Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
October 13, 2016

Members Attending (15): Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Terry Brewer, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Julius Frankel, Jim Butterworth, Charlie Foote, A.J. Amato, Stewart Wagner.

Guests (4): John Mucha, Nina Mucha, Rafaella (Ella) Real Cancio, Ann Amato.

PROGRAM: The District Governor’s Visit

District Governor John Mucha paid his first official visit of the 2016-17 Rotary Year, accompanied by wife Nina. He noted that they had visited us several months ago and participated in our blanket-making workshop for Blue Star Mothers.

John reported that worldwide RI gained members in 2015-16 but the District lost some members despite the success of some clubs such as ours that had strong recruiting and retention results. He also reported excellent financial support, with the District exceeding $100,000 in Foundation donations.

He also spoke about major upcoming events — the District’s annual Foundation Dinner, and the annual District Conference, this year set for May 5-7 in Lake George.  And, he spoke about the annual RI Convention, scheduled for this summer in Atlanta. (Details on all events are on our club website.)

John outlined changes made by RI as far as membership qualifications, meeting frequency and so on, in an effort to broaden the membership globally. Clubs now have much more flexibility in how they structure these areas.

To support that initiative, he announced that as a result of the energetic participation of Rotarians, particularly younger ones, at last month’s “Next Gen Membership Conference” a permanent Membership Council has been formed. Its purpose is to maintain the momentum engendered by that workshop and to create a continuity of recruitment and retention efforts over the years.

He said Rotary has two areas of emphasis this year, external  (continuing the battle against polio) and internal (membership recruitment and retention.) In addition, he also has asked all Assistant District Governors — ours is Jack Faddegon — to work with their clubs to come up with a joint project.

Nina Mucha spoke about Rotary being part of their family for 30 years and about meeting Rotarians from around the world at conventions and other events. She also offered raffle tickets and specially-designed T-shirts ($20 each) for sale, with proceeds going to the Foundation. Our club immediately purchased 45 shirts, a $900 windfall for the Foundation, and several members purchased raffle tickets.

Business/Announcements

OPENING — President-elect Roberto Martinez presided in the absence of President Debbie Rodriguez. He welcomed the guests and A.J Amato, our Youth Exchange Officer, introduced Brazilian exchange student Ella Cancio.

REMINDERS — Next Saturday, October 22, will be the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) at Siena College. Several club members are enrolled …  Bill Dowd will be one of the featured speakers at the District Public Relations Summit in Clifton Park on Saturday,  October 29. … The annual Rotary International Convention returns to the U.S. this summer when it will be held in Atlanta. Details and registration information are available online. … The District’s annual Foundation Dinner s now accepting reservations. The event will be held on November 17 at Saratoga National Golf Club. Tickets are available now at several price levels…. The organization Girls On the Run that our club has financially assisted will hold its annual 5K run on Saturday, November 12, at the Corning Preserve in Albany for kids and adults. Details and registration information are available online.

SHELTERBOX UPDATE — Bill Dowd, our ShelterBox Liaison, reported that ShelterBox teams were assisting hurricane victims in Haiti within 48 hours of the disaster. He also asked anyone who has not yet made a donation to ShelterBox this year to please consider doing so. Numerous disasters around the globe are putting a strain on ShelterBox’s resources.

RI PRESIDENT VISITING NYS — Rotary International President John Germ will be the keynote speaker at the 91st annual Eastern Cities Fellowship scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, in Rochester. Reservations may be made online.

BOWLING FOR VETS — The annual family- and community-oriented fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, November 6, at the East Greenbush Bowling Center. Same offer as in prior years: $20 covers all-you-can-bowl during one of a pair of two-hour sessions. We again will be selling lane sponsorships to individuals, organizations and businesses. See Treasurer Murray Forth if you are interested in helping.

RECYCLING FUNDRAISER — Plans are being made for a Recycling Day to be held on Saturday, November 5, for both paper items and electronics. Site to be announced. Participants will be asked to pay according to the weight of the items they bring.

MISCELLANEOUS — Debbie Rodriguez may be away for several weeks while her grandson Xavier undergoes chemotherapy in Hartford, CT, to combat leukemia. Roberto will fill in for her. … Murray Forth read a letter of thanks from the Rensselaer City School District for our club’s very strong assistance once again in the annual School Supplies Drive. … Dick Drumm proudly announced the arrival of a new granddaughter. Mother and baby are doing well.

2 MEETINGS NEXT WEEK

• The monthly “Third Thursday” breakfast meeting will be held at 7 a.m. Thursday, October 20, at the Greenbush Area YMCA. Contact Terry Brewer or Shannon Romanowski by Wednesday if you plan to attend. Educators from Columbia High School will speak.

• Then, at 6:15 p.m. at Quigley’s Food & Drink, we’ll hold our weekly dinner meeting, with Chicken Marsala as the menu centerpiece.  Contact Debbie Brown by Tuesday if you plan to attend. The founder of the Capital Region Nordic Alliance that deals with adaptive sports for all will speak.

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
October 6, 2016

Members Attending (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, John Sawchuk, Terry Brewer, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Julius Frankel, Carole Spencer, Becky Raymond, Charlie Foote.

Guests (8): Joan Maddocks, Laura Schweitzer, Taylor and Merissa from Columbia High School, Carol Whitaker, Phil and Bonnie Nasca,  John Justino.

PROGRAM: “Health Sciences Campus”

Roberto Martinez introduced Dr. Laura Schweitzer, Ph.D, vice president of Health Sciences Biomedical Initiatives. She also is president emeritus of Union Graduate College and has served at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, Bassett Healthcare and the University of Louisville.

Schweitzer explained that the UAlbany East Campus in Rensselaer, just off Columbia Turnpike, last month was renamed and now is the Health Sciences Campus (UAlbany), more representative of what it contains. The change is intended to solidify the intersection of academia, government and the private sector collaborating in mutually beneficial ways to further the understanding of health and disease.

Among the venues are 22 research centers and 75 research labs, with the largest concentration in individual health-science related programs. The campus is anchored by the university’s School of Public Health and Cancer Research Center with its Center for Functional Genomics. Other campus residents include organizations such as Regeneron, Albany Molecular Research (AMRI), Taconic, and select research divisions of Albany Medical College and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, as well as a dozen other area start-up and biomedical organizations. It also is home to the collaborative, 30-year partnership between the School of Public Health and the State Department of Health.

She spoke about new companies moving in during the past year and how more are expected next year.

Dr. Phil Nasca was introduced to speak about a new School of Public Health and the changes since the 1980s and plans for future changes. He also explained the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), and the online training programs that have reached 151,000 people. He also explained that about the faculty and their qualifications. In addition, the School of Public Health’s Global Institute for Health and Human Rights is training students from Turkey, China, Kuwait, Sweden, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS

OPENING — President Debbie Rodriguez welcomed all guests, including Phil and Bonnie Nasca who are planning to become Rotarians with our club.

STUDENT ACTIVITY — Club member John Sawchuk, principal at Columbia High School,  introduced two of his senior students, Taylor and Merissa (above), and spoke about the “book bag” project. The senior class members described student involvement with Ronald McDonald House. Students are collecting supplies for the Albany family facility. They will be asking for donations as an entrance fee for the Homecoming Dance, as well as at the dance itself, and at the end of the month for Halloween.

FUNDRAISERS — Terry Brewer reported on several projected efforts, including those to support scholarships and RYLA tuitions. A paper-shredding event will be among the efforts. Also, the annual “Bowling for Vets” day will be held on either the 6th or 13th of November in East Greenbush.

DISTRICT EVENT PARTICIPATION — Bill Dowd will be a presenter, speaking on public relations and the media, at the October 29 “Next Gen Summit” workshop being held by the District on Saturday, October 29, in Clifton Park in an effort to increase and retain members. … Five club members so far have registered for the Rotary Leadership Institute scheduled for Saturday, October 22, at Siena College. Registration still is open, and the club will reimburse the tuition fee.

HOLIDAY PROJECTS — Our annual holiday-period food pantry drives will be coming up soon. Members are asked to begin purchasing nonperishable items to contribute when a date is decided. … We also will again consider sponsoring several needy families for the December holidays through Circles of Mercy and other agencies.

SHELTERBOX — Disaster aid teams already have been dispatched to hurricane-ravaged Haiti. Bill Dowd, our ShelterBox Liaison Officer, asked via Debbie for members to consider making contributions to ShelterBox. Treasurer Murray Forth can explain the process for doing so.

GIFT OF LIFE — Jim Leyhane reported on the first team of doctors and nurses going to Romania on a medical mission. It will be one of several over the next several weeks. Also, GOL will be helping two children in Portland, ME, and two at Boston Children’s Hospital in the coming months.

HOSPITAL BROCHURE PROJECT — Roberto Martinez provided an update on participation in our Hospital Stay Brochure project. Two hospitals are expected to sign on as users of the guide.

NEXT MEETING: 6:15 p.m. Thursday, October 14, at Quigley’s. In addition to an official visit by District Governor John Mucha, our Rotary Youth Exchange student from Brazil will be joining us for dinner. We’re hoping for a strong turnout in honor of both of them.

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
September 29, 2016

Members Attending (14): Roberto Martinez, Terry Brewer, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Jim Butterworth, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Jim McHugh, Dean Calamaras, Julius Frankel, Andy Leyhane.

Guests (4): Dr. Ron Carroll, Maureen McHugh, Mary Lou Carroll, Bill Nathan.

PROGRAM: “Science & Culture Shape Individuals”

Terry Brewer introduced our speaker, Dr. Ron Carroll, MD, and displayed his self-published book “Know Thyself.”

Carroll opened his talk by stating that he brings science and nature into any discussion. His background is in oncology, and he practiced from 1967 until his retirement in 2004. He said his talk is based on information available in standard textbooks, but put into a particular format by him.

He distributed “a Model of Three Components of Human Behavior” to outline the talk, ranging from an explanation of zygote–embryo-brain, the fact that the human genome has not changed very much from the beginning of the mankind, and that all race genetic mechanisms obey the rules of physics and chemistry operative on Earth.

He explained that we inherit culture genetically as it enables us to encode memories in our brains. We acquire memories from culture, cannot think without those memories and cannot inherit cultural genetically. What is learned is culturally derived; ideas are non-material and do not obey the rules of chemistry.

Carroll continued with an explanation of “Cognition & Reproductive Behavior.” The prefrontal cortex —  which controls abstract thinking and thought analysis, and also is  responsible for regulating behavior — does not fully mature until the third decade of life. In what may seem an ironic practice, although the strongest decision-making skills are not in evidence until after age 25 we send 18 year olds off to college.

Carroll also discussed the beginning of our culture with the Greeks, noting that Socrates wrote “The Republic” when he was young and the “Laws & Ethics” much later in his life. Interestingly, ethics no longer is taught as science, but has been under the humanities since the 1960s.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS

OPENING — In the absence of President Debbie Rodriguez, President-elect Roberto Martinez and Immediate Past President Terry Brewer presided. They welcomed speaker Dr. Ron Carroll, District RLI Coordinator Bill Nathan, member Jim McHugh and wife Maureen. Jim is recovering from surgery and chemotherapy and has been away for several months.

EXCHANGE STUDENTS — Michaela Rosetti, our Rotary Youth Exchange student, has created a blog to share her adventures in Italy. The link to it is on our club website under “Recommended Links.” Meanwhile, Rafaella Leal Câncio, our student from Brazil will attend our October 13 meeting as a guest of A.J. Amato, our Youth Exchange Officer.

RYLA STUDENTS — We have expanded our sponsorship of high school juniors from the area planning to participate in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program. We now have five students from Maple Hill High School and two from Averill Park High School. The club is paying the tuition for all of them.

FUTURE PROGRAMS — Members were reminded to check the program date assignments and, once they have acquired a speaker or decided to present their own program, contact program coordinator Roberto Martinez with the information. The assignment chart can be found, as always, on the Calendar page on our website.

RLI TRAINING — Bill Nathan, a member of the Albany Rotary Club and the District 7190 coordinator for the Rotary Leadership Institute, spoke briefly about the October 22 session scheduled for Siena College. Several of our members are again planning to participate. The club will pay the registration fee for all who would like to attend. Check the website for details.

SAVE THE DATES — (1.) The annual Foundation Dinner will be held November 17 at the Saratoga National Golf Club; (2.) The 91st Eastern Cities Fellowship Dinner will be held December 6 in Rochester, with Rotary International President John Germ giving the keynote address. (3.) The Schenectady Rotary Club will host speaker Marie Josette Placide of the Haiti Water Project at a noon luncheon on Thursday, October 13, at the Stockade Inn on North Church Street in Schenectady. Reservations, which are required, may be made online by October 7.

NEXT MEETING: 6:15 p.m. Thursday, October 6, at Quigley’s. The speaker will be Laura Schweitzer on the recently renamed UAlbany Health Sciences Campus in Rensselaer, formerly called the UAlbany East Campus.