A Trip to the Salvation Army
President Caroline opened the meeting with nine Rotarians reciting the Pledge of Allegiance followed by grace delivered by our host and fellow Rotarian Lieutenant Zachary Lyle-DeLong, Co-Corps Officer/Pastor of the Barre Salvation Army.
Happy Dollars
After a few minutes of enjoying lunch and conversation, Tony rose to give a Happy Dollar followed by rationale for being happy because of the birth of his grandson Miles, doughnuts for nurses and a Montpelier exchange student who went to Greece.
Jan offered a Happy Dollar reporting that she inadvertently sent out an audio text of her dog being fed.
Since Last We Met
No birthdays or anniversaries.
Legacy Fund DiscussionTed reported that he had met with a representative from the Vermont Community Foundation to learn more about endowment/legacy funds. They provide service to over one thousand charitable funds and foundations in Vermont. Bob Pope, who has knowledge of their work, pointed out that they retain control over funds that you entrust with them. This revelation provoked a discussion that led to the idea of forming a Charitable Giving Committee to explore options of how to proceed with the establishment of a legacy fund. Potential members: Ted Goulette, Bob Pope and Joe Preddy.
The Salvation Army
Zach began his presentation by telling us that his father and mother served in the Salvation Army and that he lived in Barre during his teen years, attending and graduating from Spaulding. He now occupies his father’s former office and his wife Caitlin works in what was once his mother’s office. Additionally, they live in the Salvation Army owned-home in which he grew up.He continued with a brief history of the Salvation Army. It began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit, instead taking his message to the people where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. Booth and his wife left the church, but returned to East London in 1865 and founded the Christian Mission. In 1878 it became the Salvation Army. It officially came to the United States in 1880 and to Barre in 1897. It has been located on Keith Avenue since the late eighties or early nineties.
Today the Barre Salvation Army hosts several programs: Youth Music, Adult Fellowship, Bible Study, Sunday School & Church Service and Food Pantry Services. The Salvation Army is also one of our partners involved in the Santa Wrap. It is responsible for identifying those in need of winter apparel and distributing the wrapped packages to them. It also operates a thrift store which will reopen (closed on North Main due to flooding) at its new location on the Barre Montpelier Road, formerly home of the Computer Barn, in September.
Zach also told us of the acquisition of a property on Vine Street off the Barre Montpelier Road in Berlin. Known as the Corps & Community Center Campus, it includes several acres of land and three structures: a Church Building (multipurpose room, classrooms and offices); a Community Center (classrooms, commercial kitchen and a gymnasium); and an Emergency Disaster Services Center. With this new facility, the Salvation Army will be able to expand services and enhance experiences for participants.
Rotarians thoroughly enjoyed Zach’s presentation and came away with a greater understanding of the fine work of the Salvation Army. Those assembled show their appreciation with a warm round applause.
Pie for Brunch (Nicole DiDomenico, author)
The Barre Rotary Club celebrated its 100th year of serving the Barre community by hosting its 3rd Annual Pie for Brunch Community Grants Celebration on Saturday, April 5th at the American Legion in downtown Barre.
Seventeen nonprofit organizations were selected to receive donations ranging from $250-$750, totalling $10,000 in grant funding, and representatives from each organization were recognized and honored at the annual event, which featured all-you-can-eat pie, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle. While some pies were homemade, others were donated by area restaurants and grocers such as the Wayside, Pearl Street Pizza, Hannafords and more.
Margo Austin, Flexible Pathways Coordinator and Interact Club Advisor at Spaulding High School, was the recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award
- the most prestigious award and highest honor a Rotary Club can bestow upon someone. "Margo is the epitome of a selfless servant leader who has gone above and beyond in her role, advocating for youth. In her volunteer role as Interact advisor, she has spent countless hours after hours on evenings and weekends helping students to make food for the Meals on Wheels program, helping those in need and helping to sustain the TreePlenish program, which will culminate again this year on May 4th, when students and volunteer leaders will plant over 200 trees in Barre city and town.”
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