Alessandra Barbarossa and SRC President Roberto Martinez pose with club pennants they exchanged at this week’s dinner meeting. Alessandra’s was from her father’s Rotary Club in Cosenza, Italy. Alessandra has just enrolled at Columbia High School in East Greeenbush under a private student exchange program.
Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
January 25, 2018
Members Attending (15): Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, A.J. Amato, Terry Brewer, Dean Calamaras, Marco Koshykar, Carole Spencer, Maggie Forth.
Guests (3): Robert Jucha, Alessandra Barbarossa, Jeremy Forth.
BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
ROTARY HOME COOKING — President Roberto Martinez extended thanks to Peter and Debbie Brown for hosting “A Taste of New Orleans,” Saturday’s start to our member-hosted series. Next up is a Saturday, February 17, “Greek Evening” dinner at the home of Dean and Doris Calamaras. The menu will include leg of lamb, roasted potatoes, green beans a la Grecque, Greek salad, and — but not limited to — homemade baklava and other assorted sweets. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres at 5 p.m., dinner at 6. Then, on Saturday, March 24, the Brewer residence will be the site of a “cocktail social” open to all Rotarians and family members. Terry says the time frame will be 6 to 10 p.m., and cost will be $10-20 per family. The evening will include a beer tasting, a wine tasting, and team trivia. April and May events, with dates and themes to be announced, will be hosted by Murray and Maggie Forth then by Jim Leyhane and Roberto.
INDOOR GOLF TOURNEY — Murray Forth reports that signups are slow so far for the Saturday, February 10, event at Burden Lake Country Club. (Cick here for details and to obtain a copy of the event flyer to share on social media or via hard-copy postings.) Further planning will depend on projected turnout.
OFFICER NEEDED — We still are looking for someone to succeed Ray Hannan as vice president when he steps down from that post on June 30. His successor would be in line for the club presidency for the 2019-20 Rotary Year. Please see Roberto ASAP if you are interested.
COMMITTEE RESTRUCTURING — Shannon Romanowski and Matt Smith have agreed to co-chair the Youth Programs Committee. Next steps are signing committee members, creating mission statements, and updating our bylaws to align with the new structure.
POLIO WORKERS’ DEATHS — A mother and daughter who were volunteers in Rotary’s immunization efforts in Pakistan have become the latest such people to be murdered while performing this humanitarian duty. Click here for details on the website.
RICHARD HODGE FOLLOWUP — Terry Brewer shared a letter from District Governor Fred Daniels concerning Richard Hodge of the Colonie-Guilderland Club, who died on January 9 after a years-long battle with cancer. It said, in part, ” … Richard was much loved and deeply committed to the Gift of Life in our District. It would appear that there are no living relatives. We are continuing to search for anyone to contact, and believe there may be a sister, but as of now Richard’s body is still at the morgue, waiting to be claimed. This should not continue any longer. … We are undertaking an effort to raise the funds necessary to cremate Richard’s remains. Rotarian Eric Catricala of Catricala Funeral Home in Clifton Park is assisting with this process and observing the necessary state regulations. I have asked our District Treasurer to set up a memorial fund and am asking for contributions toward the funds necessary to bring Richard to his final rest. Checks can be made payable to Rotary District 7190 with ‘Hodge Memorial Fund’ referenced on the memo line. Checks should be mailed to District 7190, P.O. Box 306, Clifton Park, NY 12065. Any funds donated in excess of the amount necessary (about $2,300) will be donated in Richard’s memory to the district’s Gift of Life. Any shortfall will be made up by donors who have already offered to make additional gifts.” (FOLLOWUP FOOTNOTE — After the meeting, the District informed us that the donation goal has been reached. No further donations are needed from our membership.)
STUDENT GUEST — Alessandra Barbarossa, who just enrolled at Columbia High School as an exchange student, was our special guest. She brought us a flag and medallion from her father’s Rotary Club in Cosenza, Italy.
PROGRAM: ” Sean Strong”
Marco Koshykar introduced East Greenbush resident Robert Jucha of the organization Sean Strong. Sean was Robert’s son, who lost his battle with a rare form of brain cancer last August at the age of 13.
Robert spoke about the progression of the disease — officially named Gliamatosis Cerebri — and treatment options, although there is no cure at present.
He said Sean originally was given a life expectancy of six months after he was diagnosed at age 10. However, he underwent radiation treatment and continued with school and sports as much as possible. Unfortunately, his tumor continued to grow even though they tried other cancer treatments and other treatment centers to no avail.
Research is almost nonexistent for this disease as there are only 54 known cases worldwide. His family set up the Sean Fund through the Dana-Farber Jimmy Fund organization, and has raised more than $100,000 so far. Upcoming fundraisers will include a comedy night in March, a 10K run in June, and an event to be announced for August. We will post those dates on our club calendar as details are provided.
NOTE: There are several other organizations with names the same as, or similar to, Sean Strong. To access information on the East Greenbush organization, click here for its Facebook page.
NEXT MEETING — 6:15 p.m. Thursday, February 1, at Quigley’s. Our speaker will be Sue Goold Miller, owner of Goold Orchards and the Brookview Station Winery in Castleton.
The first event in our “2018 Rotary Home Cooking” series is in the books after Peter and Debbie Brown hosted “A Taste of New Orleans” at their residence on Saturday.
Next up: Dean and Doris Calamaras will host a dinner on Saturday, February 17, with the theme to be announced. They now are taking reservations.
The remainder of the schedule, with themes to be announced:
March 24 — @ The Brewers
April (date TBD) — @ The Forths
May (date TBD) — A Leyhane/Martinez joint event
• From the BBC
Gunmen in Pakistan have shot dead a mother and daughter who were administering polio vaccinations in the southwestern city of Quetta.
Sakina Bibi, 38, and her daughter, Rizwana, 16, had been giving drops to children when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire, police said. Although no group has said it was behind the attack Islamist militants oppose vaccination, saying it is a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslims.
Police said the vaccination team had not been given security because in the past the police presence had drawn attention to their work.
Police official Naseebullah Khan said the women had been part of a major immunization campaign in Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital.
“They died on their way to a hospital,” he said.
Balochistan chief minister Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo condemned the shooting as an act of “cowardice and terrorism,” adding, “An attack on those working to serve the people is an attack on humanity.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ordered authorities in Balochistan to step up security around the polio teams.
Scores of people have been killed in recent years in militant attacks on polio immunization campaigns.
In January 2015, a suicide bombing in Quetta killed 15 people outside a vaccination center. The Pakistani Taliban and another militant group called Jundullah claimed to have been behind that attack.
Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, along with Nigeria and Afghanistan, that have failed to prevent the transmission of polio, according to the World Health Organization.
After milder weather, some thaw, and perhaps flooding in some low lying areas this week, we’ll gather on the high ground at Quigley’s Food & Drink this Thursday for our 6:15 dinner meeting.
After a meal featuring chicken Marsala, antipasto salad, chef’s choice of sides, bread, dessert, and beverages, we will hear guest speaker Robert Jucha of the philanthropic organization Sean Strong. It is dedicated to Robert’s son Sean Jucha who courageously battled a rare brain tumor called Gliamatosis Cerebri. Its goal is to raise research funds for the Dana-Farber Jimmy Fund.
As always, we need to know how many places to set for dinner, so please be sure you email dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening if you plan to attend and you’re not on the following reservations list:
Pat Bailey
Melissa Bill
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Ray Hannan
Robert Jucha (guest speaker)
Phil Kellerman
Marco Koshykar
Jim Leyhane
Roberto Martinez
Debbie Rodriguez
Carole Spencer
For those of you who are looking for PDF versions of the flyer for our upcoming “Mid-Winter Simulator Golf Tourney” to share with others in electronic or hard-copy format, simply click here to get a downloadable version.
Here’s what the flyer looks like:
Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
January 18, 2018
Members Attending (16): Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Jim Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Terry Brewer, Dean Calamaras, Carole Spencer, Melissa Bill, Charlie Foote.
Guests (2): Richard Zazycki, executive director of Circles of Mercy, and Lois Hannan.
BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
MEMBERSHIP — President Roberto announced that Kasie Burrello is submitting her application to become our newest Rotarian. Some members know Kasie from her attendance at a variety of our meetings with Adam Roberts, who himself joined our ranks several months ago. Kasie has fulfilled the meeting requirements, and turned in her dues check. Roberto also mentioned there is interest by several other people in becoming Rotarians.
ROTARY HOME COOKING — The member-hosted dinner series begins this Saturday with “A Taste of New Orleans” being hosted by Debbie and Peter Brown. Three seats remain available, so please contact them immediately if you wish to attend.
EXCHANGE STUDENT — Although not part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, student Alessandra Barbarossa from the Rotary Club of Cosenza, Italy, this week enrolled at Columbia High School under a private exchange scholarship. A.J. Amato, our Youth Exchange officer, has been in contact with her father, and we will issue an invitation for Alessandra to attend one of our meetings. Bill Dowd suggested inviting Michaela Rossetti to the same dinner since she recently completed a Rotary exchange year in Italy.
INDOOR GOLF EVENT — The first of our “Mid-Winter Indoor Simulator Golf Tourneys” is scheduled for Saturday, February 10, at Burden Lake Country Club. Members are asked to share the flyer recently sent to them — and posted on our website and Facebook page — as much as they can through social media, bulletin boards, etc., to spread the word about this major fundraiser. Also, we will need volunteers to staff two-hour shifts at the event. Please see Murray Forth or Terry Brewer if you’re available.
BOWLING FOR VETS — The annual bowl-athon fundraiser has been scheduled for Sunday, March 4, at the East Greenbush Bowling Center on Columbia Turnpike. We will be coordinating the activity with the new Rotaract club at the UAlbany School of Pubic Health which we are sponsoring. Event lead Jim Leyhane reported that one goal is to raise $1,000 to help cover the cost of acquisition and years-long training of a veteran’s support dog in conjunction with an effort being undertaken by students and staff at Belltop Elementary School. Jim also suggested dropping the bowling price for children 12 and under to $10 while maintaining the $20 price for everyone else as a way to encourage more family participation.
YMCA MIRACLE LEAGUE DINNER — This event, which will involve the Greenbush YMCA, Rotary, Rotaract, and Kiwanis clubs, is set for Sunday, February 11. It will feed about 30 families. Preparations will begin at the Y at 9 a.m. and dinner will be served from 2 to 4 p.m. Shannon Romanowski will let us know how many more volunteers are needed.
OFFICER CHANGES & YOUTH PROGRAMS — We are looking for someone interested in serving as President-elect for the 2018-19 Rotary Year that begins July 1. Ray Hannan will be stepping away from that role. Also, Andy Leyhane has moved from an At-Large board seat to become President-elect for the remainder of this year after Jim Butterworth and Ron Annis stepped away from sharing that role. Andy, thus, is in line to become club president on July 1, and will participate in the PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar) series that begins later this month. … As part of the current restructuring of the club committee system, Shannon Romanowski and Matt Smith have expressed interest in co-chairing the Youth Programs Committee.
BRANDED TOTE BAGS — The tote freezer bags branded with the SRC logo now are available at $10 each, proceeds going to Club Sustenance. Several were sold at today’s breakfast meeting as well as the dinner meeting, and one was given to newest member John Justino.
RECYCLING SERVICE — Bill Dowd explained a bottle-and-can recycling service operated by a company called Clynk in conjunction with the Hannaford supermarket chain. It welcomes service organization clients under its “Community Cash Program,” and those in attendance unanimously voted to participate, with Bill leading the effort. The process is simple: Clients are given recycling bags and bar code stickers. They fill the bags with redeemable containers, attach a sticker, go to a Hannaford market where the bar code is scanned, then drop the bag in the receptacle. That’s it. Within 48 hours, the client’s account is credited. The only costs are a $4.95 quarterly service fee and $17.50 per 100 recycling bags. Such charges are debited from the client account, which cuts down on potential bookkeeping chores.
MISCELLANY — Mention was made of the passing of Richard Hodge, a 41-year Rotarian who has worked with many of us on such projects as Gift of Life. He was a member of the Colonie-Guilderland club. … The Capital Region Rotary Club’s 6th annual Bins of Fun toy collection for the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center is under way. Details are contained in a posting on our club website. … District Governor Fred Daniels has announced a tree-planting program for Arbor Day in conjunction with RI’s intention to have one tree (sapling) planted worldwide for every Rotarian. That would mean about 1,320,000 trees. Details to come. The breakfast group suggested looking at some of our town parks as well as trying to involve Boy Scout Troop 41 which we co-sponsor with the Rensselaer Elks Club; the dinner group suggested checking into the possibility of planting at the Shining Star of Hope memorial on the grounds of the East Greenbush Public Library as well. … Phil Kellerman reported $50 has been donated to the Capital Region Nordic Alliance adaptive sports program from his coffee sales.
PROGRAM: “Circles of Mercy”
Bill Dowd introduced Richard Zazycki, executive director of the Rensselaer-based family aid organization Circles of Mercy. Richard, who has been in that post for 11 years, thanked SRC for its partnership with Circles for the past four years in the Adopt-a-Family, Back-to-School Supplies, Easter Baskets for Kids and other programs. Some SRC members individually also have donated numerous items of clothing and household goods to the Kate’s Closet thrift shop that Circles operates.
Richard explained that Circles’ founders, the Sisters of Mercy, came to this country from Dublin, Ireland in 1863, to help nurse soldiers wounded in the Civil War. A group of them eventually settled in Rensselaer, at that time called Greenbush, and have broadened their services over the years with an emphasis on needy families and particularly those headed by women.
Right now, the seasonal emphasis is on assisting families with annual income below $54,000 to handle their tax preparation needs at no cost. Working in conjunction with several other agencies last year, Circles served 38 families, 40 adults and 82 children and 38 adopters. Tax refunds of $3.5 million (federal and state plus tax credits) were realized in 2017. Richard noted that this puts money back into the local economy by paying bills, rent, buying food and clothing, and so forth.
In response to a question, Richard said Circles’ annual budget is between $135,000 and $160,000. He is the only fulltime paid employee, supported by a part-time secretary and more than 100 volunteers. He said when he became head of the agency it was in the red. “After my first year, we had a surplus of $14 — that’s right, fourteen — so we went out and bought pizza,” he said with a smile. “Since then, we’ve been able to have a small annual surplus that we’re building up with plans to purchase our building since rent is a major component of our annual costs. If we buy the building, rent paid by the other current tenant there will cover the mortgage payment and we can use any surplus for major repairs and improvements to the facility.”
He said Circles’ income comes from five church parishes, individual donations, the thrift store, several government grants, grants from such businesses as KeyBank, Stewarts, and Berkshire Bank, and such fundraisers as its annual gala and Irish Night.
Richard also announced that Circles plans to make a special award to SRC at this year’s gala (Wednesday, June 13, at the Shaker Ridge Country Club) for its years-long work in support of the non-profit agency.
NEXT MEETING — 6:15 p.m. Thursday, January 25, at Quigley’s. Our speaker will be Robert Jucha of the organization Sean Strong.
Breakfast Meeting
Greenbush YMCA
20 Community Way
East Greenbush, NY
January 18, 2018
Members Attending (6): Roberto Martinez, Shannon Romanowski, Jim Leyhane, John Justino, Matt Smith, Murray Forth.
Guests (1): Prospective member Kasie Burrello.
MEMBERSHIP — President Roberto welcomed Kasie Burrello, who has submitted her application to become our newest Rotarian. Some members know Kasie from her attendance at a variety of our meetings with boyfriend Adam Roberts, who himself joined our ranks several months ago. She has fulfilled the meeting requirements, and turned in her dues check and application. Welcome, Kasie!
ROTARY HOME COOKING — The member-hosted dinner series begins this Saturday with “A Taste of New Orleans” being hosted by Debbie and Peter Brown. Contact them ASAP if you wish to attend.
EXCHANGE STUDENT — Although not part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, student Alessandra Barbarossa from Rotary Club Cosenza, Italy, this week enrolled at Columbia High School under a private exchange scholarship. A.J. Amato, our Youth Exchange officer, has been in contact with her father, and we will issue an invitation for Alessandra to attend one of our meetings.
INDOOR GOLF EVENT — The first of our Mid-Winter Indoor Simulator Golf Tourneys is scheduled for Saturday, February 10, at Burden Lake Country Club. Members are asked to share the flyer sent to them and posted on our website and Facebook page as much as they can through social media, bulletin boards, etc., to spread the word about this major fundraiser.
BOWLING FOR VETS — The annual bowl-athon fundraiser has been scheduled for Sunday, March 4, at the East Greenbush Bowling Center on Columbia Turnpike. We will be coordinating the activity with the new Rotaract club at the UAlbany School of Pubic Health which we are sponsoring. Jim Leyhane reported that a goal of the event is to raise $1,000 to cover the cost of a support dog.
YMCA MIRACLE LEAGUE DINNER — This event, which will involve the Greenbush YMCA, Rotary, Rotaract, and Kiwanis clubs, is set for Sunday, February 11. It will feed about 30 families. Preparations will begin at the Y at 9 a.m. and dinner will be served from 2 to 4 p.m.
YOUTH PROGRAMS — As part of the current restructuring of the club committee system, Shannon Romanowski and Matt Smith have expressed interest in co-chairing the Youth Programs Committee.
BOTTLE & CAN REDEMPTION — Bill Dowd will be explaining the Clynk recycling program at tonight’s dinner meeting as a club fundraising possibility. The breakfast group is very supportive of the idea, as is the Board.
OFFICER CHANGES — We are looking for someone interested in serving as Vice President for the 2018-19 Rotary Year that begins July 1. Current VP Ray Hannan is stepping away from that role. Also, Andy Leyhane has moved from an At-Large board seat to become President-elect for the remainder of this year after Jim Butterworth and Ron Annis stepped away from sharing that role. Andy, thus, is in line to become club president on July 1, and will participate in the PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar) series that begins this month.
BRANDED TOTE BAGS — The tote bags branded with SRC logos now are available at $10 each, proceeds going to Club Sustenance. Several were sold today, and one was given to newest member John Justino.
MISCELLANY — Mention was made of the passing of Richard Hodge, a 41-year Rotarian who has worked with many of us on such projects as Gift of Life. He was a member of the Colonie-Guilderland club. … The Capital Region Rotary Club’s 6th annual Bins of Fun toy collection for the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center is under way. Details are on a posting on our club website. … District Governor Fred Daniels has announced a tree-planting program for Arbor Day. Details to come The breakfast group expressed interest, and suggested looking at some of our town parks as well as trying to involve Boy Scout Troop 41 which we co-sponsor with the Rensselaer Elks Club.
NEXT BREAKFAST MEETING — 7 a.m. Thursday, February 15, at the Greenbush YMCA.
UPDATED VERSION. PLEASE DELETE EARLIER FLYER
Start spreading the news. It’s time to let everyone know that a staple of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club’s winter schedule is back.
Yes, the first of our Mid-Winter Simulator Golf Tourney extravaganzas has been set for Saturday, February 10.
You can begin helping your club achieve yet another successful fundraiser by sharing this flyer — through emails, social media accounts, hard-copy bulletin board postings … any other method that comes to mind. Proceeds go to support our many endeavors in the community.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 