Members in Attendance (16): Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Carole Heaney, Dick Drumm, John Justino and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (0):

Guests (1): David Gittleman

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES

Website: Kevin Leyhane has been updating contact and sponsor information on the website. Pat Bailey has been updating the information in Club Runner.

District Budget: Peter Brown discussed the budget. Roberto Martinez will push the button letting the District know that the Club accepts the budget.

Leadership Team: After the vote, the following have been elected as club officers for 2024 through 2025.

• President: Roberto Martinez
• President Elect: Phil Kellerman
• Secretary: Pat Bailey
• Treasurer: Murray Forth

Peter Brown will move to Past-President. Terry Brewer will continue as Membership Chair. Jim Leyhane will continue as Vice-President and Foundation Chair. Kevin Leyhane will continue as Publicity Chair. Debbie Rodriguez was voted in as a Board Member.

Vacation Coverage: Debbie Brown and Phil Kellerman will cover meeting notes in May. Kevin Leyhane will post the minutes.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon was held on Sunday, April 14th. Phil Kellerman sent a check for $655 to Water for South Sudan on behalf of Maple Hill. Christine Fowler, of Maple Hill, received acknowledgement of the donation. Phil, Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown and Roberto Martinez visited Maple Hill.

Water for Kenya: Per Peter Brown, there is no update this week.

Viking Gym: Jim Leyhane will obtain a picture of the peace pole and Murray Forth will create a proof for the sign and both the peace pole picture and sign proof will be submitted to the Schodack Town Supervisor for approval.

Speakers: There are still a few open dates for speakers. Check the calendar.

Fundraisers: Fundraising ideas are needed. General consensus is that the summer socials will continue and could be used as fundraisers.

Rotary Multi-District Conference: Will be held on Friday April 26 through Sundary April 28th at the Double Tree in Binghamton.

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 2nd at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Michael Stammel, Mayor of the City of Rensselaer, will provide updates.

Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Lasagna and Eggplant Parm.

David Gittleman is a Clinical Associate Professor in Health, Policy and Management at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health. He teaches Introduction to Global Health. David obtained his undergraduate degree in Foreign Service at Georgetown University and his master’s degree at UCLA. He is a returned Peace Corp volunteer and retired from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta after working in global health for 32 years. He worked in child health, the eradication of malaria and measles control.

Malaria is preventable and treatable. The disease is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria is found in sub-tropical and tropical countries, usually in low altitude areas in warmer regions with higher rainfall. Transmission is aided by poverty and war. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache and malaise. Children under the age of five account for 3/4 of the deaths caused by malaria.

Prevention measures include vector control by spraying and the use of pesticide treated nets. Nets cost ranges from $2.50 to $4.30 and remain effective for 3 years. They are highly effective and reduce mortality by 30%. However, they can rip or come apart and would then need to be replaced. Chemo prevention can also be used for children. A vaccine has been available since 2021. It is 75% effective and decreases child mortality by 13%. A new, lower cost vaccine has been developed. There is the issue of drug resistance developing over time.

Happy World Malaria Day!

Members in Attendance (14): Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Carole Heaney, Dick Drumm and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (0):

Guests (0):

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES

Membership: Kevin Leyhane updated member information on the website. Welcome to our new members: Carole Heaney and Kevin Flanigan. Peter Brown recommended that we make the membership meeting a yearly event.

District Budget: Peter Brown discussed the budget. Roberto Martinez will push the button letting the District know that the Club accepts the budget.

Leadership Team: The following have been nominated for club officers for 2024 through 2025. Voting will be held next week.

• President: Roberto Martinez
• President Elect: Phil Kellerman
• Secretary: Pat Bailey
• Treasurer: Murray Forth

Peter Brown will move to Past-President. Terry Brewer will continue as Membership Chair. Jim Leyhane will continue as Vice-President and Foundation Chair. Kevin Leyhane will continue as Publicity Chair.

Vacation Coverage: Debbie Brown and Phil Kellerman will cover meeting notes in May. Kevin Leyhane will post the minutes.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon was held on Sunday, April 14th. Per Debbie Brown, Mr. Wilkerson, father of last year’s scholarship winner donated $50. There were 37 bowlers. The Club raised $1311. Phil Kellerman sent a check for $655 to Water for South Sudan on behalf of Maple Hill. Christine Fowler, of Maple Hill, received acknowledgement of the donation. Phil delivered a check for $655 and the donated canned goods to Paula at the Anchor Food Bank. The Food Bank serves 65 families per month. Phil also sent a press release to the Our Town magazine.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond and Debbie Rodriguez were on a conference call yesterday with our Kenyan partners. They will hold a bidders conference and review the proposed specifications. The next step will be to submit a grant application for the hydrogeological study.

Girls Inc: Pat Baily made a motion to donate $250 to Girls Inc. Debbie Rodriguez seconded the motion. The motion was passed. Pat will email Carol.

Viking Gym: Per Jim Leyhane, once ordered, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to get the peace pole. Murray is working on the signage. Per Ron Annis, the QR codes have been received.

Speakers: There are still a few open dates for speakers. Check the calendar. Ray Hannan mentioned that May is ALS month. He will look for a speaker.

Speaker: Robert Schulman was scheduled to speak on the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He was unable to attend and will reschedule sometime in the fall. Phil Kellerman gave a general overview of CERT. Their mission is to assist local emergency management services in disaster, crisis and emergency response and to promote community safety education and disaster and emergency preparedness. We look forward to hearing more about CERT in the future.

Summer Program: General consensus it that the summer socials will continue.

‘Rotary Multi-District Conference: Will be held on Friday April 26 through Sundary April 28th at the Double Tree in Binghamton.

Click->District Conference Information– for more information on the event and speakers

Click-> Register to get signed up (does not include hotel reservation)

Click-> Hotel to reserve your room under room code “ROT” 

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 25th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. David Gittleman will speak on World Malaria Day.

Entry Choices will be Chicken Caeser Salid, Lemon Chicken and Penne Pesto.

Members in Attendance (13):  Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond and Terry Brewer.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (8): Carole Heaney, Tanya Hotalen, Peter Buckley, Dan Wagner, Janet Poole, Kevin Flanigan, Dan Vazquetelles and Dina Sevagega.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

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. Bowlers are needed.

Water for Kenya: Per Peter Brown, they are waiting for bids on unified specifications.

Speakers: We still have open dates for speakers.

Rotary Multi-District Conference: Will be held on Friday April 26th- Sunday April 28th at the DoubleTree in Binghamton. Standard Rooms Rate: $129/night Single or Double Occupancy, $139/night Triple Occupancy or $149/night Quad Occupancy. 

Click ->District Conference Information– for more information on the event and speakers

Click-> Register to get signed up (does not include hotel reservation)

Click-> Hotel to reserve your room under room code “ROT” 

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 18th 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. Robert Shulman will speak about Community Emergency Response Teams.

Entree choices will be Chicken Rustica Salad, Chicken Parmesan and Penne Alfredo.

Rotary was started in Chicago, Illinois 116 years ago. Rotary’s structure is comprised of Rotary International, National, local Districts and the club level. Internationally, there are 1.2 million members in over 200 countries. There are 33,000 clubs. Rotary International, through the Rotary Foundation, and the Districts supports club initiatives through grants. The international conventions provide connections on a worldwide basis. Our District is 7190. Districts must have greater than 1000 members. Over the years our District has lost membership, therefore, the district has been reorganized into a larger Central New York District starting in July. Terry Brewer has served as the District Membership Chair. The average club has approximately 20 members. People join Rotary for many reasons such as the ability to participate in community and international service, leadership and to form friendships.

Our Club was started in 1960 as the East Greenbush Rotary Club and renamed the Southern Rensselaer County (SRC) Rotary Club. We have had anywhere from 15 to 50 members but now have approximately 30 members. Over 64 years, the SRC Rotary Club has raised and donated over 1.2 million dollars for various initiatives and organizations. Internationally, some of the things we support are Polio eradication, fresh water in Kenya, Shelter Box and Gift of Life. Among the many local activities we have done, we have supported the Boy Scout Troop since its formation. We have contributed to over 100 Eagle Scouts and over 20 Gold Star Girl Scouts. We have held recycling drives and supported local food banks. We have partnered with the Nassau Library and the East Greenbush School District to provide books to both and a therapy dog for Bell Top School. We have partnered with Circles of Mercy to provide school supplies, holiday gifts for families and Easter baskets. We have also worked with the Town of Schodack on Viking Gym for outdoor physical activity. We are open to any ideas to help make our community better. Our organizational involvement is membership driven. Peter Brown pointed out that since the 1950s, there has been a continuous decline in social capital (people coming together and interacting other than work). We would like to change that trend.

We discussed the many reasons current members joined and stayed with Rotary and different programs and activities our guests were interested in.

For further information on the Southern Rensselaer Rotary Club go to https://srcrotary.org/.

Members in Attendance (8):  Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Becky Raymond and Ruth Russell.

Guests (1): Ashley Fragomeni, Director of Girls Inc.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Viking Gym: Rotary, Kiwanis and Top Form members assembled the gym equipment on March 21st. The equipment has been installed. The cement has to set for a month before further landscaping can be done. Jim Leyhane is still working on ordering the peace pole.

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 contacted Christine Fowler. She has 17 students signed up to bowl. Per Phil, he has obtained gift certificates for the raffle and ran an ad again in the Our Town magazine. Bowlers are needed.

Membership: The membership meeting is next Thursday, April 11th. Terry Brewer has developed a presentation. Roberto Martinez obtained a count of people who were invited and and responded that they would attend. We have met the goal of keeping the total count of members and invitees to just below 30.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown has a signed MOU with the Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch. He has also sent a draft of the specifications to the Enkare Naroch Club for review. The next steps will be to ask for bids based on the specifications and apply for funding for the hydrogeological survey. Peter responded to the email from Edith about the possibility of collaborating on other smaller projects. The Club is interested in future collaborations but will focus on the water project first.

Speakers: We still have open dates for speakers.

Rotary Multi-District Conference: Will be held on Friday April 26th- Sunday April 28th at the DoubleTree in Binghamton. Standard Rooms Rate: $129/night Single or Double Occupancy, $139/night Triple Occupancy or $149/night Quad Occupancy. 

Click ->District Conference Information– for more information on the event and our speakers

Click-> Register to get signed up (does not include hotel reservation)

Click-> Hotel to reserve your room under room code “ROT” 

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 4th 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 Antipasta Salad, Spaghetti with Meatballs and Linguini with Baby Clams.

Ashley Fragomeni is the Executive Director of Girls Inc. of the Captial Region. Girls Inc. was established in 1938 but was known then as the Girls Club of Albany and Schenectady. The name was changed to Girls Inc. in 2001. They are located at 80 Central Avenue in Albany, 962 Albany Street in Schenectady and 265 River Street in Troy. They offer free after school programs in all three locations. They feed the participants and provide homework help and evidence-based curriculum programs on STEM, leadership, and financial, arts and media literacy. The school districts provide transportation. There are around 150 girls in the program: 55-70 girls in Schenectady, 40 to 50 in Albany and the rest in Troy. Girls Inc. also offers summer camp for girls in kindergarten through eighth grade. They are currently turning it from a fee for service into a free program. 81% of the participants are girls of color and 57% are at or below the poverty level.

The free Eureka Program is a five-year program that starts in 7th grade. There is a four-week summer camp at the University of Albany during the first two years. The girls are exposed to STEM programs and personal development. The girls are placed in internships during the third and fourth years of the program. During their fifth year they work on collage and carrier readiness. There are 70 girls enrolled in the Eureka Program.

50% percent of Girls Inc. funding comes from grants, 30% from corporate donors and 20% from private donations. Of the funds raised, 83 cents of each dollar go to the programs. More information can be found on the Girls Inc. website at https://girlsinccapitalregion.org/.