District Conference

We arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington just before 2pm and were ready for lunch!! We were greeted by an exceptional guy 'Tom' the Front Office Manager at the Hotel who did everything he could for us during our stay. A massive thank you to him!
As our rooms were not ready we popped into the facilities by the pool to change from our suits and it too something more comfortable for our afternoon of exploring Burlington Downtown. We had a bite to eat in the bar area in the Hotel before we were joined by Guy and his wife the current District Governor of District 7850 and the Governor Elect for 7850, Bill and his wife.
We left the hotel and stopped at the chocolate factory of Lake Champlain; after a few samples and purchases we were dropped in Downtown Burlington and ready to hit the shops. We agreed on a meeting place for dinner and then all went our separate ways to explore! Dinner was lovely, thank you to Guy and Bill for their hospitality.
Friday saw the start of the conference and all the familiar faces of people that we had met along the way. We attended the opening and heard some key speakers during the afternoon. On Friday evening we added the finishing touches to our presentation and got ready for 'Red, White and Blue' night! Everyone made so much effort and some of the outfits were great. Hayley and Abi were over the moon to hear that Ben and Jerry's was on the menu for dessert!!
After a short visit to the hospitality suites we headed to bed so we were all ready for our big presentation.
After breakfast the conference started and we were ready! The GSE Team that visited the UK and District 1120 were up before us and did an amazing job.....none of us were nervous until then!
However the presentation went excellently and all of the feedback was very positive! A relief that our last presentation on American soil was one we were all please with. We had the afternoon free so back into Burlington; we all loved the town so we wanted to explore a little more. We walked down to the lake before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the dinner, the hotels shuttle was good enough to drop us off and collect us from Downtown to save the walk!!
The evening dinner was excellent and an opportunity to dress up and enjoy a lovely evening with some of our hosts from Concord and Bow Club. There was a number of speakers after dinner and an opportunity to recognise all the people that had put together an excellent conference.
With the conference wrapping up on Sunday morning we were heading off at lunch time to go to Nashua for our final dinner together as a team. Luckily for us our hosts that were taking us to Nashua knew our love for Ben and Jerry's and we made a short detour, for lunch!!!
We arrived and were welcomed at the Crown Plaza in Nashua and a Farewell Dinner had been arrange for the team. It was great to see how many people turned up for the dinner. Richard's Girlfriend Hannah had arrived and joined us for dinner before heading off on their holiday; it was great for the team to meet her. We had our debrief with Steve P, Steve C and Rick; we all agreed that it was an amazing trip and great experience and District 7870 did an amazing job of welcoming us!
We will all be back to explore more of the two states and visit the new friends that we have met!
Thank you for this once in a life time experience.
GSE Team 2010 from District 1120
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Manchester, Wantastiquet and Chester Rotary Clubs - Monday 10th May til Wednesday 12th May 2010

During our stay in the area David Hoopes became our guide and driver and provided the group with lots of entertainment. Instead of staying with host families we stayed in the cosy Colonial Inn with Jeff and Kim Seymour’s country cuisine seasoned with old fashioned home style hospitality. We visited lots of local sights including Hildene (The Lincoln Family Home), Burr and Burton Academy and Stratton, Okemo and Jackson Gore Ski Resorts which have caused Hayley and Abi to reconsider their normal ski destination to the French Alps! The team found themselves hiking in the mountains which highlighted the beauty of the area.

Vocational visits were also arranged. Richard met a conflict resolution and mediation specialist named Peter. This was great for him, as they discussed the subject of violence risk reduction and made comparisons between things in the UK and US. They also discussed the market for conflict resolution training and Peter suggested education and healthcare should be top of Maybo’s list because they are less affected by the recession and conflict resolution is becoming an increasing priority for them. Abi and Ruth met Dolores, a Dr who works with a Social Worker at a Neighbourood Community Centre. She was a fountain of local knowledge and was able to utilize a lot of local resources to meet individual patients and families needs. She is hoping to establish a breast screening programme locally.

Charlotte’s visit; I visited The Mountain School which is a small, independent school that has approx 60 pupils. I also had a tour of Flood Brook Union School and met with staff from an organisation called "Collaborate" that has its office on the school site. It is a non-profit organisation that runs a variety of programmes to encourage children to stay away from alcohol and substance misuse. They also run a mentoring scheme and an after school programme. It has great links with the school and local community and does some great work. Thank you to Malcolm Hamblett for introducing me to Collaborate and for being my tour guide for the afternoon!

The team also got a chance to meet the extrovert Dr Roger Fox who is an ex-pat working at the Mountain Valley Medical Centre.

During our stay we attended a lunch time meeting with the Manchester Club and two breakfast meetings at the Wantastiquet and Chester Clubs. Despite all the breakfast meetings we’ve done the early starts don’t seem to get any easier! Thank you to everyone who drove, hosted and organised our stay in the area.

Hosts – Rutland South and West Rutland Rotary Clubs – Wednesday 5th May – Monday 10th May

Hayley
I was greeted at our first lunch by Bill who was to be my host for the five day stay in Rutland. Bill took me to a lovely restaurant on the first night called Table 24. Nancy, Bill’s wife had a golf tournament!
After far too much Ben and Jerry’s I also dug my running shoes out of my case and went for a run!! It wasn’t a very long one but it has got me back into the swing of things. Bill and Nancy made me feel at home straight away and also gave me lots of time to catch up with work and blog information!!
Mothers Day was on the Sunday but we decided to give our families some space and some of us met in Downtown for lunch. A really lovely stay with a wonderful couple!

Richard
In Rutland I stayed with Jayne and Dan Pratt. They have a beautiful home with a view through the mountains out to New York State. We had a great time together with lovely home cooked food and a fun night out for pizza. Jayne is the town clerk and Dan is an architect. I was well looked after and enjoyed getting to know them.

Abi and Charlotte
Charlotte and Abi stayed with Kathy, Wil and Kathy's son, Robert, at their beautiful home in Chittenden. We were delighted when we met Dexter, the 10 week old golden retriever puppy! Baxter the cat was also a very friendly chap. We were made to feel so welcome in their home and it was a wonderful place to relax with the family after a busy day. We saw sunshine, rain and even snow during our 5 day stay! Kathy and Wil hosted the Rotary party on Saturday which was lovely and a great chance for us to get to know everyone. Thank you so much to Kathy and Wil for having us to stay. We would love to come back!

Ruth
There had been a last minute switch round of hosts but Teresa is a hoot and I had a real fun time (am I beginning to sound American?). I gave her my box of Westminster Crackers that we had been given that afternoon after touring the factory. On the first evening we went to the home of Michelle, her work colleague, where we met Michelle’s son Carlton and Barbara another work colleague for Cinqa de Mayo (5th of May). Michelle is great crafter so we had a chat about felted knitting and lots of other crafts that will bore you none-crafters. That was the most potent sangria I’ve ever had Michelle but also a great meal. Teresa with Nancy and Peggy, also from RC South Rutland accompanied us on our ‘Vermont Day or ‘eating’ day out’ to the Morse Syrup house and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory and I think they had almost as much fun as we did. I think Richard might have felt outnumbered by 7 women to one compared to the usual 4:1 but he didn’t seem to suffer too much. Moooooving swiftly on (you had to have been there). The next evening Michelle, Carlton and Linda, another colleague, joined us at Teresa’s home where we had dinner then played ‘ in a pickle’ – a great game that I’ve never played before. It’s great for taxing the brain but tremendous fun – I managed to win two hands but Linda won the game with 5.
Friday evening, Teresa, Patrick and I had ‘friends’ to dinner – a whole lobster each. That was fun and messy but very tasty. Church on Sunday – May 9th Mothers Day, then time to relax by a wood burning stove while Teresa visited relatives and Patrick set about some yard work then preparing dinner. A delicious steak for dinner with young asparagus and corn. We exchanged gifts and I was delighted to receive my very own ‘in a pickle’. Teresa joined us at RC West Rutland, another breakfast club then it was time to say goodbye. Thank you so much for the hosting and the fun.

Rutland South and West Rutland Rotary Club – Wednesday 5th May till Monday 10th May

We were all a little apprehensive about our first trip with the Rutland Club’s; a trip into a Marble Quarry! However it was an amazing experience and we all had such a great time, the guide was excellent and explain the full process to us. On to the Westminster Cracker Factory, we all had a great time, even though we had to wear hairnets and we came away with a box of crackers each!!
The next day saw it packed with food! Starting at the Rotary Breakfast meeting before getting onboard the beast and heading for a Maple Syrup Factory! We had lunch in a lovely restaurant in Montpelier before the highlight of the trip for us girls!!!! The Ben and Jerry Factory; it did not disappoint and the Ice Cream was amazing!
A day on the farm was an experience; unfortunately it was raining but the animals were still keen to meet us all. The goats were a highlight for us all and we even sampled a little Goats Yogurt. We also had a full tour of the Sculpture Centre which gave us the chance to view the local and international arts and craft work.
Mother’s Day gave us all the opportunity to recharge out batteries before the West Rutland Breakfast meeting on Monday morning.

Ruth
On Friday 7th I was fortunate to spend the day with Paula Sorrentino, Physicians Assistant PA) at Convenient Medical Care which is a walk-in centre in Rutland. The M.D. Timothy Cook was out that day with the National Guard but he had arranged for me to spend the day with Paula. Her role seemed very similar to a GP at home but evidently there are some training differences between PA and MD. Each of her patients agreed that I could sit in on their consultation that provided me with exactly the kind of day I wanted. Paula was very thorough and took great pains to explain their condition to the patients, prescribing options and managed to include health education as well. Not only was I able to observe how Paula interacted with her patients and carried out examinations but also I gained an enormous first hand insight into the vagaries of the USA health insurance system. I had had it explained to me several times but actually observing the impact on people with insurance, some cover, no cover, cash payers or people who seemed in impossible situations really showed me the contrast to the NHS system at home that I both work in and benefit from. I had been in Texas in 1993 on a university exchange comparing healthcare for older people, and others, but the situation seems worse now for many people that it was the. Perhaps because of the economic climate and that so many people’s health insurance is tied into their jobs. Thank you so much Paula for allowing me to share that busy, working day, during which I learnt so much. Excellent.

Richard
I spent the morning with my host, Dan Pratt, who runs an architect company. We visited his offices and a couple of the amazing homes he’d designed. I enjoyed learning the process they go through and how they deal with the many challenges and opportunities they face. The history of his company was very interesting and I enjoyed learning about his strategy for taking the business forward. It was also pretty cool being driven around Vermont in his convertible visiting luxury homes – another tough day in New England!
In Rutland I also visited the distribution centre and customer services centre for Vermont Country Store. The Distribution Manager, Kara, gave me the tour of their impressive facilities. It’s a huge operation employing hundreds of staff. I found their production line fascinating and it was really useful hearing about their tactics for improving efficiency and overall performance. Certainly gave me some ideas to take back to Maybo and it was helpful discussing my intentions for Maybo with her. The Customer Services Manager, Michelle, showed me around their call centre and told me about their efforts to increase sales by encouraging cross/up selling. I even got to listen in to several calls handled brilliantly by Judi. Another really educational session that’s filled my head with new ideas!

Abi
I had two vocational visits today. The first was at Lifesource Chiropractic with Dr Kevin Richards who is a chiropractor and also trained in Applied Kinesiology. This is a form of diagnosis using muscle testing as a primary feedback mechanism to examine how a person’s body is functioning). I had the opportunity to observe him treating patients and we also had time to discuss the differences/similarities in our treatment techniques. My next visit was at Advantage Physical Therapy with Scott Tomolla who owns the practice. His job is similar to mine and he currently only treats people with musculoskeletal problems. During my time with him I was able to observe him treating a variety of patients with differing problems and picked up some techniques that I can use upon my return which was very useful. Both vocational visits were beneficial and will help me with my professional development. Thank you to everyone involved.

Hayley
I spent the morning with Kiki McShane, President & CEO of the Vermont Achievement Centre. Kiki was also a member of the Rotary Group in Rutland. When I arrived at the office Kiki introduced me to Susan who arranges some of the Fundraising event s that they have.
We then went out to a local store where Kiki and Susan were setting up a window display with Adirondack Chairs that were built by the students of Fay Honey Knopp School at VAC. They were all then passed on to local artists and groups to be painted before being auctioned at an evening Reception.
On the return to the Centre Kiki gave me a full tour of the facilities and explained how the services work in the community and the money that they are required to raise. It was a great opportunity to see the Centre buzzing with children and the great work that Kiki and Susan do to raise the much needed funds. Thank you for your time.

Charlotte
I spent the morning at Rutland Town School which is Kindergarten to Grade 8. I was able to take a look in several of the classes, including the Grade 1 poetry reading and the Grade 3 Mothers' Day celebration (where mothers came in for a special brunch and poetry session prepared by their children). They have an after school programme similar to the that in Bennington. As with the schools I visited in New Hampshire, there is a strong emphasis on inclusivity and specialist services are available on-site. This school has a full time speech and language therapist. A very friendly school with lots of positive re-enforcement for the children. Thank you to Patti Beaumont, the Principal, for spending the morning with me.

Host Families - Bennington Rotary Club – Monday 3rd May – Wednesday 5th May

Hayley
During the short stay at Bennington I was lucky enough to stay with Rick and Ellen Havlak who owned the Bookshop in Downtown Bennington. They made me feel very welcome for my two-night stay. Rick cooked a lovely meal and their Son and his house mate joined us for dinner.
It was lovely to be welcomed into their family. Thank you for looking after me during my stay and letting me get a couple of early nights!!

Richard
I stayed with Janice and George in North Bennington. I loved the guided tour of George’s incredible model railway, especially as I was trusted to play with it! We had a really nice Indian meal across the border in Massachusetts on the last night which was very enjoyable and reminded me of home!

Abi
In Bennington I was staying with David and Gail O’Brien (who is also a physiotherapist). They live in Shaftsbury in a lovely house out in the countryside. Upon arrival I was greeted by their dogs Molly and Shadow and cat Yoda and soon discovered some chickens running around! David and Gail have hosted many GSE and exchange students in the past so I was able to add my pin to their map of the world. I was the first to have visited them from the UK. On my 2nd night, Gail took me to a pub in New York State called The Man of Kent, which had a huge variety of different beers and food to choose from. It felt like I was back in Canterbury. Thank you again for letting me stay.

Charlotte
In Bennington I stayed with Barbara and her 2 inquisitive cats, Cricket and Tyler Lilly. Once again, I was made to feel very welcome and at home! It was a short stay in Bennington but Barbara and I spent a nice evening together on Tuesday, eating a beautiful meal with some Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Thanks to Barbara for getting up so early to drop me off on Wednesday morning!

Ruth
My hosts for the two night stay in Bennington were Judith and Bill Fellows. When Judith first met me we decided to go to her home so that I could freshen up and so that we could have 'nice cup of tea'. Judith is real anglophile and also a quilter, so as I love handicrafts too, we got of to a great start. She even paid a 'happy dollar' at her RC Catamount meeting the morning because having me stay had reminded her that we need to take time for those pleasant interludes in life. Bill works at the CDC that we visited Tuesday morning so he had been able to give me some background before our visit. Another very pleasant, but all too short stay with lovely people. Thank you both.

Bennington Rotary Club – Monday 3rd May till Wednesday 5th May

The continuation of us running late continued on Monday morning but we arrived in Bennington at about 11am and we were greeted by Gabe who was our driver for the stay in Bennington!
Gabe took us for a tour of a local organic farm where we were introduced to the owner and given a full tour. We then headed back to Downtown Bennington where we had some lunch before a meeting at the Sunrise Family Resource Centre where the team explained the workings of the centre and services that they offer local families. After the meeting we were greeted at the Bennington Museum by Stephen Perkins who showed us around.
The evening saw everyone get together at Jen Holley’s house for a Pot Luck Dinner; they had a brilliant bar and even a Darts Board!!
We presented at the Bennington Rotary Club Morning meeting before a day of educational visits. We were given full of Southern Vermont Career Development Centre and Month Anthony Union High School before we were whisked away to our vocational visits.
We met back at Bennington Project Independent for a tour of the new facilities that they have offering day care for individuals. After the tour we headed for the nearest Coffee Shop before meeting without host families at 5.30pm.
An early start on Wednesday saw us saying goodbye to our hosts at 6.30am for a presentation at the West Dover Club in Wilmington. Thank you for a jam-packed experience during our short stay.

Hayley
I met with Karen Trubitt the Dean of Advancement at Southern Vermont College; the grounds were breath taking a far cry from the colleges back home. Karen explained the history behind the college and the funding that they require.
Karen explained that they rely a large amount on Grants and Donations. They do have a focus on marketing to past pupils of the college to make up the funds that are required. The pupils do not hold fundraising activities for the college but occasionally do fundraising activity.
It was great to see the facilities and hear about the history and future plans for the college; thank you for taking some time to explain it to me.

Abi
This vocational visit was with Gail O’Brien who has her own practice in Bennington. She specialises in musculoskeletal outpatients and lymphoedma but also sees some neurological outpatients. I had the opportunity to observe her treating some patients and saw equipment used for upper limb passive mobilisations that patients can take home to use (following mastectomies, fractured humerus...). We also discussed current techniques used for manual therapy and found that it was very similar to techniques that are used in the UK. Despite a short visit it proved to be very useful. Thank you for giving up your time.

Charlotte
I visited the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union which oversees the schools in the district. We talked about some of the differences, but also some similar issues that we share such as higher rates of teenage pregnancy in certain areas. I also met with the person responsible for co-ordinating the after school and holiday programmes in some of the schools. He works a lot with local organisations. This role is probably the most similar to my job that I have found! We had a discussion on whether children should be charged for after school activities. It is interesting to find someone in a different part of the world with similar view to me on many issues.

Ruth
We visited the Sunrise Centre as a group. The centre is a NPO devoted to the 'early years'. A team of dedicated staff gave us the background to the development of the services via a 'river of life' format.
Tuesday afternoon I was with Betsy Browning, a Certified Nurse Midwife, who is also a member of RC Catamount. Betsy had contacted me through Facebook a few weeks ago so we had already corresponded but it was great to finally meet her in person. Betsy runs Green Mountain Midwifery and Women’s Health, working as a independent practitioner. She also introduced me to Linda Brown who works with her and is a Doula, a term I had never heard before which means ‘woman’s slave’. The Doula is there to help with the woman’s needs during childbirth. Betsy and Linda seemed to have their fingers on the pulse of women’s health needs in the town and surrounding areas. Another good vocational session. After that the whole team visited Bennington Project Independence (BPI) an Adult Day Care and Day Health Rehabilitation service in their very new and splendid premises in a converted barn. The facilities certainly were state of the art in this field and the levels of respite care they were able to offer on a day care basis were the most comprehensive that I have ever come across.
At the end of the afternoon I met my host Judith who had invited Mary Hagarty to join us for dinner. Mary is the Executive Director of the Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice. Mary was a fountain of knowledge on the Health Reform Bill, the implications for Vermont and many other issues impacting on health and economics in the State of Vermont and the USA. Mary gave me some interesting information and has since e-mailed me several further articles. Thanks for arranging a very worthwhile ‘vocational’ dinner for me Judith.

Richard
I visited a company called Mace who manufacture and distribute pepper spray. They are a well-established business and sell around 12,000 pepper sprays every week. I had a tour of their production line and learnt how their business is structured and their marketing strategy. It was interesting because their business also helps people deal with conflict, like Maybo, although is at the ‘harder’ end of scale and for personal not professional use. Maybo doesn’t condone use of pepper spray and it is illegal in the UK. However there is clearly a large market in the US. It was useful to discuss the differences in approaches to personal safety between the UK and US.

Host Families - Keene Elm City Rotary and Rotary Club of Keene – Saturday 1st May till Monday 3rd May

Abi
In Keene Richard and I were hosted by Peg and Harry Wolhandler in the historical town of Harrisville. As their house was situated on Harris Pond I had the opportunity to try out my rowing skills. It turns out that I’m useless but I still blame the oars! It was a shame that we didn’t get to spend longer with them but thank you for looking after us. Hopefully if I get the chance to come back my rowing/kayaking skills will have improved.

Richard
Harry and Peg were very kind in taking Abi and me into their home for a couple of days. The have a lovely place on the edge of a lake and the panoramic views from their windows are breathtaking. We had good fun on Sunday morning when the girls took the rowing boat out and Harry and I explored the lake in his canoe.

Hayley
I was lucky enough to be hosted by Judith and her two dogs Murphy and Prozac! Ruth and Charlotte also stayed at the house. Due to the short stay in Keene we were unable to spend that much time with Judith but she made us all feel very welcome.
Judith also hosted the Pot Luck evening for the team which was lovely as so many Rotarians and their family attended. Thank you for your kind hospitability in your beautiful home.

Charlotte
In Keene, Ruth, Hayley and I stayed with Judith Putzel in her beautiful home in the woods. We were very warmly greeted by Judith's 2 golden retrievers, Murphy and Prozac! Judith hosted a lovely pot luck dinner for the group and local Rotarians on Sunday evening and this was a great chance to meet everyone over some great food and drinks. We were with Judith for just a couple of nights and it is a shame we couldn't stay longer!

Ruth
My host in Keene was Judith Putzel who had two beautiful homes - the 'summer house' and the 'winter house'. I was staying in the winter house with Hayley and Charlotte but Judith said during warm summer moths sometimes she did not decide until bedtime which house she would sleep in. She has two dogs Riley and Prozac (Judiths therapy) and a life-size model of a 3rd Labrador in the hallway. We were made very welcome and Judith hosted the Sunday evening potluck dinner for all the team and their hosts. A brief but happy stay. thank you Judith.