News of this New York State club that practices "Service Above Self"
Author: SRCrotary
A volunteer service club located in Rensselaer County, NY, that is part of Rotary International, the 1.23 million-member international organization of men and women serving their community and their world.
For our meeting on Thursday Jan 22, our guest speaker will be Theresa Mayhew, board member of the New York State Federation of Lakes Association. She will be speaking on the state (and condition) of lakes in New York.
I have communicated with the East Greenbush Bowling Lanes about having another annual bowl-a-thon to support the Anchor Food Bank. April is our preferred month and I will get back to you with more information.
Sunday March first, Nine Pine Cider on Broadway in Albany is donating space for a music benefit from noon-3 pm to support our club and the Joan Prince Home. Guitarist Mario Sevayega and the band Enjoyous will perform. There will be no cover charge but raffles and a silent auction will help to raise money. If you have a raffle item or item to donate to the silent auction, please let me know.
Present: Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Mary Alice Stewart, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Andy Leyhane and Carole Heaney
Present Via Zoom: Charlie Foote
Guest: Sam Schick
Carole Heaney will be leading the meeting in Phil’s absence tonight.
Guest Speaker:
Sam Schick is employed by Cityblock Health, a Benefits Program Management company, as a software programmer. In his role, he uses data from various sources to align healthcare with the needs of different Medicaid/Medicare populations. He presented the mechanics and processes of AI, as well as how AI interfaces with his role.
Club Updates:
Fundraising:
Thank you, Kevin, for hosting another successful football fundraiser. Approximately $1,200 was raised. Kevin will offer a Super Bowl football fundraiser. More details to follow via email.
Dean and Doris have agreed to host another dinner at their house to raise funds. More information to follow.
On Sunday, March 1st, a benefit for our club and the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the Dying will be held at Nine Pin Cider on Broadway in Albany’s warehouse district. Scheduled from noon to 3 p.m., Mario Seveyaga and Enjoyous will perform. Raffles and silent auctions will be held. The venue has donated the space. There will be no entry fee. Members are asked to focus on secure items for a silent auction, such as baskets, business services, products, etc. More details to follow.
Project Updates:
Kenya Project: Peter Brown updated the club regarding the Kenya Water Project. Peter reported that the project bids have been submitted, and there is positive movement toward selecting the best vendor. Next meeting, Tuesday, January 13th, 9 am via Zoom.
East Greenbush School Backpack Food Support Program: Laurie, Carole, and Peter will attend a small-group meeting on January 21st at 1:00 pm to finalize the logistics for purchasing pantry items for the high school, per the district grant.
Other Business:
Thank you to Murray Forth’s family for a delightful holiday celebration. $500.00 was raised from the event.
Thank you to those who supported the Circles Of Mercy Adopt A Family during the holidays. It was very successful.
The cost of the meal at Moscatelli’s has increased. The new rate is $35.00
The club needs a speaker for our next meeting on Thursday, January 22nd. If you have someone in mind, please let Phil know.
Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, January 22nd 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.
Our first meeting of the new year will be Thursday January 8th, at Moscatiello’s at 6:00pm. After several years of keeping our dinner price the same, Moscatiello’s has raised the cost of dinner to $34 starting this week. Peter will host our featured speaker, Sam Schick, who will speak on Artificial Intelligence. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend as I have an evening engagement to attend concerning Circles of Mercy.
Thanks to Kevin for running another successful football fund-raiser for the club.
Talking fund-raisers, please note on Sunday March first from noon-3 pm a joint fundraiser with the Joan Prince Home will be held at Nine Pin Cider in Albany. The band Enjoyous will play and there will be raffles and silent auctions. More details to follow.
Dean and Doris Calamares have agreed to host another dinner at their home to raise funds. More details to follow.
We could use scheduling of future speakers so please think of others to invite to speak.
I look forward to seeing you at our holiday party tomorrow night at 6 pm -Thursday the 18th at the Forth Home at 280 Hays Road in East Greenbush. Please bring items for our silent auction to raise more funds for our club. Kevin is starting up another football fund-raiser. He will be at the party to give more details.
Thank you to all of you who donated to our Adopt-A-Family at Circles of Mercy. Many gifts were donated and I am sure the family of six will benefit from the generous donations. Thank you to Laurie, Carole and Peter for attending recent meetings concerning the EGSD Food Backpack Program, and for moving the program forward.
Carole and I recently met to begin initial plans for a talent show fund-raise. Yours truly also met with the event coordinator for the Nine Pin Cider establishment to plan a fund-raiser on Sunday March 1st. More details to follow.
We will do another fundraiser for the Christmas Day football games. More information to follow.
Please let me know if you have gifts for our Adopt a Family via Circles of Mercy. I will be at the office at 11 Washington Street in Rensselaer today, the 9th and tomorrow the 10th from 10 am – 2 pm. And next week from M-Wed. If you cannot make it down, contact me for pickup.
Don’t forget our holiday party on the 18th at Murray’s home at 6pm. Please donate a gift basket for the silent auction to raise more funds.
The SRC Rotary Club’s Annual Christmas/Holiday Party will be hosted by the Forth’s at their residence on Thursday December 18, 2025 at 6:00pm. The cost for the event is $30 per person with children under 12 free. Please RSVP by December 13 with Murray if you have not already.
Back by popular demand will be our annual silent gift basket fund raising auction. Simply design and build a gift basket suggested cost range $20-$50 to enter into the auction, and sit back and enjoy the show as attendees bid on the baskets with proceeds going to support club programs.
Please continue to support our adopt a family program by checking the calendar page on our website to see up to date needs.
Thanks to Kevin for organizing a successful fund-raiser.
The next meeting is Thursday, December 4th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. You can join by Zoom using the link on the website’s calendar page. Joining us will be a speaker from the Nassau Food Pantry.
Please check the calendar on our web-site to let Kevin know what items you would like to donate for our Adopt a Family via Circles of Mercy. Please bring your items to Thursday’s meeting and I will bring them to the agency.
Plans are being initiated for our annual Bowl-a-Thon in the spring at the East Greenbush Lanes to raise funds and collect donated food for the Anchor Food Bank. Talking about the Food Bank, via our happy dollars at meetings, $137 has been raised so far for the Food Bank.
Please check the calendar on our web-site to let Kevin know what items you would like to donate for our Adopt a Family via Circles of Mercy. Please bring your items to our next meeting a week from Thanksgiving. I will bring the to the agency.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 