Carrie called the meeting to order at 7:30.
Jim Donovan will be our speaker today with a classification talk.
The Burlington Sunrise Rotary club is dissolving. Between declining membership and the pandemic, the club is no longer sustainable. Of the many projects they have been involved in, Hope Lodge is one of interest, in the spirit of keeping their work going. Is this something our club could do? The Hope Lodge provides temporary housing for folks who are at the UVM Medical Center for treatment or have family there. On the lst Monday of the month, a meal is brought and served, eat with the guests and do clean up. The club chooses the meal and brings all the food with three volunteers per month. Eleven club members expressed interest: Carrie Fenn, Nancy Danforth, Linda Barker, Linda Gilbert, Amanda Vincent, Jessica Brumstead, Joan Lenes, Diana Vachon, Carole Obuchowski, Jon Lowell and Chris Davis.
Our Rotary International Foundation Fund giving is up to twenty four members!
Linda G spoke about the Hero’s Project committee’s decision to name an anonymous hero for January.
Nancy thanked the Toys for Kids volunteers: Bob Glover, Ric Flood, Denis Barton and Margaret Woodruff.
The coat drive wrapping up on December 30th.
Jim Donovan provided a classification talk sharing that his birthday is the 28th, it is a notable birthday! He was serious child but recalls enjoying plants more than animals. He soon learned to love plants and drawing while enjoying high school. Decided to become an architect, attending The School of Architecture, University of Detroit. After deciding he did not like his buildings, he was encouraged to go into landscape architect. He obtained a Master’s Degree in that field from The Department of Landscape Architect, University Illinois.
He met his wife Patricia, who was also a landscape architect. They married and bought land and built a house in Westport,CT where he was working. Eventually, after moving around a bit they landed in Charlotte, VT. They developed their one hundred and eighteen acre property over their years together.
Landscape architecture is the best career in the world! It takes into account plants, design, stewardship, environmental awareness, frame of mind and focus. Starting in St. Louis, they moved to Connecticut, where he worked for a small firm doing office and college complexes. On to Rye, NY and then Essex, VT with Lamoureaux & Dickinson. At Wilbur Smith he started working on bicycle and pedestrian planning & design. In 2008, he started his own company, Broadreach Planning & Design which closed in 2020.
Now retired, Jim is doing a lot of volunteer work related to his career.
The book “ Landscape Architecture: An Introduction” by Robert Holden was presented to The Charlotte Library in Jim’s name.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35.