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.

Ted Romanowski, in memoriam

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UPDATE: Calling hours for Ted Romanowski will be Tuesday, August 16, from 4-7 p.m. at the Rockefeller Funeral Home in East Greenbush.

Theodore “Ted” Romanowski, father-in-law of club member Shannon Romanowski, died Monday at the age of 77. We offer our condolences to Shannon and the entire Romanowski family.

Here is Ted’s obituary as it appeared in today’s Times Union:

EAST GREENBUSH — Theodore “Ted” Romanowski, 77, of East Greenbush passed away Monday, August 8, 2016, at Evergreen Commons.

Ted was born in Albany, the son of Anthony and Mary (Budnowski) Romanowski (Dearstyne). Ted went to Philip Schuyler high school and earned his BS and MS from the University of Notre Dame, where he played football and basketball.

He was a teacher, coach and administrator in the East Greenbush Schools for over 30 years, retiring in 1995. He was inducted into the CHS Athletics Hall of Fame, the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame and the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ted is survived by his wife, Joyce (Smith) Romanowski; a daughter, Kristen L. Romanowski; and a son, Drew (Shannon) Romanowski. Ted was the proud grandfather of Kason and Nolan.

Services will be at a time and place to be announced. Memorial donations may be made to the All Sports Club, C/O Athletic Dept. at Columbia High School, 962 Luther Rd, East Greenbush, NY 12061

 

Arrivederci, Maple Hill

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exchange dollarsMichaela Rosetti, a product of Maple Hill High School, is our 2016-17 Youth Exchange student heading for a year’s study in Italy.

Here, A.J. Amato, the Youth Exchange Officer for the Southern Renssaler County Rotary Club, presents Michaela with a check for $500 to help cover some of her personal expenses during her academic and cultural adventure abroad.

Meanwhile, our incoming Youth Exchange student is Rafaella Leal Câncio of Brazil.

If you missed the introduction to Rafella, click here to catch up on the details.

 

Today in history

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Screen shot 2016-06-19 at 2.36.37 PM

On August 5 in …

1583 –- Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes the first English colony in North America, at what now is St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

1735 -– New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he had published was true.

1816 –- The British Admiralty dismisses Francis Ronalds’s new invention of the first working electric telegraph as “wholly unnecessary,” preferring to continue using the semaphore.

1861 –- To help pay for the expenses of waging the Civil War, the U.S. government levies the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).

1884 –- The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe’s Island (later renamed Liberty Island) in New York Harbor.

Food drive for Ronald McDonald House is under way

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McD
April stacking up part of the first dropoff at Ronald McDonald House today.

April Dowd and her driver Bill this morning delivered the first batch of non-perishable food donations to  the Ronald McDonald House complex in Albany. And, that was only the beginning.

April is heading up a food drive through September 8 for the family residence facility where heavy recent use has pretty much stripped the shelves bare of the sorts of food items families can turn to.

Fresh foods are not a problem because of the steady stream of volunteer cooks working in the RMH kitchen, but guests often have very long days at Albany Medical Center, missing regular mealtimes and needing sustenance often at odd hours.

Here is the suggested shopping list RMH provided. You can bring your donations to any of our club events through September 8 or, if it’s the only way we can get them, we’ll schedule a time to come to you to collect the food items.

• Jell-O Cups
• Pudding Cups
• Individual Cracker & Cookie Snacks
• Individual Chips and Pretzel Snacks
• Cereal Cups
• Apple Sauce Cups
• Ramen Noodle Cups
• Microwave Meals (non-frozen kind)
• Microwave Popcorn
• Easy Mac&Cheese Cups
• Granola Bars
• Nuts & Dried Fruit Packs
• Healthy Snacks
• Grocery Gift Cards
• Stewart’s Gift Cards
• Amazon Gift Cards

Thanks, as always, for your ongoing generosity to those in need.

 

16 days remain in ‘School Supplies Drive’

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Screen shot 2016-08-05 at 1.43.03 PM
Some of your school supply contributions.

Our 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” is going strong. (See the accompanying photo of a jam-packed car trunk.) And, we’re not done yet.

If you haven’t yet dropped off your donations, you still have 16 days to do so. And, John Sawchuk has pledged the efforts of some of his Columbia High School students to join the effort.

We’d appreciate it if everyone throughout the club would at least in some small way take part in purchasing and donating school supplies for needy kids in the Rensselaer City School District where more than one-third of the students live at or below the national poverty line.

Donations may be brought to any of our events, and given to project coordinator Bill Dowd for delivery. A checklist of preferred items (for high school and pre-school students only) is provided below.

If you don’t plan to attend any of the next few club events, please let Bill know and he will make arrangements to personally pick up your donations. We don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to participate in the project.

Such a drive is in keeping with one of Rotary’s six stated areas of concentration: Improving basic education and literacy.

Here is the checklist:

• pencils (regular lead #2 and color)
• pencil sharpener
• erasers (for pencils)
• pens (black or blue)
• markers (dry erase and color)
• pocket folders (assorted colors)
• 3-ring binders (in 2” and 3” sizes)
• loose leaf paper (college ruled)
• graph pape
• spiral subject notebooks (1, 3 and 5 subject in college ruled)
• subject dividers
• plastic zipper pencil cases/boxes
• 3”x5” index cards
• highlighters (yellow)
• rulers (regular with metric)
• Kleenex or other brand) tissues
• hand sanitizer (small bottles)
• Post-It notes
• backpacks (no rollers/wheels)
• Spanish-English dictionaries
• flash drives (1 to 4gb sizes)
• scientific calculators

Thanks, as always, for your generosity to others less fortunate than us.

 

A summer evening at the marina

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SRC Minutes Logo“Summer Casual” Riverside Dinner
Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina
New Baltimore, NY
August 4, 2016

Members Attending (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyane, Bill Dowd, April Dowd, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Dick Drumm, Geoff Brewer, Terry Brewer, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown.

Guests (4): Mary Drumm, Maggie Forth, Jeremy Forth, Betty Brewer.

The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was picturesque, the food was tasty, and the company was jovial.

If you are getting the idea we  had a great time dining alongside the Hudson River at Donovan’s Shady  Harbor Marina on Thursday night, you’re correct.

We have just three outings left on our “Summer Casual” schedule, and reservation deadlines are upon us. Don’t miss out. Here’s the lineup:

August 11 — Wine tasting and orchard-inspired dinner at Goold Orchards in Castleton. Reservation deadline is this Saturday — and we need to know your entree preference between chicken and fish when you make your reservation. The price is a mere $20 for everything. Send your RSVPs to SRCrotary@gmail.com

August 18 — Pavilion picnic plus ValleyCats baseball game at Bruno Stadium in Troy. Reservations closed on Thursday — and we have 54 people joining us, but if you suddenly have an opening on your calendar and would like to attend, check directly with Terry Brewer who is coordinating the tickets to see if any more are available.

August 25 — An opening night performance of the comedy play “The Addams Family” at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham. Reservation deadline is Tuesday, April 9. Send your RSVPs to SRCrotary@gmail.com

Meanwhile, here are some images from the Shady Harbor outing.

The Dirty Dozen + 5
Thanks to an anonymous young man who volunteered to help us out, we actually got everyone in one photo!
Moorings
Pleasure craft helped set the maritime scene.
Drumms
Dick and Mary are the picture of riverside relaxation.
Roberto & April
Roberto and April share a hearty laugh.
Brian Bauhofer
Chef Brian Bauhofer joined us for a few minutes after the dinner buffet (shown below).
A sampler of the buffet spread …
… and the buffet lineup itself.

RLI’s fall workshop registration is open

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RLI logo

How would you like to have an interesting experience for free?

May we suggest you enroll in the Rotary Leadership Institute? Your club pays the tuition charge. All you have to do is show up.

One-day workshops will be available for first-timers as well as for those who have experienced other RLI levels and are looking to add to their arsenal of information, tips, and training.

RLI courses again this year will be offered at Siena College in Loudonville. That’ s the venue; the college does not do the training which, instead, is done by accredited RLI faculty. But you’re not limited to that venue. Courses also are offered throughout the Northeast, and some people even have attended them while on the road for business since much of what you learn can be applied to your careers. For example, this year’s Graduate Course (for those who already have completed RLI Parts 1 through 3) is titled “Effective Public Speaking,” something a lot of people will find helpful.

The session at Siena College is scheduled for Saturday, October 22. The deadline for registering is October 17. The workshop runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Details about the various workshops are available online. And, you can register through that connection.

 

‘Next Generation Rotary Summit’ announced

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Screen shot 2016-08-04 at 2.38.11 PMThe “Next Generation Rotary Summit” is as important as its title suggests. The event will “consider the Next Generation of Rotary -— the generation of young professionals who will move Rotary forward for the next 30 years.”

As organizer Fred Daniels puts it, “What do they believe? What do they think about ‘Service Above Self? How will they impact Rotary? What are their needs? What kinds of service projects excite them? How can Rotary attract and retain them? Can young professionals help answer the other 257 questions we have about the future of Rotary?”

The summit is one of just 19 being held in the U.S.

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 24, at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. It is being organized by current young Rotarians from throughout District 7190 with support from a grant provided by Rotary International.

The summit is one of just 19 being held in the U.S. Each will reports its findings and ideas to RI as part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure the future of Rotary worldwide. Although it will be open to all Rotarians, its organizers note that it is “perfect for presidents, presidents-elect, membership chairs, membership committee members, and young “or younger thinking” Rotarians.

Summit details — including speakers, breakout session topics, and resources that clubs will be able to use as part of their membership and community efforts — will be announced as soon as they are finalized. And, registration will open soon. Meanwhile, save the date on your busy calendars.

 

Today in history

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Screen shot 2016-06-19 at 2.36.37 PM

On August 4 in …

1693 –- This is the date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon’s invention of Champagne, although it is not clear whether he actually invented the wine. However, most historians concur he was an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine.

1783 –- Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people. The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.

1889 –- The Great Fire of Spokane destroys 32 blocks of the Washington city, prompting a mass rebuilding project.

1977 –- President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the federal Department of Energy.

1987 -– The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rescinds the “Fairness Doctrine” which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues “fairly.”