• John B, Heather, Geoff: Budget Warning 
  • The proposed budget was approved by the board on July 11th and was brought to the club as a preview. The proposed budget will be voted on during the next club meeting.
  • Dues will be going up from $575 → $600 
  • Reasoning: we have been over budget for the past few years and prices of food has significantly increased over the past year. This increased dues will help level out the costs and cover cost of club operations/ RI Dues/ and breakfasts  
  • Club Account: 
    • Expenses - RI dues, ClubRunner, Quickbooks 
  • Club Service:
    • We act as a pass-thru for a few sponsors (Cabot and Vermont Gas) 
    • The CACO allocation was increased to reflect sponsorship dollars going to this effort
    • There was a split between sponsorship dollars going to flags and golf tournament as they are both benefits of being a sponsor
  • The goal will be to keep an eye on the budget on a quarterly basis 
• Eric - 100th Celebration
  • Eric will be chairing this committee and starting to look at ideas for the 100th in 2027
  • This is a great opportunity to give back to the community 
• Kati - Flood Disaster Drive 
  • Kati is reaching out to HOPE and other organizations to see if there is anything we can help with. More information to come
  • VT Community Foundation is raising funds 
    • https://vermontcf.org/our-impact/programs-and-funds/vt-flood-response/
  • UWAC and other United Ways are raising funds for their communities 
    • https://vermont211.org/
• Mike - Auction October 9th - October 22nd 
  • Mike passed around a sign up sheet to help gather donations and help volunteer with Admin support
• David - Cemetery Cleaning 
  • Thanked everyone who helped! 
• Jason L - The South “Town of Middlebury” Sign was damaged and Jason cleaned it and should be maintained by Rotary 
  • MALT - TAM project will take place on July 22nd from 8a-12p to build Kissing

John Barstow introduced Colleen Brown, recently retired Federal Bankruptcy Judge for VT and member of the UU Church. Colleen was a member of the Bread Loaf Zen Community. 

Colleen expressed gratitude for the opportunity to come talk to the group and thanked everyone for their work in the community. Colleen moved here from Rochester, NY area as she was appointed to the VT District as the Federal Judge for Bankruptcy. She was appointed by the Circuit Court for a 14 year term. This was merit based and Colleen was the 1st Female Federal Judge in VT! 

Colleen explained her job as very interesting, challenging, and rewarding. From an individual side of her work, Colleen was able to help people in financial distress to get a fresh start whether it was because of unemployment, divorce, insurance etc. From a business side, Colleen helped a lot of farmers that went bankrupt when they went from conventional farming to organic, and employers who were swindled by bad contracts. 

Colleen mentioned that VT has the highest number of successful cases in supporting individuals. Colleen has also worked with a lot of businesses to help make plans and support their financial situation. During the past years with the Recession, litigations, and pandemic - many businesses have been impacted. 

VT also has the lowest per capita bankruptcy numbers in the country. Colleen believes in giving everyone a fresh start and treating both the lenders and creditors with equality. In her Zen Buddhist practice approach, she does her best to come with an open mind about every situation and not have preconceived notions and judgment (which is hard for a judge). The 3 tenants of buddhist practice are 1) open-mindedness 2) baring witness without judgment and 3) allow action to arise (not trying to fix it). Colleen was there to listen and wanted to ensure that everyone left feeling heard and respected. 

Colleen also mentioned that she was a Rotary Exchange student and went to France! She stays in contact with her host family and their kids have traded off and now their grandchildren will trade off! It was a wonderful experience. 

Thank you, Colleen!