Held at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (13): Andy Leyhane, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Terry Brewer, Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Peter C. Berry.

NOTES: Debbie and Peter Brown and Pat Bailey introduced Peter C. Berry, who has returned to the area after a number of years living in South Africa. He had been a member of the Albany Rotary Club and is applying for reinstatement to Rotary as a member of SRC. … President Andy Leyhane is looking for a volunteer to coordinate this year’s Easter basket drive in conjunction with Circles of Mercy. Bill Dowd, who has handled the project numerous times in the past, said he is available to advise anyone who steps up. He also suggested finding a new partnering group for the effort rather than involving Columbia High School. Terry Brewer suggested the eventual coordinator contact Shannon Romanowski at the Greenbush YMCA. The deadline for dropping off completed gift baskets to Circles of Mercy is Monday, April 15. A shopping list has been placed on the club website. (Click here to access it.) …

… Terry, in his role of District Membership Committee chair, will run the upcoming District 7190 Membership Summit. Anyone interested in attending is asked to inform Terry and may enroll online on the District website. Details are available by clicking here. … The first two dates have been scheduled for the annual Rotary Home Cooking dinner series. Several more hosts are needed to round out the schedule. Series details are available by clicking here. … We will be holding a “painting party” beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 9, to finish off the renovations of the meeting room here at Quigley’s. Volunteers should contact Murray Forth or Terry Brewer ASAP. …

… Our next Recycling & Shredding Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, again at the Wainschaf Associates warehouse complex in Rensselaer. A full complement of volunteers is needed to staff the fundraiser. Please contact Murray if interested in lending a hand. … Bill Dowd has created a generic SRC flyer to be handed out to the public as a “Rotary explainer.” It will be distributed at various public events, beginning with the upcoming 3rd annual Community Recognition Awards dinner to be held on Tuesday, March 5, at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant. Terry reported that plans are being finalized for that event, which has become a major SRC fundraiser.

SCHEDULING CHANGES: We will not meet next Thursday, February 28. Thus, our next dinner meeting will be held at  6:15 p.m. at Quigley’s when Schodack Town Supervisor David Harris will be the speaker. … In place of our usual meeting on Thursday, May 9, Phil Kellerman is arranging a special live music event and CD release that will be open to the public as a fundraiser for the Oley Foundation for which he works. Thus, we have moved the 5th annual Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test from that date to Thursday, April 25.