Greetings fellow Rotarians!  We usually pride ourselves as being pretty hardy and resilient but every once in a while, Mother Nature shows us that she is still a force with which to be reckoned.  This was certainly the case yesterday as our meeting was canceled due to the record-setting amount of snow that bombarded our region over the span of 24 hours. 

 

 

            It is with great sadness that we report the passing of longtime Essex Rotarian, Philip Kolvoord. As many of you are aware, Phil had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for quite some time before succumbing to complications from that illness on the evening of March 11th.  In addition to his years of service in Rotary, Phil contributed mightily to a number of causes in our region.  Calling hours will be at Corbin and Palmer Funeral Home at 9 Pleasant Street in Essex Junction on Friday, March 24^th from 4:00 to 7:00pm.  A memorial service celebrating Phil’s life will be held at the First Congregational Church in Essex on Saturday, March 25^th at 1:00pm. 

 

 

            It is with great sadness that we also report the passing of longtime Rotarian, Gerry Crammond.  Gerry passed away on March 11^th.  As many of you remember, Gerry attended our 50^th Anniversary Celebration and shared many memories of our Club’s earliest days.  A memorial service was held for Gerry earlier this week at the Wilcox and Regan Funeral Home in Ticonderoga, New York.

 

 

            Just as a reminder, the Vermont Rotary All-Star Hockey Classic will be held on Saturday, March 25^th at the Essex Skating Facility. This is our Club’s second largest fundraiser, so we will need everyone to help by volunteering on game day and by providing donations to the concession stand.  We still need a number of baked goods for the concession stand. You may sign up to volunteer for shifts and concession donations online at:

 

 

 

            The next opportunities to volunteer at the Heavenly Food Pantry will be on March 23^rd and April 27th.  Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder if you would like to sign up for shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  March 22, 2017 – Our speaker will be Mme Thato Ratsebe from the Association of Africans Living in Vermont.

 

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 follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary , on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/essexvermontrotary/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essex_rotary

 

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet