November 6, 2013 Newsletter

By John Hammer

Charlotte Shelburne Rotary

Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 7:15 a.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church Community Room

Welcome

President Dave Jonah opened the meeting with the Pledge. Kris Engstrom gave the invocation.

Guests: Cathy, LaClair - Member of the Colchester-Milton Rotary Club

              Doris Sage – Past member of Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary Club and speaker

 

Quote of the Day: The earlier the challenge (of brain disease) is dealt with, the better it is for everyone.” Spoken by our speaker, Doris Sage.

 

Word for the Day: Look for the * and definition at end.

Upcoming:

November 13 – Club Assembly

November 14 – Board of Directors’ Meeting

November 20 – Jim Brannigan of BSA Troop 602 on their trip to Normandy

November 27 – Happy Thanksgiving, No Meeting

December 4 – Paula Routly – Publisher 7 Days Newspaper

April 25-27 – 7850 District Conference, Hilton Hotel, Burlington

District 7850 Calendar: Hot Link http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Events/EventsCalendar.aspx?accountid=50051

Announcements

Colchester-Milton Rotary Club Auction

Cathy LaClair, daughter–in-law of member Chuck LaClair, invited all members to their club’s auction on Saturday, November 16 at 6PM at the Hampton Inn in Colchester. There will be light refreshments and beverages available. It is a reinvented auction from what they have traditionally done in the spring when the auction was associated with the Colchester Winter Carnival. They will have 200 items on offer from $25-$50 all the way up to vacation deals and a grand prize of a Jet Blue flight for two anywhere in the Continental US. They need to build an audience because of the new format and so are asking all Rotary Clubs for support.

Car Raffle

Ric Flood was happy to see the Car Raffle over. He thanks Fritz for all the work he did in setting up the support by filling the volunteers list. Ric predicts that we will net between $8-10,000. It was a night of heavy competition with sports teams in town, so attendance was less than normal, but $1,700 in raffle tickets were sold on the floor and at the entrance table. Well done all.

Ric and Robert Maynes were singled out from the floor for their consistently great job in setting up the basics for the affair and running the ticket program which is the heart of the whole shooting match.

Shelburne Players

Linda Gilbert announced the Shelburne Players’ production for this year as Neil Simon’s Chapter Two. It will be performed between 8-16 November in the Shelburne Town Office Gym. Tickets are $12 and $15.

Shelburne Business and Professionals Association (SBPA) Mixer

The SBPA will hold a mixer in the Shelburne Green Complex at 5:30 next Wednesday, November 11.  All are invited.

Volunteer Report

Michael Clapp will need several people to help finishing the siding and tops of some bins at the Charlotte Central School’s new composting building. There are about 4-5 hours of work yet to do for completion. Work will be done this coming Saturday.

There will be the need for a few extra hours of work chipping the wood and underbrush that was cleared from the Shelburne Nature Trail. That will be scheduled later when a wood chipper can be found.

Future projects: Next spring a garden shed at the Hinesburg School, work at the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge (bridges/benches/signage), and a Pancake Breakfast at the Shelburne Central School in support of the Wind Ensemble (late January).

Spad’s Humor

Sister Mary Ann, a regular visitor to the homebound, ran out of gas. Fortunately, it was not too far from a Texaco station, so she set off for the station to get a can. Unfortunately, they had no spare cans. Scratching her head, she went back to her car and rummaged around in the trunk. There she found only a bedpan that would carry the gas, so she hoofed back to the station and filled it with gas.  It was a job getting it back to the car un-spilled, but she made it and she fashioned a funnel out of some cardboard. As she was filling the tank she was observed by two Baptists. One turned to the other and said, “Jake, if that car starts, I’m turning Catholic.”

Thanksgiving Turkey Program

Speaking of Jim Spadaccini, who ran the turkey program for so many years, President Dave reported that George and Linda Schiavonne would take over the program with the help of Tod Whitaker and Linda Gilbert.

Sergeant at Arms – Richard Fox fined anyone who got into the last thirty balls during the car raffle. His was the first ball called. He didn’t mention that he got $100 for being first drawn.

Kris Engstrom – Happy to sit next to Richard’s daughter, Josephine, during the Car Raffle.

Dave Jonah – Off tomorrow to Indiana to visit with his son at college.

Linda Gilbert – Loved the red color of the flowers that Kris Engstrom provided for the Car Raffle. They were beautiful bouquets. She also praised Bill Deming effusively* for his exceptionally fine serviette folding at the Car Raffle.

Dennis Webster – Paid a $1 to bring to our attention the terrible problems of bullying, particularly now that the incident among the players of the Miami Dolphins has revealed that there is also adult bullying. It is a serious societal problem.

John Hammer – Saw the movie Captain Phillips yesterday and got a good Navy kick out of all the at sea scenes.

Roz Graham – (She remembered!) After seeing Captain Phillips and being someone who didn’t like being in the middle of the sea, it confirmed that she didn’t want to be a sea captain. “It’s probably too late anyway.” Shared what Denny Bowen said to her during the Car Raffle. She asked him if he was looking forward to winning the car. He replied, “I’d rather be surprised than disappointed.” She has been thinking all week that that is such a good philosophy.

Fritz Horton – If he missed any acknowledgement, it’s brainless. Apologies. Thank you everyone for all your work.

Doris Sage – Good to be back.

Carol Obuchowski – For coming in 92 and she proposed that in future, every Rotarian who makes it to the top ten gets a prize. (She had Ball #92). That’s only because she didn’t get a prize.

Cathy LaClair – Happy to be here and thanks for a wonderful time at the Car Raffle.

Chuck LaClair – It’s good to be back.

Denny Bowen – Very happy at the Car Raffle. His expectations were met – he didn’t win the car.

Bill Deming – Very happy to have had an hour’s lesson in folding serviettes from Linda Gilbert, and learning about knife blade directional placement, and dessert forks, and, and, and,…

Terry Kennaugh – Glad to be back. Sorry to have missed the Car Raffle.

Richard Fox – Suggested that for those who want NASCAR pit crew training, they should get hold of a seven-month-old baby who is on amoxicillin and is using diapers.

Howard Seaver – If Roz has any angst after seeing Captain Phillips, she should go see Last in Vegas which Howard saw last weekend.

Ric Flood – Glad the Car Raffle is over. He and Teena are going to Boston this weekend to help daughter, Megan, celebrate her 30th birthday with a small party of 68 friends at an exclusive restaurant. Going to be a costly exercise of some magnitude.

Bob Sanders – Thanks to Denny for rescuing his wife, Martha, while Bob was parking cars, and to Will who gave him 1½ # of Prime Rib.

John Beal – Boat came out of the water yesterday. Kids took him to the Adirondacks for a hike on his birthday, and surprise, they ended up in the Bell Center, Montreal to watch a hockey game. What a hike!?!

Ric Flood – Will came over to pay off his side bet and said what he had learned is never to make a side bet with the guy (Ric) who was pulling the balls out of the board.

Alan Hathaway – Gone for the month of October and happy to be back.

Bill Deming’s number was called and he drew the Two of Spades.  Roll over the pot of $236.

ImageSpeaker – Doris Sage, Founder of N-Stigma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doris has been a middle school teacher in Shelburne Middle School for many years and many members may have had her as their or their children’s teacher in Language Arts. She has founded an organization named N-Stigma, whose role it is to end the stigma associated with mental illness. She prefers to call it brain disease because it describes the condition but doesn’t engender the same stigma as the more popular term, mental illness.

She began her presentation with getting the club to stand and do the “hokey Pokey.” Her goal was to expose us all to the facts that we have 100 billion neurons in our brains connected by 100 trillion synapses. When we move our hands in the Hokey Pokey, the brain sends the signal down to the arm and the signals return back up the arm to the brain and all that happens within a nano-second. It all worked. Our bodies and minds are magnificent instruments of incredible power. But we are also vulnerable.

She likes to say that brain disease is like a beautiful pink elephant. If you talk about one being in the room, everyone becomes uncomfortable even though you know it exists. It’s the same with brain disease, not a topic everyone wants to talk about. It’s something we all must deal with. It has been swept under the carpet for decades and keeps us all in denial. “The earlier the challenge is dealt with, the better it is for everyone.”

One in four has some form of brain disease; some more critical than others. Among the diseases that are associated with brain disease are: Epilepsy, substance abuse, autism, schizophrenia, psychosis, bi-polar disorder and many others. Half of the cases begin before a person reaches 14 years of age. Doris named a whole list of notable persons in history who have suffered from some form of brain disease or another. Some of them were:

Winston Churchill – Depression and probably bipolar disorder.

Vincent Van Gogh – Bipolar and epilepsy

Sir Isaac Newton – Asperger’s Syndrome

Albert Einstein – Asperger’s Syndrome

Tom Harrell – Jazz composer and artist – schizophrenic

Michelangelo - schizophrenic

It’s important to give as much respect to those with brain disease because we never always know what is affecting the lives of those around us.  Too often there are not enough beds in the hospitals to take in all the persons with brain disease and they are very often incarcerated until the beds come open. There are three times more brain disease patients in jails than there are in hospitals.  They should expect better treatment, after all, they just have a disease, just like any other.

How can we help when we are confronting a person with brain disease?

·      Speak at a normal pace

·      Give them time to absorb what is being said.

·      Simplify your language.

·      Stay gentle and non-judgmental to what they are doing.

·      Don’t speak about brain disease or any diagnosis – the reality is that they often  understand that something is wrong and to point it out only generates more fear in their minds. Listen but don’t disagree.

·      Find assistance.

These simple rules should also be taught to police as they often have to deal with these persons in the public space. Often police respond with force, not recognizing the true nature of the person’s problem.

N-Stigma is attempting to raise awareness and respect for those with brain disease. It is a goal to increase the number of beds available for those with brain diseases in the hospitals and to provide police training in handling and defusing situations where persons are having psychotic episodes.

Tax-deductible checks can be made to the Howard Center, but please forward them through N-Stigma, PO Box 653, Shelburne, VT 05483 so Doris can keep track of her goals.

 

Definition – Effusively, adv. – In an unrestrained or excessively emotional manner; gushy: