Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Carol Heaney, Andy Lehayne and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (2): Denise Di Noto and Laura.

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Benefit Concert: The concert is this Saturday at 7 pm at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. The concert is co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club. Proceeds will go to the St. Paul Center. Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, both she and the Club received reimbursement for the banner.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 100 additional meters to increase the water flow. They are waiting for the results of the pump test.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The meeting for the backpack project was on 4/22 at 1:30 pm. Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin attended. Proceeds from the Fun Run will rejuvenate and stabilize the existing backpack program. Rotary needs to set up an account to received donated funds and to pay the food pantry and other sources food is purchased from.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Retirement: Jeff Simon’s retirement party is June 26th.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

Guilderland-Colonie Rotary Club: Denise DiNoto was District Governor in 23-24. Currently, she is President of the Guilderland Colonie Rotary Club. They have 20 members. They are hosting their 20th annual Golf Outing at Mill Road Acres in Latham on June 20th. It is $110 for golf and lunch. They are also holding a Bed Build on June 7 from 9 am until done. They will build beds and provide the linens, spreads and pillows for donation with a bed. The Bed Build will take place at the Grasslands on Route 7 in Latham. For more information about the Club, go to cgrotary.org.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

Youth Exchange Webinar – Hosting 101, Click here to get the zoom link.

ShelterBox Update, Click here for more details and to register for the zoom link.

Positive Peace in a Polarized World,  Click here to get details and the zoom link.

Global Grants Seminar, Click here for details and to get the zoom link.

Epic Day of Service,Click here for more information and some project inspiration.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 1 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. This is membership meeting.

Entry Choices are Chicken Ceaser Salid, Penne Pesto and Spaghetti with Meatballs.