Members in Attendance (9):  Jim Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Dick Drumm and Terry Brewer.

By Zoom (2): Becky Raymond and Roberto Martinez

Guests (1): Jonathan Newell

Vice-President Jim Leyhane called the meeting to order.

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

Meeting Notes:

Website Updates: Membership changes need to be made on the website.

Meeting Notes: Thanks to Phil Kellerman for the meeting notes last week. Phil will be missing the next three meetings. He spoke at the Malta Rotary Club on October 10th. Carol Heany will be out until late October. Debbie Rodriguez will be missing the October 24th, 31st and November 7th meetings.

Services: Terry Brewer, Betty Brewer, Murray Forth and Jim Leyhane attended the services for former member John Sawckuck

Grant Update: There is a meeting on Monday. The bank account in Kenya will be established and all outstanding questions will be addressed.

East Greenbush and Social Capital: The Club is proposing a cornhole tournament to raise funds for a school project. Mr. Simon proposed funding a community center for integration in the School District. Lisa Jackson will come to speak to the Club about holding a tournament.

Tax Status: Per Terry Brewer, he should have the paperwork completed by next week and ready for submission.

Member Dues: Of the two outstanding dues, one member paid and the other withdrew from Rotary.

Benefit Concert: The concert can’t be held on November 2nd. The concert will be scheduled for some time next spring.

Viking Gym: Per Murray Forth, the sign and Peace Pole were delivered to the Town.

Rotary Leadership Institute ( rlinea.org ): The next training will be held on Saturday, November 2nd from 7:30 am until 3:30 pm at the Universalist Unitarian Society of Albany, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany. Per Roberto Martinez, the Club will pay the $75 fee for any member who wants to attend. Roberto will be attending. Register NOW for RLI NEA Seminar – Dist 7180 – Albany, NY.

Membership: Membership is ongoing. One member has resigned. A membership and visibility discussion will be held after the first of the year.

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

World Polio Day: It is on October 24th. The interview video with Martha Lepow will be shown.

Holiday Party: December 12th is not available at Moscatiellos. Peter and Debbie Brown have offered to host the party on that date. The other option is to change the date.

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.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 17th 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 Salid, Chicken Limone and Portabella Mushroom Ravioli.

Imaging the Body’s Interior with Electricity

Jonathan Newell. PhD

Dr. Jonathan Newell is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and also teaches physics at Bethlehem High School. He is developing, in collaboration with others, Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) systems. EIT is an imaging of the body based on how the body conducts electricity. The first paper in this field was published in 1986.

Thirty-two electrodes are placed around the body. A current is applied to the electrodes and the voltage is measured to produce a three-dimensional image in real time. This method is simpler, cheaper, more portable and non-hazardous (no radiation). This system shows both ventilation and blood flow. The other four systems in the world only show ventilation. Except for Cystic Fibrosis, this is not diagnostic. It is useful for constant monitoring. It can be used for monitoring collapsed lungs, pulmonary emboli, gas exchange, Cystic Fibrosis and mechanical ventilation. Commercially, he predicts EIT will become an add-on to mechanical ventilation.

Dr. Newell’s research is funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imagery and Bioengineering, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the New York State Department of Health.

Members in Attendance (15):  Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Andy Leyhane, Kevin Leyhane, Charlie Foote, Ron Annis, Phil Kellerman, Terry Brewer and Debbie Rodriguez.

By Zoom (1): Ruth Russell

Guests (3): Freek Lapré and Frank van Dillen, from the Netherlands and Dr. Michael Sabir, Speaker.

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:

Summer Outings and Fundraisers: Per Roberto Martinez, we raised over $1900. Thanks to everyone.

Website Updates: The website needs some updating. Kevin fixed the entry page.

Grant Update: The Global Grant was submitted on time under the previous district. Peter Brown received questions from Rotary International. The answers are to be provided by Jennifer Grymm of the Rotary Club in Kenya. He hopes to have the questions answered over the next two weeks and then receive final approval.

District Grants: Roberto Martinez reported that the 24-25 grant was approved for $1000.

East Greenbush and Social Capital: The Club is proposing a cornhole tournament to raise funds for a school project. Peter Brown reached out to Jeff Simon, Superintendent for the East Greenbush School District regarding some potential projects. Terry Brewer, Jim Leyhene, Roberto Martinez and Ron Annis will mee Monday, September 23rd to discuss the project.

Tax Status: Per Terry Brewer, he looked back at the Club’s financial status over the last five years. He will fill out the IRS Forms. An accountant will review prior to resubmitting to the IRS. There will be a $600 fee.

Member Dues: According to Murray Forth, there are 2 outstanding.

Viking Gym: The Grand Opening is Saturday 9/14/24 at 1 pm at the Schodack Town Park. Members will be providing hot dogs and beverages. Rotary will submit a check to the Town. Rotary, Kiwanis and Top Form will look a purchasing a piece of equipment next year.

Rotary Leadership Institute ( rlinea.org ): The next training is in Verona, NY. Per Roberto Martinez, the Club will pay the $75 fee for any member who wants to attend.

CNY Event: Took place this evening at Huck Finns. The Rotary Area 22 Event included Albany, Cohoes, Colonie-Guilderland, Southern Rensselaer and the Delmar Club.

Gift of Life Golf Tournament: The Club will follow-up with Dean and Doris Calamaras.

Membership: Membership is ongoing. The Club had a successful drive in April ending up with five new members. Terry Brewer suggesting thinking about other membership activities and holding them twice a year.

Speakers: Needed for this year.

World Polio Day: It is on October 24th. The Club will check with John Justino about doing something this year.

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman has a local and a band from Florida. He has contacted a venue for availability.

Cafe Capriccio: Andy Leyhane and Jim Leyhane are contacting the Cafe regarding a fundraiser.

Next Meeting: Thursday, September 19 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. There will be a Club Assembly.

Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Veal Parmigiana and Penne Alfredo.

Dr. Michael Sabir

“Escape from Pakistan”,

Dr. Michael Sabir is a teacher, human rights defender and social worker. He has a PhD in Sociology from Karatchi University in Pakistan and a master’s degree in social work. He was the first blind person to receive ah PhD in Pakistan. He also worked at the University and at the National Catholic Institute of Theology also located in Karatchi, Pakistan. Dr. Sabor was a lobbyist and advocate for the religious minority. He met both Pope John Paul and Pope Francis and has visited all seven continents as a lecturer.

Religious minorities are second class citizens in Pakistan. They hold menial jobs. No minority can hold a position in high offices. The Pakistani government nationalized all minority health and education institutions. Extremism is high in Pakistan. Dr. Sabir He resigned his position last month due to threats of mob lynching after attacks on himself and his family and has applied for political asylum. Per Dr. Sabir, the jihadis were recruited by the US to fight the Russians. They were given money and weapons. The jihadis persecuted Christians after 911 for their religious similarities to the US.

Dr. Sabir faces many challenges as a legal asylum seeker. There is no support for a legal asylum seeker until they get a social security number and a work permit, and their case is approved. There is a 150 day waiting period after applying. It takes years to get a green card. Illegal immigrants get all sorts of support.

Freek Lapré and Frank van Dillen, from the Netherlands, are partners at DVA Dementia Village Associates (https://www.dementiavillage.com/) and work on a consultancy assignment for Eddy Memorial Geriatric Center, ‘The Eddy’. They work on converting a classical nursing home into small households making up a village.

Mr. Lapré is a member of the Rotary Club Altena-NL (www.rotary.nl/altena). He is a nurse by training and has a Doctorate in Business Administration. He consults in the Netherlands and teaches in China. The Altena Rotary Club projects include a wishing tree in nursing homes where Rotary fulfills the wishes. They also provide scholarships for technical skills. The Club has 30 members, and he is the incoming president.

Mr. van Dillen is a member of the Rotary Club Hertogenbosch -NL (www.rotary.nl/shertogenbosch). Mr. van Dillen is an architect. His Club has 60 members. They have projects around ALS. Their swim against cancer project raised 35,000 euros.

They presented Roberto Martinez with their Rotary Club banners.