Meeting/Event Schedule
No meeting next week 03/29/23, next meeting 04/5/23 at Rosie's
Presiding: Spence Putnam
Minutes of 03/23/23
Guests: Kati Larocque
Emily Joselson
Our speaker, Justice Elijah
We all welcomed the guests.
Jason S. started off by offering 2 one day tickets to Sugarbush that can be used until the end of the season. Spence started the biding at $50. and it went up to $100. that Jason Larocque offered. The proceeds will go to Rotary's Foundation.
Announcements:
Spring Assembly is April 1st at Lyndon Campus, Eric and Jason are attending and if anyone is interested, they can talk to them or sign up on line.
District Conference is April 28-30 at Jay Peak, with themes of Storytelling and Youth.
The Sixth Annual Gala Dinner is set for June 2 at the Middlebury Inn and the speaker will be Amila Merdzanovic, Field Officer Director for United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
Kati Larocque, who is sponsored by Jason Larocque (her father), was inducted into our Club by Spence. We all welcomed her!
Fines:
- Both Eric and Rebecca for being late
- Rebecca also was fined for her interesting article in the Addison Independent this past week with great pictures of her along with her grandmother whose dress she will be wearing for her wedding.
- Veronica was fined for also being in the Addison for her detailed article about the Community Kitchen is trying to start up.
Happy Dollars:
- Alex was happy for his sailing trip
- Spence happy for Kati being the 6th person and 4th woman that has been inducted this year.
- Nancy went to the senior play that was great and especially happy for the penguin's one being Jason's son who was the tallest and Narges Anzali, the contestant from our Club who was the shortest.
- Gary gave five dollars for the first day of Ramadan, Muslims Holy Month of Fasting.
- Liz gave five dollars for her trip to Mass. where she visited family and got together with fellow Rotarians.
- Jason S. happy for attending PET's and met the incoming President
- Eric, happy for Kati being inducted and great to have a father/daughter team.
- He is attending a visiting session in Lebanon tonight.
- Rebecca, happy for Kati being inducted, nice to have another woman and a young one!
- David, happy he made it our meeting this morning with all green lights.
- John, happy for Justice, our speaker. and for PET's with a thank you for those who helped organize it.
Guest Speaker - Justice Elijah, Social and Racial Justice Advocate and Consultant.
John introduced Emily Joselson, who introduced our speaker.
Justice grew up in Bainbridge, GA, graduated from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA with a BA in History. She credits her Mother for where she is today. Her mother was a single Mother who brought her up along with two sisters by herself in the projects. They didn't have much but she instilled the importance of an education. She also remembers her words "Buildings don't talk, people do". She took a job out of college as an Assistant Property Manager but found it boring. She wanted something with a purpose and explored different options.
She wanted to build a boarding school for at risk youth. She reconnected with AmeriCorps and received a call from the Teen Center in Middlebury, Vermont. She appreciated their concern that she fully aware of the struggles she would encounter here so she made the move. She has definitely has experienced uncomfortable situations but these fuel her fire for change.
She has since created Spreading Justice, LLC where she educates and informs folx on social and racial injustice. She currently meets with a group of about 20 at MUHS, at the BIPOC Affinity Space at the school. She has found the administration has been very open to this.
She sees opportunities to expand Spreading Justice, LLC to include more workshops and to collaborate with more businesses.
No Cow Tag winner
Minutes submitted by Judy Brown
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