MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez, Terry Brewer, Carol Orvis, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Tony Morris, Pat Bailey, Charlie Foote, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed members and led a brief discussion of COVID vaccine experiences. Most members have had at least one shot, several have had both, and several have not been able to get on a list. Members shared possibilities and contact points. … Roberto Martinez, speaking on behalf of project coordinator Shannon Romanowski, reported that progress is being made toward the goal of providing 150 Easter baskets for kids through Circles of Mercy. Donated basket items are being accepted during regular hours at the Greenbush YMCA. The shopping list and project timeline are on the club website. Shannon said anyone not comfortable shopping for items can send a check payable to the Greenbush YMCA to cover the cost of baskets: 20 Community Way, East Greenbush NY 12061. (Be sure to include a note saying the check is for Easter baskets. …

Reminder that the deadline for registration for the virtual March 27 Rotary Leadership Institute is March 20, and the club will reimburse registrants for the $25 fee. Bill Dowd noted that anyone interested in this and other signups can simply go to the clkub website’s calendar page and click on the event rather than search through the website postings if they haven’t bother reading them as they are posted. … Reminder that Jim and Roberto still have some handcrafted scented soaps to sell, and Murray still has Hoffman Car Wash tickets. … Bill suggested that, since we have not had a major fundraiser this year, we begin looking into the possibility of a spring recycling/shredding event in case the pandemic eases enough to allow it to be held. Murray said he will check with our usual vendors to ascertain their availability and report back to the club next week. …

Terry Brewer reported on this week’s Foundation Subcommittee meeting. He explained some of the pros and cons of creating a foundation compared to attaching to RI’s Foundation. Continued study is under way, and another meeting is scheduled for 2/22. … Debbie Rodriguez noted that a meeting of the Danes Rotaract board was held this week, which prompted Bill to report that the club has received an email