Greetings Rotarians!  Tonight we held our annual Changeover Dinner at The Essex!  President Marie Schonholtz kicked off the festivities by thanking the special guest Presidents who filled in on a weekly basis while Marie was transitioning into her new job.  She then provided us with an overview of what we as a Club accomplished during the Rotary year.  Marie finished her portion of the evening by thanking her board members and then bestowing individual awards upon various members.  In addition to recognition for those who attained 100% attendance, Rotarians, Bill Parmelee and Krisin Winer were given “Above and Beyond” awards for their tireless behind-the-scenes efforts and dedication to the Club and the community at large.  The “Rookie of the Year” award was presented to Sharon Dettenreider in recognition of her active involvement with the Club from the moment she joined.  The gavel was then turned over to incoming President, Phil Murdock.  Phil’s ascension marks the first time in the history of our Club that an individual has stepped up to serve a second term as President of Rotary Club of Essex. Phil took the opportunity to introduce his new board for the 2014-2015 Rotary year.  Our new board is composed of the following:  Nancy Freeze as President-Elect; Immediate Past-President, Marie Schonholtz; Vice-President, Betty Poulin; Secretary, Heather Lemon; Treasurer, Kristin Winter; Sergeant-at-Arms, Mike “the Hammer” Plageman; and Members-at-Large, Brad LaRose, Damon Clark and Mike LeBoueuf. Thank you to all of our board members for stepping up to serve the Club!  Phil also went over his agenda for the coming Rotary year before adjourning the meeting.  And so ends another successful year for the Rotary Club of Essex!  Thank you very much to Marie Schonholtz and her board for their hard work and dedication this past year and thank you to all of our members who truly exemplified the motto of “Service Above Self” by pitching in and selflessly donating your time and energy to our various fundraisers and service projects.  We are looking forward to a great 2014-2015 Rotary year!

 

 

            You all should have received your invoices for annual dues from Kristin Winer via e-mail.  We ask that you please remit payment of your dues quickly as the Club needs that money to pay the District and Rotary International dues.  If you do not intend on renewing your membership, we ask that you please let the board know immediately so that this information can be accurately reported to Rotary International.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  Wednesday, July 2, 2014 – Our first speaker of the 2014-2015 Rotary year will be Geoff Glaspie from Make-a-Wish Vermont.

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and general information about the Club, please go to our website at www.essexrotary.org  Be sure to also check out our Club’s Facebook page at:

 

                        https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Essex-Vermont/102267529834020

 

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet