Greetings fellow Rotarians!  We kicked things off by inducting a new member into the Club.  Incoming Essex Westford School District Superintendent, Beth Cobb was welcomed as our newest Essex Rotarian. Please take a few moments to introduce yourselves to Beth and make her feel welcome.  Our speakers today were Pamela Beidler and Mary Thon from the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  Alzheimer’s disease is just one of many forms of dementia that presently afflicts over 5 million people in our country, including close to 12,000 people in Vermont alone.  Pamela Beidler reported that two-thirds of individuals diagnosed with some form of dementia are women.  There are currently more people diagnosed with dementia than those diagnosed with breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, and yet funding for dementia research lags far behind that for other life-threatening diseases. For that reason, the Alzheimer’s Association is helping to lead the charge in funding efforts to combat dementia.  In addition to fundraising, this organization also provides valuable information resources for those who are affected by dementia.  Mary Thon concluded the talk by discussing the ways people can get involved with the fight against Alzheimer’s disease at the local level.  For more information about this organization and the programs they offer, please visit its website at:

 

 

            We are pleased to report that our Club has exceeded its goal of 50 Hole Sponsors for this year’s tournament! Thank you to all who solicited sponsors, especially those on the Golf Committee who tirelessly worked to secure so many of our sponsorships.  While we might be finished getting sponsors, our work is not done yet! We still have the tournament itself next week which will be a lot of fun!  We’re looking forward to seeing all of our members at the Links at Lang Farm next week!

 

 

            As many of you know, our Club has provided financial support to the new Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity project on Park Street in Essex Junction.  Habitat is seeking volunteers to help on the site, but slots are limited.  If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here: https://vermonthabitat.org/construction-volunteers/ 

 

 

            The annual Changeover Barbeque will be held at Maple Street Park on Wednesday, June 28^th starting at 6:00pm.  Like last year’s event, Rotarians and their family members are welcome to enjoy some good food and celebrate the peaceful transition of power from the outgoing Board of Directors to the new Board of Directors.  There is no charge for this event, however, the Club needs an accurate head count well in advance.  If you and your family members are planning to attend, please sign up on the sheet that is being circulated at meetings.

 

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  June 14, 2017 – The Essex Rotary Golf Tournament at the Links at Lang Farm.  Please note, we will not be holding our regularly scheduled meeting at The Essex that day.

 

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