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.
A sparse crowd watched the ValleyCats fall to the New York Boulders.
After a year off caused by you-know-what, SRC’s annual “Summer Casual” visit to Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy for a pavilion picnic and a professional ValleyCats baseball game resumed on Thursday.
Yeah! Normalcy, of a sort.
A group of Rotarians, friends, and family, enjoyed menu of hot dogs, pulled pork, chicken, macaroni salad, etc.
Who attended? Rotarians Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ray Hannan, Tony Morris, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane and 10 guests showed up despite the rainy weather that prompted some attendees to head for the exits when rain picked up in the second inning.
The final “Summer Casual” event of our July-August period is set for 6 p.m. next Thursday, August 26 — a cookout at the residence of Debbie and Peter Brown. If you would like to attend but haven’t yet submitted your RSVP, the deadline is Friday. Call 518-732-7178 or email mdbrown@nycap.rr.com. All fully vaxxed adults plus youngsters are invited.
Meanwhile, courtesy of Roberto, here are more images from Thursday’s damp gathering:
SRC’s annual participation in the Circles of Mercy “Back-to-School Supplies” drive has been completed, and donations delivered to the family-aid organization.
Ray and Lois Hannan were this year’s project coordinators. They report that nine members donated supplies and two others donated checks to the effort for needy students in the Rensselaer City School District.
The club thanks the Hannans and those who contributed to the project.
Thanks to Ray and Lois Hannan for hosting a “Summer Casual” dinner at the Schodack Diner on Thursday evening, one of the final July-August social events of SRC’s summer.
Next up is our annual picnic/baseball game outing at the Joseph Bruno Stadium at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. a Frontier League professional game between our own ValleyCats and the New York Boulders on Thursday, August 19, featuring a post-game fireworks show! (Tickets for that event have been sold out for some time.)
In addition to the Hannans, SRC members and guests who attended the dinner included Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Jim Leyhane, Murray Forth, Roberto Martinez, and Mary Drumm.
We have just two events remaining before we resume in-person and Zoom weekly meetings. Please be sure to RSVP for the final “Summer Casual” social as shown on the following event chart.
Only a few events remain on our “Summer Casual” schedule, and the RSVP deadline for one of them is tomorrow (Friday).
This evening, our “Dinner & a Show” outing in New Lebanon found SRC members and friends treating themselves to dinner at Mario’s Restaurant followed by the opening night performance of “Night & Day,” a Cole Porter musical, at The Theater Barn.
Next up is a dinner at the Schodack Diner hosted by Ray and Lois Hannan. If you plan to attend but haven’t yet contacted them, please do so by Friday via email (ray110b@yahoo.com) or by calling 585-315-1385.
Here’s the remainder of the summer schedule before we resume weekly member meetings.
If you are traveling domestically or abroad and see that familiar Rotary sign, snap a photo of it and send it along so we can spread the word of Rotary via our SRC website.
Here is one from Greenport, on the scenic North Fork of Long Island that I shot this week.
–– Bill Dowd, webmaster
On the village green overlooking the Peconic River 80 miles east of New York City.
Members Attending (7): Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Ray Hannan, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown.
Guests (3): Lois Hannan, Mary Drumm, Susie the Cat
Pizza, ice cream, socializing … and a pussycat. And, or course, rain. In this odd summer after the worst of all summers in 2020, it almost always is rain. You never know what you’re going to come across at an SRC “Summer Casual” event.
Our ‘Summer Casual’ logo
That’s what was involved at the Thursday event hosted by Pat Bailey — for which the club thanks her. In addition, plenty of donations were dropped off for our annual role in Circles of Mercy’s school supplies drive for kids in the Rensselaer City School District.
By the way, the next opportunity to drop off school supplies donations is at the Thursday, August 12, dinner being hosted by Ray and Lois Hannan at the Schodack Diner, 1842 Columbia Turnpike. If you’re fully vaxxed and plan to attend, be sure to call or email the Hannans no later than Friday, August 6. Contact info: ray110b@yahoo.com or 585-315-1385 (note this is NOT a 518 area code number).
A couple of housekeeping notes:
• The Thursday, August 5, outing in New Lebanon begins at 5 p.m. at Mario’s Restaurant, after which we will head for The Theater Barn for a musical play. Theater tickets will be distributed by event coordinator Bill Dowd at the dinner.
• If you won’t be attending the August 12 dinner at the Schodack Diner but want to drop off donated school supplies, please make a point of contacting the Hannans to arrange it so we don’t miss the deadline for drop-off at Circles of Mercy.
• We have filled the lone open slot in our July-August “Summer Casual” with Debbie and Peter Brown volunteering to host the club on Thursday, August 26, our last social event before resuming formal meetings in September. Details to come. (Make a point of checking the website.)
• President Debbie Rodriguez will hold a Board meeting in the next week or two to discuss, among other topics, our meeting arrangements for the fall. At last report, owner John Walsh is about to close a deal to sell the Quigley’s sports bar, and he told Murray Forth the prospective buyer is interested in having SRC continue meeting there. However, the timetable is unclear. Details on whether we will meet via Zoom or in person, or a combination of the two, will be announced once finalized.
Meanwhile, here are some images from Thursday:
Dr. Jim holding court.
Susie, the co-host for the evening.
Wonder what caught their attention?Guess who our photographer was on Thursday.
OK, you’ve been shopping for school supplies as part of our annual drive to aid kids in the Rensselaer City School District in partnership with Circles of Mercy. So, now what do you do with those supplies?
• Drop them off with Ray and Lois Hannan at Thursday’s pizza and ice cream social at Pat Bailey’s residence. (If you haven’t yet RSVP’d to Pat, please do so no later than Tuesday by calling 518-766-0215 or emailing her at baileyps26@gmail.com.)
• Drop them off at the Schodack Diner on Thursday, August 12, where the Hannans will be hosting a dinner for Rotarians and guests. (If you haven’t yet RSVP’d to them, please do so by August 6 by phoning 585-315-1385 (note this is NOT a 518 area code number) or by emailing them at ray110b@yahoo.com.)
• The Hannans may be setting up another date or two for accepting donations from those of you unable to make either of the two events listed above. Stay tuned for that info.
Once again, we’re listing the preferred shopping list provided by Circles of Mercy. In lieu of shopping, you can donate a check made payable to “Circles of Mercy,” with “SRC Rotary Club” in the memo line so the folks at Circles know how to apply the money.
Thanks again for your generosity.
• Pencils (regular lead #2 and color) • Pencil sharpener • Erasers for pencils • Pens (black or blue) • Markers (dry erase) • Sharpies (assorted colors) • Pocket folders (assorted colors) • 3-ring binders (2” and 3” sizes) • Loose leaf paper (college ruled) • Graph paper • Spiral subject notebooks (1-, 3-, and 5-subject, all college ruled) • Notebook subject dividers • Plastic zipper pencil cases / boxes • 3”x5” index cards • Yellow highlighters • Rulers (regular with metric) • Facial tissue packets • Hand sanitizer (small bottles) • Post-It notes • Backpacks (no rollers/wheels) • Hole reinforcement labels • Combination lock (for gym lockers) • Electronic items such as flash drives, computer ear buds, scientific calculators
As you can see by the above chart, we’re zipping right through our July-August “Summer Casual” schedule of events. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
• If you plan to attend the pizza and ice cream social set for Pat Bailey’s residence next Thursday, the deadline for giving her your RSVP is Tuesday. Food and some beverages will be provided. Attendees may bring any desserts or apps they wish to share. All fully vaxxed Rotarians and friends are invited, along with the kids. You can contact Pat by calling her at 518-766-0215 or emailing her at baileyps26@gmail.com.
• Anyone with reservations for the “Dinner & a Show” outing on Thursday, August 5, in New Lebanon should plan to arrive at Mario’s Restaurant in time for the 5 p.m. dinner. Tickets for the Theater Barn musical performance afterward will be distributed at the dinner.
• Ray and Lois Hannan are hosting a dinner at the Schodack Diner, 1842 Columbia Turnpike in Castleton, on Thursday, August 12. The RSVP deadline is Friday, August 6. You can contact them by phone at 585-315-1385 (note this is NOT a 518 area code number) or by email at ray110b@yahoo.com
• We still have Thursday, August 26, available if anyone wishes to host or plan an event. Just let Debbie Rodriguez and/or Bill Dowd know if you’d like to do so.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (14): Kevin Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Dick Drumm, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Murray Forth, Maggie Forth.
GUESTS: Mary Drumm, Jeremy Forth, Carrie Leyhane, Kara Leyhane, Lauren Carnahan, plus several other guests and kids.
Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez co-hosted the “Summer Casual” pool party and catered picnic at Jim’s residence.A special thanks to both of them for their generosity in underwriting the cost of the event. All monetary donations made by attendees go to the club treasury to help support our many community service efforts.
Items of business:
• Murray Forth reported that he has been in contact with John Walsh at Quigley’s. John told him he was “within days” of finalizing the sales of his sports bar and said the new owners are interested in having SRC return to its meeting space there. However, because the building needs to undergo extensive renovations, no timeline is available for now. We will continue looking for alternative meeting venues.
• Next week’s “Summer Casual” event — a pizza and ice cream social — has been moved to Pat Bailey’s residence at 244 Boyce Road in Nassau. Food and some beverages will be provided. Attendees may bring any desserts or apps they wish to share. All fully vaxxed Rotarians and friends are invited, along with the kids. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, July 27. You can contact Pat at 518-766-0215 or baileyps26@gmail.com.
• Anyone who needs bar code stickers for Clynk container recycling bags can contact Bill Dowd. Just let him know how many stickers are needed, and he’ll mail them to you. Proceeds of the recycling program go toward the club’s support of ShelterBox.
• We’re in the midst of our annual collection of back-to-school supplies for kids in the Rensselaer City School District. The preferred shopping list and other details are on the website.
Meanwhile, a few images from Thursday’s get-together, taken by Bill and Roberto.
Our co-hosts, Roberto and Jim.Murray and Kevin setting up the chow line.A colorful array.
Dinner time. Abandon all floats!
Do you think this chat might be about beer?A water sprite takes a break for land-based grub.Could they look any more relaxed?A true summertime scene.OK, what are they smiling about?
We’re switching the location of our Thursday, July 29, pizza and ice cream “Summer Casual” event.
Pat Bailey will be hosting it at her residence, 244 Boyce Road, Nassau, beginning at 6 p.m. The RSVP deadline is this coming Tuesday, 7/2. Please be sure to let Pat know your plans by that date.
All fully vaxxed adults plus kids are welcome to attend. Please plan to bring your own beverages. (If the weather is hot, Pat said she’ll set up the sprinkler for the kids — and any adventuresome adults — to enjoy.)
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 