Dick Podolec will introduce our Friendship Exchange visitors from Calgary, Alberta, who will give us a report on their clubs’ activities and some insights on their part of the world. We will be joined by the Lebanon Rotary Clubs who are serving as co-hosts to our visitors, who are witnessing a glorious fall here in the Upper Valley. The room will be full so you might want to arrive early! 

 

Rob Adams and Nan Carroll offered an update on the auction and handed out paper invitations for Rotarians who might want to share them with friends.  They noted that they would be emailing us a link to ten items that will be offered in an online auction. The auction will be open to anyone! Rob and Nan encouraged club members to share the information with friends and relatives across the country by forwarding the email link far and wide! They also reminded US to buy tickets.  

 

Kathy Geraghty announced that she is looking for a club member to provide help with RYLA, noting that the high school provides assistance in identifying the students and offering her assistance in the transition. It's a good opportunity to get to know and help some of the students at Hanover High School. 

 

President Liam McCarthyreminded members that there will not be a luncheon meeting on October 30 with our club being hosted by Dartmouth College for a tour of the Rauner Library. President McCarthy also asked members to support Mike Urnezis’effort to ring bells at Dartmouth’s home football games as a means of raising supplemental funds for Listen, emphasizing that this effort is NOT replacing the annual Christmas event but supplementing it. With Dartmouth being undefeated their crowds should burgeon and so, too, will our help for Listen.

 

Kathy Geraghty offered a Happy Dollar in appreciation of the $340 we provided to the Haven as a result of the donations made at the door and the Happy Dollars contributed each week. Rubi Simon offered a Happy Dollar in appreciation of her daughter’s participation on the grade 5 and 6 field hockey teach she coached at the Ray School.   

 

Tom Hall won the raffle, the $10 voucher for the lunch at Jesse’s. 

 

 

Carol Olwert introduced Dr. Steve Atkins, a NH and VT licensed psychologist and school consultant who shared a Powerpoint illustrating howthe opioid problem is impacting the Upper Valley. After advising us that many of us have opioids in our own medicine chests, he described how 1/3 of those who use prescribed opioids could find themselves suffering withdrawal symptoms when they stop using them, and, astonishingly 8-12% of those prescribed painkilling opioids develop an opioid abuse disorder. His most stunning slide from the presentation offered the following 2019 statistics from the American Society of Addiction Medicine:

 

His talk included a wealth of charts, graphs, and statistics all presented in the context of our communities. He closed his talk with a reminder that addiction is a disease in and of itself and not a choice addicts knowingly make. A link his presentation is pasted at the bottom of this section. Next week, as noted in the next section, we will hear from Cam Ford the Executive Director of Headrest who will offer some insights on how this disease is being treated in our area. Here's the link:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xxtGMf1e1oqGBa0zsRJUPuUH1UzaxzYF/view?usp=sharing

 

 

October 23 – Cam Ford, the Executive Director of Headrest will be offering the second in a series of talks on the opioid crisis in the Upper Valley. 

 

October 30 - We will have a social gathering at the Dartmouth Library in lieu of our luncheon meeting, some details of which are described above. 

 

November 6 – Graham Clarke will give us an update on Whaleback’s latest developments. 

 

Wayne Gersen