MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote, Ron Annis, Terry Brewer and Ray Hannan.

GUESTS (4): Emery and Joan Maddocks, Monika Annis and Betty Brewer.

President Kevin Leyhane called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Growing Fellowship and Service Locally and Globally.” 

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 President Kevin Leyhane or any board member who will be attending the meeting. Proxy votes can also be submitted using the Remind App. Text to the number 81010.

MEETING NOTES

Circles of Mercy Easter Basket Program: Once again, SRC Rotary and the East Greenbush YMCA partnered to support Circles of Mercy and their annual Easter Basket Program. Items needed include coloring books, crayons, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste and toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs and brushes, age appropriate (1 to 12 years old) small stuffed animals, toys, small games, or reading books, and of course various different types of traditional wrapped candy. Tomorrow is the last day to drop off items at the YMCA. Per Shannon Romanowski, the YMCA will assemble the baskets and drop them off at Circles of Mercy. Thank you to all for your donations.

Rotary Bowling Event: The event will be held this Sunday, April 2nd, from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost is $16 per individual bowler or $50 for a family or student group of 4 with shoes included. Proceeds from the event will be used to support the Anchor Food Pantry of Castleton-on-Hudson and the Water for South Sudan Project, organized by 7th grade students from the Maple Hill junior/Senior School.

There will be raffles for gift certificates. Those who bring food donate to the Anchor Food Pantry will receive a free raffle ticket. Requested food items include cereal, toiletries, instant mashed potato boxes, peanut butter, jelly, snack packages of crackers, and canned chicken.

Per Phil Kellerman, there are 22 sponsors, Murray Forth made the signs and Phil expects 40 to 50 bowlers.

Student Exchange Program: Peter Brown and Jim Leyhane will meet at Maple Hill next with regarding interest in the student exchange program.

District Training Assembly and Grants Managment Seminar: The Assembly and Grants Training will be held on Saturday, April 1st. Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will attend the training in Schenectady. Debbie Rodriguez and Peter Brown have signed up to attend the training via Zoom.

Albany Water Project Video Presentation: Kevin Leyhane is working on posting the video to the website.

YMCA Donation: The Club approved a $200 donation to the YMCA general fund.

East Greenbush Global Education Committee:  The entire East Greenbush School District is reading the book “The Elephant in the Room” by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Velda, a large stuffed elephant, will be making an appearance at the SRC Rotary event this Sunday. We have six of the books which were loaned out to Rotary members this evening. Once done reading, please pass the book on to another member.

Tri-City Valley Cats: The game the Club was to attend last year was canceled due to weather. The new date tentatively is July 27th. If you had not signed up last year and are interested in attending a baseball game and picnic this year, please contact Debbie Rodriguez. Further information will be forthcoming.

New Members Update: Roberto Martinez suggested that new membership should be discussed at every meeting. Rotary is member driven and the biggest service organization in the world.

Name Tags: Contact Pat Baily if you need a new name tag.

Speakers and Schedules: Please check the Calendar page on the Rotary website for the speaker schedule. There still are dates available. If you have a speaker, please contact Becky Raymond, Peter Brown or Kevin Leyhane.

SUNY School of Public Health Lecture: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, winner of Axelrod Prize in Public Health, will be speaking at the George Education Center on the University of Albany’s Health Sciences Campus on Monday April 3rd at 4:00 pm about the Flint Water Crisis.

Boy Scouts: Per Jim Leyhane, the Scouts are asking for $475 for camper scholarships for this summer. The Club approved funding for the request.

Schodack Town Park: Peter Brown suggested that if the Club wants to participate in the “Summer in the Park” this year, we need to start planning. We will need more membership participation and possibly plan to sell something as a fundraiser.

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 6, 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. Our speaker will be Jimmy Thomas from the Glenville Rotary Club.

Entree choices will be Chicken Florentine, Chicken Caeser Salid and Manicotti.

There were two theories about the cause of Alzheimer’s. In the beta amyloid theory, amyloid plaques collect in the brain when the beta amyloid protein wears out and enzymes cut the protein into fragments. The fragments stick together to form plaques. In the tau theory, abnormal forms of the tau protein accumulate and form tangles.

Early on, Pfizer and Eli Lily produced antibody drugs that focused preventing the enzymes from cutting the beta amyloid protein into fragments. Cognitive function did not improve with use of the drugs when compared to the control group. The trials were ended.

Subsequently, addition research suggested that amyloid formation is linked to misfolding of the tau protein leading to tangles.

Recent developments in new imaging agents allowed for better images of the brain, plaques and tangles. However, the half-life of F-18 (radiolabeled fluorinated compound) is 109 minutes necessitating manufacturing of materials in-hospital or facilities geographically located near hospitals.

There are two new treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease. Both involve monoclonal antibodies which bind to the beta amyloid protein and trigger removal of the amyloid plaques. The first treatment from Biogen and Eastside was approved in June of 2021. However, there are concerns regarding efficacy, adverse effects and the high cost of $56,000 per year. The second treatment from Biogen and Eastside was approved in January 2023. This antibody produced significant reduction of plaques and beneficial effects on the tau protein. A third treatment from Eli Lilly is expected to be approved at the end of this year or early next year.

These treatments slow down the progression of the disease. They are not cures.

Ron was asked by the Town of Schodack to present information on the Viking Gym project to the Town Board last Thursday. This project is a multiorganizational effort that started in 2017 and is based on a Viking playground design created in Sweden. It was developed in conjunction with our sister Rotary Club in Gefle, Sweden, the hometown of Ron‘s wife Monika. The original gym was built as an Eagle Scout project helped in part by a grant from the Southern Rensselaer Rotary Club with contributions and guidance from Top Form and the Town of Schodack. The original equipment consisted of wood logs which deteriorated over time and were removed.

The current plan is to add eight new pieces of equipment to the current Viking gym site at the Schodack Town Park. The equipment identified is not made from wood and is guaranteed to last for 20 years. The cost for all eight pieces is $24,000. Contributions from the SRC Rotary and the Kiwanis Club will help offset part of the cost with the remainder hopefully coming from some grant money available to the Town of Schodack. Let’s make an investment in prevention!