Rotary Club of Norwich, CT
October 29th, 2025
Location-Bella Fiore
THE RONE
Presiding: President Steve Martin
Invocation: Barry Shead
Fellowship: Ray Baribeault
Birthdays: Rodney Green – October 30th
Anniversaries: Kathleen Stauffer – November 3rd – 15 Years
Guests: No Guests
Visiting Rotarians: None
Ray’s fellowship was a bunch if very funny and cleaver PUNS!
“I can’t decide on what mattress to buy, I guess I’ll have to sleep on it!” Many more funny Puns followed!
Membership Minute: Stan Lucas
Stan gave a plug for members who run not-for-profit organizations. Always use your influence with whatever business or organizations you are affiliated with to support each other.
Announcements:
November 7th is the Trivial Pursuit Tournament to benefit Madonna Place. Join the Rotary team! Still an open spot!
Barry gave an update on the “Crush It for Inclusion Can Challenge” between Putnam Rotary and Norwich Rotary in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month! As of today’s meeting Putnam has come from behind to take the lead 1,658 to 1,313! Hopefully Norwich members brought enough cans and bottles today to take back the lead!
Liberty Bank will be matching our Happy Dollars .25 cents on the dollar for this year’s Thanksgiving Challenge. Suggested donation is $50.00 per member if you can be that generous. The drive will now through mid-November. Thanksgiving and gift cards will be purchased for the residents of Schwartz Manor and the Colchester food pantry.
Please bring spare clean egg cartons and give them to Bonnie Johnson.
If you know of a speaker for one of our meetings, please contact Kevin Wickless or Alexis Kahn to get on the schedule.
If there is a Rotarian who is sick or going through a tough time let the Sunshine Committee know and contact Mary Richardson or Nancy Gentes.
Happy Dollars: Jen Granger
Jen thanked all the volunteers who helped deliver dictionaries to all the 3rd graders in the Norwich Schools this morning. The kids were thrilled. Jen also said that she has been meeting with several non-profit agencies throughout our region to prepare for the SNAP benefits that will no longer be available after October 31st if the government remains closed. UCFS has been distributing emergency food bags as the demand is already huge. Please support all the food pantries as the need will be greater than e
Pat Marshall said she had a blast delivering dictionaries to the 3rd grader this morning and the kids loved receiving them! She even got a group picture with all the kids! This was her 3rd year delivering dictionaries!
Bill Champagne passed out brochures on the Avalonia Land Trust that last week’s program speaker Elanah Sherman dropped off for members to peruse.
Mike Matera had happy dollars for fall. He said that it’s a bitter sweet time of year. He said that some of the sweet is the great craft beers offered in our region. He said his son Jonathan finished the fall soccer season at school and now is starting the indoor season. He also said that Jonathan is so good on the field that his opponents fear him!
Rodney Green said the coat project is almost completed! His wife Lucille tried to purchase the last few coats at Walmart as they were the only ones that had certain sizes. Well, they couldn’t come through so Rodney had to purchase the final ones online and they arrived today! Rodney then gave to the Thanksgiving Challenge and followed up that donation with a $75.00 Happy Dollars contribution in honor of his 75th birthday! Thank you Rodney!
Steve Martin said he had a great time at a Brian Adams concert that was a prize from a recent golf tournament.
Barry Shead said be enjoyed his visit to Maine over the weekend. He even had a hot dog at the famous Flo’s Hot Dog Stand where George H.W. Bush used to eat and hold up traffic on RT. 1!
Bill Champagne came up again to give happy dollars to report that the Conference on Climate Change that will be held in Bonn, Germany in November. Sadly the United States has chosen not to take part in the conference. He said there are a group of 20 children who are bringing suit over the US climate policy. Bill said that his grandson has turned 18 and for a gift he gave money in his name for that cause. He also said that The Rone editor Bob Reed printed the wrong name (Katherine Heigl) as a leading climate scientist in a happy dollar report he gave a couple weeks ago. The climate scientist was Katherine Hayhoe.
Roz Etra said she also had a great time delivering dictionaries this morning alongside Rotarian Mike Cooney. She also had a good time at her niece’s wedding.
Stan Lucas facetiously commented on Rodney Green’s and Mike Matera’s health and wellness program!
Auction: Jen Granger gave $20.00!
Lottery: Pat Marshall
Pat Marshall, Rodney Green and Susy Hurlbert drew cards and could not find the Ace of Spades. Gary Young won the ARC Cookies!
Program: No program today.
The meeting concluded with Bonnie Johnson reciting the 4-Way Test at 12:49pm.