Susan started her talk with a photo of a painting she saw on a building in Boston while she was visiting the city with her family. The painting depicts a marathoner with the question “What gets you to the finish line?” Susan considered the question- What is the drive that gets us through the day? What gives us purpose? This theme ran throughout her talk as she took us through her fascinating and lovely life.
7/24/19
CSH Rotary Club Meeting
Trinity Episcopal Church
Keith Walsh called the meeting to order at 8 am and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Today we were fortunate to hear from Susan Grimes, who gave a classification talk.
Susan started her talk with a photo of a painting she saw on a building in Boston while she was visiting the city with her family. The painting depicts a marathoner with the question “What gets you to the finish line?”
Susan considered the question- What is the drive that gets us through the day? What gives us purpose? This theme ran throughout her talk as she took us through her fascinating and lovely life.
Susan’s dad was born in Macon GA. He attended school in Texas and Virginia, and worked hard to lose his southern accent.
Her parents met in New York City, and Susan was born in East Orange New Jersey. Her family then moved to Chicago where her brother and sister were born.
The family moved to Richmond Virginia and to Rockland County, New York where she attended high school.
Susan’s mother was a gifted pianist. She was accepted to Juilliard but her parents felt a career as a concert pianist was not a profession for a woman. This affected Susan’s mother deeply, and Susan feels it was this pain and frustration that caused her mom to become an alcoholic.
Susan’s mother’s alcoholism wasn’t talked about, but Susan noted that as the Rotary becomes more involved in the opioid crisis it’s important for us all to bring issues of addiction out in the open. When Susan was growing up, alcoholism was a taboo subject, and Susan went through her younger years not realizing how her mom struggled. It wasn’t until she was in her later years of high school and early years of college that she finally came to understand her mom’s condition. Growing up, Susan felt that if she was a better kid, a smarter kid, everything would be okay. She worked really hard in school, thinking that if she excelled in academics and sports her mom would be happy. Fortunately, her mom found AA , and the program saved her life.
Susan attended University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg Virginia, having no idea what to study. She dabbled in several majors, from linguistics to art history , and then she took biology and loved it.
She considered her career options. She didn’t want to be a teacher, and she had done a lot of volunteer work in the ER and worked as a dental assistant. She also loved sewing, and made her own clothes. She took the love of working with her hands, helping people, and her intrigue with the tools and materials of dentistry and found her path. She attended dental school in Richmond VA, but her parents had moved to Virginia and she felt the need to move on. She hated the traffic of Richmond, and knew that she loved hiking and skiing and being in the mountains.
Susan joined the Army Reserves to help pay for dental school but when she came to Vermont the Reserves has no slots available so she joined the Air Guard, in which she served for nine years. Susan has a clear love for the Guard- she talked of the amazing people she met and her admiration for the service and the people she served with.
“Everyone has a story,” Susan said, “and you don’t know what that story is.”
She doesn’t generally share that her mother was an alcoholic but she feels it’s important to talk about. She noted that we put labels on people but you never know what someone else’s life has been like. She does a lot of listening, and it’s easy to see Susan is an active, caring listener.
Her love of service came from her dad, who did a lot of volunteering. He taught her to go through life with an open heart.
Susan believes we’re all connected- that we have a heart connection with the earth and the animals and each other.
Susan has always at peace in the mountains, hiking and skiing. She now has 3 almost grown kids- one son lives in California, one son is at Connecticut College and her daughter is at UVM.
Her husband is a dentist as well. The whole family tries to get together a couple of times a year.
Susan joined Dr. Smith’s practice in 1988, a practice which Dr. Smith started in 1966.
She knew immediately she was in the right place as Dr. Smith was such a wonderful human being. Janet Tomlinson, another dentist in the practice, went on to start the dental program at UVM.
Her staff and the people she has worked with are a really big part of her life, and her love and admiration for her co-workers was very evident as she spoke of the Shelburne practice.
As she came to end of her time at the Shelburne Dental Group she started thinking about what to do with herself.She thought about volunteering and saw an ad for Smiles on Wings.
She traveled with Smiles on Wings to Thailand on 4 different trips after the Tsunami working in schools treating kids with cleanings and sealants. Susan found that it was really fun to be able to give back and experience a culture in a different way. She loved the great food and beautiful temples of Thailand.
Her next service was with Dr. Ray Damazo who starting off hauling a mobil dental unit around Kenya and Tanzania.
He built a freestanding clinic in 2008 in Siana Springs Susan thought it would be a really cool thing to do so she started going in 2012, and she’ll be going back in August for her fifth trip.
Foundation grant received funding from local rotary groups in Oregon. The clinic is surrounded by rough roads, middle of nowhere. The Maasai people walk everywhere, or put whole families on motor bikes.
The clinic has no appointments- people come from miles around and just show up for exams, cleanings, root canals, fillings, and tooth extraction.
Dr. Damazo’s clinic is the only dentist office in the area and the volunteer dentists see lots of decay from sugar, soda, candy, lack of access to care and other diseases.
Susan noted that the Maasai are stoic people and can go a long time without complaining.
The clinic is staffed by volunteer dentists, full time assistants and a director.
Susan loves Kenya- working in the clinic and going on safari on the weekends.
She shared pictures of water projects and the crowded classrooms. She noted the lack of rules around schooling- most kids don’t get past the 8th grade due to having to work on the family farm.
She shared pictures of Market day with people selling everything from clothes to food and everything in between.
Susan third service trip has been H2HT with Linda.
It’s a challenging trip because she has to bring all her dental supplies with her. The cleaning of equipment can be a challenge but they keep rotating things through the bleach bucket for sanitation.
There is so much decay of the teeth from candy and soda. Schools have candy at the snack bar so kids have easy access and there is no money to go to the dentist.
Soda is cheaper than water and easy to get so that adds to the problem.
Susan’s attitude is to be open and flexible and live with the spirit of going with whatever happens- she is happy to be in these beautiful places and hopes to help someone.
Susan has so much appreciation for her life. She is a kind and gentle soul, but also an incredible force for good.
“Use you voice for kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for service, and your heart for love. Remember we are all connected.”
What a great soul, Keith offered, when Susan had finished her talk. She is an inspiration to us all.
Charlie wanted to tee up the idea
Light the Night Leukemia Society fundraiser is September 27.
All the advances we’ve had in technology, there’s still no cure for leukemia.It would be great to have someone lead a team for this great cause and a wonderful night.
And, don’t forget the 8th Annual John Pawlusiak Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on August 9th at the Williston Golf Club. See Charlie for details or to register a team.
Ball drop is chugging along- Chris Davis turned into 2 full books and 5 tickets were sold at the farmer’s market.
Linda Gilbert report on service opportunities.
In August we help out at the Charlotte Senior Center volunteer dinner, but we’re off the hook because they are holding it at the Old Lantern this year, but the Senior Center asked if we’d be available to at the luncheon the week before Thanksgiving- setting up, serving, cleaning up on Weds. Nov 20 at noon. She’ll need 6 people to help out with this.
On Shelburne Day, the Rotary will have a food booth. Members can volunteer inside the booth, or bring cookies and bars, or volunteer for clean up after the event.
Who has seen Gary Marcotte? We need his grills! Please spread the word.
The first Board meeting of the new Board is Thursday 7/25. The Board is asking that one member from each committee attend. The new Board will establish rotation and structure for meetings so that business meetings can focus on business and the Board can bring new business to the Club at large for a vote.
Next week’s meeting of 8/1 will be a business meeting. 8-8:30 for committee meetings and a tour of the new library will follow from 8:30-9.
Finance committee wants to create a system of better communication with the rest of the Club.
Expenditure of $100 for PR to promote Shelburne Day was brought forth. Motion was moved and seconded.
Unanimous ayes, none opposed.
Next race is August 10 at the Sugarworks. There will be ice cream so come volunteer!
Sergeant of Arms:
France is excited about Christmas in 5 months
Linda Gilbert went to the Lancaster NH rotary- they invite her because they like to hear our stories. They are holding a car raffle- raffling off a Mustang! She encourages everyone to visit a different rotary club. It’s a fun way learn about different people in different areas.
Keith’s girls got their point shoes on Monday.
Richard saw Weird Al in concert and got to meet him (the fact that Weird Al is Richard’s idol is not at all surprising to this reporter…).
Eric offered thanks to Keith for jumping into the presidency
Al is happy for this great organization doing great things!
We plan to Ride the Rails this fall as a group activity!
Keith closed the meeting at 9 am with:
A Joke: Why did the train love bubble gum- chew chew.
A Quote: There’s only one thing for which a Rotarian has no tolerance for- injustice.
A Hope: Experience the life that’s happening to you-don’t waste a moment of life trying to make other things happen. Appreciate the life you are living (annotated, as I can’t type fast enough to get all of Keith’s end of meeting quips…)
See you next week!