Greetings Rotarians!  Today was our last meeting of 2016!  We started things off with our annual election of the Board of Directors for the upcoming Rotary fiscal year.  The voting was fast and furious, but the results were never in doubt as all nominees were unanimously elected.  Thank you to the following individuals for stepping up to serve our Club for the 2017-2018 Rotary year:  President – Trish Porter; President-Elect – Judy DeNova;  Vice-President – Jeff Cabanaw; Secretary – Jean Ashe; Treasurer – Kristin Winer; Sergeant-at-arms – Andy Love; Member-at-large – Damon Clark; Member-at-large – Brad LaRose; and Immediate Past President – Sharon Dettenrieder.  We followed the election with the induction of our newest member, Jess Perrault.  If you haven’t done so already, please introduce yourselves to Jess and make her feel welcome.  We concluded the meeting with a hauntingly beautiful performance of some holiday songs by the Essex High School Chamber Choir.  These 22 young adults captivated all in attendance with their renditions of classic seasonal pieces ranging from “Silent Night” to a few select cuts from Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” album (just kidding about the last one . . . I always enjoy taking this opportunity to see who is reading these things!)

 

 

            Thank you to the 24 hardy souls who braved the coldest temperatures of the season to ring bells for the Salvation Army this past weekend.  While the mercury readings were low, the spirits were high (especially at the Essex Discount Beverage) as we managed to collect over $1,300.00 from several generous shoppers.

 

 

            The Rotary International theme for the month of December is Family Month. As we approach the holidays, we should not only remember the importance of our families in our daily lives, but we should think about those who may not be fortunate enough to be surrounded by their own families.  Through projects like the annual Senior Luncheon, we can help bring some cheer to individuals who may not be surrounded by family on a daily basis.  We should also give thought to families that may be enduring some difficult times this season. One of the best ways of supporting families in need is through our service to the community. By volunteering at the Food Pantry and by ringing bells for the Salvation Army this weekend, we are all doing our part to make things easier for many families in the area.

 

 

            Thank you to the six people who volunteered for the December 15^th shifts at the Food Shelf.  The next opportunity to volunteer will be on Thursday, January 26th.  Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder if you would like to sign up for shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  There will be no meetings on December 21^st or on December 28^th.  Our next meeting will be on January 4, 2017!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

 

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