It was a full house for our Wednesday meeting on August 27, 2025, and the room settled quickly after a light opening quip to recite the Four-Way Test. We began with gratitude: a handwritten note from Charlotte Library Director Margaret Woodruff thanked the club for installing the new bike repair station - already in steady use by riders stopping in at the library. Members agreed we should capture a photo of the station in action for the record and for community outreach.
From there, the club moved smartly into action items. At the board’s recommendation, members approved a $500 sponsorship for a humanitarian-aid concert at Zenbarn in Waterbury Center supporting Rotary’s Ukraine relief partners. Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 day-of); doors and dinner with the chef start at 6:00 p.m., with music at 8:00 p.m. this Saturday, August 30. Jim reported progress at Lakeview House: the in-ground bed is planted with perennials, and volunteers will gather this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. (also August 30) to build two 4’×3’ raised beds and move compost - extra perennials welcome. Nancy flagged upcoming dates for Wood for Good in the September 6 and October 5 window; details and parking instructions are in the newsletter. Chris will lead the Town Beach parking crew again this Saturday morning; vests will be on hand and the team to assist with Race Vermont’s annual race. Jim requested formal thank-you notes to Rice Lumber and Champlain Valley Compost for their support at Lakeview House; those will be prepared for next week. Harriet reminded members that Food Shelf donations dipped this week - paper products, toothpaste, dental floss, and school supplies are especially useful. On the lighter side, Rotary Convention swag - two luggage tags and a 2026-branded wallet - was set out on the back table for anyone who can put them to use.
The centerpiece of the morning was our guest speaker, Sarah from the Cancer Patient Support Foundation (CPSF). CPSF is Vermont’s statewide nonprofit helping cancer patients and their families bridge immediate financial gaps during diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Since 2001, the organization has assisted more than 12,500 Vermonters with over $3.3 million in support, now primarily through its Emergency Fund. On average, CPSF aids about 500 patients per year with essential needs - transportation to treatment, utilities, housing and home heating, and limited medical or integrative care. Referrals - made by social workers or providers to confirm active treatment - are up roughly 21% this year. Locally, patients in Shelburne, Charlotte, and Hinesburg have received help for transportation, lodging, utilities, heating, food, and even a wig purchase; Sarah shared a holiday story of hand-delivering assistance so a patient could afford a proper Christmas meal.
CPSF also stewards the “Maggie Card,” now accepted at more than seventy businesses (and growing) to provide discounts on practical goods and services for anyone with a cancer history - no referral required. CPSF does not receive state or federal funding; it relies on private foundations, community partners, individual donors, and events (mark your calendar for Casino Night on Friday, October 18). Looking ahead to CPSF’s 25th anniversary in 2026, the board is planning a campaign to lift the Emergency Fund’s cap from $375 to $500 per patient per year and to build a designated fund that can keep pace with need. The Q&A ranged from referral mechanics and statewide reach (including a grant that helps some New York patients treated at UVM) to board service - CPSF has twelve trustees and is seeking to grow to fifteen. In appreciation, the club presented a book in Sarah’s honor to the Charlotte Library.
Fellowship ran strong through Happy Fines. Kevin’s route-runner tale of a fearsome German shepherd who only wanted to play fetch - with a leaf, then a too-short stick - set the tone. Wake Robin’s new goats earned smiles for their poison-ivy patrols (and impromptu arborist work, pruning branches to “goat height”). Members celebrated parents’ anniversaries, the welcome return of September routines, and a first investment-property closing. One member reported a preview tour of Burlington’s new AC Marriott (stunning top-floor views, strict brand palette). Another described the humbling joy of a week studying at Christ Church, Oxford - organ music resonating through ancient stone - and offered a generous fine. There was gratitude for steady rain, for deer cleaning up fallen apples, for students launching the school year, and even for the discipline to fast before a 9:00 a.m. blood draw while eyeing the breakfast spread.
We closed by honoring the long arc of civic participation with a line from Madeleine Albright: “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice. And now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” Between a hands-on Saturday at Lakeview House, a morning crew at Town Beach, and the Zenbarn benefit that evening (August 30), there are plenty of ways to put our voice - and our sleeves-rolled-up ethos - to work this week. See you next Wednesday.