Meeting Clipboard 12/19/24 – Trivia at the Spinney
Category: Holidays
An Invitation from SRC Member Carol Heaney
SRC Annual Holiday Party 12/14/23
Our next meeting will be Thursday, December 21st, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Exchange student Noah Albanese will speak and there will be an update on the water project.
The Holiday Party & Basket Silent Auction took place this evening at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant. Thank you to Phil Kellerman who organized the fundraiser and to everyone who contributed and bid on the baskets. We raised more than $600. Special thanks to Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane for arranging the dinner.
A good time was had by all.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Nearly time to get your party hat on!
Well, another messy year is nearly down the drain. So, don your party hat — and probably your face mask, depending on what you plan on doing — and jump into 2022 in just a little over two days from now.
We’re not sure what the world has in store for us in the new year, but we do know some of the things the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has lined up.
Such programs as a travelogue to a forgotten city, the resumption of our annual trivia competition, and presentations by a variety of speakers all are on tap. You can get the details by regularly visiting our club calendar online.
And remember, we’re always looking for more programs. Just check the calendar to see what’s available, then contact Becky Raymond or Kevin Leyhane to lock in the date you want and provide them with the details.
Meanwhile, begin the countdown, and … Happy New Year!
God bless us, everyone!
Well, that’s what Tiny Tim said at the conclusion of the classic 1951 film “A Christmas Carol.” But, Ebeneezer Scrooge had more memorable lines.
For example, this all-encompassing commentary that tells us all it’s never too late to become a better person:
“I don’t know anything. I never did know anything. But now I KNOW that I don’t know anything. I never did know anything. But now I know that I don’t know. All on a Christmas morning.”
And, as we all continue to evolve and gain wisdom, a very Merry Christmas to all of us.
Thanks again for your generosity!
Imagine thinking your young children would be waking up tomorrow morning to a very sparse Christmas. Now, imagine as a single parent receiving a call from Circles of Mercy, telling you not to be concerned, the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club has come through once again.
That’s what happened thanks to our “Adopt-a-Family” effort for 2021, with a big boost from the Greenbush YMCA. Two moms and six kids are receiving a variety of “needs to have” and “nice to have” items donated by the generous folks of both of these organizations, and a few of their friends.
To all who helped in one way or another — wrapped gifts, gift cards, pickups, deliveries, etc. — thank you, thank you, thank you.
And, he’s on his way!
Holiday frivolity, and welcome to a new member
After a year off because of you-know-what, the “SRC Holiday Party & Basket Silent Auction” returned on Thursday evening, with a large group assembling at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant for dinner, fellowship, and some catching up among people who hadn’t seen each other in a while.
In addition to the fun, we raised more than $600 for the club treasury through the silent auction.Thanks to all who contributed themed baskets, and to those who bid on them.
Another one of the highlights was the official induction of Tony Morris as a member of Rotary, with Jim Leyhane doing the honors. Tony has been part of SRC for a while, but COVID restrictions delayed the formality. Welcome, Tony!
The dinner was the last SRC event of 2021, but we are lining up plenty of activities for the new year. Just make a practice of regularly checking the website calendar page to stay in the loop.
Meanwhile, here are a few more scenes from the evening captured by Bill Dowd and Roberto. Special thanks to Debbie Brown for providing the floral table decorations. And, thanks to Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane for arranging the dinner.
Tony raises the flag after his induction by Jim.
Tangible proof that the basket fundraiser was paying off.
A picture of contentment.
Donation dropoffs have … dropped off
The second of two scheduled dropoff dates for donations to our annual “Adopt-a-Family” drive for the holidays was scheduled for today at Moscatiello’s.
How did we do? How many people showed up?
Drum roll, please!
1
That’s right. Exactly one person showed up at the 5:30-6:00 p.m. session.
This year we have only one family, a small one — a mom and two kids — to buy for. (We had accepted two families proposed by Circles of Mercy, but the Greenbush YMCA volunteered to take the other.) Nevertheless, we have a significant number of items on the recommended shopping list still unfilled.
We’ll be discussing the situation during Thursday’s 7 p.m. Zoom meeting to see what we can do to return to our usual level of holiday giving. Meanwhile, here’s the latest update as of 7:30 p.m. this evening. Items in red are taken care of, all others still are needed.
Is your basket ready? Some last-minute ideas
Today is December 7. That means in just nine days we’ll be resuming our annual Holiday Party & Basket Auction, a festive event that was derailed last year by the pandemic. Are you ready?
The key to a good time is creation of themed gift baskets (cost in the $35-40 range) that fellow partygoers can bid on as a way to raise funds for our treasury in support of community service activities.
We’ve been sharing some basket ideas over the past month (see here and here), and this post has several more if your imaginations need jump-starting. Just bring the finished products with you to Moscatiello’s at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, when fully-vaxxed Rotarians and friends of Rotary gather to ring in the holiday season. No advance reservations needed.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 