MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Phil Kellerman. By proxy: Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carol Orvis, Terry Brewer.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order, noting the presence of a quorum.

MEETINGS NOTES:

• HEALTH UPDATE: Debbie reported that she spoke to Doris Calamaras this week and Doris said she is feeling much better after a lengthy period of hospitalization and rehab.

• VIKING GYM — Our scheduled meeting with the East Greenbush Kiwanis Club to discuss a joint effort to restore the outdoor Viking Gym at Schodack Town Park was postponed. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27.

• SCHOLARSHIPS — We received an inquiry from Rensselaer High School’s Brandy Cenci asking if we plan to continue our scholarship program this year. Since the club agreed by consensus months ago to do so, it was agreed that now is time to contact Rensselaer, Columbia, and Maple Hill high schools to ascertain their preferred candidates. Debbie will check with Terry Brewer who has coordinated the effort in the past to see if he is interested in doing so again. If not, she will turn it over to someone else ASAP. The program provides a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior at each school.

• ROTARACT — Debbie reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor has added four members. A get-acquainted lunch will be scheduled for the members and the club board, and efforts are being made to elect a new slate of officers.

• SHELTER BOX UPDATE — Bill Dowd reported that the club, several individual members, and one former member together have donated about $3,000 to ShelterBox this year. We continue with strong participation in our small-but-steady fundraising effort through the Clynk recycling program. He also noted that ShelterBox has grown well beyond simply being an independent agency providing relief after natural disasters, taking emergency equipment to areas such as Ukraine and Yemen.

• UPCOMING MEETINGS — The SRC Board will meet after the regular dinner meeting on Thursday, May 5. … Mike Moscatiello of our host Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, will be the speaker at our Thursday, April 21, dinner meeting. His topic: “Restaurants During COVID,” a particularly timely and interesting topic. (Entree choices for that meeting are chicken Caesar salad and chicken limon.)

MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Debbie Rodriguez, John Justino, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane. By proxy: Carol Orvis, Tony Morris, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order via Zoom, and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• BOARD MEMBERS WANTED — As we look ahead to the June 1 start of the 2022-23 Rotary Year we are in need of several Board candidates. First and foremost, we need someone interested in becoming President-Elect, then moving into the club presidency in the 2023-24 Rotary Year. We also need to fill two At-Large vacancies. One will occur because Bill Dowd has informed the club he will not stand for reelection, and the other occurred when Jim Leyhane moved to Vice President upon the recent resignation of Terry Brewer. Anyone interested in any of these positions should contact Debbie Rodriguez.

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — At last count, 38 baskets will be created from member donations for the annual Circles of Mercy effort. That’s a sharp drop-off from previous years when we donated as many as 155 baskets (126 last year, for example, despite the interference by the pandemic). Baskets will be assembled at the Greenbush YMCA. Anyone who would like to help is asked to call Shannon Romanowski at the Y for details.

• PROGRAM — Member John Justino, of the UAlbany School of Public Health, presented a program on “Complex Humanitarian Emergencies” (CHEs). They are defined as “complex multi-party intra-state conflict resulting in a humanitarian disaster which might constitute multi-dimensional risks or threats to regional and international security.”

He cited one major historical conflict such as the Liberian civil war that raged from 1990 to 2004, as well as the current carnage in Ukraine. His presentation touched on the following points:

Characteristics of CHEs:

• Long periods of time

• Often target civilians

• Food shortages

• Unhealthy living in refugee camps

Health effects of CHEs:

• Increase mortality rates as high as 10 times

• Infectious disease outbreaks

• Malnutrition and lack of water, shelter and food

• Increased mental health conditions, women more than men.

Addressing CHEs:

• Water

• vaccines

• infectious disease control

• mental health

Needs assessments:

• Personal hygiene

• 1 toilet per 20 people

• Vit A to children

• Disease control measures

• Have you ever considered what happed if you became displaced?

A Q&A and discussion followed.

NEXT MEETING — Representatives of Capital Roots, the Troy-based regional community gardens organization, will visit on Thursday, April 7, to tell us about the organization’s services and programs. We will have a social period from 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6, at Moscatiello’s Restaurant. The menu choices are linguine with white clam sauce or chicken Caesar salad. As always, a cash bar will be available.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Kevin Leyhane, Tony Morris, Becky Raymond. By proxy: Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS (3): Dennis Ciccino, Lois Hannan, Debbie Morris.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant and noted the presence of a quorum

MEETING NOTES:

• HEALTH UPDATE — Former member Stewart Wagner has undergone cardiac surgery. Jim Leyhane said he is not doing as well as hoped. Doris Calamaras, currently in rehab after a hospital stay, is expected to be discharged this weekend.

• BOY SCOUTS UPDATE — Dennis Ciccino, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 41 for the past 30 years, visited to update us on the troop that has produced 83 Eagle Scouts since 1960. He said he currently has 10 Scouts with 10 more in the process of moving up from the Cub Scouts along with one of the Cubs adult leaders. Because the B.P.O. Elks organization has, on a national level, ceased funding Scouting because of the ongoing scandals and lawsuits against the BSA. However, the East Greenbush lodge is renting a meeting room to the troop for the token amount of $1. As a result, SRC has increased its annual support of the Troop, and a $750 check was presented to Dennis to help underwrite camping fees. Dennis said it costs $110 each for Scouts to attend camp, and $90 for each supervising adult. He said the Troop will continue fundraising activities and parents may have to pay more toward camp fees this year.

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — Volunteer coordinator Lois Hannan collected donated items from members before the meeting for SRC’s portion of the annual Circles of Mercy project to create Easter baskets for needy kids in the community. The club is paying for baskets, artificial grass, and wrapping materials. Baskets will be assembled by the Greenbush YMCA. The last day for donations is Saturday, April 9. at the Y.  There is a table set up in the lobby of the Y to accept donations.

• GRANT TRAINING — Eligibility for District Grants each year is limited to clubs that have had at least two members participate in the training program. Debbie R., Roberto Martinez, and Jim Leyhane have volunteered to attend this year, and Tony Morris may be a fourth. The training is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, at the First Reformed Church in Schenectady. Anyone else who is interested should contact Debbie.

• IMPACT COMMITTEE — Committee leader Pat Bailey reported that the group met on March 22 and decided to extend the raffle ticket sales through the end of this Rotary Year (June 30) to take advantage of the Music At the Park series held in Schodack each Tuesday in June. She said they expect to attend the “Healthy Kids” event at the Greenbush YMCA on April 30 to sell tickets, and will continue to work out the details of articles, flyers, and other communications.

• PROGRAM — Peter and Debbie Brown presented an illustrated program on “Iceland In the Off-Season,” their recent trip to the North Atlantic island nation.

• NEXT MEETING — John Justino will present a program titled “Complex Human Emergencies and Global Health.” The meeting will begin on Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31.