Tom Sturtevant Chapter 1
March 27, 2014
Buker Community Center
Augusta, Maine
Present: Rita Clement, Clarence Smith, Richard Clement, Bruce Gagnon, Doug Rawlings, Robin Spencer, Dan Ellis, Peter Woodruff, Dud Hendrick, Larry Dansinger
Secretary Report: Minutes from last meeting accepted and are on the web site
Treasurer Report: Report accepted.
Membership: Now have 123 members, 95 are currently paid-up with dues.
MaineShare: May 14 is the annual meeting while the MaineShare 25th annual party is June 17. All are invited to attend.
Education Committee: Peggy Akers and Doug spoke to 100 seniors at Yarmouth High School recently. Peggy was quite moving. The message was abolish war. Both also were interviewed by Waynefleet students for a project they are doing.
Chapter By-Laws: Final approval made of our new By-Laws. They are now on our web site for your review as well.
Draft & Military Counseling: Larry presented on this subject requesting that the chapter do more to take over this work in the state. AFSC youth and militarism group was working on this putting literature on the subject in some schools across the state. AFSC closed up shop on this effort in Maine and the counter-recruitment work mostly dried up. Because Maine is so spread out it’s hard to reach out to schools. Smitty reported that Jack Bussell in Portland is still doing some of this work. We will take Larry’s literature and use it at our Common Ground Fair table. We could also put links on our web site to some of the organizations nationally doing this work. The Center on Conscience and War has a list of schools that give financial aid to students who refuse to register for the draft. We could also link to them. Doug wants us to pursue doing more on this important work in the future.
April 11/12: VFP is hosting the Asia-Pacific panel at UMO Memorial Union/Bangor Room on April 11 at 2:30 pm. Then following our April 12 ‘christening’ rally at BIW (10:00 am to noon) we’ll repeat the Asia-Pacific panel at the Unitarian Church in Brunswick at 6:00 (pot luck supper) and program at 7:00 pm. The church is just across the street from the library. Pax Christi Maine donated $200 and Peace & Justice Center (Bangor) also put up $200 to help with costs. Our chapter has pledged $750 for travel and honorariums of the four panel speakers. See more information here
May 10: VFP will co-sponsor the May 10 talk of Adolph Reed, Jr at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.
June 28 Lewiston: We agreed to give $500 in sponsorship for the Tri-County Mental Health event planned in Lewiston.
Habitat Build: There will be a veteran build this summer in Brunswick.
Peace Fair Aug 2 Brunswick: We’ve been asked to help make a special button for the peace fair this year. Agreed that we would take that on.
St. Patrick’s Peace Parade: Richard, Rita, Peggy and Doug went to South Boston from our chapter for the event which this year was only one block behind the main parade.
National Convention: Will be in Asheville, NC in July. We committed to sending someone from the chapter, $1,000 approved. Also will buy a full page advert in the convention booklet at the cost of $200. We’ll figure out the theme at next meeting. We should put out on our list serve a request to see who wants to go on our behalf to the convention.
Next Meeting: April 24th in Brunswick at the Unitarian Church, 1 Middle Street.
