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.

Update: Thursday dinner site changed

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BULLETIN!

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Our temporary meeting venue

The site of this Thursday’s dinner meeting has been changed. We will be meeting, and ordering off the menu (go here to check it out in advance), at the Schodack Diner, 1842 Columbia Turnpike. Our scheduled after-dinner program will not be presented, but the Board meeting planned for that day will be held.

The change was necessitated because Quigley’s owner John Walsh recently suffered a heart attack. The good news is that John is recovering, but is not yet up to the usual workload.

As always, if you have not yet let Debbie Brown know whether you will attend, please do so at mdbrown@nycp.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening.

And, please remember to bring your donations of clothing for our “Adopt a Family” holiday projects.

A very happy Thanksgiving Day to all

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This oil painting by the iconic American artist Norman Rockwell is called “Freedom from Want.” It also is known as “The Thanksgiving Picture” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

It is the third work in the “Four Freedoms” series of four oil paintings by Rockwell inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, a speech known as “Four Freedoms.”

The painting was created in November 1942 and published in the March 6, 1943 issue of The Saturday Evening Post magazine. All of the people in the picture were friends and family of Rockwell in Arlington, Vermont, who were photographed individually and painted into the scene.

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Our Twitter page is a content+ source

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Early returns from the social media survey that was sent to all members a few days ago show that very few SRC members avail themselves of the Twitter social media platform.

So, why does our club have a Twitter page? For two main reasons: (1.) To make our information available on the most heavily-used social media platform in the world, and thus potentially more appealing to the generations who use such things on a regular, even daily, basis; and, (2.) to provide you with news and information beyond what we have on our club website from Rotary International, partner organizations, and some other philanthropic organizations from around the globe.

The accompanying screen grabs show just a few of the most recent Tweets posted by SRC, RI and others. If you are interested in setting up a Twitter account, which is very easy to do, simply go here and follow the step-by-step instructions.

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Discount time for RI Convention running out

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screen-shot-2016-10-28-at-12-39-40-pmIf you are interested in attending the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta on June 10-14 next year, you can get discounted reservations if you go online — but, no later than December 15.

We already have nearly 40 Rotarians and guests from District 7190 signed up. The current discounted registration fee is $340 per person, but the price will increase to $415 as of December 16.

For more information about this global get-together and to register, just click here.

Foundation Dinner a financial success

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screen-shot-2016-10-11-at-5-15-03-pmDistrict Governor John Mucha reports that last week’s annual Rotary Foundation Dinner hosted at Saratoga National Golf Club by the District was a winner.

“We had over 200 Rotarians and guests at our Foundation Dinner celebrating the Centennial of the Rotary Foundation,” John said, “and, best of all, we raised in excess of $20,000 for the Foundation. My sincere thanks to all who attended, served on the dinner committee, or supported this effort in some other way.”

Our club had a contingent of six Rotarians, one spousal guest, and our Youth Exchange student in attendance. And, the club contributed a basket of made-in-Rensselaer County items to the silent auction portion of the fundraiser. Go here to see our photo gallery.

‘Project Legos’ completes its 2nd round

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The second shipment of what we are calling “Project Legos” has arrived in the home of Debbie and Chuck Rodriguez’s grandchildren in Connecticut. Was the package welcome? These photos say it all. (Go here for a look at the first round.)

The catalyst for the project, conceived by Jim Leyhane, was their grandson Xavier’s diagnosis of leukemia and the need for ongoing treatment. Jim thought it would be a smart move to have something fun and constructive for him to do, along with his brother. Several other members agreed, and have been helping finance the ongoing effort. If you’d like to pitch in as well, just get in touch with Jim for details.

And, from President Debbie, a heart-felt thank you to all in the club who have been so supportive of her family.

Update on ‘Adopt-a-Family’ project

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adopt-a-family-logoUPDATE (11/18/16): From April Dowd: I have just learned that the family we will be helping through Circles of Mercy this holiday season has received some devastating news. Darlene, the 70-year-old household head who is caring for her three great-grandchildren, has been diagnosed with cancer. Given that she will be faced with unexpected medical-related bills, we are expanding the needs/wish list for the family.

In addition to the list circulated this week to all members, I would like to emphasize the need for gift cards — preferably for WalMart, where Darlene can shop for food and everyday needs, and for gasoline to help her get to her medical appointments and all the driving needed for the kids. And, obviously, we will be donating more clothes for the kids than were on the original list.

Please, those of you who have not yet replied to my original message, let me know what you would like to contribute. Thank you.

(Originally posted 11/16/16)

Once again, we are working with the local family services agency Circles of Mercy to make the holidays brighter for a family in need.

Richard Zazycki, Circles’ executive director, has just sent us the “need/wish list” of items for this year’s “Adopt-a-Family” project. Our assigned family is a bit different this year. The head of it is a 70-year-old great-grandmother who has custody of, and cares for, three children — two girls and one boy, ages 4 to 6.

To avoid duplication or omission, project coordinator April Dowd says she would appreciate it if anyone wishing to help would send me a note in advance of shopping, specifying what item they wish to purchase. She then will coordinate your responses and get back to everyone on what they can contribute. Obviously, overall we can contribute more than one of each item, so more of our members can be involved.

As in the past, you will need to wrap all gifts and label each with the appropriate name. The deadline for delivering gifts to Circles of Mercy is Friday, December 16. To accomplishRead More »

The real story of the day that preempts us next week

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Since we won’t be meeting for Thursday evening Rotary dinner again until next month, it may be interesting to take a fresh look at what will preempt us next week. It’s the 153rd annual Thanksgiving Day.

Yes, 153rd. Not the 396th as some people think. True, the Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoags did share an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as the first such fete in the New World although there is no record extant that they ever gave it a title. And, they held a similar three-day party the following year, but it kind of dissipated as time went on.

And, yes, some sorts of harvest-period celebration have been commonplace in most parts of then world from time immemorial, so it is not surprising that the practice endured in one form or another. In the early years of our nation, presidents George Washington and John Adams issued proclamations about national days of thanks, but they were not necessarily regarded as national holidays and the practice fizzled. In 1817, New York State became the first of several U.S. states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday, although each celebrated it on a different day.Read More »

Who has Circles of Mercy been helping?

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screen-shot-2016-11-18-at-2-23-24-pmThe Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has had an ongoing  partnership for a number of years with Circles of Mercy, the Rensselaer-based non-governmental family services agency that brings a variety of services to families and individuals in need.

For our newer members who may not be familiar with Circles, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community, our club and its members as individuals donate money, children’s and adults’ clothing, household goods, school supplies, Easter and Christmas-time holiday gifts and other items to Circles, thus playing a substantial role in its success. We currently are working on our annual Adopt-a-Family effort there.

Circles of Mercy is in the midst of its annual year-end fund drive. You can get details about it and how to contribute to the tax-exempt organization on its website. Here is the annual report from executive director Richard S. Zazycki on what the organization has provided to the local community in the past 12 months.

Dear Friends of Circles:

Thank you for all the ways that you have supported our continuing efforts … as we celebrate 19 years of providing hope, hospitality and empowerment to the needy who come through our doors. Through the generous support of our donors, we have had a strong year. A total  of 87 cents of every dollar went directly towards our programs.

Here are a few examples of how your contributions have helped us serve hundreds of people the past year:Read More »