Meeting Clipboard: 6/6/19

June 8, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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

Members Attending (12): Andy Leyhane, Murray Forth, Phil Kellerman, Pat Bailey, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane.

Guests (2): Tom Burdick, Dawn Vavala.

MEETING NOTES: President Andy welcomed 12 members (a quorum) and two guests. … Doris Calamaras announced that she wants to raffle several afghans she has purchased and donate the money to Gift of Life. There was a suggestion to sell the raffle tickets at the Gift of Life Golf Tournament in September. … Phil Kellerman provided an update on proceeds from the sale of CDs released at the recent SRC concert to benefit the Oley Foundation have reached $1,100. Mike McCarthy, one of the performers on the CD, will perform on the back patio at My Place & Co. (1640 Columbia Turnpike) on Sunday, July 7. …

Visiting Rotarian Dawn Vavala, who provides Rotary-branded clothing merchandise throughout the District, reported that sales of the special Rotary Foundation shirts has raised $1,500 for the Foundation. … Jim Leyhane talked about the Rotary Run & Festival for Good, to be held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Chatham on Saturday, October 10. The event will include 5K and 10K runs, and offer attendees food and beer trucks as well as events for kids and families. Profits will go to GOL and ShelterBox.

Screen Shot 2019-06-08 at 1.07.44 AM — Tom Burdick

PROGRAM: The District’s Gift of Life President Tom Burdick presented a video about District 7190 and GOL. He noted how much our club has supported the Gift of Life over the years.

He noted that the District helped fund three medical teaching missions to Bucharest, Romania, donating $15,000 for each of the missions. GOL now has become the largest pediatric cardiology non-profit organization in the world.

The District is arranging and funding one or two such operations a year at Albany Medical Center. The GOL feels it is financially better to send teams abroad to train medical personnel, but some children continue coming to Albany because they do not have sufficient facilities in their home country. The Samaritan’s Purse philanthropic organization is being used as a partner because it can have patients fly into Albany instead of New York City. They also bring in an interpreter.

Tom said the District’s second GOL run held several weeks ago drew 200 runners and raised $2.500. A lot of the work was done by the students.

Dawn Vavala spoke about GOL’s clothing donation bins and the need to get more out of Rotary members and friends. Also, people can donate through Amazon Smile and Amazon donates 0.5% of purchases.

In other activities, the GOL is looking for board members. Interested parties can contact Tom. The organization also is considering a rum tasting fundraiser. The annual GOL Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, September 16.

NEXT MEETING: We will present $1,000 scholarship checks to a number of graduating high school seniors, an activity postponed from this week. Plus, Kevin Leyhane will present “Music Trivia, Part Deux.”

Meeting Clipboard: 5/30/19

June 5, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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

Members Attending (14): Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Peter Berry, Geoff Brewer, Terry Brewer, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Dean Calamaras, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Becky Raymond, Debbie Rodriguez.

Guests: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Andy Leyhane welcomed members, who constituted a quorum. … It was reported that selections have been finalized for our annual youth scholarship awards. We will be presenting $1,000 checks to one graduating senior each from Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools. … Students at Goff Middle School are planning to host a kickball tournament at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 9, to raise money for their clean water project. All teams are signed up, but they could use some help from SRCmembers in manning signup, scoreboard, and concession tables. …

Screen Shot 2019-06-03 at 4.29.32 PM We now have two dates filled on our July-August Summer Casual Calendar — a Thursday, July 18, pavilion picnic and ValleyCats pro baseball game at Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus (Terry Brewer is taking reservation requests); a performance of “Ragtime: The Musical” at Mac-Haydn Theatre preceded by dinner at Yiannis at the Chatham House on Thursday, August 1 (Debbie Brown is taking reservations for both). Dates still up for grabs: July 11 and 25, and August 8, 15, and 22. … Our annual Presidential Changeover, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 27, will be hosted by Jim Leyhane at his residence, when his son Andy hands over the presidency to Phil Kellerman for the 2019-20 Rotary Year. …

The under-development Troy Rotary Club will hold its first public information-and-recruitment session from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Troy Kitchen food hall, 77 Congress Street. All are welcome since SRC is the sponsoring club for Troy, and Bill Dowd and Terry Brewer are part of the steering committee for the effort. … A Danes Rotaract contingent — SRC members John Justino, the faculty adviser,and Becky Raymond, one of the liaisons, plus Immediate Past President Lindsey Riback — plans to visit the Freedom From Fistula Foundation office in New York City to learn about fundraising opportunities.

PROGRAM: Peter Berry, SRC’s newest member and a longtime Rotarian who recently moved here from South Africa, gave an interesting talk about the history of South Africa and how it tied into his own experiences in Rotary.

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Come meet our scholarship winners

June 3, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-06-03 at 4.46.57 PM One of our most rewarding and favorite events each year is the presentation of scholarship awards to graduating seniors from local high schools.

That’s what we’ll be doing at this Thursday’s 6:15 p.m. dinner meeting at Quigley’s, and we’d sure like to have you in attendance to help show Rotary’s strong commitment to supporting youths in the community.

We will be presenting $1,000 scholarship checks to one student each from Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools. They will be accompanied by school officials and parents, so we need a solid turnout of SRC members.

And, a special guest — Tom Burdick, president of the District’s Gift of Life — will be visiting to give us a brief update on that organization that we continue to support in its lifesaving efforts for children from abroad.

The dinner menu includes an entree of roast pork, chef’s selection of side dishes, antipasto salad, bread, dessert, and beverages. And, the cash bar is available as always.

If you haven’t yet made your reservation for Thursday, please do so with dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening so she can arrange for adequate food and seating and avoid last-minute confusion.

‘Ragtime’ added to ‘SRC Summer Casual Calendar’

June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

“Ragtime: The Musical” is what its producers call “an epic, devastatingly touching adaptation” of the E.L. Doctorow “Ragtime” novel.

You’re invited to join fellow Rotarians for a performance on Thursday, August 1, at the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, SRC’s annual summer theater outing as part of our “Summer Casual Calendar.” And, once again we’ll be having a pre-theater group dinner at Yianni’s at Chatham House, 29 Hudson Avenue in Chatham.

If you’d like to make your reservation now, it would be smart so tickets don’t run out. Debbie Brown, event coordinator, is the person to contact for both theater and dinner reservations.

The Berkshire Award-winning combination of John Saunders and Sebastiani Romagnolo will join forces again to put their stamp on the show. Says Romagnolo, “The American Dream, different for each of us, is defined by our race, our class, our origins. ‘Ragtime’ is a gorgeous revelation of that fact. It reminds us that the struggle for equality is never finished and that ultimately it is our differences that make a stronger and better world.”

Jimm Halliday, who won a Helen Hayes Award for Best Costume Design for his Kennedy Center production of “Ragtime,” is handling the same chore at Mac-Haydn.

This is one of the first two “Summer Casual Calendar” events now on our July-August schedule. The other is our annual trip to Bruno Stadium at Hudson Valley Community College for a picnic in the pavilion followed by a ValleyCats professional baseball game against New York-Penn League opponent Lowell Spinners — a Boston Red Sox farm team — on Thursday, July 18. Terry Brewer again is coordinating that field trip, so please contact him ASAP to reserve tickets. Guests are welcome as always.

The full “Summer Casual Calendar”

• July 11: Open
• July 18: ValleyCats baseball game and pavilion picnic
• July 25: Open
• August 1: “Ragtime: The Musical: at Mac-Haydn Theatre pre-theater dinner at Yiannis at the Chatham House
• August 8: Open
• August 15: Open
• August 22: Open

(Note: Events are not required to be held on Thursdays if another day of the week works better for a particular activity. )

As most of you know, in recent years the “Summer Casual Calendar” has been a mix of cookouts, pool parties, baseball games, summer theater performances, and other family-oriented get-togethers. Guests are always welcome, and it’s a good time to let potential members get to know us in a relaxed setting, or for you to personally contact members whose participation has been lagging to get re-energized with Rotary.

How, you may ask, do we come up with activities? It’s totally up to you, our members. Some organize field trips, some like to host a pool party and/or a cookout, some come up with other imaginative activities.

The key is planning well ahead so people with busy summer schedules know ASAP what dates to reserve.

As always, the club president coordinates the dates, with the help of the webmaster. For this summer, that means Phil Kellerman and Bill Dowd, plus anyone else President-elect Phil may designate. So, if you plan to get involved as an event organizer, the first thing to do is pick a date and let Phil and Bill both know what and when the event is so it can get a place on the “Summer Casual Calendar.”

Looking forward to your ideas!

Update: ‘Summer Casual’ events scheduling

May 27, 2019May 28, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

UPDATE (5/28/19): We quickly received our first activity, from Terry Brewer who once again is arranging a trip to HVCC’s Bruno Stadium for a ValleyCats baseball game and pavilion picnic. Save the date: July 18.

ORIGINAL POST:

Believe it or not, we are just a little more than a month from the start of our annual “Summer Casual Calendar,” that July-August period in which we switch to a less rigorous, more social schedule.

It covers the weeks that are home to the following Thursday dates:

• July 11
• July 18
• July 25
• August 1
• August 8
• August 15
• August 22

(Note: Events are not required to be held on Thursdays if another day of the week works better for a particular activity. )

The key is planning well ahead so people with busy summer schedules know ASAP what dates to reserve.

As always, the club president coordinates the dates, with the help of the webmaster. For this summer, that means Phil Kellerman and Bill Dowd, plus anyone else President-elect Phil may designate. So, if you plan to get involved as an event organizer, the first thing to do is pick a date and let Phil and Bill both know what it is and what the event is so it can get on the “Summer Casual Calendar.”

Looking forward to your ideas!

Meeting Clipboard: 5/23/19

May 27, 2019May 27, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

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

Members Attending (13): Andy Leyhane, Murray Forth, Phil Kellerman, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Roberto Martinez, Ron Annis, Peter Berry, Charlie Foote, Julius Frankel.

Guests (5): Monika Annis, Effie Frankel, Chris Jones, Kelly Walborn, Vivian Behm.

MEETING NOTES — President Andy welcomed members and guests. … Murray Forth reported that the club’s take for the recent Recycling & Shredding Day would come to about $1,250 for our scholarships and other programs. He noted that once again we had trouble with the company doing the shredding, and that we may be looking for a new vendor before the next such event. … Phil Kellerman updated us on revenue produced for the Oley Foundation fundraiser from the recent concert. Counting CD sales, it now is just short of $900. …

Jim Leyhane reported that the planned Rotary Run & Festival of Good, scheduled to be held in September, was being moved to October 10, 2020, due to the inability of local law enforcement to complete planning for its role in the event to be held in Chatham. … Bill Dowd reported that the second planning meeting for potential creation of a Troy Rotary Club had been held, and that a public information and signup meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the Troy Kitchen food court, 77 Congress Street in downtown Troy. Bill and Terry Brewer are serving as mentors for the new club and SRC is its sponsoring organization. … Tom Burdick, president of the board of the District 7190 Gift of Life, will be our guest at next week’s meeting, June 6.

pix 1 — **Attendees listen to speaker Chris Jones.**

PROGRAM — Chris Jones, certified in a relatively new medical field by the American Board of Lifetyle Medicine (its inaugural exam was held in 2017), presented a look at how new research and practices in the healing and preventative medical arts are being used to improve health and quality of life for people of all ages.

While stressing that this field is not “alternative medicine,” Chris said it is a holistic approach to treatment. He touched on the benefits of healthy eating patterns, exercise, regular coaching sessions with a Lifestyle Medicine provider, meditation, behavioral modification, the realization that the process is an ongoing one, and numerous other points.

Among his “quick tips” for a healthy lifestyle:

• Get off the dieting roller-coaster by eliminating refined sugar and processed foods

• Make an appointment and be expected

• Don’t quit trying to quit

• Reduce stress by keeping it simple

• Remember that pills are never the answer

• Practice random acts of kindness.

Time running out on 2018-19 Rotary Year

May 27, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-05-27 at 7.28.55 PM — **Peter Berry**

It’s not often we hear from one of our own, but this Thursday our newest member, Peter Berry, will be our guest speaker.

Peter, a returning Rotarian who is back in the States after years in South Africa, will provide us with insights in a talk entitled “Taking the Most Out of Rotary, from Rotaract Till Now.

Including this week’s session, we have only five events remaining on our 2018-19 Rotary Year schedule. (See chart below.)

Another drawing card for Thursday is the dinner entree, Quigley’s popular Chicken Parmesan, to be accompanied by an antipasto salad, chef’s selections of side dishes, bread, dessert, coffee, and soft drinks. And, if you need one more attraction, just remember the cash bar always is available.

The following members already have made their reservations. If you plan to join us, please be sure you email dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com no later than this Tuesday evening so we can have enough food and seating available. Guests always welcome, but we need to have them included in the headcount.

• Bailey, Pat
• Berry, Peter
• Brown, Debbie
• Brown, Peter
• Dowd, Bill
• Drumm, Dick
• Foote, Charlie
• Forth, Murray
• Kellerman, Phil
• Leyhane, Andy
• Leyhane, Jim
• Rodriguez, Debbie

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The story behind Memorial Day 2019

May 27, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-05-27 at 6.59.08 PM — **All gave some, some gave all.**

[Reprinted from a May 2017 posting on this website]

Beyond the cookouts, the holiday sales, the family trips, picnics and parades there is a deep and profound reason for Memorial Day.

Although we honor all military personnel on Veterans Day, Memorial Day is specifically designated as honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War but did not become an official federal holiday until 1971.

The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, obviously claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history because all combatants were Americans, and it required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.

By the late 1860s, Americans in various communities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, reciting prayers and decorating their graves with flowers and flags — thus, the original name, Decoration Day.

Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. It is unclear exactly where this tradition originated. Numerous communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the “Official Birthplace of Memorial Day.”

Waterloo, which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866, was chosen because it hosted an annual community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I.

Although Memorial Day originally honored only those lost in the Civil War, American involvement in The Great War, later called World War I, made it evolve to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.

For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But, in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, a controversial decision that moved several major holidays from their traditional or historic dates to Mondays that gave federal — and later on state and local — employees three-day paid weekends. The law went into effect in 1971.

REQUIEM

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you ‘grave for me:
Here he lies where he long’d to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

Danes Rotaract passes the presidency baton

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2019-05-21 at 12.24.44 AM — **Outgoing Rotaract President Lindsey Riback congratulates incoming president Dustin Moore as secretary-treasurer Benish Syed and faculty advisor John Justino look on.**

Screen Shot 2019-04-29 at 1.56.13 PM Lindsey Riback, who has spent two productive years helping create and lead the Danes Rotaract club at the UAlbany School of Public Health, is handing over the reins.

Dustin Moore, who has been quite active during the 2018-19 Rotary Year, will succeed her as president of the group that is sponsored by the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club.

SRC extends its thanks to Lindsey and all the Rotaractors, as well as to SRC member John Justino, who has served as faculty advisor, and to Becky Raymond and Debbie Rodriguez who have served as SRC’s liaisons to Rotaract.

‘Recycling & Shredding Day’ a sunshiny event

May 18, 2019 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

The weather cooperated on Saturday for the latest “SRC Recyling & Shredding Day” fundraiser. All proceeds go toward supporting our youth scholarship program and other selected community service efforts.

Thanks to all who helped make this another successful effort in support of environmental protection, and special thanks to Josh Wainman for arranging the use of the Wainschaf Associates facility.

Some images from the day: