Let Us Begin
President Eddie led fifteen Rotarians and two guests in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. He then expressed condolences for the construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge at the time of its collapse and gratitude for Easter and the food we were about to eat.
Guests: Nick Marinelli and Riley Stephens
Let us Be Happy
First, let us be sad as Tony rose to give a Sad Dollar because he can’t attend Pie for Brunch, but countered with a Happy Dollar because he was driving comedian Paula Poundstone to Lebanon, NH. (She appears at the Barre Opera House on Friday, April 5th and reappears in Tony’s car
on Saturday, April 6th.) In a generous mood, Tony gave another dollar as he told of his dream to be on
Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and another for his wish for an eulogy by Terry Gross of
Fresh Air fame.
Mostaccioli or a BLT
Democracy was at work as President Eddie presented possible menu choices for next week’s joint meeting with Kiwanians and Lions at the American Legion. Options presented included mostaccioli and chicken, soup and sandwich, meatball sub and chicken tenders. A friendly debate ensued with a BLT (with crispy bacon), minestrone and grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, as the vegetarian selection emerged as the crowd pleasing favorites. It was moved and seconded that these choices constitute the menu for next week’s meeting. The motion passed with a unanimous vote of those assembled.
Hear Ye Hear Ye!Caroline was glad to be back from a vacation in Puerto Rico to attend this meeting and hear a spirited conversation on the merits of soup and sandwich. She enjoyed it so thoroughly that she provided the coffers with a Happy Dollar.
While on the floor she took the opportunity to announce that she would be meeting on Thursday with new members to listen to the answer of the question: “What do you want from Rotary?” She emphasized that this is a “Listening Tour” to hear from the new members.
The President’s Report
President Eddie reported on the board meeting which occurred earlier. Items included: a report from Karl on the
concession stand operation for the Vermont Motorsports Expo; an update of the Pie for Brunch and
Drop ‘N Swap from Nicole; an update on the Rotary Breakfast from Patrick; paving the parking lot at Rotary Park; and RYLA.
There were some important actions taken by the board: 1) after a brief discussion regarding the name of Annual Rotary Breakfast, it was decided to call it the Aldrich Public Library Rotary Breakfast; 2) adoption of a motion from Tony, seconded by Caroline to sponsor two RYLA participants; 3) authorization for Karl to move forward on determining the feasibility of paving the parking lot at Rotary Park; and 4) approval of Nick Marinelli for membership.
Since Last We Met
Birthdays: Charlene Rinker March 23, 2024
Club Anniversaries: Brenda Waterhouse March 23, 2016 8 years
On this day in history: In 2002 American comedian
Milton Berle—who, as a popular entertainer in the early days of television in the United States, became known as “Mr. Television”—died at age 93.
Announcements and Reminders
Tony, on behalf of Tom, announced that on May 1st we will meet off site at Massive Dimension which produces robotic additive printing cells,
large 3-D printers, pellet extruder heads, and other large format 3-D printing supplies.
Reminder that next week’s meeting at the American Legion is a joint service club lunch featuring Doug Brendel: New Thing - Humanitarian Organization for the Former USSR.
Nicole needs posters distributed for Pie for Brunch as well as pies-from your kitchen, supermarket or favorite bakery-and items for the silent auction. Let her know what you can contribute.
Visioning
President Eddie turned the rest of the meeting over to Nicole, Caroline and Jim to continue the visioning process. Nicole explained that we had taken the goals identified from the Club Health Check results and developed an action plan for each of the goals in three areas of priority (public image, membership and business operations). Goals of two of the three areas were presented for discussion by the members present at Club Assembly. There was a high level of engagement in the process, reflecting a solid commitment to achieving the desired outcomes of the plan. At the next meeting, the goals of the third area will be presented and discussed and next steps in the process will be determined.
Until next time...that's all Rotarians.
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