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.
Rotary partners with a number of other public service-oriented organizations at various times. One upcoming event involves the Peace Corps.
Rotary-Peace Corps Week is coming up, with a webinar kickoff event called “Rotary-Peace Corps Partnership: The Future is Bright.” It is available to all Rotarians and Peace Corps members.
The event, set for 6:30 p.m. next Monday (September 20), will feature Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko and Acting Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn discussing the possibilities for partnering and their vision for the future.
Advance registration, which can be done online is required.
Our friends at Circles of Mercy are teaming up with students and staff at Maria College for a “Walk for Mercy” and they are inviting you to join them as volunteer walkers.
The flyer, cover letter, and signup sheet below have plenty of details, but the gist of it is:
The walk will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 28, starting at the Albany school located at 700 New Scotland Avenue. Proceeds earned through pledges will go to supporting programs and services at Circles and at the college.
Goal No. 1 for SRC in the 2021-22 Rotary Year is to regain some semblance of normality by resuming personal interaction among members, and continuing our record of 60+ years of community service.
To that end, resuming a schedule of in-person events among our fully vaccinated members was a major component. It gained some momentum during the “Summer Casual” period, and will ramp up as of this coming Thursday, September 16.
That’s when we will gather at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant on Route 4 in North Greenbush, just south of Hudson Valley Community College. (Allow for a bit of traffic at the under-construction traffic circle there; for those coming from the south, we advise trying I-90 Exit 8.)
Arrangement have been made to meet there on that date as well as on Thursday, September 30, when our new District Governor Bruce McConnelee will visit us. The details are the same for both events — a $25 fixed price covering dinner (your entree choice this week of chicken marsala or cheese lasagna), a social period beginning at 5:30 followed by dinner and meeting at 6:15 p.m. No advance reservations necessary.
In between these two in-person events will be a Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 23. Just check our club website’s calendar page for the hyperlink that gains access to the session.
We hope to see the people we haven’t seen in a long time as well as the regulars we always enjoy seeing. Please join us.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (9): Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Becky Raymond, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey.
Guests: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the virtual meeting to order via Zoom. We did not have a quorum, so no official business could be conducted. However, a number of informational and scheduling topics were addressed, and Debbie thanked the various members who filled in for her during her absence to attend to a family emergency:
• SCHOLARSHIPS — Roberto reported that District 7190 has informed the club it approved a grant of $1,000 toward our annual scholarship awards for graduating seniors at Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools next June.
• MEETING ARRANGEMENTS — A club committee scouted out potential in-person dinner meeting sites and decided to try Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant on a trial basis. We will meet there on September 16 and 30 (5:30 p.m. social period, 6:15 dinner and meeting). In between, we will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 23. The club needs to formalize the sort of schedule we will follow through the fall (all in-person, all-virtual, alternating the two). Details of the Moscatiello’s meetings (times, cost, etc.) will be emailed to all members and posted on the website as usual. Likewise, the link to access the Zoom meeting on September 23 will be on the website calendar page as always.
• GOL FUNDRAISER — The club has put together three foursomes to participate in the annual 7190 Gift of Life Golf Tournament on September 20 at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland.
• RLI SIGNUPS — Links to register for the virtual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) sessions are available on the club website story on the topic. As always, the club will reimburse members for any registration fees incurred.
Are you a golfer? Are you golfer adjacent? Are you interested in helping the District 7190 chapter of Gift of Life run its annual golf fundraiser that will help GOL bring children from around the globe with life-threatening heart conditions to the Capital Region for surgery that will prolong and improve their lives?
If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you’re needed.
The district’s annual Gift of Life Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, September 20, at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland. Its organizers are looking for golfers, sponsors, and event workers. You can get the details on all these avenues of service by going onlinetoday.
SRC already has a foursome ready to play in the event, but we can always use another quartet of golfers. We also are looking for people to buy a tee sign, donate a raffle item, or staff one of the necessary stations that help the tournament functions such as the hole-in-one contest, registration desk, auction setup, and perhaps even drive the beverage cart. If you would like additional details, please contact Dean or Doris Calamaras, our club’s GOL liaisons.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t done much for anyone, but it has made participation in some Rotary activities easier.
Take the annual Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) workshops, for example. They are less expensive, require no travel, and are easier to access. But, sometimes there’s a glitch.
The latest edition of the quarterly RLI Northeast America newsletter you should, by now, have received via email is one such example. It touted the fact that districts would be allowed to hold sessions either in person or virtually (our District 7190 opted for virtual). And, it provided dates, links, etc. However, it also inadvertently provided a broken link to sign up for classes.
So, here’s an unbroken link for you to use to access all the info: http://rlinea.org
That will take you to the website where you not only can register, you can download the curriculum you will need for your session. To help control costs, hard copies will not be provided by RLI.
And, as always, the SRC treasury will reimburse all members for enrolling in Levels 1, 2, 3 and Graduate workshops. (You must take such courses sequentially.)
All members already have received word that after next week’s hiatus leading into the Labor Day weekend we’ll be meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 9.
Now we have details about the following week — September 16 — when we will have our first in-person dinner meeting of the 2021-22 Rotary Year. Arrangements have been made by a committee of four (Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez) to meet at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, located on Route 4 in North Greenbush just south of Hudson Valley Community College. We’ll have a “re-get-acquainted” session from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., then dinner in a private room that we’ll have until 7:30.
Attendees will be able to select an entree of cheese ravioli marinara or chicken marsala. A fixed price of $25 will include your entree, bread and butter, water, soda, iced tea or lemonade. Coffee is extra. A cash bar will be available. No advance reservations are necessary.
We hope to have a solid turnout as we attempt to return to some semblance of normalcy, and discuss our programs and community service efforts for the remainder of the Rotary Year. Please make a note of the RSVP deadline so we can get an accurate headcount.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (12): Debbie Rodriguez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ron Annis, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Andy Leyhane, Kevin Leyhane.
GUESTS (8): Monika Annis, Lois Hannan; Mary Drumm; Kara, Ashton, and Allistair Leyhane; Kara and Emma Leyhane.
The final event of our annual July-August “Summer Casual” schedule was held Thursday under sunny skies, rather than the overcast/rainy ones we’ve been experiencing.
Debbie and Peter Brown graciously hosted a patio dinner of appetizers, chicken, cole slaw, potatoes, salad, desserts and beverages. Plus, the pool was open and freshly stocked with kids.
BUSINESS ITEMS:
• President Debbie Rodriguez thanked those who filled in for her recently, as well as those working on finding a new meeting home for the club while the Quigley’s sale situation remains unresolved.
• We’re off next week for the long Labor Day holiday period, but will resume weekly meetings with a 6 p.m. Zoom session on Thursday, September 9. Members should check the club website calendar page and click on the link for that date to gain access to the meeting.
• Our first in-person dinner meeting of the 2021-22 Rotary Year is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, September 16, at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant on Route 4 in North Greenbush just south of Hudson Valley Community College. Details on menu, pricing, etc., will be shared as they are firmed up.
Meanwhile, here are some images from Thursday’s event, courtesy of Roberto:
The headline says it all. Well, most of it, anyway.
We’ve scheduled a 6 p.m. Zoom session for Thursday, September 9, our first club meeting of the fall. As was the case for most of the past Rotary Year, simply go to the website’s calendar page and click on the meeting link for that date to automatically gain access to the meeting.
Efforts are under way to find a temporary venue for our in-person weekly dinner meetings. If all goes well, that activity could begin the following week, September 16. Details will be provided to all members once arrangements are finalized.
However, we still are discussing other possibilities — various dining sites, alternating in-person and Zoom sessions, etc. — because of the vagaries of the ongoing pandemic strictures. So, keep checking the website for updates.
Meanwhile, several etiquette items to remember to avoid confusion and give everyone a chance to be heard when we hold virtual meetings.
• When the meeting is called to order by President Debbie Rodriguez, or other presiding officer, please mute your audio.
• If you wish to make a comment, ask a question, etc., please raise your hand to gain the presiding officer’s attention. When called upon, then unmute your audio. When you are finished, re-mute.
• Please try to participate from a location without a lot of background noise (TV volume, barking dogs, clamoring kids, random gunfire, snoring, etc.). ZOOM has very good sound pickup and extraneous noise can be heard by everyone.
Thanks for your attention. We hope to see everyone on September 9.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 