Greetings fellow Rotarians!  In what has become a fairly common occurrence, we started today’s meeting by inducting some new members.  If you haven’t done so already, please take the opportunity to welcome Don Imgram and Penny Klein as our newest members of the Club.  The first part of our program featured a talk from local Boy Scout, Brian Cookingham.  Brian recently helped renovate the teen center in the Village as part of his Eagle Scout project.  Thanks in part to donations from our Club and from local businesses, Brian was able to help construct new shelving and re-paint some of the rooms at the teen center.  We then heard from the  Public Relations Committee on the manner in which we are getting our Club’s message out to members and the public in general. Damon Clark took us on a virtual tour of our Club’s website and the many features it offers.  Damon pointed out that a great deal of useful information can be found on the website and Kristin Winer showed us all how we can pay for meals and dues through the website.  Pat Spielman then detailed our efforts to expand our presence on social media. As many of you aware, we already have a strong presence on Facebook.  It is our hope that our Club will also have spots on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter in the near future.  Thank you to Damon, Pat and Kristin for a very informative presentation!

 

 

 

            Although the weather might make you feel like it is time to hit the golf links, the Vermont Rotary All-Star Hockey Classic is just around the corner! This year’s event will feature both a women’s game and a men’s game that will be held on Saturday, March 25^th at the Essex Skating Facility. Not only is this our Club’s second largest fundraiser, but it is a great opportunity for several of the best high school hockey players in Vermont to showcase their skills in one last game. In addition to being attended by hundreds of people from across Vermont, the event is also covered in just about every weekly and daily newspaper in the state, so our Club also gets a great deal of publicity from these games. In addition to sponsors, we will need the help of several Rotarians on game day.  Please contact Jeff Cabanaw with any questions about the event itself, or if you are interested in serving on the Hockey Committee.

 

 

            The next opportunities to volunteer at the Heavenly Food Pantry will be on January 26^th, February 23^rd, and March 23rd.  Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder if you would like to sign up for shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  January 18, 2017 – World-class mountain bikers, Lea and Sabra Davison will be on hand to discuss their experiences in the sport and how they are giving back to the community through their mentoring program called Little Bellas. More information about their program can be found at their website:  http://littlebellas.com/about-little-bellas/

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at www.essexrotary.org   Be sure to also visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet