Danes Rotaract Club and Board Members

MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Dick Drumm, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Fourth, Debbie Rodriguez, Charlie Foote, John Justino, Becky Raymond, Peter Brown and Debbie Brown. By Proxy: Terry Brewer.

GUESTS: Monica Barrera, Meghan Lipp and Cathy Stone.

President Kevin Leyhane called the meeting to order, noting the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

Hybrid Meeting:  Please let Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane or Roberto Martinez know if you plan to join the weekly meeting via Zoom.

Proxy Votes:  If unable to attend please submit your proxy votes to Kevin Leyhane. Proxy votes can also be submitted using the Remind App. Text to the number 81010.

Student Exchange Program – Per Peter Brown, we have not heard back yet from Maple Hill High School. Funding for the Program will come from the proceeds of the raffle ticket sales for the Cafe Capriccio Dinner. All members are asked to sell ten raffle tickets for $20 each.

Shelter Box: The Club will send $800 to Shelter Box. $250 was raised from the sale of the lanterns and the rest came from member donations.

Circles of Mercy Adopt a Family:  Per the request from Richard, the club agreed to support two family of five members each this year. Circles of Mercy would like gifts to be delivered by December 12.  Further information will be posted on the website.

YMCA Thanksgiving Basket Project: The YMCA is still collecting brownie mix, powdered potatoes and powdered gravy. Please deliver your donations to the YMCA. Jim Leyhane proposed that the Club donate $200 to the YMCA for their Thanksgiving basket project. Club member unanimously approved the donation.

Holiday Party: Is tentatively scheduled for December 15th. Roberto Martinez is checking with Moscatiellos about the date and menu. Please bring your baskets for auction. This has been a successful fundraiser in past years.

Rotaract:

Danes Rotaract members President Monica Barrera, Secretary Treasurer Megha Lippa and Alumni Member at Large Cathy Stone joined us tonight for dinner. They are in the process of forming their identity as a Club. They are focusing on increasing membership, planning a social gathering and help with neighborhood cleanup for the West Hill Refugee Center in Albany. The Refugee Center purchases abandoned properties and fixes them up for rental properties for refugees. The Center also provides services such as language and educational programs to refugees. They discussed the possibility of helping the YMCA with assembling the Thanksgiving Baskets. Becky Raymond will contact the YMCA for the date and time. They are invited to also join our Rotary meetings via Zoom. The Danes Rotaract Club is looking forward to collaborating with the SRC Rotary.

Next Meeting – Thursday, November 17, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. 

Entree choices will be Chicken Caesar Salad, Baked Ziti and Spaghetti with Meatballs.