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.

Meeting Clipboard 2/6/2025

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Minutes: Rotary Meeting, Feb 6, 2025

Due to the weather, the Rotary meeting was held via Zoom. In attendance were Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Carole Heaney, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, and Murray Forth.

It was reported that Margaret Pearson from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society would not be able to speak as originally scheduled. Pat said she would ask Margaret to speak at a later date in which she could appear in person.  

Pat also asked if there were any members who still needed to fill out forms indicating what storage items they had taken. Kevin and Phil indicated that they still needed to get her their forms.

Phil spoke about reconciling the club’s finances – expenditures and income – onto Quicken, and said that the process was moving along. He was still working with Murray to fill in some information. Murray said that Phil, as assistant treasurer, could sign now for checks on behalf of the club.

Murray reported that the club is still waiting on word from the IRS on our tax-exempt status.

Concerning the bowl-a-thon, Phil said that he had communicated with the Maple Hill school principal, Robert Santarcangelo. He responded by saying that he had forwarded our information about wanting to have a bowl-a-thon on Sunday April 6th to Mr. Marvinney, teacher of the Connections Course. Phil reported that he had not heard back and would follow up.

Phil reported that an application for a benefit concert by the band Enjoyous was submitted by him to the East Greenbush Methodist Church for late April or early May.

Carole complimented Phil for bringing donated supplies over the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the Terminally Ill. Phil said that Toni Warren, director, gave him and his friend a great tour of the facility.

Roberto reported that he thought it was time to bring back the donation jar to raise funds for charity. The group agreed to have donations go to the eye clinic in Haiti, overseen by Anshu Chandra, who spoke to the group about the clinic.

More good news about the Global grant. Peter reported that the balance of $50,000 was sent to Kenya, and he expected the water project to possibly be completed in six weeks. Peter said it would be great if photos of the project could be uploaded to CYN news web-site.

Concerning the Cornhole tournament, Kevin said another meeting will be held at the superintendent’s office on Thursday Feb. 13th at 1 pm to continue discussion about the tournament. Phil said he could attend in Roberto’s absence.

Kevin also said that he met with a school speech therapist about the need for school back packs. Kevin was curious if the club could donate some funds but also inquired what kind of fund-raisers we could do to raise money for the project.

Pat reported that a defensive driving course would be offered on May 17 at the ambulance facility in Nassau.

Roberto reported that Dean had been interviewed about his recent book and the interview was available on Youtube.

Roberto also noted that the Albany Waterway Project was to receive an $85,000 grant for an engineering feasibility study to excavate and repurpose Lock One of the Erie Canal.

A talk on Crypto currency is of interest to the club. Peter reported that he had not heard from his original speaker of interest. Phil said he would speak to his friend, Tom Romero, about speaking as he knows quite a bit about the subject.

Terry and Carole expressed interest in holding a membership drive dinner as was done last year. Terry said the club may want to not only invite new folks but reach out to former club members who have dropped out to see if they would want to rejoin.

Roberto thought that with all the activities going on currently that the club should wait on discussing a fund-raiser via Cafe Capriccio.

Roberto also encouraged the club to access the CYN web-site which he said was excellent and listed in-depth information and district activities.

Roberto wound up the meeting by going over upcoming Pre-PEL zoom trainings and PETS trainings. Phil and Carole reported that they would be attending the RLI training in Johnson City on March 1st.  Carole said she would be going to the International Rotary Conference in Calgary in June.

This Week’s Presenter Margaret Pearson from The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

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This Thursday, February 6, 2025 the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be holding its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s on Route 4 in North Greenbush at 6:00pm. Joining us as our guest presenter will be Margaret Pearson from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. If you are unable to join us in person you may do so remotely using the Zoom link located on our clubs calendar page of the website.

Dinner choices for the evening are Antipasto Salad, Chicken Lemon, or Baked Ziti. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.

Meeting Clipboard 1/30/25

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Members in Attendance (13): Carole Heaney, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ray Hannan, Chris Bystroff, Murray Forth and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (1): Dean Calamaras

Guests (0): 

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

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

Meeting Notes:

Storage: If you have things from storage, for historical record keeping, please fill out the form or send Pat Bailey a picture or list of the item(s) you have. Most members have submitted the Form.

Treasurer Update: Quicken is being used to monitor expenses and income and to delineate line items. About 90% of the imputing of finances has been completed. Next, Murray Fourth and Phil Kellerman will set up a budget.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Sponsorship is $50. Phil has not heard back from Debbie Oligue of Maple Hill.

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman spoke to the East Greenbush Methodist Church to hold a benefit concert to support a charitable project of the Church. The concert will be co-hosted with the Malta Rotary Club. The preferred date is May 3rd and will feature Enjoyous, an Albany based band. Their music is a mix of original rock and rhythm and blues. Suggested donations will be $15 for adults and $5 for children under 16. The Clubs will publicize the event.

Donation Jar: The Club discussed reinstating the donation Jar.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, they received a positive hydrological survey guaranteeing potable water. All questions were answered, and funding was sent to the Rotary account in Kenya. The next step is for the Rotary Club in Kenya to create a bid document allowing for drilling up to 500 meters. Then they will have to contract with the lowest bidder.

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. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend.

Community Project: Roberto Martinez and other Club members had met with members of the East Greenbush Central School District to discuss a possible project to benefit the community. The School members suggested a project about providing food over the weekend for about 150 children. The next meeting will be held on February 13th. Contact Roberto if you want to attend.

Interview: Dean Calamaras had an interview with the Boston Greek Radio Station last Monday morning about his book. Congratulations Dean. Nicholas Calamaras and the Greek American League – An interview with Dean G. Calamaras 01-27-25.

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

Pre-PEL 1: Club Admin, Feb 2nd , 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 2: Finance/ Risk Management, Feb 11th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 3: Public Image/ Branding, Feb 19th 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 4: Membership and Leadership, Feb 27th, 7 pm.

RLI March 1, Johnson City, NY. LI is $25, L2-G is $40. The Club will cover tuition. Sign up at http: //www.rlinea.org. Phil Kellerman and Chris Bystroff may be attending.

Rotary Presidential Peace Conference: To be held February 20-22, 2025, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Register at rotery.org/istanbul25.

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

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 6th 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. The guest speaker will be Margaret Pearson from the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.

Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Chicken Limone and Baked Ziti.

Rotary Leadership Institue

Carole Heany attended the Rotary Leadership Institute. She liked hearing about other Rotary Clubs and what they were doing. She also learned about things she could ask her Club. So, she wanted to know what made members want to become Rotarians. The answers were varied. Most people were asked by family members, co-workers and/or friends who were already Rotarians to join. Some members started out hosting a Rotary exchange student(s) and accompanied them to Rotary meetings. Some members started out as invited speakers. One member joined when Rotary began allowing women as members. Another member noticed a sign in the restaurant window where the Club was meeting and dropped by to check it out.

Carol also asked “what does Rotary do?” Again, answers varied. Rotary cares. They help build community, support good projects, foster friendships, provide service and promote local and international connections. Rotary is the biggest club in the world. Many people did not know what Rotary can do. Rotary produces 17 million hours of volunteer work per year. Rotary develops leadership. Their projects benefit communities.

This Week’s Meeting…Learnings from Rotary Leadership Institute

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This Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 6:00pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be holding its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Presenting this week will be SRC’s own Carole Heaney, Jim Leyhane, and Roberto Martinez. They will be speaking of topics they learned from their experience at the Rotary Leadership Institute. If you are unable to join us in person, you may still join us remotely using the Zoom Link located on our calendar page.

Entree choices for the evening include a choice of Chicken Caesar Salad, Portabello Mushroom Ravioli, or Sausage and Peppers. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.

Meeting Clipboard 1/23/25

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Members in Attendance (13): Carole Heaney, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Dick Drum, Ray Hannan and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (1): Toni Warren

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

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

Meeting Notes:

Storage: If you have things from storage, for historical record keeping, please fill out the form or send Pat Bailey a picture or list of the item(s) you have.

Board Meeting: The meeting was held on January 20th at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The Board discussed adding a new officer of Assistant Treasurer. Phil Kellerman was appointed to the position. The Budget is now to be on Quicken for monitoring expenses and incomes and to delineate line items including club operating expenses, donations, dues, checking accounts, meals for guests etc, Carol Heaney was appointed as an at-large board member. She accepted the position. Waiting for feedback on the Tax Status. The DAF is growing slowly. $500 approved to go to District meeting to support Exchange Students in April. $400 to go to Gift of Life.

Midyear Summary: Per Roberto Martinez, we lost two members but gained two new members. The Global Grant was approved. The money made from the summer meetings is going to fund the scholarships. Money received from the combining of the districts was allocated to the water project.

Global Grant: Peter Brown received pictures of the hydrological study being done at the well site. Preliminary results indicate that there is plenty of water available. We are waiting for the final report.

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.Membership: Will schedule a Club Assembly to discuss.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Phil will contact Debbie Oligue at Maple Hill about the status of the Iron Giraffe project. Sponsorship is $50.

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman is checking out a venue. The concert will be held in the spring.

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

California Disaster Relief opportunities: Shelter Box and Local Clubs.

CNY Member Orientation, 4th Tues of each month, Jan 28th, 7 pm.

Savvy Social Media Webinar, Jan 29th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 1: Club Admin, Feb 2nd , 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 2: Finance/ Risk Management, Feb 11th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 3: Public Image/ Branding, Feb 19th 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 4: Membership and Leadership, Feb 27th, 7 pm.

RLI March 1, Johnson City, NY. LI is $25, L2-G is $40. The Club will cover tuition. Sign up at http: //www.rlinea.org. Phil Kellerman my be attending.

Rotary Presidential Peace Conference: To be held February 20-22, 2025, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Register at rotery.org/istanbul25.

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

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 30 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. The guest speaker is to be determined.

Entry Choices will be Chicken Ceasar Salid, Portabella Mushroom Ravioli and Sausage and Peppers.

Nicole Smith Home for the Dying

Toni Warren

Toni Warren is the Executive Director of the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the Dying. She has a background in nursing. When Joan Nicole Prince died, her husband provided a large donation so that the home could be opened. There are two beds. Clients are referred by families and must be in community hospice with a terminal illness and a prognosis of three months or less. Clients accepted have the most need with the fewest options. They do not have complicated care needs such as IV therapy or feeding tubes. Trained staff (RNs, LPNs, Social Worker, Massage Therapist) and volunteers provide bedside care, emotional support, laundry service and meals. Many of the volunteers are students going into health care or retirees. There are around 30 volunteers who work four-hour shifts. Three staff the overnight shift.

The Joan Nicole Price Home has served 270 residents since they opened in 2006. They can accommodate 15 to 20 clients a year. Service is free. Funding comes from donations, community support, fundraisers and grants. They hold a walk/run event in May, a garage sale the first weekend in June and a Gala which will be held on November 8th at the Armory in Schenectady. Donations of items such as postage stamps and Clorox wipes are also needed. For a list of items currently needed and/or to make monetary donations, contact Toni at director1jnp@gmail.com or phone (518) 346-5471. For further information go to http://www.joannicoleprincehome.org.

This Week’s Program Features Toni Warren from the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the Dying

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This Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 6:00pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be holding its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Joining us as our guest presenter will be Toni Warren from the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the dying. If you are unable to join us in person you may also do so remotely using the Zoom link located on our calendar page. Menu choices for the evening include Rustica Salad with Chicken, Chicken Limone, or Eggplant Parmigiana. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.

Meeting Clipboard 1/16/25

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Members in Attendance (12): Carole Heaney, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Murray Forth, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Chris Bystroff, and Andy Leyhane

By Zoom (1): Charlie Foote

Guests (0): None

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

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

Meeting Notes:

Storage: If you have things from storage, for historical record keeping, please send Pat Bailey a picture or list of the item(s) you have.

Speakers: Needed for this year. Contact Phil Kellerman with any speakers. 

Board Meeting: January 20th at 6:30 pm via Zoom.

Global Grant: Per Roberto Martinez, the Club’s 5K portion has been submitted to the Rotary Foundation. The first $1000 has been transferred to Kenya. The next step is to see if the well is going to work or not.

Regional Grant: Roberto completed and submitted the interim report. We will be discussing next year’s grant submission.

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.

Zoom: There are issues with using Zoom in the back room. It is also difficult to hear when someone is having a side conversation near the mics. Roberto is looking for feedback from the Zoom users. Let Roberto know that you will attend by Zoom. He will email you the agenda.

Clynk: Clynk stickers are available from Kevin.

Membership: Will schedule a Club Assembly to discuss.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Phil will contact Debbie Oligue at Maple Hill about the status of the Iron Giraffe project. Sponsorship is $50.

Soap: Is available from Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane. “Clean up your act!”

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman is looking for a venue. It will be held in the spring.

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

California Disaster Relief opportunities: Shelter Box and Local Clubs.

CNY Member Orientation, 4th Tues of each month, Jan 28th, 7 pm.

Savvy Social Media Webinar, Jan 29th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 1: Club Admin, Feb 2nd , 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 2: Finance/ Risk Management, Feb 11th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 3: Public Image/ Branding, Feb 19th 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 4: Membership and Leadership, Feb 27th, 7 pm.

RLI March 1, Johnson City, NY. LI is $25, L2-G is $40. The Club will cover tuition. Sign up at http: //www.rlinea.org.

Rotary Presidential Peace Conference: To be held February 20-22, 2025, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Register at rotery.org/istanbul25.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending. Minneapolis 2028.  Chicago 2030.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 16 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. The guest speaker is Toni Warren from the Joan Nicole Prince Home for the Dying sponsored by Carole Heaney.

Entry Choices will be Rustica Salid, Chicken Lemone and Eggplant Pharm

Club Assembly

The Club discussed the proposed community center project. Peter Brown put together and presented an initial working draft outlining what needs to be considered in planning the project. Club members discussed reviewing community needs assessments. The Club needs to define the project scope, resource availability, develop parameters for sustainability and to measure success. Based on available information, the Club has decided to move forward.

This Week’s Meeting, a General Club Assembly Focusing on Upcoming Projects

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This Thursday, January 16, 2025, the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be having its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s on Route 4 in North Greenbush at 6:00 pm. On the agenda is a general club assembly focusing on upcoming projects involving the East Greenbush School District and the Global Grant Project. If you are unable to attend in person you may join us remotely using the link located on the calendar page of our website. Menu choices for the evening include a choice of Antipasto Salad, Penne Alfredo, or spaghetti with meatballs. Looking forward too seeing everyone on Thursday.

Meeting Clipboard 1/9/25

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Members in Attendance (8):  Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Murray Forth, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (5): Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Charlie Foote, Chris Bystroff and Carol Heaney.

Guests (1): Dr. Anshu Chandra

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

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

Meeting Notes:

Storage: If you have things from storage, for historical record keeping, please send Pat Bailey a picture or list of the item(s) you have.

Speakers: Needed for this year. Contact Phil Kellerman with any speakers. 

Global Grant: Per Roberto Martinez, the Club’s 5K portion has been submitted to the Rotary Foundation. The next step is to see if the well is going to work or not.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library. 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.

Circles of Mercy, Cate’s Kids Adopt-A-Family Program: Thank you to Carol and Tom Heaney for delivering the gifts to Circles of Mercy on December 16th. Thank you to all who donated.

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

ClubRunner Webinar Using the CR App, Jan 15th at 7pmSalesium Webinar for Pros, Jan 22nd at 7 pm.

CNY Member Orientation, 4th Tues of each month, Jan 28th, 7 pm.

Savvy Social Media Webinar, Jan 29th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 1: Club Admin, Feb 2nd , 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 2: Finance/ Risk Management, Feb 11th, 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 3: Public Image/ Branding, Feb 19th 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 4: Membership and Leadership, Feb 27th, 7 pm.

Rotary Presidential Peace Conference: To be held February 20-22, 2025, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Register at rotery.org/istanbul25.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025.  Minneapolis 2028.  Chicago 2030.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 16 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.

Entry Choices will be Antipasto Salad, Penne Alfredo and Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Building a Future of Sight

Dr. Anshu Chandra

Dr. Chandra was born in India and grew up in the United States and India. She received her Batchelors in Biology at SUNY Albany and her Doctors of Optometry at SUNY College of Optometry in 2008. Dr. Chandra completed her Residency in Ocular Disease at SUNY College of Optometry and Woodhull Medical Center. Following her mother’s example, she looked for opportunities to give back. She ended up going to Fond-des-Blancs,Haiti where eye care is scarce and spent a month working there. She worked part-time jobs so she could continue missions to Haiti. She opened Bay Eye Charitable Foundation Clinic at a hospital in Haiti in 2015 and lived there for 4 years.

At the clinic, they do 12,000 to 15,000 eye exams per year. Staff at the clinic are volunteers and were trained by Dr. Chandra to perform comprehensive eye exams. She established a retinopathy of prematurity screening program in 2019 and pediatric vision screening for children 0-19 years of age. People come from all over Haiti for care making it the busiest clinic in the country.

They are now looking for a new site since the current location can no longer house the clinic. They are also trying to raise money to buy land and build. They are a 501(c )(3) nonprofit organization and all donations will go to building the clinic. To donate or obtain more information, email Anshu.Chandra@gmail.com. A short video is available at: https://youtu.be/zl_tGGOpJ28 and the website is www.globaleyeproject.org.

Happy New Year