October 8, 2014 NewsletterBy John 
Hammer
Charlotte Shelburne Rotary
 
 
Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 7:15 a.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room
Welcome
President Richard Fox opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom followed with the invocation. Right after the invocation President Richard thanked all those who brought breakfast in the absence of Will, who is off on holiday.
Guests: Jim and Paula Spadaccini.  Jim is a former member and president of the club who now lives in Edmonds, OK
Gail Feitelberg – Wife of Sam Feitelberg
David Gladstone – A regular visitor from the Burlington Rotary Club
Upcoming:
October 9 – Board Meeting
October 15 – Committee Meetings – Meet the RYLA attendees. Discuss the Halloween Parade
October 24 – A Concert to End Polio. Friday, October 24 at 7PM. Pietro Tagliaferri, clarinet and Francesco Attesti, piano. St. Mike’s. See President Richard for tickets.
October 26 – The Shelburne Halloween Parade – Dave Rice is in charge and reported that everything is under control, “more or less.” There is a need for more clowns.
October 29 – Marianne Mullen, Business consultant.
November 7 – Car Raffle. Those who desire tickets let Ric know soon.
District 7850 Calendar: Hot Link http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Events/EventsCalendar.aspx?accountid=50051
Announcements
Car Raffle – Hold the date! November 7th at 6PM at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn. Ric Flood encouraged everyone to go out and solicit pumpkin raffle tickets from non-Rotarians rather than buy them themselves because newcomers from outside the club are more likely to want to return in coming years. We need new blood. Pumpkin Raffle tickets sell for $10 each and are accumulated until 28 are in the pot at which time one $275 Raffle ticket is drawn. Committee assignments will be made in coming weeks. Linda Barker encouraged those who garnered prizes in past years to start soliciting them and drop them by her office at the Citizen’s Bank. Members will be solicited to bake pies and/or cakes for the dessert table. One pumpkin raffle ticket was drawn today and John Hammer was the lucky winner.
Veterans’ Memorial –The memorial has now raised more than $85,000. Apologies for the incorrect amount shown last week. The Club received a thank you letter for the $500 that was sent recently to the memorial committee.
Hinesburg Shed Project - The Hinesburg Shed is nearing completion. Michael Clapp will be painting there during the next two days and all volunteers are welcome.
Shelburne Farmers’ Market – This Saturday will be the last Shelburne Farmers’ Market for the year.
Pierson Library Book Sale- Lara Keenan reported that the Shelburne Library Book Sale will be held this weekend at the Shelburne Town Offices gym.
Harbor Road Level Crossing Closure – Dave Jonah reported that the Harbor Road level crossing will be closed next week for the period October 15-17 (Wednesday Night through Friday Night).
Sergeant at Arms – Evan Webster presiding.
There was a large number of members paying a fine for happiness in seeing Jim and Paula Spadaccini with us.
Ric Flood – $5 for being happy to see the Spadaccinis.
Linda Barker – Has had a wonderful week with her granddaughter and looking forward to celebrating Columbus Day next Monday.
Terrill Titus – Went to husband, Steve’s 50th High School reunion – “it was a blast!” She is going to see a Make-a-Wish child meet Tom Brady tonight.
Jim Spadaccini - Very happy to be back. He related that he goes to the Edmond, OK Club, but that the Oklahoma City ‘29 Rotary’ Club is the largest in the world with 630 members. They meet on the 25th floor of the Petroleum Club. Their meal costs $25 and their membership dues are $1040 per year. He’s happy to be home.
Sam Feitleberg – Happy to have the cataract removed from his left eye.
David Gladstone – Gave $2.50 for seeing the Spadaccinis and $2.50 for the upcoming wedding of their (The Spads’) granddaughter Jessie.
Michael Clapp – Apologies for not having introduced Jim Donovan to Jim Spad.
Denny Bowen – Happy that they have invented lasers so he can have his left eye repaired.
John Dupee – Happy to pay in anticipation of going over to Hinesburg to watch Michael Clapp’s paint dry.
Russ Blodgett - His chickens are not laying, but he’s happy because his daughter has been promoted at Dealer.com and now is ‘Senior Digital Advisor for Major Markets,’ whatever that is.
Rick Benson – Wife is taking her final Registered Nurse exam.
President Richard – His wife is dragging him and the kids to the New York City Comecon. He’ll have to dress up.
Lara Keenan - Likes to dress up. Come to the book sale.
Chris Davis – CVU JV soccer is still undefeated.
Carole Obuchowski – Saw an unbelievable rainbow in the sky this morning on the way to the meeting and she was glad that Jim Spadaccini contributed so much to her husband, Joe’s, poker winnings last night.
Rosalyn Graham – Reported that the Makers Fair at Shelburne Farms last weekend was a rousing success. She was so happy to see that it was full of little kids.
Jim Donovan – Happy to be back from a short trip to Nanjing, China where he accompanied his wife on a business trip.
Kris Engstrom – Had a birthday last weekend and her daughter is closing on her first house today.
Dave Jonah – Happy that our Rotary dues are less than 1/10 those of the OKC Club’s dues.
Linda Gilbert – Happy to note that she has Oklahoma cousins and that she was born there.
Evan Webster – Has had a wonderful “hang-out” with a lot of friends from Boston.
Rick Benson won the draw and picked the Ace of Hearts to win the $48.00 pot.
Speaker. Mr. Gem Munro, Founder of Amarok Society, a not-for-profit

The Munro family, from Canada, decided that they needed to make a difference in the world and moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh to serve the poorest of the poor, in the worst slum in the world.  Millions of children tin the Dhaka slum have had no education. The unique approach that the Munros decided to take centered on the fact that education was the single best way to resolve the problems of these millions of children. They decided that building schools, educating teachers and helping the children to get to school was the answer. They do this by educating the mothers, who agree to teach all that they have learned to at least five children in their neighborhoods.
The naysayers suggested that they would not be successful because:
1. They were going to teach very ignorant women to be teachers – a bad idea first and foremost because they are Muslim women who are probably some of the least untutored persons in the world due to the societal restrictions placed upon them.
2. The slums are impenetrable with corruption, violence and a culture where Muslim husbands become enraged when their wives are being taught anything.
3. Muslim women could never learn.
The Munros learned early on that # 3 was not true, these women learned very quickly. They had to start teaching from ground zero as the women could neither count nor did they know their alphabet.
Seven months after entry into the program, they were literate, had arithmetic, were literate in English history and the English language, and social studies. They also learned conflict resolution, health, hygiene and birth control. They are taught to think.
The mothers often go out and teach more than five and the husbands often hang around outside the house to learn what is being taught. In this way, the women become a cooperative power in the slum.
Depression comes from stopping learning that leads to despair. Therefore, this program builds on the learning that dispels the depression and despair in the slum. It gives new direction in everyone’s lives. The process is transformative and the women set out to improve things.
Mr. Munro pointed out that Bangladesh is a moderate Moslem nation and it is important to help keep it that way with a raised educational level. Love and education cost a great deal less than countering the hate and hostility engendered by poverty.
More information can be found at the website: www.amaroksociety.org