Greetings fellow Rotarians! Our speaker today was Dr. John Reuwer.  Dr. Reuwer last visited our Club shortly before he left on a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.  As he explained at that time, he had been appointed to serve as a member of the U.N.’s Nonviolent Peace Force team in that country. The purpose of that team was to protect citizens in war-torn countries through unarmed strategies. Having served in South Sudan since February, Dr. Reuwer recently returned and was happy to share his experiences from his time there.  He explained that the Sudanese region has been torn apart by conflict over the course of several decades.  Most of the inhabitants of both Sudan and South Sudan have witnessed the horrors of war and conflict for their entire lives. Almost every person he encountered had been directly impacted by the conflict that has plagued South Sudan for far too long.  Part of the initiative of Dr. Reuwer’s group is to bring stability to war-torn regions through peaceful measures.  In an effort to foster the ideas of peace, volunteers like Dr. Reuwer provide assistance to these countries without the presence of arms or weapons.  In addition to providing humanitarian and health-related services, this group focuses on encouraging reconciliation through constructive dialogues between individuals who once combatted one another.  For more information about the Nonviolent Peace Force, please visit its website at: https://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/about/our-mission

            Even though we are in the midst of the dog days of summer, our Club is already gearing up for the 2019 Corn Booth.  Each year, our Club sells fresh corn on the cob to patrons at the Champlain Valley Fair. In addition to raising money for the Club, the Corn Booth provides great exposure for Rotary and what we do.  This year the fair will be taking place between Friday, August 23^rd through Sunday, September 1^st.  As we are required to keep the Corn Booth staffed for every hour the Fair is open, this really is an all hands-on deck endeavor.  We certainly realize that there are extenuating circumstances that prevent people from signing up for shifts, but absent compelling reasons that are beyond a member’s reasonable control, it is very important that we all do our part by covering shifts at the Corn Booth. Stay tuned for more details about this event and information about signing up for shifts.

            We are looking for volunteers to help staff the Heavenly Pantry Food Shelf on the following dates: Thursday, July 25^th (3:30pm); Monday, August 12^th (5:15pm); Thursday, August 22^nd (3:30pm.) Please contact Sharon Dettenrieder at sharon.dettenrieder@gmail.com if you are able to fill any of these shifts.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  Wednesday, July 24, 2019 – Our speaker will be Jessica Green, Northern Vermont Program Coordinator for Girls on the Run.

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and information about the Club, please go to our website at rotaryclubofessex.org  Be sure to also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EssexVermontRotary , on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/essexvermontrotary/ and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/essex_rotary

 

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet