Rotary Log for March 29, 2018
Today’s greeter, Kathy Nickerson, did double-duty, also collecting book donations for the Richie McFarland Children’s Center.
After a few inauspicious efforts, we have had two weeks of well rendered patriotic songs. This week Al Lantinen led an enthusiastic version of America the Beautiful- very timely in light of the day’s program. John Rice followed up with an invocation evocative of our dear Reverend Allen.
As usual there were many guests, perhaps contributing to the energetic crowd on this first spring-like day of the year. Even the birds outside added to the overall celebration of commotion. Our good President Ben knows how to handle that.
Announcements
Joannie Dickenson, along with Walter Liff, kept the action going in a spirited auction. The proceeds were to benefit Interact. So what if the rules were humorously vague! It had something to do with supporting Rotarians willing to sacrifice their bodies and sanity in an upcoming Polar Plunge. The auction was successful too, owing to the generosity of many Rotarian bidders!
Welcoming a new member to our Club is always a good thing. This time Stella Scamman introduced new member, Laurie Watkins. Two salient takeaways: Laurie worked the Christmas Tree sale even before becoming a member! And Ben’s wise comment: “Any friend of Stella’s is a friend of ours!” Thank you, Stella. Welcome, Laurie!
President Ben continued his effort to reach our Club’s Annual Fund giving goal. In that vein, Rich Lyons and Leonard Seagren were recognized for their generous, multiple Paul Harris Fellowship contributions.
The Program
Our distinguished speakers today were retired Army Brigadier General Stephan Curry and retired Navy Commander David Kenney. They are passionate and articulate about their topic and cause, the New Hampshire Veterans Heritage Learning Center.
The Learning Center is set to open on the 100th Anniversary of Veteran’s (Armistice) Day 2018 at the New Hampshire Veteran’s Cemetery in Boscawen. The Veterans’ Cemetery, “a place of reverence and remembrance,” has been in existence for about 20 years. More than 10,000 New Hampshire veterans and their spouses have been interned there in that time. It is a peaceful and welcoming place for friends and families to visit and honor their loved ones.
The cemetery is a very fitting location for the new 1200 square-foot learning facility. The Center will feature a complete exploration of New Hampshire’s involvement in America’s military. Brigadier General Curry emphasized that the center is not a museum but an educational facility, geared in large measure to young students. In Curry’s words “this is not Six Flags.” It will be an interactive center that will give children the opportunity to push buttons, touch, and hear. In the process they will learn stories of New Hampshire citizens and units who are part of American military history.
Curry, a former president of the N.H Veterans’ Cemetery Association is the fundraising chair for the learning center. They are about halfway towards meeting a $750,000 goal. The building is in place. The effort now is to enlist public support to create exhibits and educational materials. One important exhibit will be the Remembrance Station. Here families will be able to enter text, pictures and memorabilia to tell the stories of their loved one’s service.
Often, we can judge how a luncheon program resonates with members by their engagement in the Q&A. Today there were enthusiastic comments and questions from every corner of the room. Brigadier General Curry and Commander Kenney certainly held our attention with their knowledgeable and passionate responses. We all have the opportunity to translate that enthusiasm into a successful fundraising campaign. An effort that will honor the veterans who selflessly served our state and country.
Respectfully submitted, Neal Ouellett
