Category: Activities: Local

‘Votes & Volts’ program on December 15

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screen-shot-2016-12-05-at-10-40-01-pmAre you planning to attend SRC’s December 15 “Votes & Volts” meeting? We certainly hope so, because the agenda has been created especially for ALL members, new and old, and it will be an excellent opportunity to get to know each other a lot more.

Not only will it be the last regular meeting of 2016 (see below), we need you to vote on proposed major changes to our Club Bylaws AND to be there for Bill Dowd’s program on”Our Web, Social Media, & You.” screen-shot-2016-12-05-at-10-37-19-pm

All member have been emailed the proposed changes, but, in a brilliant bit of serendipity, if you didn’t read your email or accidentally trashed it you still can find the changes on one of our club’s communications platforms Bill will be talking about — SRCrotary.org.

Please plan to attend, and bring your cellphones, iPads, laptops or whatever you usually use to go online. Quigley’s has WiFi, and we know you will find the program very worthwhile.

IMPORTANT NOTE — About that mention above that  December 15 will be our last regular meeting of 2016 — that’s true, but don’t forget to RSVP to Murray Forth at mmforth51@gmail.com no later than Monday, December 20, if you plan to attend the Thursday, December 22, “Holiday Dinner & Theme Basket Silent Auction” at Murray’s residence. After that, we won’t meet again until January 5 when President Debbie Rodriguez has something special in the works.

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RSVP now for our Thursday return to Quigley’s

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On Thursday’s menu

After a one-week hiatus due to owner John Walsh’s illness, he’ll again be hosting us at Quigley’s, with our usual 6:15 Thursday dinner this week.

The menu will feature John’s popular lasagna, plus chef’s choice of sides, salad, bread, dessert, and beverages. And, as always, the cash bar is available.

After dinner, club member Melissa Bill, a First Niagara Bank branch manager,  will speak on a very timely topic — “How Banking Today Affects You.” Come armed with your questions.

Note: Because dinner coordinator Debbie Brown will not be available this week, please email Murray Forth at mmforth51@gmail.com no later than Tuesday to let him know if you plan to attend (and so we can give Quigley’s a proper headcount). And, please be sure to let him know if you plan to bring a guest.

See you on Thursday!

The latest on our 3 ‘Adopt-a-Family’ efforts

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srcadopt-logoThis promises to be our biggest “Adopt-a-Family” holiday period in club history. We have three separate efforts now under way that you can choose to support in one way or the other. Here are the details:

CIRCLES OF MERCY
Rensselaer

April Dowd is spearheading this effort for a local 70-year-old who is caring for her three young great-grandchildren and is herself battling cancer.

April emailed the family’s “wish list” to all members several weeks ago, but if you missed it or trashed it, you can click here to see an update on the effort that contains the shopping list. You can contact April at 238-1950.

DOORS OF HOPE
Averill Park

Terry Brewer has taken the lead on this effort on behalf of a family with three children. You can contact Terry at 221-4050. The “wish list” is as follows:

Girl (13): Favorite colors are blue, pink, black, white, gray

Long-sleeve flannel shirts, woman’s size small; PJ’s with long sleeves, woman’s size small; scarf and gloves, black/gray; Ariana Grande poster; teen magazines; movie tickets; Target gift card

Girl (8): Favorite colors are pink and purple

Theme toys (Trolls, Emoji, Shopkins); long-sleeve shirts with theme items, girls’ size 8/9; PJ’s with long sleeves, girls’ size 8/9; toys (Trolls, Num Noms, Animal Jam, Tsum Tsum); age-appropriate crafts

Boy (9): Favorite colors are blue and red

Theme toys (Pokeman, Star Wars abd Marvel characters); PJ’s and long-sleeved shirts, size boys medium, with theme characters; Halo figures, small’ Marvel figures, small; Civil War toys; Qixels crafts; books (Pokemon Moon, Pokemon Sun, Pokemon the Official Strategy Guide)

COLUMBIA HIGH SCHOOL
East Greenbush

Club member John Sawchuk, principal at CHS, is marshaling his students and staff in an effort to adopt at least seven families for the holidays on behalf of SRC. If you’d like to help there, you can call John at 487-0990, although this appears to be pretty much a contained effort at the school.

 

How to create a themed basket for our holiday silent auction

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basketAs of today, we are a mere three weeks (!) from one of our best-attended annual events — the “SRC Holiday Party & Themed-Basket Silent Auction.”

That’s right. Just 21 days. The dinner and festivities are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, December 22, at the Forth residence in East Greenbush. (And, an advance “thank you” to Maggie and Murray for once again volunteering to be our hosts.)

The basket auction portion of the evening is always a display of ingenuity, and prompts a lot of bidding that supports our club’s many community service projects.

Deciding on a theme, then creating a basket around it, is something everyone can participate in, no matter their artistic skill levels. And, to give you some ideas to jump-start the process, take a look at these examples:

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Update: Thursday dinner site changed

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BULLETIN!

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Our temporary meeting venue

The site of this Thursday’s dinner meeting has been changed. We will be meeting, and ordering off the menu (go here to check it out in advance), at the Schodack Diner, 1842 Columbia Turnpike. Our scheduled after-dinner program will not be presented, but the Board meeting planned for that day will be held.

The change was necessitated because Quigley’s owner John Walsh recently suffered a heart attack. The good news is that John is recovering, but is not yet up to the usual workload.

As always, if you have not yet let Debbie Brown know whether you will attend, please do so at mdbrown@nycp.rr.com no later than Tuesday evening.

And, please remember to bring your donations of clothing for our “Adopt a Family” holiday projects.

Foundation Dinner a financial success

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screen-shot-2016-10-11-at-5-15-03-pmDistrict Governor John Mucha reports that last week’s annual Rotary Foundation Dinner hosted at Saratoga National Golf Club by the District was a winner.

“We had over 200 Rotarians and guests at our Foundation Dinner celebrating the Centennial of the Rotary Foundation,” John said, “and, best of all, we raised in excess of $20,000 for the Foundation. My sincere thanks to all who attended, served on the dinner committee, or supported this effort in some other way.”

Our club had a contingent of six Rotarians, one spousal guest, and our Youth Exchange student in attendance. And, the club contributed a basket of made-in-Rensselaer County items to the silent auction portion of the fundraiser. Go here to see our photo gallery.

Update on ‘Adopt-a-Family’ project

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adopt-a-family-logoUPDATE (11/18/16): From April Dowd: I have just learned that the family we will be helping through Circles of Mercy this holiday season has received some devastating news. Darlene, the 70-year-old household head who is caring for her three great-grandchildren, has been diagnosed with cancer. Given that she will be faced with unexpected medical-related bills, we are expanding the needs/wish list for the family.

In addition to the list circulated this week to all members, I would like to emphasize the need for gift cards — preferably for WalMart, where Darlene can shop for food and everyday needs, and for gasoline to help her get to her medical appointments and all the driving needed for the kids. And, obviously, we will be donating more clothes for the kids than were on the original list.

Please, those of you who have not yet replied to my original message, let me know what you would like to contribute. Thank you.

(Originally posted 11/16/16)

Once again, we are working with the local family services agency Circles of Mercy to make the holidays brighter for a family in need.

Richard Zazycki, Circles’ executive director, has just sent us the “need/wish list” of items for this year’s “Adopt-a-Family” project. Our assigned family is a bit different this year. The head of it is a 70-year-old great-grandmother who has custody of, and cares for, three children — two girls and one boy, ages 4 to 6.

To avoid duplication or omission, project coordinator April Dowd says she would appreciate it if anyone wishing to help would send me a note in advance of shopping, specifying what item they wish to purchase. She then will coordinate your responses and get back to everyone on what they can contribute. Obviously, overall we can contribute more than one of each item, so more of our members can be involved.

As in the past, you will need to wrap all gifts and label each with the appropriate name. The deadline for delivering gifts to Circles of Mercy is Friday, December 16. To accomplishRead More »

Who has Circles of Mercy been helping?

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screen-shot-2016-11-18-at-2-23-24-pmThe Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has had an ongoing  partnership for a number of years with Circles of Mercy, the Rensselaer-based non-governmental family services agency that brings a variety of services to families and individuals in need.

For our newer members who may not be familiar with Circles, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community, our club and its members as individuals donate money, children’s and adults’ clothing, household goods, school supplies, Easter and Christmas-time holiday gifts and other items to Circles, thus playing a substantial role in its success. We currently are working on our annual Adopt-a-Family effort there.

Circles of Mercy is in the midst of its annual year-end fund drive. You can get details about it and how to contribute to the tax-exempt organization on its website. Here is the annual report from executive director Richard S. Zazycki on what the organization has provided to the local community in the past 12 months.

Dear Friends of Circles:

Thank you for all the ways that you have supported our continuing efforts … as we celebrate 19 years of providing hope, hospitality and empowerment to the needy who come through our doors. Through the generous support of our donors, we have had a strong year. A total  of 87 cents of every dollar went directly towards our programs.

Here are a few examples of how your contributions have helped us serve hundreds of people the past year:Read More »

Foundation Dinner a success for all

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The SRC contigent (from left): A.J. Amato, Ella Cancio, Murray Forth, Mary Drumm, Dick Drumm, Roberto Martinez, Carole Spencer, Jim Leyhane.

The annual Foundation Dinner, held at the Saratoga National Golf Club on Thursday night, was a well-attended affair.

The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club had a contingent of eight in attendance, including our Youth Exchange student Ella Cancio who got an up-close look at one of District 7190’s most important fundraising efforts as well as an opportunity to socialize with Rotarians and guests from all around the region.

Here are a few more scenes from the evening, courtesy of Roberto Martinez:

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Murray, Ella and A.J.
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The silent auction basket of Rensselaer County-made products assembled by Debbie Rodriguez, April Dowd, Pat Bailey and Debbie Brown for the occasion.
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Dick and Mary Drumm.
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Carole and Jim.

Breakfast meeting of 11/17/16: ‘Chamber of Commerce’

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SRC Breakfast Logo

Third Thursday Breakfast Meeting
Greenbush Area YMCA
1 Community Way
East Greenbush, NY

Members Attending (15): Shannon Romanowski, Ron Annis, Pat Bailey, Melissa Bill, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Murray Forth, Marko Koshykar, Andy Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Becky Raymond, Debbie Rodriguez, John Sawchuk, Matt Smith.

Guests (2): Maureen McGuiness, Matt Wiseman.

PROGRAM: Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce

screen-shot-2016-11-28-at-12-22-23-amRensselaer County Chamber of Commerce executive Maureen McGuiness was our guest speaker. She shared information on Chamber activities with not-for profit organizations and community organizations.

She also discussed the not-for-profit showcase held annually, the Chamber’s Award Leadership Program, building connections and networking with more than 900 businesses and 40 professional development programs.

Maureen said a club such as Rotary can join the Chamber for approximately
$500 per year.

Announcements/Business

OPENING: The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation by Jim Leyhane.

BOWLING FOR VETS: Treasurer Murray Forth  reported that the second annual event raised  more than $3,600, of which $3,000 will be donated to the Blue Star Mothers and other veteran groups, with the remainder going to the club treasury.

HOLIDAY PARTY: The annual Holiday Party and Theme Basket Silent Auction will be held at the Forth residence on Thursday, December 22. More information will be provided at a later date.

BASKET BONANZA: Terry Brewer reported that 10 Thanksgiving baskets were provided to the Community Cares group for distribution, with Shannon Romanowski coordinating the activity. The value of the baskets was $500.

ADOPT A FAMILY — April Dowd  is coordinating with the Circles of Mercy organization our annual holiday effort. She has sent information via email to all members. … Terry is coordinating for a family with Doors of Hope in Averill Park. He will share information at the December 1 dinner meeting.

Screen Shot 2016-11-28 at 12.39.58 AM.pngRECYCLING DAY — A Recycling Day fundraiser will be held on Saturday, January 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for paper and small electronic items. The location is Wainman Construction on Third Ave. Ext., Rensselaer. Details will be shared at the December 1 dinner meeting.

NEXT 3RD THURSDAY MEETING: 7 a.m. Thursday, December 15, at the Greenbush Area YMCA. Club member Andy Leyhane will provide the program.