Photo:
The trophy presentation, left to right, John Lowell, Ric Flood, Dave Johnson from Essex Rotary, and Bob Sanders.
Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary Club
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Trinity Church Community Room
President Keith Walsh led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, and also read an inspiring devotional.
We welcomed two guests, Dave Johnson and Don Horenstein.
Dave, a member of the Essex Rotary Club, was present to congratulate CSH Golfers for their success in the Essex Golf Tournament in June and present a trophy. Bob Sanders had scored hi gross, and Ric Flood and John Dupee’s team had low net, a repeat of many years of excellent scores in the Essex competition.
Golf Ball Drop
Bob Sanders reported that after prizes are distributed, CSH Rotary will have made $5,000 for future good works. Linda shared the interesting fact that Pam Levin who held the winning GBD number, is a veterinarian, recently arrived in our community. She was an H2H volunteer this year. She will come to a club meeting to accept her GBD check.
Service Projects
Linda updated on projects in the next month. We will park cars at Harvest Festival with Bill Root in charge, and H2H will have a coffee and cookies tent. On Sept. 7 we will staff the water table at Race VT’s event that begins at the Charlotte Beach and includes three races, one of them a half marathon. We will need three people to hand out water to competitors. On Sept. 27 the annual Light the Night fund raiser for Leukemia Lymphoma will be held in downtown Burlington, beginning at Edmunds School. CSH would like to have a large team. A sign-up sheet will be circulated at next week’s meeting.
We have several four-person teams helping to pack books at the temporary Pierson Library at the Field House and unpack them in the new Library in anticipation of the official opening on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Upcoming meetings
9/4 – Classification talk by Rosalyn Graham
9/11 – Speaker John Brumsted has cancelled and alternative program might include a visit by our RYLA students and Crystal, the CVU student who won the District Speaking Competition.
9/18 – Club Meeting and committee meetings
9/19 – Board Meeting
Mark Your Calendars – 12/4 – District Governor Official Visit
Discussion of Club Business
Keith reported that at the Board Meeting the subject of action we might take on non-active club members as well as how to encourage participation, build membership, and make the club more active and productive. This prompted a lively discussion, as well as a suggestion that it would perhaps be valuable to plan for small group discussions on the subject.
Ric commented that it is difficult to define “active” members since some people do help with service projects, and renew their annual memberships, but don’t attend meetings. Ric had reviewed the membership list and said that are 25 people who fit this description. He said that a plan to grow the membership should include broadening the age diversity, including all our communities, and recruiting members of the business base.
Trafton suggested that having a sub-set called Friends of Rotary could be a good way to define those who help with projects but done attend meetings.
John Dupee said we need more exciting programs, while Linda Gilbert said we have had good speakers, but should include more social events, perhaps scheduling gatherings at interesting locations in each of our communities (Philo Ridge Farm, Shelburne Tap Room and Hinesburg Public House, wine tastings, cheese tastings for example) where the public could be welcomed and learn about Rotary.
Ric suggested that he will circulate a list of the non-actives and ask actives to sign up to contact individuals they know.
It was agreed we need more publicity with a focus on service projects and extending a welcome to any interested people. The change in meeting time should make the meetings accessible to a broader public. John Hammer recommended posting at Village Wine and Coffee and other locations, as well as Front Porch Forum.
On the subject of budget, Keith suggested we need to have a broader understanding of what we’ve raised and where it is spent, and also brought an idea from PETS: that everyone have a Rotary Piggy Bank in which they would put their change, and add it to a CSH collection for local Food Shelfs.
Sergeant at Arms
John Lowell collected Happy Fines:
Charlie Kofman – amazing Renoir exhibit at New England Museum
George Schiavone – reminder that many New England Museums are accessible if you are a Shelburne Museum member
Linda Schiavone – congratulations to golfers
Bob Sanders – great visit to Ottawa
Carol Obuchowski – great weather
Terry Kennaugh – visit to Highland Games in Quechee
Keith Walsh – seeing sharks while visiting Cape Cod
Phil Denu – all’s well at Wake Robin
Chris Davis – happy
Margo Casco – welcome to Don
Linda Gilbert – her fridge died and a new one is coming
Richard Fox – a family trip to Tanglewood – great music
Trafton Crandall – happy
John Lowell – showing off his Lake Monsters t-shirt – worth a very long wait in line
Guest Don Horenstein drew the number held by John Hammer, but John didn’t find the card that would have won him $187
Recorded by Rosalyn Graham