Posts by Liz DiMarco Weinmann
Family Business Matters ©Liz DiMarco Weinmann
This is to commend the Rutland Herald for the inspiring profile of Casey McNeil, the third-generation proprietor of McNeil & Reedy. It was the perfect Saturday morning lift, as was last September’s Herald feature about Rutland’s world-famous cookie-cutter firm, Ann Clark. Beyond spurring joy, both features were timely tributes to the intrinsic value of family…
Read MoreRutland Community Cupboard – AnEssential Humanitarian Resource
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think,” said Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Many Killington-area residents and visitors are familiar with a popular fundraising event for the Rutland Community Cupboard (“the Cupboard”) that features local luminaries volunteering their time and talent as “Celebrity Servers” — i.e., waitstaff — at a…
Read MoreNew Story, New Home: A Sanctuary for Survivors
By Liz DiMarco Weinmann As one of the bitterest cold months of the year is in full swing in Vermont, idyllic images abound — of roaring fireplaces, ice-skating on frozen ponds, steaming cups of cocoa, and puffy snowsuits that make even the tiniest human look like an overstuffed king-size pillow. Those images are worlds apart…
Read MoreBest Place Forward: Embrace New Vermonters!
A recent Herald commentary promised to identify the root cause of homelessness in Vermont but did not deliver. Its author, an otherwise talented musician, bombarded readers with a tedious one-note paean focused on his presumptive superior status as a “multi-generational Vermonter.” Among his numerous discordant notes was his excoriation of visitors who end up buying…
Read MoreVolunteer of the Year, Paul Gallo, has lessons for all of us
For business leader, altruist and creative guru Paul Gallo, Rutland is where the magic happens Unless this is your first visit to this area, the likelihood is high that you have touched, listened to, viewed, tasted, learned about, and been delighted at least once by a Vermont treasure dreamt up, built, championed or brought to…
Read MoreLet’s Get Smarter: Local newspapers are essential
The Herald’s Oct. 6 editorial, about the mounting challenges facing small newspapers, likely touched many loyal readers who agree it is essential we all support this public good. Yet plenty of people in this region boast they don’t read the Herald at all, let alone subscribe to it. They bleat such a conceit as if…
Read MoreBoys & Girls Club: Ensuring Vermont’s Future
For nearly three decades, Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County (BGCRC) has navigated challenges as well as triumphs in providing safe and supportive places for kids 5-15 years old, to learn, play, and grow. The need to nurture Vermont’s youth has never been greater — a cause that Caitlin Perry has been intensely involved…
Read MoreNonprofits Face The Me-Too Era
Autumn is the busiest season for nonprofit fundraising, during which many nonprofits are preparing year-end reports, planning fundraising events, and crafting impact-focused requests for donations. The majority of these activities are the responsibility of the nonprofits’ fundraisers. Whether they are salaried staff, paid consultants, or volunteers, many of these fundraisers are women, persons of color,…
Read MorePeople Who Need People
Crises like the weather events of the past few weeks and the senseless death of a young police officer in the line of duty, remind us how fortunate we are if we have treasured family, generous friends, good neighbors, and essential workers in our lives. But what about those who don’t have people to depend…
Read MoreBill Lucci: Believe What You’ll Be, You’ll See
The question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” has become one that requires innovative solutions to address such issues as, the shortage of essential workers, the changing socio-economic landscape, and the value of lifelong learning. Over the past three years, for example, the challenge of finding a reputable electrician, plumber, or…
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