We had a fantastic zoom meeting this morning and welcomed Martha Monty and Avery Anderson from the Vermont Council of World Affairs. The VCWA hosts public forums and offers programs that raise public awareness of the world and all the different people in it. They have a number of programs including the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, and Open World to name a few. You can visit their website to become a member or to view their current events. Thank you Martha and Avery!

Today we had a speaker that perfectly exemplifies service above self. Rob Reiber, who volunteers to aid the Vermont response to the Afghan Refugee crisis came to speak to us today. What started out as a conversation one Saturday morning at the Lincoln transfer station turned into a full blown effort to volunteer with the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), an organization started in the 1980s. Among the volunteer efforts, Rob stressed the importance of educating ourselves as a community about the conditions, traditions, and people of Afghanistan as we welcome the individuals and families who have fled to the US. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please contact volunteer@uscrivt.org. 

 

If you would like to educate yourself on the current Afghan refugee crisis, a great place to start is the Sandglass Theatre for information on refugees and to reserve a seat for the show Babylon. 

 

Caleb Basa, the Land & Trails Manager for the Middlebury Area Land Trust (MALT) paid us a visit at today's meeting. In a wonderful presentation, Caleb talked about MALT's mission to conserve the natural landscape around the Middlebury area and to provide educational opportunities for people of all ages. To see what MALT is up to, check out their website for their programs, events, volunteer opportunities, and our personal favorite- the activity brochure for our youngest generation. Thanks Caleb!

 

What should the caption be for this picture ??

Our assistant club administrator, Rebecca, went to Ireland to visit family and came back without an appendix! To let him know that she was A-Ok after her surgery in Belfast, Rebecca sent a hearty thumbs up to Buzz, our club President. At this week's meeting, Buzz presented a gift to Rebecca to commemorate her experience. The canvas was passed around to the attendants of the meeting to be signed. 

 

If you have ever thought about joining Rotary, we hope this is a great incentive, besides the work we do for the community- you'll make great friends with an even greater sense of humor!

 

 

Special, SPECIAL thanks to Rick Marshall and Mike McAuliffe for generously letting the club use the Memorial Sports Center for our meeting this week, and to Executive Director Elise Shanbacker from Addison County Community Trust, who came to provide an update on ACCT's efforts to provide afforadable housing options in Addison County. 

 

The Middlebury Rotary club recognizes the important role that libraries play in our communities, and we decided to recognize one library in particular.

 

Through our Charity Assessment Committee, a grant has been awarded to the Salisbury Public Library. Below, our club member John presents the $500 check to Ruth, Director of the Salisbury Free Public Library. This grant will support the ever increasing use of their eBook, audiobook, and movie subscription services. 

 

Volunteers from the Vermont Old Cemetery Association and members of the MUHS football team helped club members erect fallen and broken tombstones.  Foundations were dug, stones were set in place and leveled, and shurpack was added to stabilize the stones.  Helmut, Buzz, and Paul worked on Deborah Buttolph's stone (she died in 1796).