President Mark opened the meeting at the meeting site: Holiday Inn Express of Brattleboro, VT. Mark welcomed all to the July 30, 2026 meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club,www.brattlebororotaryclub.org

Invocation:

Dart offered.

Mark led the club with the Pledge of Allegiance

Mara led the club with the Rotary motto and Four Way Test.

Rotary Motto: Service Above Self

Four Way Test -

Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

24 Members, 0 Student Rotarians and 1 guest attended the meeting.

Guests:

Assistant District Governor Josh Traeger who noted that it was great to be back with us and NOT asking for money for disc golf.

JOKE OF THE WEEK - For our joke or song of the week:

Greg Worden, absent, provided President Mark with material in advance. President Mark exercised his vast powers and selected only three. Here they are:
Why don’t we see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re really good at it.
What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One’s pretty heavy and the other’s a little lighter.
What kind of job can you get at a bicycle factory? A spokesperson.

EDITOR NOTE: 2025-26 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.

Rotarians for Rotarians:

Betty Smith is in the hospital. Outreach appreciated
Bill McKim reported that he will be back in August

New Members:

Two New Members
Sarah Weiler was inducted by President Mark. She lives in West Brattleboro and is the Operations Manager at BMAC
Mike Wagner recently moved to Chesterfield after living in Arizona for 30 years. Had a career in technology sales and then spent 5 fives teaching English globally

ROTARY MINUTE

Cheri Ann-

THE OBJECT OF ROTARY
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

MEMBER CODE OF CONDUCT
All members (Rotarians and Rotaractors) are expected to:
1. Act with integrity and high ethical standards in their personal and professional lives
2. Treat others fairly by using respectful language, being supportive, fostering a welcoming environment, and honoring all individual member characteristics
3. Use their professional skills through Rotary to improve people's quality of life in their own communities and elsewhere in the world
4. Avoid behavior that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotary members
5. Follow all codes of conduct for any Rotary-related event.

Years of Service in our Club

Gerry Theberge has been a member for 34 years

On Behalf of our Club and all Rotarians, thank you for your Service Above Self

Student Rotarian updates:

Birthday greetings -

BIRTHDAY ANNOUNCEMENTS Cindy-

The absent Andrew George’s birthday was noted. We reserved singing for a future meeting

Announcements

Mara – Offered 3-in-1, an announcment, brag, and fine. The club raised over $1,050 last Rotary Year for pure water (announcement and brag) and fined herself for failing to pick up the check promptly.
Jenifer, standing in for Greg announced the 8/14 Welcome Center fundraiser and circulated a sign-up sheet.
Rhonda announced the demise of the fine pig, which had been retaped too often, and introduced the fine honey bear replacement.

Happy Dollars and Brags and Fines

Rob – Proud Grandfather – Raymond, born a few weeks ago, is very cute.
Bill V – Asked if Raymond was smart as well as cute. Rob said he’s tracking at a very young age.
President Mark proposes fine on Bill V for not standing – Defense, addressing Rob, others shouldn’t listen. Bill’s defense involved standing on a chair. Fine passed.
Tammy – Video chat with sister and brother in law, brother in law complimented her husband's post which she hadn’t seen.
Cheri Ann- Has seen only one ugly baby in more than 5,000 cases.
Nina – Bragged for Brattleboro baseball, 10U Allstars made to State Championship with her son Adam. The game is Saturday. Future brag anticipated.
George K – Will be gone next few weeks flying to Northern Macedonia, the new Croatia, and northern Greece.
Jenifer- My 1964 Rambler made it to New England Rambler show
President Mark bragged for Rob who has concluded his round of board service and agreed to serve as Sergeant-at-Arms. (New sheriff in town joke not offered.)
Mara bragged $5 to tell a story, possibly motivated by George’s brag – While traveling with her mom in 1995 in Greece they thought to attend a Rotary meeting since it was Rotary’s 90th anniversary of something. Her mom was the incoming president and she was past president. They went to a Rotary meeting. After introducing themselves they were kept waiting for some time. When they finally asked about entering, they were told that the local members were “waiting for their husbands” Finally seated at a formal dinner at the table with the club president Mara observed a “little guy looking at us with his head shaking” throughout the dinner. She noted that customs vary.

ED NOTE: Weekly assignments for the invocation or motivational thought can be found on the club website.>

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Jim announced the upcoming programs as follows:

8/6 Pres. Mark on regional policing; 8/13 Sandglass Theater; 8/20 —; 8/28 Quentin Reynolds, VT Dept of Health

REMINDERS

Please bring your bottles and cans to the Putney Road redemption center to benefit APPN. Pure Water for the World is no longer operating in the USA; it continues in Honduras as APPN.
Maria Inestroza, the PWW country director for Honduras is continuing the work in that country under the name APPM, acronym for Agua Pura para El Mundo, or Pure Water for the World in Spanish Pure Water for the World. Please remember to inform the staff that the bottles and cans should be credited to the club.
“Like” the club’s Facebook page

PROGRAM

Today’s program was a Club Assembly. We went over our committee structure, membership, and Avenues of Service.

President Mark began with an announcement of great import. Carla has provided a crown more suitable to his status than the paper burger joint crown. He wore it for the rest of the meeting.

President Mark proceeded to describe some of the Rotary Avenues of Service, our committee structure, membership, and openings.
He also encouraged members to take care of themselves as well as performing service. “If you feel you are tired or struggling, take yourself out. There are always ways to serve.”
Mara noted a new Avenue of Service she hadn’t heard of until recently – “New Generations of Service.”
President Mark shared the exhaustive list of service positions with the scribe after the meeting. There are far more things on it than we discussed at the meeting.
President Mark circulated two executive orders which were blasted into defenseless members’ email boxes while we were distracted by the meeting.
Finally, Bill V noted that the Gateway Foundation went over the half million mark and that a secretary is required. Mara stepped up and was promptly appointed and taking charge. She suggested that members add the Foundation to their Estate Plans.

The meeting adjourned in good time.

Scribe of the Day: Tom

DISCLAIMER

Weekly changing scribes and questionable IT may have resulted in oversights and errors. We regret any mistakes.