President-elect Phil George welcomed all to the March 25, 2021 meeting of the Brattleboro Rotary Club held via ZOOM. <ED NOTE: 28 members + 1 student Rotarian + 3 guests = 32 attended.> Frank Rucker offered the following invocation, “How to plant your garden of daily living”:

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:

1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
4. Thyme for prayer

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE

ED NOTE: Weekly assignments for the invocation or motivational thought can be found on the club website. The following would be the next people on the list: Ana Saavedra (4/1), Ron Stahley (4/8), Phil Steckler (4/15), Regina Stefanelli (4/22), Rob Szpila (4/29)>

This was followed by the pledge of allegiance.

Guests: Chris Mays, Maggie Lewis, and Casey Haynes (speaker)

JOKE OF THE WEEK

There was no joke this week ;-(

<ED NOTE: Here’s a joke for newsletter readers: A little boy once returned home from Hebrew school and his father asked, "what did you learn today?" He answered, "The Rabbi told us how Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt." "How?" The boy said "Moses was a big strong man and he beat Pharoah up. Then while he was down, he got all the people together and ran towards the sea. When he got there, he has the Corps of Engineers build a huge pontoon bridge. Once they got on the other side, they blew up the bridge while the Egyptians were trying to cross." The father was shocked. "Is that what the Rabbi taught you?" The boy replied, "No. But you'd never believe the story he DID tell us!">

At our April 1^st meeting, Ted Kramer will tell a joke or lead us in song and Carla Lineback will offer a Rotary Minute. 2020-21 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.

ROTARY MINUTE

There was no Rotary minute this week ;-(

At our April 1^st meeting, Ted Kramer will tell a joke or lead us in song and Carla Lineback will offer a Rotary Minute. 2020-21 weekly assignments are posted on the club website.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

04/01 – Mara Williams, " A Cultural Collaboration between the Atowi Project and Brattleboro Museum"
04/08 - Boyd Bosma, "Ending the standoff at Wounded Knee"
04/15 - Patricia Roberts, Chief Operating Officer at Gift of College, Inc.
04/22 - Laura Carbonneau, Food Connects
05/06 - Olivia Apps, "Rugby Life Lessons"
05/13 – Club Assembly
05/20 – Rob Szpila, “Passing On”

NOTE: 2020-21 weekly assignments, are posted on the club website.

REMINDERS

Please bring your bottles and cans to the Putney Road redemption center to benefit 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.

This is the 36th newsletter of the 2020-2021 club year.

The editor would like to take this opportunity to thank the 5 people who have bragged so far. A quick check of readership reveals that over 50% of the club is reading this newsletter. Don't be shy to brag, readers.

FINES

NONE ;-(

ANNOUNCEMENTS

With our club's $750 commitment plus member contributions, we are very close to $3000 now towards Dick Gray’s Brattleboro Flowering Truck. This generosity means that the Rotary logo will be on the truck.
The following members were acknowledged for their years of service: Rich Carroll (9), Carla Lineback (9), Rob Szpila (9), Stan Nowakowski (21), Greg Worden (37).

BRAGS / HAPPY DOLLARS

<ED NOTE: Yes, we are keeping track of these happy dollars and brags.
Unless noted, happy dollars and brags are $1>

Chris Hart ($2) – for her two new puppies.
Rob Szpila Josh Trager ($10) – for the club’s support of Dick Gray’s Brattleboro Flowering Truck.
Dart Everett ($5) – for American Medicine which successfully developed Laparoscopic surgery to treat his hiatal hernia.
Dart Everett – for feeling good as an 80-year old.
Dave Twombly – for Dart Everett walking around the block the day after his surgery.
Gina Pattison ($10) – for the No. 2 BUHS varsity boys ice hockey team winning the Division 2 state championship game.
Gina Pattison ($10) – for the fans who supported the team.
Mara Williams ($10) – for the new shows at Brattleboro Museum; including the 10th annual Glasstastic

PROGRAM

Dart Everett presented Casey Haynes who told us about the Vermont Welcome Wagon Project.

To learn more, click here.

<ED NOTE: You can watch past presentations on the BCTV show, “Brattleboro Rotary Club Speaker Series.” by visiting https://www.brattleborotv.org/brattleboro-rotary-club-speaker-series

Rotary Cares - TV Show

Rotary Cares, Episode 33 –Membership

In episode 33 of the award-winning, monthly show, Rotary Cares, Brattleboro Rotary Club past president Marty Cohn talks about Rotary membership with guests Monique Ruth, past president of the Queen City Rotary Club and Seneca Eldredge, president, of the Hooksett Area Rotary Club. The show is produced by Brattleboro Community Television.

To watch the show, click here.

To listen to the podcast, click here.

DISCLAIMER

Past President Martin Cohn who attempts to give a gist of the meeting respectfully submitted this bulletin. However, it is always better to attend. If you have any complaints about the contents of this bulletin...

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION

The state tree is the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), effective in 1949. The sugar maple is the source of maple syrup, Vermont's most famous export.