Members (11): Bob A, Carol, Deb, Ed, Emma, Jeff, Karen, Rod, Sue Dana, Sue Dowdell, Taylor
Guests: Alan Englander, Jill Lawrence, Michelle Chamberlain, Jeff Burnham (speaker)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• The Diaper Drive has begun for the month of April. Collections are taking place at several business locations. Please share social media posts. For more info, click here.
• April 16th club meeting will be a bag lunch since the kitchen will be closed at Maebellines.
• Spring Food Drive will take place on May 11. To sign up, contact President Emma.
Trex Plastics Challenge Update
We have met our goal of 1000 pounds of plastic film for a sixth recycled bench. To date, 4,328 pounds of plastic film (over 2 tons!) have been removed from the waste stream and are being recycled. We have 195 pounds towards our seventh bench. You can bring your plastic to the Springfield Town Library. We need more volunteers to help sort at the Library, please contact Sue Dowdell.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
April 16
Sandy Peplau
Apple Blossom Cotillion
April 23
No Regular Club Meeting
April 24
Club Social at Fullerton Inn, Chester
April 30
Liza Eager
Chronic Disease Prevention
May 7
TBA
May 14
Heather Frahm
Springfield802.com
May 21
Sarah Duprey
Lincoln Street
The next board meeting will be Thur, Apr. 11, 2024, @ Noon @ Senior Solutions Conference Room. All members are welcome to all board meetings, your input is valued, please come!
SERVICE ABOVE SELF
President Emma welcomed all to the April 9, 2024 club meeting held at Maebelline's Restaurant. For the thought of the day, Emma offered this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt : “When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return. You should give a good thought to the happiness that you can give out."
Alan: Thankful for the work of Police Chief Jeff Burnham and his officers
Deb: an impromptu walk by strangers who discovered the credit union had closed for the eclipse
Susan - served as a skills judge for a middle school competition
Karen - leaving for Las Vegas
RAFFLE:
The weekly prize of $3 was won by Police Chief Burnham. The big pot grew to $32.
PROGRAM:
Police Chief Jeff Burnham relayed his enthusiasm for his job with an animated discussion of what has been accomplished in his 18 months leading the Springfield department, and what is in the works.
The 30-year veteran of law enforcement cited statistics showing a marked decrease in serious crime here over the past year, saying that was achieved with the support of the community and local government.
When Burnham took over the department, non-competitive wages had left the department with vacant shifts. With a raise in pay rates approved by the Town, Burnham was able to fill five vacancies; he has since lost four of those officers, as they wanted to work closer to their homes. The department is currently run with two-man shifts; often the department’s administrators must answer calls. Burnham noted that the manpower shortfall has forced him to scale back some of his community outreach programs, such as sending officers into the schools to befriend students; but he tries to get his officers into such social situations whenever possible.
Burnham also spoke extensively and enthusiastically about the revival of Project ACTION, which works to lessen crimes, like burglaries, by delving into the root causes. Noting that many of Springfield’s crimes are caused by substance abusers, Burnham has established a strong relationship with the Turning Point Recovery Center. For willing offenders, TPRC now provides life coaches who can help substance abusers with their addictions, with the goal of reducing the impetus behind their crimes.
Thank you Rod Arnold for taking the notes of this meeting.
This bulletin attempts to give a gist of the meeting. However, it is always better to attend. If you have any complaints about the contents of this bulletin...
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