After the Pledge of Allegiance, President Eddie called on George to say a few words of gratitude. George spoke of being together, helping the community and enjoying while doing it.

Guest: Riley Stephens

Nicole updated us on the Community Grants Program. The application is ready to go and it is online on our website. We are expecting to provide grants averaging $500 with a total of $ 10,000 to be distributed. A committee will review the grant applications to select the recipients. The deadline for receiving applications is March 1. Details of the Community Grants Program and Pie for Brunch event are now available on our website (www.barrevtrotary.org)  

President Eddie announced that a Rotarian captain will be in charge of the concession at each of the events in the BOR. They are: Eddie, Karl, Ted, and Tony. They will provide guidance to volunteers with less experience working at the concession. February 7 is the next time that the Barre Rotary Club will be responsible for the concession.                                              

 

On this day in history: In 1993 American lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall, who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court (1967–91), died at age 84.

 

On this day in history: In 1984 Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s revolutionary computer Macintosh, two days after the groundbreaking commercial “1984” aired before a national TV audience and heralded the product's impending release.

 

 

 

Nicole introduced the Club Health Check as part of the visioning process. It’s designed to learn how members view the current state of the club. It is being sent electronically to all members asking them to complete the orange pages and bring it to Club Assembly on January 31. During that meeting there will be a facilitated discussion to consider the various responses of members. It is important that as many members attend as possible to obtain an accurate picture of the club’s current operation. Please join us on the 31st.

 

 

Addie began her presentation by answering the question: “What does the Vermont River Conservancy do?” We learned that it seeks to protect riverlands, restore rivers for wildlife and people and connect to communities. She showed us a slide of a group of volunteers who restored the trail to the Stephens Branch of the Winooski River from Rotary Park and informed us that this trail was only one of two with access to the river in Barre. Improving access to the rivers is an important part of the Vermont River Conservancy’s work as they partner with the Barre City River Access Task Force to achieve this goal. 

 

Addie told us of an event taking place on Saturday, February 17, 2024 from    12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Rotary Park. Event activities include: creating a river themed trail entry arch using colorful recycled bottle caps; hearing stories about the environment from Ian Gauthier; eating delicious food and drinking hot cocoa; getting warm by a fire; going on a snowshoe walk to track winter wildlife with Friends of the Winooski and Vermont River Conservancy staff; and hearing about conservation from community organizations. Events like this help to raise awareness of the trail and access to the river with its picnic area, waterfall and swimming hole. She continued her presentation with ways we could help: volunteering to shovel snow; managing car parking; stroking fires; managing the food stations; sorting and cleaning bottle caps; and cleaning up. For more information visit: vermontriverconservancy.org/news/barre-art-for-our-rivers