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.

Meeting clipboard: 1/9/20p

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SRC ClipboardHeld at Quigley’s Restaurant
573 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY 12061

Members Attending (18): Jim Leyhane, Kevin Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Wells Packard, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Charlie Foote, Carol Orvis, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Jeff Simons.

Guests (5): Ida-Marie Lindberg, Jennifer Carraher, Jim McHugh, Michelle Hall, Alexandra Omicinsky.

MEETING MINUTES — President Phil Kellerman presided, welcoming members and guests to the first dinner meeting of 2020. … Phil will represent the club at the District 7190 Membership District Training sessions. … Treasurer Murray Forth reported that the themed gift basket silent auction at the recent Holiday Party he and Maggie hosted raised $500 for the club treasury. … Bill Dowd delivered $3,525 in member contributions to ShelterBox to the District SB liaisons Jack and Nancy Faddegon. …

Prices were set for the March 1 Foundation Bowl-a-Thon to raise funds for two organizations we regularly support — the Oley Foundation for people using tube feeding and the Freedom From Fistula Foundation that deals with women’s obstetrical issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Admission will be $15 per person, and lane sponsorships will be $100 each. … The date for the 2020 Gift of Life Golf Tournament fundraiser will be Monday, September 14. … New member Wells Packard reported that his daughter has been selected as a Rotary Exchange Student. She will spend an academic year in Germany. … Next week’s program involves Ruth Samuels and the New Visions project at the UAlbany School of Public Health.

Screen Shot 2020-01-09 at 10.22.52 PMPROGRAM: EGSCD English Language Learners

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Jeff Simons

Jeff Simons, superintendent of the East Greenbush Central School District and a former SRC Rotary member, was the guest speaker.

He introduced staffers involved in the languages programs. The number of  students involved in such study is growing faster Upstate than in other parts of New York. Nevertheless, the courses encourage students and their families to maintain their native languages while they increase their fluency in English.

The New York State Seal of Bi-Literacy is affixed to the diplomas of all students who are proficient in more than one language.

 

What’s going on in the local schools?

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Jeff Simons

Jeff Simons, who is nearing his fourth anniversary as superintendent of the East Greenbush Central School District, will be our first guest speaker of 2020 when he visits the club on Thursday, January 9.

Jeff, a former SRC member who was appointed superintendent in March 2016, will be speaking on initiatives within the school district and its connections to the community at large.

When you receive your weekly RSVP note next week from dinner coordinator Debbie Rodriguez, please consider inviting a friend, family member, or business colleague who may have an interest in the local schools to join us as your guest.

 

Happy New Year 2020

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Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve, and we’ll see you on Thursday, January 9, when we resume our weekly dinner meetings. As always, you can check on club and district events listed on our website’s Calendar page by clicking here.

A reminder: Although we’re entering a new year, we’re only halfway through the 2019-20 Rotary Year. So, if you pay your dues semi-annually rather than at the start of the Rotary Year, your second payment is now due.

Our last Holiday Party, until the next one

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Once again we officially welcomed in the holidays with our annual “Holiday Party & Basket Silent Auction.” And, once again, we were hosted by Maggie and Murray Forth, to whom we owe a hearty ho-ho-ho and thank you!

Besides the good food and fellowship we all enjoyed, the basket auction raised $500 for the club  treasury to help support our many community service endeavors.

We won’t be gathering again until our Thursday, January 9, 2020 dinner meeting at Quigley’s. Until then, here are some party images to look over.

Party Maggie

Party Murray Phil

Party Maggie Flowers

Party Me

Party Becky

Party KL and Lois

Party Carol

Party Drumms RM

Party Pat

Party sweater

Party Roberto

 

Party Mike

Party Leyhanes

Party Kirea

Party Kevin

Party Jim

Party Geoff

Party Jeremy

Get ready to unveil your holiday baskets

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SRC Party 2019We’re barely a day away from the start of our annual SRC Holiday Party & Basket Silent Auction. Do you have your themed baskets ready to be bid on?

Besides being a fun part of the event, the auction raises money for our general treasury to be put toward support of our many public service efforts in the community. We’ve been posting suggested theme baskets on the website for several weeks (see here and here), but we suspect a lot of you have your own ideas to amaze and amuse the partygoers.

An advance thank-you to Maggie and Murray Forth, our hosts once again, who have been putting this event together for several weeks. It will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at their residence in East Greenbush, so prepare to put on your party duds and join us.

P.S. The pool will not be open.

 

Thank you all, and a Merry Christmas

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xmas

Screen Shot 2019-11-22 at 6.00.46 PMGifts for the Hazzard family have been delivered to Circles of Mercy in Rensselaer as our club’s participation in the annual Adopt-a-Family drive.

Our thanks to Debbie Rodriguez and Bill Dowd for organizing the drive, and for Debbie in particular volunteering to get involved in the task of collecting and delivering gifts to the family of four — and soon to be five.

This is the fifth consecutive year we have partnered with Circles of Mercy in this effort. Circles is a staunch supporter of families in need, and we welcome the opportunity to work with the organization in various undertakings. Their organizational skills and far-reaching network makes SRC’s efforts  always on point.