MARCH 12, 2014

Meeting Recap

        Greetings Rotarians! We kicked things off by recognizing another member who attained the status of a Paul Harris Fellow.  Through his generous donations to the Rotary Foundation, Ray Allaire became the latest Essex Rotarian to be achieve this status.  Thank you, Ray for your selfless support of the Rotary Foundation! Our speakers today were Chittenden County State’s Attorney, TJ Donovan and Bill Young, Executive Director of the Maple Leaf Farm rehabilitation center.  Both individuals were on hand to discuss the epidemic of opiate addiction that is running rampant through our state.  Mr. Donovan emphasized the high costs of battling this problem at both the state and local levels.  He pointed out that the cost of running our state’s correctional facilities represents the second fastest growing line item in our state’s budget.  Both of our speakers indicated that the real issue we face is the lack of treatment options for those who are addicted to opiates.  They both stressed that addiction is a disease that needs to be treated as such.