If you're around the teen centre in Middlebury, stop by to check out the handy work done by some of our club members and our teen volunteers! Saturday proved to be a gorgeous day to construct some raised garden beds.
The Rotary Club of Middlebury, Vermont is a volunteer service organization whose members donate their time and resources to help others in the community and throughout the world. The club was chartered March 1, 1927.
Clubs members were joined by family members to honor veterans and active service personnel. Ben and Eric prepared the float, Rebecca gathered candy, Buzz brought flags to distribute, and Neil, Liam, and T rode the float, representing all the club members who have served in the armed forces.
It was a beautiful morning and we were all glad to be back after 2 years!
In the photo below are Buzz, Lyn, Helmut, and Maureen with and Eric in the driver's seat.
For more photos, see the photo album to your right (or, if you are looking at this on your cellphone, it's probably way down at the bottom - keep scrolling!).
Club members continued the annual effort to make Vermont look fresh and green. Bill, Judy, Rebecca, John B., Lyn, Rex, Buzz, and David were joined this year by four Middlebury College students hailing from Massachusetts, Guam, Maryland, and Los Angeles.
Artistic Director Doug Anderson spoke to the club about the Opera Company of Middlebury and its upcoming June production of Orpheus in the Underworld. Joining him before a screen view of OCM's Candide were Lisa Mitchell, ED of Town Hall Theater and President Buzz.
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!
John introduced Diana Herasim, a junior at Middlebury Union High School. Diana is an exchange student from Ukraine and she spoke about the devastation to her family and country since the February invasion by Russian military forces.
To read more, see this Addison Independent article
https://www.addisonindependent.com/2022/03/03/exchange-student-stands-up-for-ukraine/
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.
On 19 January we welcomed Laurie Patton, President of Middlebury College, to speak at our meeting. True to form, Laurie gave us a wonderful presentation about the college's response to the Covid Pandemic, and laid out the groundwork for expectations of excellence from the students. We are truly impressed with the elegance of Laurie's navigation through these strange times, and it was a delight to have her speak.
Next up, we welcomed Suzanne Johnson of Sailing Beyond Cancer, and safe to say that I don't think there were many dry eyes after her presentation! Sailing for Cancer is a non-profit organization, started after Suzanne's own diagnosis. With the help of volunteers, Sailing Beyond Cancer provides a 3-hour life changing experience out on the open waters of Lake Champlain for anyone of any age living with the disease. Please visit her website for more details, and if you know someone who could benefit from a sailing excursion to break free from the daily demands of cancer, you can nominate them here.
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!
...this is Rotary's motto. Ten days ago, the town of Mayfield, Kentucky (pop. 9,400) was destroyed by a tornado.
Please think for a second- What would happen if our small town of Middlebury (pop. 8,500) was completely wiped off the map ? Our places of work, our schools, our places of worship- gone. Homes and lives destroyed.
It's a horrific thought, isn't it ?
This is the reality that the folks of Mayfield are experiencing. We are asking you to please help us help them rebuild, and we challenge the residents of Middlebury, VT to help us reach a goal of $10,000- of which we will be matching. Please send your checks by the 31st of December to the Middlebury Rotary Club, P.O. Box 46, Middlebury, VT 05753.
"As long as you are standing, give a hand to those who have fallen".
(photo courtest of npr.org)
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.
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.
Today we were delighted to welcome our guest speaker Elise Brunelle from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Between now and 2023, the VSO is embarking on the exciting process of selecting its next music director. They will also be celebrating their 84th year of public concerts, and we encourage you to look at their calendar of upcoming events. What better way to spend the cold holiday season than warming up to some beautiful music ?
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.
The month of November brought a set of fantastic guest speakers to our Wednesday meetings.
First we have Caleb Kenna, a photographer and certified drone pilot from the Middlebury area. His work has appeared in a number of notorious magazines, such as National Geographic and the Smithsonian, as well as Vermont's own Seven Days. For more information and to see his breath taking photography, visit calebkenna.com
We also had Linda and Nancy from Neighbors Together talk to us about the tunnel project and its successful conclusion, as well as Jim, the liason between the town and the project. As a thank you for their hard work, the club presented them with a custom gift from Maple Landmark Woodcraft.
Club members gathered for dinner at the Middlebury Inn for the annual recognition of Rotary’s Foundation and celebration of inductees into the Paul Harris Society.
Joining us were District Governor Mike Carrier and past DGs Jamie Milne, Louisa Tripp, and our own T and Eric. Club Foundation chair Eric hosted the presentations.
Six Paul Harris memberships were awarded. They were presented to Robert Thomas Brooks (Bill's brother), Steve, Max, Kevin, Neil, and Paul.
For additional photos, see the album to your right on this page.
Our thanks to everyone who bid on items. We had a terrific range of tempting items. Once the financial results are calculated, we'll post what we raised.
This spring, we'll divide the funds among the terrific non-profit groups that are working to make life better for all of us right here in Addison County.
Hands to Honduras dedicated the Kinder Maggie Quinn October 2, 2021, named in honor of former Middlebury Rotarian Maggie Quinn. This new kindergarten was constructed in the very poor community of Tesorito in Trujillo. According to Tom Plumb, the construction received enthusiastic support of the community.
This club has supported Hands to Honduras, initiated by Tom Plumb, with a financial gift each year and, in the past, with active volunteers.
Former Rotary President Maureen and Rotary member Jason pose with Sarah, a guidance counselor from MUHS and Nyna, a MUHS student. Nyna was one of our elected attendees for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, held over zoom this past June. She visited our club at the last meeting and spoke about her experience at this year's RYLA program. Thank you Nyna!!
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).
The Club honored three community leaders for their outstanding work this past year under the pandemic. Receiving the Buster Brush Community Service Award for 2021 were (left to right)
Deborah Wesley, CEO, Addison County Home Health & Hospice, Heidi Sulis, ED, Open Door Clinic, and Liza Eddy, Manager, Operations at Porter Medical Center. Presenting the awards were Maureen and T.
Congratulations to each of you.
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Our motto is "Service Above Self"
Middlebury, VT 05753
United States of America