Greetings fellow Rotarians! Today’s speaker was Lt. Dominic Nicoll from the Salvation Army.  Lt. Nicoll described the Salvation Army as a Christian organization that focuses on assisting those in need. It was first formed in England in 1865 and has since expanded its presence into 130 different countries. He explained that while the overall message of the Salvation Army is the same across the world, it operates a bit differently in each country.  For example, the holiday kettle drive is something that is unique to the United States whereas in Great Britain, the Salvation Army is best known for its bands that perform in public squares. Lt. Nicoll then discussed the role his group plays in our community. In addition to providing food and shelter, the Salvation Army of Greater Burlington sponsors a teen night that gives teenagers a safe place to meet and spend time.  He indicated that some of his goals for this area include re-opening the Salvation Army store and expanding the organization’s presence further into Chittenden County. For more information about this organization, please visit its website at: https://nne.salvationarmy.org/gtburlington

 

            Rotary District 5500 based in Arizona is once again sponsoring the Rotary International Ride to End Polio. Since its inception, this event has raised $47 million towards Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio. This year’s ride will be held on Saturday, November 17^th.  To help support this cause, the Rotary Club of Tucson is selling special bike jerseys.  The deadline for ordering these jerseys is May 9^th.  You may either order them yourselves through the following website: http://ridetoendpolio.org/ or you can get your money to Pat Spielman along with your preferred size and style and she will put your orders in for you.  On a related note, Bike to Work Week will on the week of May 14^th.  Our Club usually has a “Bike to Rotary Day” on the Wednesday of that week. Several Rotarians take part in this event while wearing their Rotary jerseys.  With that in mind, you will want to get your orders for jerseys in today!

 

            Spring has finally arrived, which should be getting everyone in the right frame of mind for our Golf Tournament! By now, you all should have seen the list of potential sponsors that members need to contact.  It is important that we get as many hole and cart sponsors as possible, so if you haven’t done so already, please contact your assigned sponsors.  If you have any questions on which sponsors need to be contacted, or if you have any thoughts on potential sponsors who are not on the list, please contact sponsor coordinator, Lois Parmelee or committee chair, Dave Johnson. We will also be looking for Rotarians to serve as volunteers at the actual event.  A sign-up sheet for volunteer spots will be circulated soon.

 

 

            The next opportunities to cover shifts at the Food Shelf will be on Monday, May 14^th from 5:30 to 7:30; Thursday, May 24^th from 3:30 to 6:30; Monday, June 11^th from 5:30 to 7:30; and Thursday, June 21^st from 3:30 to 6:30. Please let Sharon Dettenrieder know if you are able to fill any of these shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  Wednesday, May 9, 2018 – Our speakers will be Eric Koval and Peter Edelmann who will discuss the transformation of the Essex Cinemas into a performing arts center.

 

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