Newsletter for Meeting of April 30, 2014
April 30, 2014 Newsletter 
By John Hammer
Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
Wednesday, April 30, 2014, 7:15 a.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room
Welcome
President Dave opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the invocation.
Guests: Jim Donovan – Visitor (Speaker from last week)
Glenn Ruben – Member of Burlington Rotary Club. This is the first time he has visited Charlotte-Shelburne and he has never missed a Rotary Club meeting in 22 years.
Upcoming:
May 3 – Rebuilding Together working on a Senior citizens home in South Burlington. Interested should log on, on-line. (http://www.rebuildingtogetherburlington.org/)
May 7 – Dr. Marvin Malik of Vermont Physicians for National Health.
May 14 – Robin Turnau, President of Vermont Public Radio
May 28 and 30 – The Red Sox are holding Rotary nights. Special pricing of $55 for seats in the Right Wing Box. See President Dave for information.
Early June – Volunteer work in clearing at Charlotte Demeter Park and Shelburne Nature Path. Michael Clapp will be passing out lists in a week or so. Volunteer work in Hinesburg (TBD). The building is being designed.
June 6 – Bowlathon
June 11 – Essex Rotary Golf Championship
District 7850 Calendar: Hot Link http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Events/EventsCalendar.aspx?accountid=50051
Announcements
Potential New Member – The Club Bylaws require that potential new members be warned twice before they can be inducted into the club. In this case, this is the second notice for Mark Lund of Falls Road, Shelburne. Mark is a photographer and in advertising sales with Wind Ridge Publishing as an Account Executive. He is president of his neighborhood association and has been active in neighborhood beautification and security. He is a member of the Late Model Bug Organization, a VW bug camping and charitable organization. Roz Graham is his sponsor.
Rotary District 7850 Conference – The conference was a rousing success. PDG Marilyn Bedell sent an Email of thanks to the club. She and her husband, Ron, took over as hosts in the absence of District Governor Steve Dates, whose wife was in the hospital suffering from an appendix attack and colon surgery. PDG Marilyn’s comments pointed out that teamwork was one of those Rotary miracles and that RI President Rep, Sherry Muñoz, said of the conference, “The Rotary Club of Charlotte-Shelburne Rocks.” DG Steve thanked the Bedells and “T” Tall for their help. He also thanked everyone in the club for all that they had done.
Bowlathon – Ric asked for solicitation letter addresses. They will go out in 15 days. Sign ups for lanes begin next week. There are a number of banner spaces vacant. Anyone knowing of a prospect should see Tod Whitaker.
Charlotte Project – Michael Clapp distributed a list calling for 8-10 volunteers to work on repair of two bridges in the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. Work will consist of hauling lumber in and out as well as replacement of some bridge decking and posts. Prospective date is May 17th.
Spad’s Humor
A man was walking in the city when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby bum who asked him for a couple of dollars. The man took his wallet out and extracted two dollars. As he handed them over he asked, “If I give this to you, will you go out and buy whiskey?” To which the bum replied, “No, I stopped drinking years ago.” The man then asked, “Well then, will you use it to gamble?” “I don’t gamble, I use everything I get just to stay alive.” Finally the man asked if he would use the money to play golf and the bum replied that he didn’t play golf either.
The man then said, putting his money back into his wallet, “I’m not going to give you the money. Instead I’m going to bring you home tonight and have my wife give you a fantastic dinner.”
The bum was astounded and said,” Won’t your wife be furious with you for bringing a dirty, scroungy bum like me home?” The man said, “Yeah but I want my wife to see what a man looks like who has given up drinking, gambling and golf.”
Sergeant at Arms – Richard Fox went after those who had seen a dead animal along the route here today. A number of members saw road kill. Many were thankful for a wonderful conference and the great work that Dave Rice did in supporting its success. There were also a lot of good wishes for the recovery of Elaine Dates and Ann Rice.
Lara Keenan – Paid a dollar for having seen a picture of Richard Fox wearing the Make a Wish tiara and brandishing the magic wand. Furthermore, she actually saw him wearing it in person.
Bill Deming – For all the great prep work done to make the district conference a success.
Dave Rice – Thanks to all those members who worked so hard
Pat Sokolowski – Thanks for all the donations given to the Make a Wish Fairy.
Even Webster – Welcomed his friend Brett Sigurdson.
Steve Dates – Thanked everyone for his or her help at the district conference.
Kris Engstrom – Happy we have such good medical facilities here. Her eye is improving and she is looking forward to having the next one done.
Dave Jonah – He noted it was too dangerous to ride a bicycle in Shelburne without a helmet on. The first danger is the drivers of Shelburne and the second is the ease with which you are recognized and given corrective advice by members of our club who all say, “Dave you should be wearing your helmet.”
Linda Gilbert – Paid for the beautiful tulips that Kris Engstrom provided to the district conference as table centerpieces.
Richard Fox – Paid tribute to the district conference committee. He expected to see a scene of chaos and instead saw “organized organization.”
Glenn Rubin – For the fantastic show of Les Miserables that was presented at the Flynn over the past weeks. He claimed it the best ever with seven sold-out evenings.
Ric Flood – Sorry to have not seen the famous ‘Fox in Tiara’ picture and was equally impressed by Les Miserables.
Ric Flood’s ticket was drawn and he picked the Three of Diamonds for a rollover of the $47 pot.
Speaker – Brett Sigurdson, Editor of the Charlotte News.
Sigurdson made note of the fact that community newspapering was his passion. He followed a mentor at the Clark County, Wisconsin paper who likened a community to the sidewalk in Neillsville, WI. This sidewalk went alongside the road from the center of town out to the fairgrounds where everything happened. A continuing editorial column was about that sidewalk. The editor celebrated the sidewalk – he saw the sidewalk as a way to link the community. The idea of a simple sidewalk meaning more to a community that just a strip of concrete stuck with Sigurdson. It is a symbol of community newspapers. They celebrate the small incidents of life in the town. They hold a mirror up to the readers and tell them what’s great about “this place.” And maybe what’s not so great as well. That’s also important.
He was taken by the model of a not-for-profit newspaper like the Charlotte News. There’s no aim for revenue. No attempt to bolster the bottom line. It’s about sharing the good news about the community. It’s about covering the important meetings of the community’s organizations that people need to know about to live in a democracy.
Thee Charlotte News is written by Charlotters, for Charlotters, with support from Charlotters – financial and volunteers. The newspaper industry is changing. The only growing population who reads papers is the over 65’s. Younger persons depend on other sources of information: digital, web, and video. In the non-profit publications sector a survey done by Pew Research found that 85% of those editors and publishers see growth in their sector over the next five years. These are publications that receive grants and donations. They do receive advertising, but that’s not the whole thing.
The reason for this optimism is that there is no other place that will give the time and attention to the stories of our communities that they deserve. The Charlotte News is filled with news that people need to know. Charlotte is filled with stories about Charlotters that hold great appeal to their neighbors.
The Charlotte News also features columns and opinions. The columns covered in the Charlotte News are about the outdoors, farming and food, medicine and parenting. The Opinions page allows people to share their thoughts. People like to see their opinions in print. Newspaper opinion is more permanent and persons who write a letter to the editor are more likely to temper their remarks, unlike with the anonymity of the web where you see a lot of ‘flaming.’ When a comment is made in print, it keeps people honest.
The Charlotte News is more than a newspaper just as the sidewalk is more than a sidewalk; it’s a connection for the community. It’s something deeper, something bigger. It’s beyond the ups and downs of the marketplace and the news business. People still need their news.