Members in Attendance (11):  Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Ron Annis and John Justino.

Guests (3): Denny Cicchino, Dan Wagner and Susan Kaczynski.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Paul Harris Fellow: Congratulations to Charlie Foote who received his pin in recognition of his contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Viking Gym: The Town Highway Department will clear the land the weekend of the 4th. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will partner with Keller Construction to dig the holes. Volunteers will be needed on March the 23rd at noon to put the equipment together and to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. All dates are dependent on the weather. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Pat Baily has volunteered to look into food and drink for the 23rd. Jim Layhane will order a Peace Pole from Rotary International. There are two choices, one with four languages for $275 and one with six languages for $325.

Student Scholarships: Terry Brewer will get the scholarship letters out next week. Their award check will be presented at our Rotary meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd at Moscatiello’s Restaurant.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown received another proposal for the bore hole. He is comparing the two proposals. Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch will provide a needs assessment. Circles of Mercy can’t do a grant until the fall.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS training will be held on Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Ray Hannon will make sure Lois receives the donations. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Rotary Birthday Party: The Party is tomorrow, February 23rd, from 5 pm until 8 pm at the Parting Glass located at 40 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open. the cost is $5. Register here  https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=9c633b5f-9f0c-44ab-a378-ca8b39759110.

Website Update: The meeting of March 28th will be a General Assembly. The membership lists will be updated and Rotary branding will be clarified so that Keven Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez can update the website.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Boy Scouts: Congratulations to Denny Cicchino, Scoutmaster of Troup 41. He is retiring at the end of the year after serving for 29 years. Dan Wagner, a Columbia High School social studies teacher, is taking over after Mr. Cicchino retires. The Club gave a $560 donation to sponsor a campership.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 29th (Leap Year) 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 representative from Broadview Credit Union.

Entree choices will be Chicken Ceasar Salid, Chicken Parmesan and Linguini with Baby Clams.

Anyone, anywhere at any time can have a seizure. One in ten people have had a seizure and one in twenty-six will go on to develop epilepsy. In the United States, 3.4 million people have epilepsy. There are different types of seizures from grand mal to appearing to zone out that result from many different causes.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York’s mission is to help overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy. The Foundation provides programs and services to twenty-two counties from the Upper Hudson Valley to the North Country to an estimated 45,000 people. They provide information, referrals, service coordination, self-management programs and counseling. They also provide educational programs on recognizing seizures and providing first aid to staff and students in schools and to professionals such as law enforcement and first responders. The Foundation advocates for individuals with epilepsy and their families.

The Foundation hosts many events and activities such as their Walk to End Epilepsy, the Confections to Chocolate Gala and Golf Tournament fundraisers as well as children’s events and adult recreation and social events. To learn more about the Epilepsy Foundation go to https://efneny.org/.