Jim Donovan presents Doug with the book The History of Belarus to be donated to the Carpenter Carse Library in Hinesburg.
www.newthing.net
Doug Brendel of New Thing.net – Guest Speaker today
Dan asked for a show of hands for members to join committees for membership, publicity and social events. Please assign a point person for each of these committees. He will send an email.
Rene Sanchez presented a revised budget for the CVSD. $105.8 to $101.8 million in reductions. The State of Vermont has implemented a recalculation in the funds allocated per district. The impact on some districts was more significant than others, including CVSD.
Diana introduced Doug Brendel, whom along with his wife Kristina, created New Thing.Net. Their mission is bringing food and goods into Belarus. Doug is also a humor writer and actor, he and his wife live in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Their work evolves around orphans in Belarus, where they built a shelter many years ago for the orphans of Belarus. Situated between Russia and Ekraine, they have experienced the direct result of providing for these orphans because now, all these years later, these children are involved in the after-school programs in their towns and are thriving as well as can be expected.
Why Belsarus? Chernobyl sits on the Belsarus border, during the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, this country absorbed 80% of the radiation. His wife Kristina, a photographer, visited Belarus after the Iron Curtain fell and fell in love with the people there. They decided to respond to the plight of these people.
New Thing.Net is a 501c3 registered in the United States but also under the country of the dictatorial Belarus. Every penny they raise goes directly to the organization because they are all volunteers in the U.S. If you are called to donate, Doug passed out one of his humor books as his calling card. And sign up for his photo report today and receive intermittent photo shoots of a country rarely seen by the world.
Jim presented the book “The History of Belarus”, by Simona Micalauskas which will be donated to the Carpenter Carse Library in Hinesburg in their name.