Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Carol Heaney, Andy Lehayne and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (2): Denise Di Noto and Laura.

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Benefit Concert: The concert is this Saturday at 7 pm at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. The concert is co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club. Proceeds will go to the St. Paul Center. Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, both she and the Club received reimbursement for the banner.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 100 additional meters to increase the water flow. They are waiting for the results of the pump test.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The meeting for the backpack project was on 4/22 at 1:30 pm. Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin attended. Proceeds from the Fun Run will rejuvenate and stabilize the existing backpack program. Rotary needs to set up an account to received donated funds and to pay the food pantry and other sources food is purchased from.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Retirement: Jeff Simon’s retirement party is June 26th.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

Guilderland-Colonie Rotary Club: Denise DiNoto was District Governor in 23-24. Currently, she is President of the Guilderland Colonie Rotary Club. They have 20 members. They are hosting their 20th annual Golf Outing at Mill Road Acres in Latham on June 20th. It is $110 for golf and lunch. They are also holding a Bed Build on June 7 from 9 am until done. They will build beds and provide the linens, spreads and pillows for donation with a bed. The Bed Build will take place at the Grasslands on Route 7 in Latham. For more information about the Club, go to cgrotary.org.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

Youth Exchange Webinar – Hosting 101, Click here to get the zoom link.

ShelterBox Update, Click here for more details and to register for the zoom link.

Positive Peace in a Polarized World,  Click here to get details and the zoom link.

Global Grants Seminar, Click here for details and to get the zoom link.

Epic Day of Service,Click here for more information and some project inspiration.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 1 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. This is membership meeting.

Entry Choices are Chicken Ceaser Salid, Penne Pesto and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Laurie Pferr, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer, Jeff Brewer, Chris Bystroff and Carol Heaney.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (0):

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, he sent thank you notes to donors. The Sponsor page on the website has been updated.

Benefit Concert: Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, reimbursement for the retractable banner was approved.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 200 additional meters to increase the water flow. Pump tests will go on.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm. So far, Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin are attending. Let Roberto know if you wish to attend. Per Peter we should determine what the schools need and where the money will be going.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Foundation Grants Management Training: Laurie Pferr attended the April 14th session.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Member Engagement: The book “The Baron of Second Avenue” written by Dean Calamaras is available on Amazon and select bookstores. This paperback book is most economically purchased on the author’s website: http://www.calamarasbooks.com for $34.95 plus $6.70 shipping.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7pm. Registration is required.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 24 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Sara Owens.

Entry Choices are Rustica Salad, Veal Parm and Baked Ziti.

Club Assembly on Membership

Membership is ongoing and is everyone’s responsibility. The annual membership meeting is scheduled for May 1st. Carol Heaney and Terry Brewer are working on it. Zoom will not be available for this meeting.

Carol and Terry offered tonight’s program to learn more about the SRC Club’s opportunities and challenges with membership. People are motivated to join because Rotary keeps people connected and engaged with the community. Rotary has evolved over time to become more humanitarian and inclusive. There is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Rotary keeps people engaged through charitable work while having fun. Rotary also provides people opportunities for growth in capabilities. People want to do good and give back to the community.

Challenges to membership include the existing Rotary structure which is time and cost prohibitive. Also, current members are aging out, experiencing changes in abilities and dying. In recruiting younger members, Rotary must take into account the differences in generational culture. In order to engage younger members and keep them engaged, we must decrease cost and balance time commitments. Membership is a continuous conversation. Invite a guest to dinner on May 1st.

Members in Attendance (14): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Kevin Leyhane, Laurie Pferr, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (1): Carol Heaney.

Guests (0):

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Membership: Membership is ongoing and is everyone’s responsibility. The membership meeting is in three weeks. Carol Heaney and Terry Brewer and working on it. Zoom is not available for this meeting.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and will do a deeper dive to find it. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, there were 44 bowlers at the Bowl-A-Thon. We raised over $1500. $200 was raised from the raffle. The combo five person bowling team plus pizza was a hit. Phil dropped off a check and the food to Paula at the foodbank. If you pledged a donation, please make sure that Murray got the funds. The Stretch Zone team donated a gift card which will be used at the concert. They also offered to place a food collection box at their Delmar location. Community Care is also sending in a $100 donation. Ian, a bowler from Maple Hill, has invited Rotary to come and speak to his class. Thank you to all who helped.

Benefit Concert: Per Phil Kellerman, the band has been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. He is asking if the Church can provide coffee. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring seltzer, water and snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants: The retractable banner was finished in time to take to the District Conference. Thank you to Carole Heaney for making that possible. `

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, the water from the well is being testing. The drilling company, Crown Heights wants to dig deeper. At 200 meters, there is not as great a water flow as expected.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm. So far, Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin are attending. Let Roberto know if you wish to attend. Per Peter we should determine what the schools need and where the money will be going.

Fun Run: Kevin Lehayne is planning a “Fun Run” to be held in June to raise funds for the backpack program.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer and Debbie Rodriguez met Wednesday with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. In phase one, the stones will be removed from between the Library and the YMCA and relocated to Columbia High School near the athletic field. They are going to determine what is still usable and come up with a design and determine cost. Phase 1 should be completed in June. In phase two, another area will be created for dedication stones.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney will contact the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole.

Circles of Mercy 2025 Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program Schedule: The Club collected over 25 Easter baskets. Carole Heaney will contact Richard and set up a delivery date and time. The baskets will given to the client families during Holy Week (April 14 thru April 18) before the Easter Sunday Holiday on April 20.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Member Engagement: Phil Kellerman will be speaking on the 16th at the Glenville Rotary on immigration.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Budget: The Club approved the CNY budget and Roberto signed it.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd.

District Conference: Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane attended the Conference on April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany.  Fifty of our inbound and outbound Youth Exchange students were present. SRC Rotary donated funding for their food and housing. We received many compliments on our banner. Peter and Debbie Brown spoke about the Global Grant water project in Africa. Many Rotarians inquired about the project.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 17th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Tony Romero on the topic of Crypto Currency.

Entry Choices are Antipasta Salad, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parm.