Newsletter for June 19, 2013 Meeting
June 19, 2013 Newsletter
By John Hammer
Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 7:15 a.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room
Welcome
President Adam Bartsch opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the invocation.
Guests: Brenda Torpy, Champlain Valley Housing Trust, and Speaker
Quote for the Week: “Vermont is a state of communities that respond …It’s the Vermont thing” Brenda Torpy’s ending remark.
Word for the Day: Look for the * and definition at end.
Upcoming:
June 21 – Bowlathon
June 26 – Matthew Hankeys – Fleischer Jacobs Group – Vermont Health Care Program
July 3 – No Meeting
July 10 – Police Captain Michael Shiring, Burlington Chief of Police
July 31 – Camp TaKumTa – Serving Breakfast 6-9:30 AM. There will be no meeting that day.
Announcements
Club Bowlathon
It’s coming up this Friday, June 21 at the Champlain Lanes. It starts at 6PM on Lanes 7-16. Heavy hors d’oeuvres only this year since there are so few signed up to bowl. Money raised so far is more than $20,000. Tod is in charge of the banners this year and has sold them all out.
Letters of Thanks
The Club received letters of thanks from the Colchester-Milton Rotary Club in appreciation for our loaning them the raffle balls and board. Also received thanks from Scholarship winner Catherine Akin of Charlotte.
Steve Dates, Incoming District Governor
Steve thanked the club for all it had done to make his Changing of the Guard party such a successful event. He also gave the District Governor’s Banner to the club to fly for the year to come.
Essex Rotary Golf Classic
Ric Flood, perennial captain of the Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary Golf Team reported that the team consisting of himself, William Wissell, and Robert Maynes returned the Rotary Team Trophy to the club for yet another year. Unfortunately Eric Hanley had to drop out at the last minute. They were one shot off from winning the overall trophy. A team of Terrill Titus, Bill Deming, Russ Blodgett and Adam Bartsch came perilously close to the low-net award.
Jim Spad’s Humor
A group of 3, 4, & 5 graders were off to Churchill Downs, accompanied by two female teachers to see the thoroughbred horses and the supporting industry. It transpired* that after a certain period of time, the kids had to visit the toilet. So, each of the teachers took the boys and girls separately to the appropriate facilities. The teacher with the boys took her position outside the Men’s Room and it wasn’t long before there was a cry for assistance. One of the boys couldn’t reach the urinals. The teacher, after some hesitation, entered and hoisted the little boys up one by one. As she lifted one up, she couldn’t help noticing that he was incredibly well endowed. Trying not to show that she was staring, she said, “You must be in the 5th Grade.” To this he replied, “No, ma’am, I’ll be riding Silver Arrow in the third race.”
Sergeant at Arms – Today was a day for classic pin fines.
Happy Fines
Richard Fox – Spent two weeks on delayed paternity leave spending the days playing attorney and the nights caring for the infant. He found that the two roles were incredibly similar: a lot of wet nursing, handholding, changing diapers etc. Then he came home at night to the baby and did the exact same thing.
Rosalyn Graham – For the guest today and the sun.
John Hammer – Went to Barry Carris’s funeral yesterday and saw many Rotarians, both current and past members from our club. It was good to see them. Barry, from the reports, was an incredibly diverse person. John wore a tie in support of Robert Maynes.
Kris Engstrom – Thank you for the sun
Dave Jonah – Son has graduated from CVU. CVU won the baseball and lacrosse state titles.
Linda Gilbert – For Terrill Titus who cleared her table this morning.
Terrill Titus – For the Rotary golf tournament, a great time in Maine with her two nephews and for Caroline Jones who has just been elected Governor of the American Legion Green Mountain Girls State.
Ric Flood – Bowlathon is almost done.
Robert Maynes – For John Hammer’s wearing a tie in solidarity and a good time at the golf outing.
Elaine Dates – Great trip to Seattle, but really happy that Linda and Al Gilbert made it to the Changing of the Guard Party. Since both were getting awards and had indicated that they might not be able to be there, she was really nervous, then happy because they showed up.
Steve Dates - Great trip to Washington DC for a Garden Club meeting, a birthday fine, and bragging rights because Elaine was selected to be the Gardening Club Overall Chair of all Youth Projects.
Russ Blodgett – Very proud to have been a teammate with Terrill Titus, Bill Deming, and Adam Bartsch. He was particularly proud of Bill Deming and his great play.
Fritz Horton – Paid badge and pin fines for John Dupee who continues to ignore Fritz’s efforts to reform him.
Mark Joczik – Graduated from SES.
Bill Deming’s number was called and he drew the 7 of Clubs. Roll over the $27 pot.
Speakers – Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust.
Brenda was the founding board president of the Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), the nation’s largest housing trust with 2400 families being served. It does $75 Million in development annually, has a $9 Million operating budget, and $250 Million in assets. It was founded in 1980 to meet the housing needs in Burlington and nearby communities. It is a grass roots organization as reflected in its board where one third comes from each of the supporters, executives of local governments, and residents. Paul Bohne, Town Manager of Shelburne is President of the Board and Rosalyn Graham is also a board member.
The mission stems from the premise that everyone deserves a decent home and the CHT tries to give everyone in the Chittenden, Grand Isle, and Franklin Counties a decent and secure home. “In America, your home is yourself – your self-esteem, your sense of self, and where you belong.”
The CHT is working on the Harrington Place Village in Shelburne with 42 affordable apartments, 36 senior housing units, and four ownership homes. Next week there will be a groundbreaking.
The CHT works at helping people get into a home for those who are challenged by:
· Physical and mental barriers, where the CHT homes are program centric or have the provision for social visitation. They serve more than 200 in this category.
· Homelessness by working with organizations like C.O.T.S. and Samaritan House and taking people out of homeless shelters and placing the in an apartment. The CHT takes a risk in that about 50% succeed in getting back on their feet. It’s breaking the cycle of homelessness. In Shelburne they are beginning a new partnership to house three veterans to start.
· Starting up. They have a program called “Ready-Set-Rent.” They build debt-free housing so that the homeowners can build up their credit. They sent out 400 invitations, 300 accepted, and now there are 122 getting the opportunity to break out of their financial binds. The biggest problem is that people don’t understand the over-riding importance of a good credit report. They need to learn to clean up their credit. No other investment can be made by a member of the middle class to give them a boost for a better life.
The CHT developed a model of turning people around by buying no-down-payment homes where mortgage payments and home improvements go into the equity of their home. They are free to move at any time. When it comes time to sell, they get 25% of the market appreciation. This program earned the CHT a World Habitat Award and it is being copied throughout the nation and the world.
Part of the role of the CHT is to educate everyone in the intricacies of home buying and ownership. They counseled 1500 families last year. The home-ownership education program is open to anyone – there is no means test. CHT provides affordable loans for home repair that also has no means test.
In response to Irene, the CHT cooperated in a statewide mobile home program with a subsidized, affordable mortgage program. The funding comes from everywhere. Most of affordable housing funding to build is federally supported. The CHT works well with local banks.
Brenda’s final comment was the “Vermont is a state of communities that respond …It’s the Vermont thing”
1. Definition – transpire, v. – To take place.