Greetings Rotarians!  Our speaker today was Emily Gould who was on hand to discuss the Montpelier Rotary Club’s Rwanda Peace Project.  Emily began by giving us a brief history of the turmoil that engulfed Rwanda during the mid- 1990s. This conflict pitted neighbors against neighbors and the aftermath left a lot of hard feelings and healing that needed to be done. Through the help of Rotary International, the organization known as African Peace Partners was formed in an effort to promote healing and the restoration of community ties. Emily explained that African Peace Partners provides training and resources to help Rwandans develop expertise in trauma recovery practices; sustainable agriculture; and business development and organization.  To date, the organization has helped train several community mediators who are now vital contributors in the effort to continue healing Rwanda. For more information about this organization, please visit

 

 

            Our Club’s Annual Meeting will be held on December 14^th. At that time we will be holding our annual election for board of director positions.  The 2017-2018 spots for President Elect and Treasurer are currently open, so members are encouraged to run for either of those offices. Members who are elected will begin their terms on July 1, 2017. 

 

 

 

            The annual Senior Holiday Luncheon is scheduled for December 7^th.  We are looking for items to be donated for the goodie bags that we will be delivering to the seniors at this event. Please contact Trish Porter if you are interested in assisting with this project or if you have any goodie bag items you are able to donate. 

 

 

            Our Club has committed to fill bell ringing slots for the Salvation Army on Friday, December 9^th and Saturday, December 10^th. A sign- up sheet will be available at future meetings, but you can also sign up online at:

 

 

            The next opportunity to volunteer at the Heavenly Food Pantry will be on Thursday, December 15^th.  Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder if you would like to sign up for shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  November 23, 2016 – There will be no meeting in observance of Thanksgiving week.

 

 Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! 

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at www.essexrotary.org   Be sure to also visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet