With the rituals completed, among the thirteen Rotarians in attendance Sarah was first to rise to offer a Happy Dollar in recognition of her attending a performance at the Barre Opera House for the first time.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Brenda was next with an “Apology Dollar” for postponing our meeting with Interact at Spaulding. It will be rescheduled.  She also reported that the Speech Contest will take place on February 21^st. Brenda also encouraged us to support the school budget on Town Meeting Day, noting that the increase was only 1.04% and the cost per pupil is the lowest in the State. President Caroline asked her to talk about the Work Based Learning Program. To quote from the Program of Studies: “WBL creates opportunities for employers and schools to provide structured learning experiences to develop workplace readiness, technical skills and 21^st Century Skills. It is process that allows students to explore careers, connect with businesses, learn about functions of an organization, and understand the relevance of their education.” Brenda noted that this program now has sixty-six community partnerships.

 

President Caroline read an email from Sarah White indicating that she will be joining us next week and sends warmest wishes to the group.

 

Gary Hass of the Central Vermont Rotary Club invites us to attend their Annual Valentine’s Day Dinner on Friday, February 9^th.

 

President Caroline updated us regarding our collaborative effort on a tree planting project at the Berlin Elementary School. She read an email from Cindy Gauthier outlining action steps necessary before a proposed budget can be provided to us. Hopefully planting of the trees will take place on Arbor Day,

Friday, May 4^th.

 

Next week’s speaker will be Kirk White who will speak about acupuncture.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

President Caroline asked Elizabeth if she had a Treasurer’s Report. Elizabeth rose to report that there was nothing new in Barre Rotary Club’s financial picture, but that she, Karl and Joe had distributed dictionaries and atlases at the Washington Village School and she is waiting to hear from Orange and Websterville regarding a date for distribution.

 

 

 

Scott brought our attention to the unwrinkled bags of M&M’s on the tables and told us that he abandoned an old habit of buying M&M’s in favor of a new one. He encouraged us to develop new ways of recruiting new members instead of our current habits. (This is not exactly what he said, but I think I have captured the essence of his message.)

 

 

 

 

Karl asked about our newest member, Chandra Pollard. President Caroline, her sponsor, responded. She is a mortgage loan originator/officer at Union Bank. She has volunteered for a variety of school and community programs and has been active in the International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) Youth Exchange Program. She enjoys crafting and cooking. She joined Rotary because she wants to do good works. We look forward to learning more about Chandra when she gives her classification talk sometime in the next few weeks.

 

 

The next order of business was the induction of Sam Markewich. After a warm round of welcoming applause at the conclusion of the ceremony, he gave his classification talk. 

 

Sam began his talk recalling having meningitis as a child and fighting for his life. People went above and beyond in caring for him and treating him for this serious disease. He especially praised the work of the nurses and called them unsung heroes. From this experience he developed a deep sense of gratitude and this has remained a driving force throughout his entire life.  He grew up in Nyack, New York, was selling shoes door-to-door at age eleven and started playing drums in the fifth grade. He still plays the drums and composes music. He and his life partner, Tess, spent eighteen years in California with their son who still lives there. He was a practicing psychotherapist for thirteen years. He became a business coach because he “wanted a new challenge and help great people do great things and their communities to thrive.”  He was a business coach for six years and started a coaching business, Downtown Up, one year ago. Some of his clients have included: Delicate Decadence, CW Print & Design, Stone & Browning, GCB Lawnworks, and Fluidly Moving Body Works. The mission of Downtown Up is: “Business Coaching to Help Vermont Small Businesses and Downtowns Grow Strong and Stay Strong.” He went on to list its core values: “acting in our client’s best interest, service, results, community, follow-through, excellence, neighborliness, diligence, perseverance and fun.” He noted the pathways to higher revenues: in-town dollars; in-state dollars, out-of-state dollars; and tourism dollars. Delivered with emotion, humor and wit, Sam’s classification talk fit perfectly with George Milne’s often insightful refrain: “Some of best presentations at our meetings have been classification talks.” We are indeed fortunate to have Sam as a member of the Barre Rotary Club.