Meeting of January 20, 2016

January 20, 2016  sunny 18F.

 

Welcome Bell by President Trafton at 7:30 am followed by the pledge and Chris Engstrom with a beautiful thank you for the great things about the winter season prayer.

 

2^nd bell at 7:47

 

No special guests were introduced.

 

Upcoming events:

 

Parking help needed this Saturday at Shelburne Farms from 1-2:30 for the Winter Festival.  Call Judy or show up if you are available.

 

Jan 21: Club Board meeting

Jan 27  Erin Alamed & Kylie DeGroot – Humane Society

Feb 3   Rotary Speech Contest participants

Feb 10   Committee Meetings

 

Business:

 

Carol reported that the Club had raised $2,190 plus a match of $850, or $3,040 for the Rotary Foundation.

She also reported that the District had $25K available to fund Club grant proposals and Linda Gilbert was preparing a grant proposal for $4,000 for the Hands to Honduras project.

 

Announcements: 

 

Alan reported that the $10 Super Bowl “grid” was filled and he has spaces available in a $5.00 grid.

 

Steve Dates reported that the “quiet” phase of soliciting donations up to $1 Million for the Rotary District Foundation Fund drive that was started 7 years ago has already passed the $1.3M mark. Steve is hopeful that when the Fund drive goes into the public portion that they will reach $2M.

 

Sargent at Arms Evan Webster:

 

$42 in the pot

All members present were very Happy today with the highlights …

 

Happy for…         snow

                              Ski days

                              Grandchild due soon

                              Alan’s sports pools

                              The Patriots

                              Other Rotarians supporting Gary Marcott’s business

                              The Great Club it is

                              Being at the meeting

                              Club members stepping up to do community service like parking at events

                              A Florida trip

 

Bill Root did not draw the Joker, a rollover.

 

Alan Bates was the speaker and he delivered a wonderful life to date story with the following highlights…

 

Born in Ohio, raised in Cleveland area.  Grew up sailing on Lake Erie, he still sails and is available as a crew member if needed.

 

Attended UVM graduating in 1981 with a degree in Economics.

Returned to Cleveland for a few starter jobs including a bank teller (he was never robbed in this job).  Hired by Union Carbide and moved to Bennington, VT where he worked and met his wife Elizabeth.  They were married in 1994, he attended business school at Cornell.  He took a job with Met Life managing the companies commercial real estate, moved to Washington D.C. and then Kansas City.  The Met Life job brought the family back to Connecticut where he and Elizabeth raised their three daughters.   He was a member of the Westport CT Rotary Club where he saw how effective and fun football pools could be for a club.  With their daughters in or out of college he and Elizabeth moved to Charlotte last year. They have family in the area and love being back in VT.

 

Alan was presented with a book on Energy that will be donated in his name to the Hinesburg Library.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 am.