MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Debbie Brown,Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown, Ray Hannan, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Tony Morris, Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey.

GUESTS: None.

NOTES:

• If anyone knows of an organization in need of face shields, please contact Sue Austin who, speaking on behalf of District 7190l, informed us a limited supply still is available. Sue can be contacted online via the District emailbox.

• Next Friday (March 19) is the final day to drop off Easter basket items or checks at the Greenbush YMCA in support of our annual drive in conjunction with Circles of Mercy. Club member Shannon Romanowski, director of the Y, is coordinating our effort.

• Fundraisers: Hoffman Car Wash tickets are available from Murray Forth. … A few handmade soaps remain available from Jim Leyhane or Roberto Martinez. … Bill Dowd urged members to be sure to use the Clynk container recycling program that helps support ShelterBox.

• Next week’s 7 p.m. ZOOM meeting will be a Club Assembly. Anyone who can recruit speakers for meetings after that is asked to contact President Dick Drumm.

• Program: Debbie Brown presented a video called “Revolutionary Gardners,” produced by the Garden Club of America. It featured virtual visits to George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to see what these early American garden enthusiasts and brought to life on their Virginia properties.

MOUNT VERNON

MONTICELLO

MEMBERS ATTENDING (22): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Terry Brewer, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Murray Forth, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhyane, and by proxy Becky Raymond, Ron Annis, Tony Morris, Jennifer Felts, Burke Adams.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES:

• President Dick welcomed members, and surveyed the attendees to see how many had received at least one COVID vaccination. He said that as vaccination efforts continue, we may be able to discuss the possibility of having some sort of in-person event during this Rotary Year.

• Bill Dowd, speaking for the Nominating Committee (he, Dick, Roberto Martinez), reported that he had received 11 “yes” proxies in response to the email announcement of a slate of candidates for 2021-22 that were emailed to all SRC members over the weekend. He noted that six of those 11 people were in attendance, leaving a bank of five “yes” votes. He then read the slate and, per our Bylaws, asked for nominations from the floor. Murray Forth moved acceptance of the slate as presented. A voice vote was 17-0 in favor which, with the proxy votes, resulted in a 22-0 vote in favor of the following, who will take office on July 1:

President: Debbie Rodriguez
President-elect: Kevin Leyhane
Vice President: Terry Brewer
Immediate Past President: Dick Drumm
Treasurer: Murray Forth
Secretary: Pat Bailey
At-Large Directors: Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Dean Calamaras, Becky Raymond

• Terry Brewer, speaking for the Foundation Subcommittee (he, Phil, Dick, Murray, Jim, Roberto, Bill), updated members on research and meetings conducted with an eye toward creating some form of club foundation that would allow members and the public to make tax-deductible contributions through legacy giving, individual donations, and fundraising activities. There are various criteria for creating such an entity, and several different types of foundations. The subcommittee is recommending participating in a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), which is affiliated with the Rotary Foundation. It would require, among other things, a $10,000 base, a 2- to 4-person advisory board, and a draft mission statement. Any grants made by our foundation would be required to be made only to 501(c)3 organizations. There are more than 1,400 such groups in Rensselaer County including most schools, churches, community service agencies, and food pantries. We also would be able to have a separate non-foundation account from which we could dispense financial awards to non-501(c)3 groups or individuals as desired. The next step is for the SRC Board to make a go/no-go decision.

• Debbie Rodriguez reported that the Danes Rotaract club is planning a virtual trivia event for Wednesday, March 10. Our club is underwriting the cost of hats and T-shirts as prizes. Debbie and Murray are meeting at Quigley’s to see if we still have some mugs and other “swag” stored there that also can be used for prizes. Also, Phil Kellerman offered to provide several packs of specialty coffees to be used as prizes. (As an aside, Murray said owner John John is close to concluding negotiations for the sale of Quigley’s. It is not yet known if it will reopen as a restaurant or will be used for other purposes.)

• Murray and Terry, who have been co-chairing our recycling-and-shredding fundraising events, recommended waiting until September before holding the next such event. The consensus of the group was that waiting will allow more time for COVID vaccinations and, thus, increase public comfort with such an event.

• Next Week’s Program: Debbie Brown will share a presentation of famous gardens at our 7 p.m. ZOOM meeting.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez, Terry Brewer, Carol Orvis, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Tony Morris, Pat Bailey, Charlie Foote, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed members and led a brief discussion of COVID vaccine experiences. Most members have had at least one shot, several have had both, and several have not been able to get on a list. Members shared possibilities and contact points. … Roberto Martinez, speaking on behalf of project coordinator Shannon Romanowski, reported that progress is being made toward the goal of providing 150 Easter baskets for kids through Circles of Mercy. Donated basket items are being accepted during regular hours at the Greenbush YMCA. The shopping list and project timeline are on the club website. Shannon said anyone not comfortable shopping for items can send a check payable to the Greenbush YMCA to cover the cost of baskets: 20 Community Way, East Greenbush NY 12061. (Be sure to include a note saying the check is for Easter baskets. …

Reminder that the deadline for registration for the virtual March 27 Rotary Leadership Institute is March 20, and the club will reimburse registrants for the $25 fee. Bill Dowd noted that anyone interested in this and other signups can simply go to the clkub website’s calendar page and click on the event rather than search through the website postings if they haven’t bother reading them as they are posted. … Reminder that Jim and Roberto still have some handcrafted scented soaps to sell, and Murray still has Hoffman Car Wash tickets. … Bill suggested that, since we have not had a major fundraiser this year, we begin looking into the possibility of a spring recycling/shredding event in case the pandemic eases enough to allow it to be held. Murray said he will check with our usual vendors to ascertain their availability and report back to the club next week. …

Terry Brewer reported on this week’s Foundation Subcommittee meeting. He explained some of the pros and cons of creating a foundation compared to attaching to RI’s Foundation. Continued study is under way, and another meeting is scheduled for 2/22. … Debbie Rodriguez noted that a meeting of the Danes Rotaract board was held this week, which prompted Bill to report that the club has received an email

MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Tony Morris, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez, John Justino, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES:

President Dick Drumm welcomed members. …

• Danes Rotaract faculty adviser John Justino reported on a meeting with Rich Welty of the Albany club and UAlbany student Erica Strand, a former Interact member, who want to form a Rotaract club on the school’s Uptown Campus, primarily for undergraduates. John noted that the Danes Rotaract club on the East Campus that we sponsor is composed of graduate students and alums, and that a cooperative effort of two such clubs might extend Rotary’s reach into the college demographic. …

• Dick appointed a Nominating Committee consisting of himself, Bill Dowd, and Roberto Martinez. They will meet, establish a slate of Board candidates for the 2021-22 Rotary Year, disseminate the list via e-mail to members over the weekend, then hold a vote next Thursday, March 4. That will firm up our incoming Board in time for the Presidents-elect PETS training scheduled for March 6 and the Treasurer and Secretary training session scheduled for March 13. …

• The Foundation Subcommittee is scheduled to meet with an RI representative on Monday to complete research on our decisions on financial futures. The group will report to the members at the March 4 virtual meeting . …

• Last week, Bill Dowd suggested we work on setting a date for a Recycling-and-Shredding Day since we have not had a major fundraising effort in more than a year. Murray Forth reported that since then he has checked with the recyclers we have used before and that both are available. We now will work on setting a date for the event, bearing in mind how COVID vaccinations and infection rates are going locally.

PROGRAM: Tony Morris, our newest member, presented the details of his Your CBD Store franchise, as well as the emerging field of CBD health products.

Tony explained that cannabidiol, popularly called CBD, sold as part of his company’s product line is obtained from industrial hemp, a cousin of the marijuana plant that does not contain halucinogenics. It has been a legal substance nationwide since passage of the federal 2018 Farm Bill. He said it works through the cannabinoids signaling system present in mammalian bodies, with CBD products supplementing natural cannabinoids. Products are formulated for both humans and pets.

He said that this is a “virtually unregulated industry, so there’s a lot of crap out there.” He described the process his 600-store parent company, SunFlora, goes through rigorous process to source and create a line of capsules, oil-based tinctures, and topically-applied supplements. Prices range from as little as $35 to as much as several hundred dollars depending on CBD concentration (20% discount for Rotarians). Uses can be for localized pain relief, skin care, sleep aids, anxiety, inflammation, and more.

Tony’s store is located in the Hannaford Plaza in East Greenbush. Phone: 518-650-7117.