Weekly Club Newsletter - 7/31/2013
Meeting Recap
Greetings fellow Rotarians! Today we welcomed Alyson Platzer from the United Way of Chittenden County. She discussed the proposed Neighbor Rides project that the local United Way is trying to get started. This will be a volunteer-driven program in which community members will be asked to provide transportation services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. This initiative has been started in response to the fact the area Special Services Transportation Agency needs more assistance in accommodating the transportation needs of Chittenden County. For more information about this project, please visit the Neighbor Rides website at: http://gochittendencounty.org/individual/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/UnitedWay_NeighborRides_FAQ.pdf
The remainder of our meeting was dedicated to our first charitable committee meetings of the new Rotary year. Each committee was asked to go over their proposed budgets and to determine whether the amount allocated to each committee will be appropriate for this year. The committees were then asked to commence discussions on what they each hope to accomplish this year and what possible charitable projects might be on the horizon.
Essex Rotary Corn Booth
According to Ray Allaire, the prospect of getting corn donated from our usual supplier is not overly promising. With that in mind, the Corn Booth Committee is trying to find a back up source for corn. It is possible that the Club will have to buy corn at a wholesale price and then raise the price per ear to help offset the increase in overhead. Regardless of where we get the corn, we should still operate under the assumption that the Corn Booth will be running in some capacity this year. As such, we need all of our members to pitch in and volunteer to work shifts during the Champlain Valley Fair from August 24th through September 2nd. The more helping hands the better, so please encourage your family members and friends to pitch in as well. A sign up sheet for shifts will be circulated shortly, however, if you already know which shift you would like to work, you are encouraged to contact Committee Chair, Holly Lemieux with your shift choice. For more information about this event, please contact Holly at holly@lemieux-law.com
Rotary Dues
You all should have received an invoice for the 2013-2014 Rotary dues. Please remit payment of your dues as soon as possible as a portion of what you pay covers our Club’s District and International dues. If you do not intend to renew your membership, we would ask that you please let our board members know immediately so that they may update our Club’s membership information.
Upcoming Meeting Schedule: Wednesday, August 7th – Our speaker will be Don George, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield.
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!
Yours in Rotary,
Jason Ruwet