MEETING AT THE LEGION

Posted by Karl A. Rinker on Jun 20, 2018
Today 14 Rotarians, one prospective Rotarian and our speaker sat down for lunch at our new meeting place, The American Legion on North Main Street.
Tom was fined 1 & 9 for eating before the bell was rung. Caroline was fined 1 & 9 for bumping Tom & his food.
Secretary Susan introduced our guest and prospective new member Lauren Polk. Lauren is the acting director at the Aldrich Public Library as Sara Costa has moved out of the area.
She also went over the workers for the July 28 breakfast. Please contact Susan if you have not signed up yet to work.
 
 
 
 
President Liane in her new role as our president told us about an email she received from our District Governor, Eris Denu.
To read the email and the letter please click "read more" below:
 
 
In other news, Caroline advised that 83, $50.00 raffle tickets for the mural wall have been sold so far. The drawing will be at The Barre City Council June 26, 2018 by Mayor Lucas Herring. Please contact Caroline if you would like to buy a ticket or can sell some.
 
Liane also mention that our Steak cookout will be held at Karl's house August 1st. at 5:30.
 
Next Liane introduced our speaker John Thomas development assistant at The Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually impaired in South Burlington. He can be reached at 800.639.5861 or by email at JThomas@vabvi.org.
John gave his presentation on our new TV that has been mounted to the wall in the Legion.
To see his presentation please click "read more" below:
 
The mountains are calling and I must go. Have a good Rotary week.
Karl
Hi team,
I have one last duty for you to preform as Club President. Our district has submitted a resolution to the Council of Resolutions at RI. This is where our organization makes changes to it's "rules" , for example changing attendance requirements etc. Our district has long supported the Early -Act program. Which is basically bringing the ideals or Rotary to our elementary kids. Like Interact does at the High School level. PDG Jay submitted this resolution last year as well, and it narrowly got defeated. We are trying again and we made some slight changes which we hopes help it get approved. Approval will mean some funding plus recognition for our youth and give it legs to spread through out our Rotary world.
 
I have attached the resolution that we purpose to submit but we need to vote on this as a district for support before we submit. As, president of you club please submit your vote to me by June 25th. We will need a few days to get this in by the June 30th deadline.
 
You are voting on behalf of your clubs members.
 
If you have any questions or concerns please, reach out to me or Jay Polimeno.
 
Thank you for your help,
Eric
 
Eric Denu
District Governor 2017-18

Middlebury Rotary Club
1367 Hemenway Road
Bridport, Vermont 05734
(802) 758-2557
 
This is the letter that the club voted to sign to be sent to Rotary International:
2018 Council on Resolutions
Proposed Resolution
By Rotary District 7850
WHEREAS, Rotary International sanctions youth centric organizations such as
RYLA, Youth Exchange, Speech Contest, Interact, and Rotaract in order to teach
the values of Rotary and the introduction of the Four Way Test to young people,
and
WHEREAS, Rotary International recognizes Youth Service as a Fifth Avenue of
Service, focusing on and supporting Rotary activities which support the
development of young people, and
WHEREAS, there is a need to promote these same values to young people at an
earlier age than Rotary International sanctioned entities currently serve, and
Rotary districts understanding this need have created non-Rotary International
sanctioned clubs for students aged 6 to 12, have identified them as EarlyAct
Clubs, and
WHEREAS, EarlyAct Clubs serve their schools, local communities, and promote
international goodwill with the support of their sponsoring Rotary Club, schools,
and communities, and
WHEREAS, EarlyAct clubs are mentored by Interact Clubs, creating a succession
plan to promote and support the transition from elementary school to middle
school to high school, and
WHEREAS, EarlyAct Clubs, already supported by their districts, need to be
recognized and supported by Rotary International, in order to encourage
community service, promote Service Above Self, and teach the values identified
by the Four Way Test to young people aged 6-12 to ensure the sustainability of
Rotary International.
IT IS RESOLVED by Rotary International that the Board of Directors of Rotary
International consider the official acceptance and sanctioning of EarlyAct Clubs.
Proposal to Rotary International
Rotary International and member clubs have the responsibility to ensure their
sustainability by engaging, maintaining, and growing membership. Towards that end,
the Rotary Club of Lincoln Woodstock, New Hampshire makes the following proposal:
Our proposal is predicated on the importance of Sustainability in Rotary. Sustainability,
defined for this proposal to be synonymous with “Growing Rotarians”, is what Rotary
needs to ensure that once we, as living, active Rotarians are no longer able to fulfill our
service commitments, that we have a multi-generational succession plan in place so that
Rotary may continue to do good things worldwide, forever.
Rotary International has created the basis for this succession plan via Youth Service, the
Fifth Avenue of Service, by sanctioning Interact Clubs for students aged 12 to 18, and
Rotaract Clubs for young people aged 18 to 30. Additionally, Rotary sponsored
initiatives such as RYLA, Youth Exchange, and Speech Contest have also served this area
of focus. Ideally, Speech Contestants become Interactors, who become RYLArians, who
become Youth Exchange participants, who become Rotaractors. Each entity provides
support for the other, with all entities ultimately supported by Rotarians, and all
participants hopefully becoming Rotarians.
There is a critical piece to this succession plan which is missing, however; which is the
basis for our proposal. In order to indoctrinate the values of Rotary into young people
as early as possible, we propose that Rotary International sanctions the existence of a
community service club consisting of elementary school members, aged 6 to 12. Many
districts, ours included, have created these clubs and named them EarlyAct Clubs. This
is the missing Sustainability piece of the equation for “growing Rotarians” that will
ensure that Rotary continues Making a Difference and Being The Inspiration forever.
Adopted By:
The Lincoln-Woodstock Rotary Club
April 18, 2018
TODAY'S PROGRAM
 
VABVI and iOS Training for Seniors
 
2018
About VABVI
  • Founded in 1926
  • Our mission is to enable Vermonters whether blind or visually impaired, to be more independent, to cultivate adaptive skills and to improve their quality of life.
VABVI’s Impact
  • VABVI is the only Vermont non-profit to offer rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired children and adults;
  • without charge to the client,
  • in each of Vermont's 14 counties, and
  • 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to our client services.
 
Increasing Community Need
  • The number of clients we serve increased by 65% over the last 12 years.
  • In 2017, we served over 1,250 adults, 350 children.
  • 13,000 Vermonters are currently blind or visually impaired, will reach 25,000 by 2030.
  • By 2020 we will be serving at least 1,550 adult clients.
VABVI Children’s Services (0-22)
VABVI served 350 child clients in FY2017.
-Direct services
-Consultations
-Assessments
-Hands-on training for children, teaching skills that are unique      to children with visual impairments, as defined in the Expanded Core Curriculum .
Other Children’s Services include:
  • IRLE (Intensive Residential Life Experiences) Camp  
Helping Adolescents Prepare for Independence (HAPI) Program
Adult Services (55+)
  • Low-vision screenings,
  • Orientation and mobility training,
  • Assistance in adapting the home low-vision requirements,
  • Training in and procurement of various low vision aids and appliances.
  • PALS (Peer Assisted Learning and Support) Groups
Adult Services
  • Seniors with a visual impairment are 15 times more likely to be moved into an assisted living facility if they don’t receive timely rehabilitation services.
  • 20% of VABVI clients concerned that they might have to leave their current living situation.
  • Upon completing services 98% are confident in their ability to live independent fulfilling lives.
Adult Services Results
 
  • Services for just over $850 per client annually compared to the average cost of an assisted living facility ($70,000 annually).
  • A cost effective alternative to the traditional assisted living solution, savings for the individuals and the State of Vermont, improvement in quality of life and emotional well-being.
 
Social Isolation/VABVI Services
  • Helen Keller first raised awareness of the isolation imposed by blindness and visual impairment in early 1920s.
  • Recently, AARP found that about 17 % of older Americans are lonely and or isolated; social isolation resulted in a 50 percent increase in premature death and is associated with: increased blood pressure, higher cholesterol levels, depression, decreases in cognitive abilities.
  • VABVI offers a social connection and support to isolated clients through programs like PALS and iOS Training.
PALS Groups
  • Peer Assisted Learning and Support Groups:
    • Teaching effective Orientation and Mobility skills
    • Educate clients on coping with vision loss and how everyday tasks can be modified and handled
    • Encourage clients to try new aids and appliances
    • Minimize feelings of isolation and depression that are often associated with vision loss
    • Provide opportunities to be involved in the community by participating in activities and outings
New Program - iOS Training for Seniors
  • iOS Training pilot program for adult clients (age 55 and older) began January 1, 2018.
  • Expected to serve approximately 200 clients in its first year.
  • Increasing demand for more extensive technology training, especially on smartphone and tablet technology. 
  • Program will give our clients equal access to information and communication as their sighted peers.
Why iOS Training?
  • A recent study by Harris Interactive found that on average adults with disabilities spend twice as much time online as adults without disabilities.
  • Adults with disabilities are much more likely to report that the Internet has significantly improved the quality of their lives.
  • This is particularly true for the blind and visually impaired because of the nature of their disabilities.
Practical Applications of iOS Training
  • VABVI will provide one-on-one instruction to each client to meet their unique technological needs.
  • We will provide periodic support to keep up with any technological changes.
  • Assistive devices included in this training:
    • screen print enlargers
    • speech and Braille input and output devices
    • smartphones and tablet technology
Make A Difference in the Lives of Vermonters with Vision Loss
  • Consider supporting our new iOS Training Program.
  • For every $2 you donate an anonymous  Vermont Foundation will generously donate $1 up to $20,000 through June 2018.
  • We hope that you will consider supporting this valuable new iOS Training program.
Volunteer Opportunities
  • Volunteer Driver: Transport individuals to and from appointments. Drivers will receive mileage reimbursement for the use of their own vehicle.
  • Shopping Assistant: Assist individuals within stores (usually for groceries).
  • Reader/Clerical Helper: Read mail and other printed material, fill out forms, assist with bills and help with correspondence.
  • Office Support: Help assist our secretaries with clerical tasks.
  • Special Events: Assist our Development Office with fundraisers and VABVI sponsored events.