERE WILL BE A MEETING OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE MEETING!
Happy Dollars and Brags and Fines
President Mark for winning Net at the Kurn Hatten Golf Tourney; Cyndi F for her 50th H.S. Reunion and for her 40th anniversary with Bob; George K for his upcoming trip to his father’s side of Greece (not to be confused with his recent trip to his mother’s side of Greece) and for the Oct 3 “Buddy Walk” on the Common at 10 AM to benefit the Special Olympics; George W for his wife and VT Women’s Tennis, who lost in a 1-point tie breaker to the powerhouse CT; Stan for a cruise to celebrate his 51st wedding anniversary and for his grandson who is a sophomore in H.S. on the varsity squad who made his first 1 point kick; Carla for a Monday, Sept. 28 at 4 PM talk on North Korea; Mara for the BMAC Gala success and especially for Cindy J and Rudy who cannot take a bad photograph; Cindy J for the Norovirus that, in addition to causing a heart attack, made her lose 14 lbs so she could fit into a micro mini skirt for the BMAC Gala; Betsy for Kurt and Rob taking over the Ski Jump, which is especially important as she has a knee replacement scheduled in January; Bill McK for his river trip in the Netherlands and for Rotterdam, which has recovered beautifully from the war since his last trip 50 years ago; President Mark for Bill V and his Boston Harbor trip with his 4th grade class mates.
ED NOTE: Weekly assignments for the invocation or motivational thought can be found on the club
website.>
