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!