Category: Activities: Local

2 meetings this Thursday; pick your spot(s)

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screen shot 2019-01-14 at 1.17.52 pmIt’s that time again, the one week in the month when we have the choice of whether to attend a Rotary dinner meeting, breakfast meeting, or both.

• At the 6:15 p.m. dinner meeting at Quigley’s, visiting Rotarian Kirk Pogge will speak about the Colonie-Guilderland club’s upcoming “Amazing Race of Recovery” event to be held at Crossgates Mall.  (Click here for details of the event.) The menu will feature Quigley’s popular ziti and meatballs, plus antipasto salad, chef’s choice of sides, bread, dessert, and beverages. The deadline for emailing your reservation to Debbie Brown (mdbrown@nycap.rr.com) is this Tuesday evening.

• At the 7 a.m. Third Thursday breakfast meeting at the Greenbush YMCA, fellow Rotarian Shannon Romanowski will be sharing her experience as executive director of the local Y and how her work interfaces with community organizations and families. The deadline for emailing your reservation to Terry Brewer (tlbrewer12piseco@gmail.com) is this Wednesday noon.

We look forward to seeing you at one or both of these events this week.

 

No dinner meeting this week

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As everyone undoubtedly knows — since it has been listed on the club calendar every day since last July 1 —  there is no dinner meeting scheduled for this Thursday, January 3, 2019.  But, it never hurts to remind people.

We will resume our weekly dinner meetings at 6:15 p.m. next Thursday, January 10, when we will have a Club Assembly with Terry Brewer presenting the results of the recent member survey for your consideration and discussion.

Meanwhile, please be sure that all checks you write carry the 2019 date, turn in your Clynk recyclable cans and bottles, and have a Happy New Year!

Time to renew your Clynk effort for 2019

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Screen Shot 2019-01-01 at 10.02.59 PM

Did you participate in SRC’s Clynk/Hannaford recycling program in 2018? If so, then you helped recycle more than 4,000 returnable bottles and cans and helped raise several hundred dollars to help support our community service efforts. (See accompanying chart above for the environmental impact of that effort.)

However, of you haven’t been joining in, it is not too late. In fact, it’s never too late. All you have to do is:

  1. Get a supply of the approved Clynk recycling bags and bar code stickers.
  2. Then, just put your recyclables into the bags — no need to sort them — and take them to a Hannaford super market.
  3. There, you simply scan the stickers with the hand-held scanner gun and drop them into the drop window.

That’s it. Within 48 hours, your Rotary club will be credited with the donation. You made money for SRC and helped the environment in one easy move.

You can pick up the bags and stickers at any SRC weekly dinner meeting. Too much of an effort? Then just contact Bill Dowd via email (BillDowd4Troy@gmail.com) and he’ll be sure to get you a supply ASAP.

 

 

 

A holly, jolly Christmas to all from SRC

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Decor

 

Screen Shot 2018-12-23 at 12.49.28 PM

We had a full house of Rotary revelers at Thursday night’s annual “Holiday Party & Themed Basket Silent Auction” at Quigley’s restaurant.

In addition to a sumptuous dinner and dessert buffet and a wine and beer open bar, partygoers enjoyed the imaginative themed gift baskets and their bids on the items offered netted $650 for the SRC treasury that helps underwrite many of our community service efforts.

Many thanks to all involved in the planning and setup of the party, led by Debbie Brown who coordinates all of our event menus and also contributed the evergreen table centerpieces seen above.

Here are some other scenes from the event.

Party 6
The aforementioned Debbie Brown fully into the holiday spirit.
Party 7
Roberto and Pat display the handmade quilt that will be one of the prizes in our next Cafe Capriccio Wine Dinner Raffle. Tickets now are on sale.
Basket Tour.jpg
One of the numerous themed gift baskets …
Baskets
… and several others.
Brewers
Holiday smiles from The Brewers.
Bidds
Bill bids on a political memorabilia auction item.
Deb&Rod
Debbie and Chuck enjoy a quiet moment.
Party 1
Catching up on family stuff?
Happy
Mary makes an entrance.
Party 2
How much are you going to bid?
Party 3
A meeting of the minds.
Party 4
OK, let’s get our bidding strategy straight.
Peter
OK, what is he up to?

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jim
See the guy lurking in the background? Jim sneaked up on everyone to make winning bids on many of the baskets!

‘Amazing Race,’ sort of, to aid recovery center

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The Colonie-Guiderland Rotary Club is looking for help in fighting the widespread addiction and opioid crisis in the Capital Region.

To do so, it is planning a fundraising event to promote awareness of the issue and to raise funds to support the organization Second Chance Opportunities Inc. that is planning to open a community recovery center in Albany.

The center will be a safe and centralized location where people with an addiction, their families and loved ones can go to get support, direction and guidance while they are dealing with abuse disorders. Among the services will be learning how to gain employment, housing and life skills, being part of the recovery community, and learning to have fun and enjoy themselves without the use of substances, which greatly reduces the risk of relapse.

The fundraiser, “Amazing Race to Recovery,” is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, January 26, at
Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, with a community forum and awards at 12:30 p.m.

A $20 donation per team member and pre-registration are required to participate. Registration deadline is Saturday, January 19. Teams can range from one to five people, and each team must have at least one person over age 18. A mobile phone is required and will be used during the event.

The event will be modeled on the long-running CBS series “The Amazing Race,” with detours, roadblocks, pitstops, etc. Teams will earn points for completing tasks throughout the mall and some tasks may be judged on time. Note: This is not a foot race, and no running is allowed in the mall.

​Some ways individuals, businesses, and groups can help:

  • Register a team to participate in the event and pre-event fundraising

  • Be a sponsor or help obtain sponsors

  • Raise funds using the events Firstgiving site

  • Provide prize donations

  • Volunteers to help the day of the event

  • Forward this information to anyone you think might be interested

  • Share the Facebook Event  page with Facebook friends

  • Help promote this event

SRC Santa stops early this year at Circles of Mercy

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Circle 4
One view of the Subaru “sleigh” full of presents.

This year’s special delivery of SRC donations for the Adopt-a-Family program was made Friday to Circles of Mercy in Rensselaer.

Coordinators Bill and April Dowd packed up a Subaru sleigh full — and we do mean full — of the individual presents for the Seymour family and the dozens of personal hygiene kits various members created at the request of Circles for distribution during the holiday period.

Bill noted that even though only about a third of our membership participated in the drive to make Christmas better for those less fortunate, their generosity and that of several non-Rotarians helped us exceed both the family’s wish list and the hygiene kit total pledged to Circles of Mercy.

Circle 2

Circle 1

Circle 3

 

Monday RSVP deadline for our Holiday Party

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SRC Holiday Party’s double-entree buffet attractions.

Our umpteenth annual “Holiday Party & Themed Basket Silent Auction” is nearly upon us, set for this coming Thursday, December 20, at Quigley’s.

While the organizers are putting the final touches on the gala, all you have to do is be sure you have RSVP’d to Debbie Brown (mdbrown@nycap.rr.com) no later than this coming Monday, December 17.

As always, guests are welcome. As always, however, we need to have an accurate headcount by the deadline, so please … !

The price is just $25 per person, which covers a holiday spread of two entrees — roast beef and/or eggplant Parmesan — and chef’s choice of veggie side dishes, mashed potatoes, breads, salad, a dessert selection, and a surprise appetizer. PLUS, a self-serve bar will be stocked with wine, beer, and sodas. (Mixed drinks will be available at the main cash bar.)

Screen Shot 2018-12-14 at 12.53.18 PMIn addition  to socializing, dining, and fun, you can do some Christmas shopping throughout the evening from an assortment of themed gift baskets SRC members will be bringing for the silent auction. All proceeds will go to the club treasury to help support our may public service projects.

So, please don’t forget to create and bring your themed baskets, and establish a minimum starter bid to get things rolling. If you’re stumped as to possible themes, just click  here for suggestions. (Two of them appear here.)

P.S. If you haven’t attended a dinner meeting lately, this is an opportunity to see the ongoing renovation project Murray Forth has been spearheading for our meeting room at Quigley’s.

Don’t forget to RSVP by Monday, and we’ll see you at 6 p.m. Thursday at Quigley’s!

 

 

Thursday deadline for hygiene kit donations

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Screen Shot 2018-12-10 at 12.57.57 AMThe deadline is this Thursday to contribute “personal hygiene kits” to the annual Circle of Mercy family efforts we at the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club augment in many ways.

It’s a simple matter to be involved in this one. All you have to do is shop for items on the list below that we’ve circulated to you numerous times, put them in one-gallon Ziploc plastic bags, and drop them off at this Thursday’s meeting or with another Rotarian you are positive will attend that meeting, the deadline for helping.

PERSONAL HYGIENE KIT / CIRCLES OF MERCY

Each kit should contain all the items below and be small enough to fit into a backpack pocket with ease. Odorless products are best due to allergies. Items to be placed in Glad-brand Zip Lock heavy duty bags (the one gallon size). All should be travel-sized containers:

shampoo
hair conditioner
toothpaste
dental floss
toothbrush
breath strips
mouthwash
small first-aid kit (i.e. assorted Band-Aids and antiseptic such as Neosporin)
very small travel-size sewing kit (minimum thread and needle)
deodorant
soap or body wash
hand sanitizer
lotion
lip balm (such as Chapstick)
combs, brushes and hair bands

Thanks so much for your participation. You’ll see this is an especially easy way for those of you who seldom attend dinner meetings or participate in service projects to get involved at minimum cost and effort.

Thanks to all you do.

Bill Dowd
Project Coordinator