Members in Attendance (12):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane and Terry Brewer.

By Zoom (2):  Debbie Rodriguez and Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Marcie Bower

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Adopt-a-Family: Thursday, December 14th, is the last day to turn in the donations for our adopted family. The wish list is posted on the website. Please wrap all gifts and label with the full name of the recipient. Please contact Kevin Leyhane, if you need full names. If you are unable to drop off donations on December 14th, please contact Debbie Rodriguez to arrange for an alternate date and time. The donations are due on December 15th. Debbie Brown and Debbie Rodriguez will coordinate getting the donations to Circles of Mercy.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost has increased to $35 per person and does not include the gratuity. Children are half price. The Club will cover the gratuity. If the additional $5 is a problem, please contact Roberto Martinez.

Currently, 43 members and their guests will be attending. Our final count is due Monday. If you plan to attend but do not show up, the Club will still be charged for your meal.

Dinner will be served as a buffet that includes Ceasar Salid, Chicken Marsala, Lasagna and Eggplant Parmesan. There will be Cannoli and cookies for dessert.

Phil Kellerman is organizing the silent auction this year. Currently, 15 baskets are being donated. Phil will be there at 5:30 pm with the description and bid sheets for those donations. Phil asks that those donating arrive a little early.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: Phil Kellerman has left a message with the event coordinator at the bowling alley asking for a price of $12 per person instead of $16 for two hours of bowling and shoes. He has not heard back yet. His next step is to ask for sponsors. He has all the sponsor signs for last year.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown contacted Jennifer Knowles regarding Rotary Clubs in Kenya that may be able to participate in the project. He has not heard back yet.

St. Joseph’s Place: The Club approved a donation of $240 for St. Joseph’s Place to purchase bus fares. Phil Kellerman will deliver the check and observe their operation.

Dues: Per Murray Forth, those members who split their dues into two payments, the second payment of $87.50 is due.

Viking Gym: The bulk of the work is to be done by the Town of Schodack. Ron Annis would like to get some volunteers in January to help put together the equipment.

Club Assembly: to be held on January 18th. We still need speakers for next year.

Next Meeting: Thursday, December 14th, the holiday party starts at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. There will be no Zoom.

Marcy Bower is a licensed acupuncturist. She graduated from the New England School of Acupuncture’s three-year master’s program. Marcy works at Bower Family Acupuncture located at 81 Miller Road in Castleton.

Acupuncture is part of ancient Chinese medicine. It corrects the disease-causing imbalance of energy by supplementing weak energy, dispersing energy when it is too strong or moving stuck energy. Acupuncturists look at the human body though its energy or life-force. Ying represents the cool and watery parts of the body, whereas yang represents the hot, dry and fiery parts of the body. Other ways to look at the body include Qui and Blood, the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and microsystems. Disease is caused by the imbalance of these forces.

Acupuncture is used for pain management, anxiety, headaches and to treat many diseases. It involves inserting small needles into anatomical landmarks to restore balance. Accupressure involves putting pressure on certain parts of the body to help energy flow. It is used to treat things like insomnia, stress and motion sickness. Many insurances cover acupuncture treatments.