A five-person crew of SRC members and family took over the kitchen at Ronald McDonald House in Albany to prepare Sunday breakfast this weekend.

And, in addition to the prep work by Murray, Maggie, and Jeremy Forth plus Andy Leyhane and Shannon Romanowski, handyman Murray repaired an oven fan at the facility to enable breakfast to be completed.

This Sunday, a seven-person team will be at Ronald McDonald House to prepare dinner: SRC members Bill and April Dowd, Julius and Effie Frankel, Phil Kellerman, and Danes Rotaract members Ashley Beaulieu and Annette Highley.

Here are a few scenes from the Sunday breakfast:

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
April 26, 2018

Members Attending (8): Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Carole Spencer, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriquez, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Murray Forth.

Guests (2): Alessandra Barbarossa and Paul Bednarczyk (host dad).

Business/Announcements

OPENING — President Roberto welcomed members and guests. There was an insufficient number of members in attendance to create a quorum.

NEW MEMBER INDUCTION NIGHT — Mike Harkin, the new principal of Columbia High School, is the newest person admitted to SRC Rotary membership. All club members are urged to make every effort to attend the scheduled induction of our new SRC Rotarians and Danes Rotaract members at our May 3 meeting.

RYLA — Shannon Romanowski and Matt Smith of our Youth Committee will contact all local high school officials about the program. We will again sponsor a number of students, but will make attendance at a Rotary meeting before and after the program a requirement for receiving sponsorship.

SUNSHINE & SHADOWS — All members are asked to remember to let April Dowd know if any Rotarians or their family members are ill or hospitalized, or of any deaths in the family, so she can send cards or flowers in a timely fashion.

MISCELLANEOUS — Bill Dowd will represent our club at the District 7190 “Public Image and Social Media Seminar” set for Thursday, May 24, in Clifton Park. … SRC will be honored by Circles of Mercy with the Sister Gail Rieth Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service at its annual “A Taste of Mercy” fundraising dinner. (Click here for details.) … SRC participated in the recent inaugural Gift of Life fun run held in Bethlehem. (Click here for details.)

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE MEALS — We have a full complement of volunteers to prepare dinner at RMH on May 6 (Bill and April Dowd, Julius and Effie Frankel, Phil Kellerman, and two Danes Rotaract members). … Anyone who would like to join the team preparing breakfast there on April 29 should contact Murray Forth or Shannon Romanowski.

SHELTERBOX MATCHING FUNDS — A reminder that a special online-only fundraising effort on behalf of the ShelterBox international disaster relief agency sill be held from noon May 1 to noon on May 2. Click here for details.

RECYCLING & SHREDDING DAY –– Our third such event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Wainschaf Associates headquarters in Rensselaer (behind Target). Please continue to share the event flyer (click here to see it) via social media and/or bulletin board postings. Anyone who would like to help work the day should contact Murray Forth.

PROGRAM: ‘An Italian exchange student pays a visit’

Our speaker was Alessandra Barbarossa, an Italian student currently studying at Columbia High School.

She described her pleasure at being in the Student Exchange Program and how much she has learned since being here.

Alessandra said she enjoys meeting a diverse range of people and learning from them. She has visited Niagara Falls, Canada, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, so far.

Back home in Italy, she is the president of her 22-member Interact Club that works in cooperation with Rotary and Rotaract clubs. In the past few years, they have completed multiple philanthropic events such as blood drives, collecting food for people in need including earthquake support, collecting toys for the holidays, and photography fundraisers. Last October, her Interact Club celebrated its 30th birthday.

The first time Alessandra visited our club she presented us with a club banner and we gave her an SRC tote bag. This evening we gave her one of our Rotary T-shirts.

Click here to access Alessandra’s PowerPoint program containing a multi-year look at some of her very busy Interact club’s activities.

Here’s your chance to safely dispose of outdated or unwanted prescription drugs rather than let them fall intoithe wrong hands or pollute the environment.

The new Danes Rotaract club at the UAlbany School of Public Health is setting a dizzying pace of community service activity.

The SRC-sponsored organization already has been involved in a fundraising dinner program for the international Save the Children organization, participated in SRC’s “Bowling for Vets” event, organized a happy hour social to benefit the Freedom From Fistula Foundation, worked on serving a Valentine’s Day dinner for the Miracle League, had members attend several SRC dinner meetings, will be part of the SRC kitchen crew cooking dinner in May at Ronald McDonald House in Albany … Now, it was heavily involved in the “Healthy Kids Day” at the Greenbush YMCA.

Numerous charter members of the Danes Rotaract club will be joining us for a special dinner event on Thursday, May 3, at Quigley’s when they and all Rotarians who joined SRC in the current Rotary Year will be formally inducted. We are hoping that as many SRC members as possible will attend this first-ever joint welcoming ceremony.

Participating in the YMCA event were Kaitlin Driesse, Annette Highley, Alexis Russell, Carolyn Stover, and Cydney Miazga who presented a heart health activity for kids. They put together a photo booth, heart health facts, and prizes.

Meanwhile, here are more images from the YMCA event.

If you’re in the mood for Italian, this Thursday’s dinner meeting at Quigley’s will be right up your vicolo. (That’s Italian for “alley.”)

After a dinner featuring Quigley’s popular Chicken Parmesan, antipasto salad, etc., we’ll hear from Alessandra Barbarossa, an Italian student currently enrolled in an exchange program at Columbia High School.

Some of you have met Alessandra, who has been a dinner guest of SRC several times, but this time as our speaker she will share her experiences with us.

As always, we need your reservations (plus those of any guests you’d like to bring) no later than Tuesday evening so we can arrange the proper buffet and seating. Again this week, Lois and Ray Hannan are handling those arrangements while dinner coordinator Debbie Brown is traveling, so please email them at ray110b@yahoo.com.

Here’s who already has signed up:

Terry Brewer
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Ray Hannan
Phil Kellerman
Jim Leyhane
Roberto Martinez
Becky Raymond
Debbie Rodriguez
Alessandra Barbarossa (guest speaker)

The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club was well represented at Sunday’s Gift of Life fundraiser run in Bethlehem.

The event was coordinated by Jackie Munroe, a co-principal in the Bethlehem Central School District, at the Bethlehem Middle School. Her father, Robbie Donno, who founded the Gift of Life in the 1960s on Long Island, flew in to town to be on hand for the event in which more than 200 runners participated. He was recognized for his efforts by Tom Burdick, president of the District 7190 GOL board.

In addition to the run, the festivities included a high school rock band, Irish dancers, air trampolines, food, and concessions. SRC President-elect Andy Leyhane led our contingent that included observers picking up pointers for a similar event SRC’s Foundation & International Committee is planning for 2019.

A few other scenes from the event:

We have just received notification from the Circles of Mercy Board of Trustees that the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be presented with its annual “Sister Gail Rieth Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service” in June.

The award is named for the late Sister Gail, who passed away 10 years ago after serving as a Sister of Mercy for 42 years. The award is given, according to the Trustees, to “an individual or agency who exemplifies the Mercy mission of care to the poor, sick, and uneducated, and the values of dignity of the person, compassion, hospitality, stewardship, leadership, and collaboration, with a special concern for the poor and disadvantaged.”

Quite an honor, and certainly in keeping with Rotary traditions and practices.

The award will be presented at Circles’ annual signature fundraising event, “A Taste of Mercy,” scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Shaker Ridge Country Club. The evening will include refreshments, foods, and music.

If anyone would like to attend the event, please contact Roberto Martinez as soon as possible. The reservation deadline is May 14.

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
April 19, 2018

Members Attending (12): Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Bill Dowd, April Dowd, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond, Terry Brewer.

Guests (2): Sue Austin, Harriet Noble.

Announcements/Business

OPENING — President Roberto welcomed members and guests representing the District 7190 liaison with the Rotary Foundation. He also gave a brief review of that day’s breakfast meeting. (Click here for minutes.) And, he thanked Murray and Maggie Forth for hosting a “Rotary Home Cooking” series surf-and-turf dinner that raised $315 for the club treasury, and thanked Ray and Lois Hannan for filling in for Debbie Brown to coordinate the dinner meetings while Debbie is traveling. … In addition, we received a thank-you letter from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for our $500 grant to local student Olivia Sterantino’s effort to raise funds. All students participating in the regional effort raised a total of $72,000.

THERAPY DOG PROJECT — The effort in support of Bell Top Elementary School (which is separate from the military service dog we also are helping finance) appears to be moving ahead quickly. The dog will be used to help a reading teacher and a counselor interact with children in need. The school is scheduled to make a presentation to the EGCSD School Board in May, with plans to make the dog purchase in June. Terry Brewer made a motion, seconded by Jim Leyhane, that SRC provide a $1,700 grant toward the purchase. It was approved without dissent. (Click here to find the link for project details.)

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE MEALS — We have seven club members signed up to prepare breakfast at Ronald McDonald House in Albany on April 29, and four club members plus two Rotaract members to prepare dinner there on May 6. We need at least one more member for the dinner team. Anyone interested should contact Bill Dowd.

DISTRICT SUMMIT — Terry Brewer reported on the recent District 7190 Summit he attended as chairman of the District Membership Committee. The event dealt with ways to fight the opioid crisis in our communities; with ongoing membership recruitment and retention efforts — this year was the first time in recent years the District saw a net increase in membership; and, it included the annual District Grants Program training. Debbie Rodriguez attended the grants portion on behalf of SRC. Terry will complete that training in the near future so we have the required two trained members to be eligible for a grant in the 2018-19 Rotary Year.

NEW-MEMBER INDUCTION — All those who joined SRC in the 2017-18 year, and all charter members of the new Rotaract Club we sponsor at the UAlbany School of Public Health have received invitations from President Roberto to the Thursday, May 3, joint induction dinner. All members are strongly urged to attend.

TREE PLANTING PROJECT — Students from Columbia High School have expressed interest in working on the Star of Hope garden memorial on the East Greenbush Public Library grounds as part of SRC’s role in the global Rotary tree-planting effort. The memorial was created some years ago in memory of Columbia students who died before graduation. Shannon Romanowski, of SRC and the Greenbush YMCA, has pledged on behalf of the Y additional watering and care for the memorial.

SHELTERBOX FUNDRAISER — Bill Dowd, SRC’s ShelterBox liaison, reminded members who wish to make small donations to the relief agency that anyone who pledges anything from $1 to $100 online between noon on May 1 and noon on May 2 will have their donations matched dollar-for-dollar. (Click here for details on how to do that.)

RECYCLING & SHREDDING DAY — Murray Forth is looking for volunteers to help staff our “Recycling Day III” event scheduled for Saturday, May 5. Please contact him ASAP to see if there is anything you can do to help. (Click here to see the event flyer for details.)

ROTARY HOME COOKING SERIES — Next up, and the last of the series in this Rotary Year, will be “An International Wine & Cheese Tasting” event — that’s for adults; there also will be games and goodies for kids. The nevening is being put together by Roberto, Jim Leyhane, and Bill Dowd, and will be held on Saturday, May 19, at Roberto’s residence in East Greenbush. All proceeds will go to the club treasury. Please contact Roberto, Jim, or Bill if you would like to attend. Kids and guests are welcome — and encouraged.

PROGRAM: “Explaining the Rotary Foundation

Visiting Rotarians, and Past District Governors, Sue Austin and Harriet Nobel presented a talk on the ins-and-outs of the Rotary Foundation, which they represent in District 7190.

Sue became Foundation chair in 2016. Her role, she said, is to give away money to clubs in the form of grants to support a wide variety of initiatives. One current example is the $500 check she presented to SRC in support of the recently-completed Viking Gym installation at Schodack Town Park.

She described the various components of the Rotary Foundation: the PolioPlus fund, with donations it receives matched 2-for-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Endowment fund, to which Rotarians can leave bequests of money in their wills; and, the Share fund which earns interest and returns funds to Districts every three years to fund local grants.

Harriet spoke about a two-year master’s degree Peace Fellowships program funded by the Foundation. It is geared toward people with undergraduate degrees plus real-world work experience. It comes at no cost to clubs or Districts. Applications for the next round are now available. (Click here for details about the program.)

NEXT MEETING — 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Quigley’s. The speaker will be Allessandra Barbarossa, an Italian student currently studying at Columbia High School.

Breakfast Meeting
at the Greenbush YMCA
East Greenbush
April 19, 2018

Members Attending (8): Roberto Martinez, Matt Smith, Shannon Romanowski, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, Jim Leyhane.

Guests (2): Mike Harkin, Marty Mahar.

Mike Harkin, the new principal at Columbia High School, was a special guest. He spoke about the “Student Leadership Grooming” program at the school.

He also discussed trying to line up initiatives at the school with Rotary in such areas as the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, Rotary Youth Exchange, scholarship programs, murals at the school, and work on the the Star of Hope memorial at the East Greenbush Public Library.

Mike said he will try to arrange to bring several students to our next Third Thursday breakfast meeting, scheduled for 7 a.m. on May 17.