News of this New York State club that practices "Service Above Self"
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.
The American Red Cross is facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade.
The relief organization says, “This poses a serious risk to patient care as doctors are forced to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions. Blood and platelet donations are critically needed to help prevent delays in vital medical treatment.T
“The shortage is being caused by:
10% overall blood donation decline since March 2020
62% drop in college and high school blood drives due to the pandemic
On-going blood drive cancellations due to illness, staff shortages, and weather
Surge of Covid cases and active flu”
There is no upper age limit for blood donations but you do have to be in good health. Go to redcrossblood.org to find out if you are eligible and to find a donation drive nearby.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (20): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, John Justino, Andy Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Murray Forth (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy), Peter Brown (by proxy), Debbie Brown (by proxy).
Guests: None.
MEETING NOTES:
President Debbie called the meeting to order via Zoom and noted the presence of a quorum.
• Clynk coordinator Bill Dowd reported that we have surpassed the 25,000-container mark. He thanked all SRC members who have contributed to the initiative in support of ShelterBox and noted that he has emailed all members with details of the effort for those who are not yet participating.
• It was reported that Ron Annis has returned from his annual trip to Sweden. He verified the Town of Schodack report that the viking gym at Schodack Town Park has been dismantled because wear and tear on the facility SRC helped sponsor resulted in the move. Ron will work with the town to make plans to refurbish, and potentially expand, the outdoor rustic gym.
• Pat Bailey said the committee planning her fundraising proposal — which would combine a raffle and public appearances to tell people about Rotary and its many community service activities — has not met and she has had difficulty getting members to respond. Her our-person committee consists of her, Becky Raymond, Peter Brown, and Phil Kellerman.
• It was again asked if the Foundation Advisory Committee — Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, and A.J. Amato — has met since it was reported in November 2020 that they would do so and report to the membership what the foundation has been doing. The response was that the group has yet to meet. Phil again said he would make a point of convening a meeting and formulating a report to the membership.
• John Justino said the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club board will meet next week to assess in-person activities and plan a service event in light of UAlbany’s current ban on such activities on campus because of the COVID pandemic. The last such Rotaract event resulted in attracting two new members.
• Several District events have been announced — the annual District conference and the Multi-District Leadership training seminar — and details will be posted on the club website.
• Upcoming Events: State Assemblyman Jake Ashby will speak to the club at next week’s (1/27) 7 p.m. Zoom meeting. As we evaluate the possibility of resuming biweekly in-person dinner meetings at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant in February, Roberto Martinez and/or Jim Leyhane will check with the restaurant to see if staff members are fully vaccinated. The consensus of the meeting attendees tonight was that we would continue to limit attendance at our in-person events to members and guests who are fully vaccinated and have had a booster shot if qualified to do so.
How are we doing with our ongoing push to redeem deposit containers and direct the proceeds to ShelterBox?
Pretty good on several fronts.
• The accompanying graphic shows our environmental impact.
• We recently sent a $400 check to the relief agency to help in its global work.
• And, another indicator of the support from across the SRC membership is that we recently topped the 25,000 mark of redeemed cans and glass and plastic bottles.
So, please keep up the good work. Or, if you haven’t yet joined in the Clynk initiative, please join your fellow Rotarians in this no-fuss ongoing fundraiser.
You can purchase a box of the official collection bags (the only bags accepted by the recycler) at any Hannaford market; ask Bill Dowd for the bar code stickers to affix to the bags, and drop off the full bags at any Hannaford redemption site where you simply scan the stickers and put the bags in the chute. That’s it. No need to rinse or separate the containers.
If you have any friends or family members who would like to join in this effort, just follow the same process to be sure they have the tools to have the redemption money credited to SRC’s Clynk account.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Charlie Foote, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Phil Kellerman, Pat Bailey, Tony Morris, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy).
GUESTS (2): District Assistant Governor C.G. Frink, guest speaker Mike Stangl.
MEETING NOTES:
• President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order via Zoom, and noted the presence of a quorum.
• Debbie shared the outcome of her discussion with Schodack town officials concerning the collapse of the viking gym that was constructed in 2017 at Schodack Town Park as a co-op venture of SRC, then-Eagle Scout candidate Lorenzo Gonzalez, Top Form, and the town. She said she was told the normal wear-and-tear on the installation wore it down, and much of it has been hauled away by the town. The town said it was popular with park visitors, and would like to rebuild, and perhaps expand, it. A grant from Amazon toward park facilities is available to help pay for the initiative. SRC member Ron Annis, who will be returning from Sweden in the spring, will again work with the town and the club on resurrecting the facility.
• Debbie reiterated that we have put in-person meetings on pause through January as we continue to asses the local COVID situation. Members again were advised to check our events on the website calendar page which is regularly updated. And, anyone who wishes to reserve a date for a speaker should contact Becky or Kevin.
• Mike Stangl presented a program on his work around the globe on design and installation of solar energy arrays. For the past 11 years, he has been working on such projects in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Much of it involves U.S. embassies.
He noted that while solar energy provides only about 3% of our domestic energy production today, it is an important part of our total energy grid. In some other countries, it is more desired because of local conditions. His slideshow covered examples of projects in Cambodia and Nigeria as well as graphic descriptions of the process of creating and utilizing solar systems. Some examples:
MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Becky Raymond, Charlie Foote, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Murray Forth, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Andy Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy).
GUESTS: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez, presiding over our first session of 2022, called the meeting to order via Zoom and declared the presence of a quorum.
MEETING NOTES:
• Becky Raymond reported that she visited the Schodack town park on Route 150, site of the Viking gym and playground built there in 2017 and co-sponsored by SRC, then-Eagle Scout candidate Lorenzo Gonzales, member Ron Annis’s Top Form company, and the Town of Schodack. She said the rustic gym appears to have been dismantled and parts carried off. Debbie Rodriguez said she would check with the town to see what happened to the gym and will report back to the club. We also will contact Ron, now spending the winter in Sweden, to see if he has any knowledge of the playground/gym tentatively scheduled for an expansion later this year.
• President Debbie said the club has sent a $500 check to the Mayfield (KY) Rotary Club to be put toward relief efforts for the area hardest hit by recent tornadoes.
• Bill Dowd volunteered to serve on a screening committee selecting candidates for District Governor. He has represented the club in the same capacity in the past.
• Debbie verified that we raised $650 through the silent auction of themed gift baskets at the annual Holiday Party & Basket Auction in December. The money goes to the club treasury to help underwrite community service projects.
• Roberto Martinez said he spoke with District Governor Bruce McConnellee today about assistance for purchasing audio-visual equipment to facilitate meetings, and that $150 is available to any club undertaking such an effort. The money will be supplied if the club sends the district a receipt for any such microphone/camera purchases.
• Because of the current upsurge in COVID cases locally, member consensus tonight was to suspend in-person meetings until at least February. Instead, we will meet each Thursday at 7 p.m. via ZOOM, and give our scheduled speakers the option of rescheduling or making their presentations virtually. Roberto Martinez will contact management of Moscatiello’s restaurant to let them know about the change and lock in February dinner meeting dates.
Well, another messy year is nearly down the drain. So, don your party hat — and probably your face mask, depending on what you plan on doing — and jump into 2022 in just a little over two days from now.
We’re not sure what the world has in store for us in the new year, but we do know some of the things the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has lined up.
Such programs as a travelogue to a forgotten city, the resumption of our annual trivia competition, and presentations by a variety of speakers all are on tap. You can get the details by regularly visiting our club calendar online.
And remember, we’re always looking for more programs. Just check the calendar to see what’s available, then contact Becky Raymond or Kevin Leyhane to lock in the date you want and provide them with the details.
Meanwhile, begin the countdown, and … Happy New Year!
Well, that’s what Tiny Tim said at the conclusion of the classic 1951 film “A Christmas Carol.” But, Ebeneezer Scrooge had more memorable lines.
For example, this all-encompassing commentary that tells us all it’s never too late to become a better person:
“I don’t know anything. I never did know anything. But now I KNOW that I don’t know anything. I never did know anything. But now I know that I don’t know. All on a Christmas morning.”
And, as we all continue to evolve and gain wisdom, a very Merry Christmas to all of us.
Just a part of the bounty of gifts you donated this year.
Imagine thinking your young children would be waking up tomorrow morning to a very sparse Christmas. Now, imagine as a single parent receiving a call from Circles of Mercy, telling you not to be concerned, the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has come through once again.
That’s what happened thanks to our “Adopt-a-Family” effort for 2021, with a big boost from the Greenbush YMCA. Two moms and six kids are receiving a variety of “needs to have” and “nice to have” items donated by the generous folks of both of these organizations, and a few of their friends.
To all who helped in one way or another — wrapped gifts, gift cards, pickups, deliveries, etc. — thank you, thank you, thank you.
Have you wondered about our collective environmental impact from recycling through Clynk?
The accompanying graphic gives you a bit of an idea. That’s in addition to the money we raise for ShelterBox (our most recent contribution was a check for $500.)
Remember, all you need to participate in our Clynk effort is an official collection bag (buy ’em at any Hannaford customer service counter), a bar code sticker (get ’em from Bill Dowd) and … oh, yes, some redeemable beverage containers.
No need to rinse or sort the glass, metal, or plastic containers. Simply stick them all in the same bag, stop in at a Hannaford market, use the bar code reader and drop the bag in the chute. Voila! Money for ShelterBox and less clutter in your house.
So, pack up all those holiday beverage containers. And, you don’t have to be a Rotarian to join the club’s effort.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 