MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Debbie Rodriguez, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Phill Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Peter Brown, Pat Bailey, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Jim Leyhane, John Justino. By proxy: Debbie Brown, Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• HEALTHY KIDS DAY — Phil Kellerman will be staffing a table at this Greenbush YMCA event on Saturday, and is asking for anyone else who can volunteer to do so for all or part of the noon-to-2 p.m. event. SRC will be sharing information on Rotary and, literally, showing the flag.

• FUNDRAISING — Pat Bailey reported that events are being scheduled to spread the word about Rotary. Kristi’s Barn is one such venue on the list. She also is asking for volunteers to help staff events. The size of the volunteer group may impact what we actually schedule.

• VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — Debbie Rodriguez and Ron Annis met with members of the local Kiwanis Club to discuss the renovation project of the gym at Schodack Town Park that Rotary helped spearhead some years ago. Kiwanians have been invited to join us in the restoration/expansion project. Results to come.

• NYCR DANES ROTARACT — John Justino said the recent ShelterBox demo program drew another new member. The current club president is taking a new job and a successor will be sought.

• SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS — We still are awaiting nominees from officials at Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools. One from each school will receive a $1,000 award. We are hoping to have the students as our guests at our June 9 dinner meeting.

• DUES REMINDER — The deadline for half-year or full-year dues payments for the 2022-23 Rotary Year is June 1. Please be sure your checks, made payable to SRC Rotary, are mailed to Treasurer Murray Forth in time to be received by that date: P.O. Box 71, East Greenbush, NY 12061. (The six-month partial payment for individuals is $87.50, or $175 for “Family” and “Corporate” groups. The full-year rate is $175 and $350, respectively.)

• DISTRICT CONFERENCE — Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will be attending the District Conference this Saturday at the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury.

• NEXT MEETING — Mike Moscatiello, of our host restaurant family, will be our guest speaker at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo). His topic: “Restaurants In the Pandemic Era.” Entree choices will be spaghetti and meatballs and Chicken Casear Salad and, as always, a cash bar will be available.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Terry Brewer, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy), Charles Foote (by proxy}.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant to order and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• CHANGE IN MEETING NOTICE — The meeting format for June 9 has been changed from Zoom to an in-person meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant. We hope to have our three high school scholarship winners attend and share comments on their school and community service experience as well as their future educational plans. We also are trying to line up Jeff Simon to make a short presentation about the East Greenbush Central Schools winning an award as “Best School District in the Capital Region.”

• SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS — Terry Brewer has contacted the Rensselaer, Maple Hill, and Columbia high schools about this year‘s scholarships. Each of the scholarships is a $1,000 grant presented to a senior selected by their schools. Nominations are to be submitted to Terry by May 23.

• IMPACT COMMITTEE MEETING — Philip Kellerman gave an update on the Impact Committee. It was decided we would not be able to sell any raffle tickets because we couldn’t find a location that would allow us to. It was important to find a location that allowed us to talk about Rotary and maybe one chance would be at the YMCA. It was noted that the Club has a banner and we will retrieve it from storage. Jim Leyhane suggested we reconsider the Cafe Capriccio restaurant raffle that had been so successful in the past.

• KIWANIS MEETING —  Debbie Rodriquez gave an update on the meeting scheduled with Kiwanians for April 27 at the Schodack Diner. She and Ron Annis plan to attend to discuss having Kiwanis partner with SRC Rotary on the Viking outdoor gym project.

• ANNUAL CLUB DUES —The annual club dues are due no later than June 1. More information is available on the website. Those who do not pay dues by the deadline cannot be listed as members. Please be diligent with this responsibility.

• DRIVER SAFETY COURSE — Jim and Roberto Martinez working on getting an instructor to teach a driver safety course. More information should be available next week.

• NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 28.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Phil Kellerman. By proxy: Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carol Orvis, Terry Brewer.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order, noting the presence of a quorum.

MEETINGS NOTES:

• HEALTH UPDATE: Debbie reported that she spoke to Doris Calamaras this week and Doris said she is feeling much better after a lengthy period of hospitalization and rehab.

• VIKING GYM — Our scheduled meeting with the East Greenbush Kiwanis Club to discuss a joint effort to restore the outdoor Viking Gym at Schodack Town Park was postponed. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27.

• SCHOLARSHIPS — We received an inquiry from Rensselaer High School’s Brandy Cenci asking if we plan to continue our scholarship program this year. Since the club agreed by consensus months ago to do so, it was agreed that now is time to contact Rensselaer, Columbia, and Maple Hill high schools to ascertain their preferred candidates. Debbie will check with Terry Brewer who has coordinated the effort in the past to see if he is interested in doing so again. If not, she will turn it over to someone else ASAP. The program provides a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior at each school.

• ROTARACT — Debbie reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor has added four members. A get-acquainted lunch will be scheduled for the members and the club board, and efforts are being made to elect a new slate of officers.

• SHELTER BOX UPDATE — Bill Dowd reported that the club, several individual members, and one former member together have donated about $3,000 to ShelterBox this year. We continue with strong participation in our small-but-steady fundraising effort through the Clynk recycling program. He also noted that ShelterBox has grown well beyond simply being an independent agency providing relief after natural disasters, taking emergency equipment to areas such as Ukraine and Yemen.

• UPCOMING MEETINGS — The SRC Board will meet after the regular dinner meeting on Thursday, May 5. … Mike Moscatiello of our host Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, will be the speaker at our Thursday, April 21, dinner meeting. His topic: “Restaurants During COVID,” a particularly timely and interesting topic. (Entree choices for that meeting are chicken Caesar salad and chicken limon.)

MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Debbie Rodriguez, John Justino, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane. By proxy: Carol Orvis, Tony Morris, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order via Zoom, and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• BOARD MEMBERS WANTED — As we look ahead to the June 1 start of the 2022-23 Rotary Year we are in need of several Board candidates. First and foremost, we need someone interested in becoming President-Elect, then moving into the club presidency in the 2023-24 Rotary Year. We also need to fill two At-Large vacancies. One will occur because Bill Dowd has informed the club he will not stand for reelection, and the other occurred when Jim Leyhane moved to Vice President upon the recent resignation of Terry Brewer. Anyone interested in any of these positions should contact Debbie Rodriguez.

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — At last count, 38 baskets will be created from member donations for the annual Circles of Mercy effort. That’s a sharp drop-off from previous years when we donated as many as 155 baskets (126 last year, for example, despite the interference by the pandemic). Baskets will be assembled at the Greenbush YMCA. Anyone who would like to help is asked to call Shannon Romanowski at the Y for details.

• PROGRAM — Member John Justino, of the UAlbany School of Public Health, presented a program on “Complex Humanitarian Emergencies” (CHEs). They are defined as “complex multi-party intra-state conflict resulting in a humanitarian disaster which might constitute multi-dimensional risks or threats to regional and international security.”

He cited one major historical conflict such as the Liberian civil war that raged from 1990 to 2004, as well as the current carnage in Ukraine. His presentation touched on the following points:

Characteristics of CHEs:

• Long periods of time

• Often target civilians

• Food shortages

• Unhealthy living in refugee camps

Health effects of CHEs:

• Increase mortality rates as high as 10 times

• Infectious disease outbreaks

• Malnutrition and lack of water, shelter and food

• Increased mental health conditions, women more than men.

Addressing CHEs:

• Water

• vaccines

• infectious disease control

• mental health

Needs assessments:

• Personal hygiene

• 1 toilet per 20 people

• Vit A to children

• Disease control measures

• Have you ever considered what happed if you became displaced?

A Q&A and discussion followed.

NEXT MEETING — Representatives of Capital Roots, the Troy-based regional community gardens organization, will visit on Thursday, April 7, to tell us about the organization’s services and programs. We will have a social period from 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6, at Moscatiello’s Restaurant. The menu choices are linguine with white clam sauce or chicken Caesar salad. As always, a cash bar will be available.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Kevin Leyhane, Tony Morris, Becky Raymond. By proxy: Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.

GUESTS (3): Dennis Ciccino, Lois Hannan, Debbie Morris.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant and noted the presence of a quorum

MEETING NOTES:

• HEALTH UPDATE — Former member Stewart Wagner has undergone cardiac surgery. Jim Leyhane said he is not doing as well as hoped. Doris Calamaras, currently in rehab after a hospital stay, is expected to be discharged this weekend.

• BOY SCOUTS UPDATE — Dennis Ciccino, scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 41 for the past 30 years, visited to update us on the troop that has produced 83 Eagle Scouts since 1960. He said he currently has 10 Scouts with 10 more in the process of moving up from the Cub Scouts along with one of the Cubs adult leaders. Because the B.P.O. Elks organization has, on a national level, ceased funding Scouting because of the ongoing scandals and lawsuits against the BSA. However, the East Greenbush lodge is renting a meeting room to the troop for the token amount of $1. As a result, SRC has increased its annual support of the Troop, and a $750 check was presented to Dennis to help underwrite camping fees. Dennis said it costs $110 each for Scouts to attend camp, and $90 for each supervising adult. He said the Troop will continue fundraising activities and parents may have to pay more toward camp fees this year.

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — Volunteer coordinator Lois Hannan collected donated items from members before the meeting for SRC’s portion of the annual Circles of Mercy project to create Easter baskets for needy kids in the community. The club is paying for baskets, artificial grass, and wrapping materials. Baskets will be assembled by the Greenbush YMCA. The last day for donations is Saturday, April 9. at the Y.  There is a table set up in the lobby of the Y to accept donations.

• GRANT TRAINING — Eligibility for District Grants each year is limited to clubs that have had at least two members participate in the training program. Debbie R., Roberto Martinez, and Jim Leyhane have volunteered to attend this year, and Tony Morris may be a fourth. The training is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, at the First Reformed Church in Schenectady. Anyone else who is interested should contact Debbie.

• IMPACT COMMITTEE — Committee leader Pat Bailey reported that the group met on March 22 and decided to extend the raffle ticket sales through the end of this Rotary Year (June 30) to take advantage of the Music At the Park series held in Schodack each Tuesday in June. She said they expect to attend the “Healthy Kids” event at the Greenbush YMCA on April 30 to sell tickets, and will continue to work out the details of articles, flyers, and other communications.

• PROGRAM — Peter and Debbie Brown presented an illustrated program on “Iceland In the Off-Season,” their recent trip to the North Atlantic island nation.

• NEXT MEETING — John Justino will present a program titled “Complex Human Emergencies and Global Health.” The meeting will begin on Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (19): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, John Justino, Dick Drumm, Pat Bailey, Becky Raymond, Andy Leyhane. By proxy: Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Tony Morris.

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order, noting the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• MEDICAL UPDATE — Dean Calamaras informed the club that Doris was discharged from the hospital this week and now is in physical rehab.

• 3/10 BOARD MEETING– Terry Brewer submitted his resignation as vice president, while remaining a member of Rotary. Pursuant to the Club Bylaws, the Board elected Jim Leyhane to fill the position for the remainder of this Rotary Year. The resulting At-Large vacancy will go unfilled until the 2022-23 Rotary Year. … The Board approved an expenditure of $500 a year for three years to help underwrite the Viking Outdoor Gym project in Schodack. … The Board approved Jim Leyhane’s motion that we spend up to $5,000 annually from our current $20,000 general fund on grants and projects approved by the club. Among the first expenditures is up to $1,000 to the local Boy Scout troop to help offset the withdrawal nationally of Elks Club funding for Scouts.

• IMPACT COMMITTEE MEETING — Chairperson Pat Bailey reported that the committee has scheduled a 5 p.m. Zoom meeting for Tuesday, March 22, to discuss plans for its raffle fundraiser.

• GRANT MANAGEMENT — Three volunteers are needed to participate in the Saturday, April 2, District Grants Management Seminar, a two-hour commitment. Unless we have a minimum of two participants, we will not be eligible to apply for District Grants. Anyone interested is asked to contact President Debbie ASAP.

• ROTARACT UPDATE — John Justino reported that as of March 28, UAlbany will lift all mandatory masking requirements. The CDNY Danes Rotaract club we sponsor will take advantage of that policy change to schedule a number of in-person activities for April and beyond.

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — Debbie Rodriguez reported that non-member Lois Hannan is coordinating this year’s club involvement with Circles of Mercy’s “Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program.”  She will work with Shannon Romanowski’s effort at the Greenbush YMCA which also is again involved.

MEETING MENU — Beginning with our 6 p.m. dinner meeting next Thursday, attendees will be able to order a la carte salads for $3.49 each, the same as they order beverages — from the waitstaff. That week’s entree choices will be spaghetti and meatballs and chicken Caesar salad.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Roberto Martinez, Ron Annis, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Andy Leyhane, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Kevin Leyhane. By proxy — Bill Dowd, Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan.

GUESTS (2): Debbie Morris, Monika Annis.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• EASTER BASKET PROJECT — A coordinator is needed for our portion of the Circles of Mercy annual “Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program.” Debbie Rodriguez will check with Executive Director Shannon Romanowski about partnering with the Greenbush YMCA again this year. Easter is on April 17 this year. Circles of Mercy would like all donations delivered to their offices by the week of April 4 to allow time to assign baskets and deliver them to families in time for the holiday. Anyone interested in coordinating SRC’s effort should contact Debbie ASAP.

^• DISTRICT CONFERENCE — Registration is now open for the event, scheduled for the weekend of April 29-May 1 at the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury. There are several registration packages available and information has been posted on the website. All business will be conducted on Saturday but the District is encouraging everyone to come and enjoy the entire weekend of Rotary fellowship and fun.

• SHELTERBOX — The international Rotary-affiliated relief agency is helping refugees in Ukraine, as well as continuing to aid civil war refugees in Yemen and climate disaster victims in numerous spots around the globe. As noted at last week’s meeting, a former SRC member has donated $1,000 to the agency, and a number of smaller member donations have been made. Anyone wishing to help can get details on the club website.

• BOY SCOUTS — Jim Leyhane spoke about funding for the local troop we have been supporting for decades. Attendees approved providing up to $1,000 this year because one of the troop’s usual sponsors may not be available.

• ROTARACT UPDATE — The CRNY Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor at the UAlbany School of Public Health plans two events in April — a demonstration of ShelterBox and its components and services as recently presented at an SRC meeting, and activities marking Public Health Week.

• VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — Ron Annis provided an update about the renewal of the Viking Outdoor Gym we co-sponsored with his Top Form company and the Town of Schodack several years ago at the Town Park. Deterioration of the rugged materials over the years has resulted in the need for a complete overhaul.

Ron presented a proposal to the Town Board two weeks ago. He hopes to place three pieces of outdoor fitness equipment in the park this year and add equipment in subsequent years. Attendees approved a plan for the club to provide $500 a year for three years to help fund the project. The original installation was helped along by a Rotary Grant secured by SRC,

Ron proposed a sectioned area for the equipment and that the town would maintain the area after the installation. The proposal includes seeking joint sponsorship with the town, a Rotary Club in Sweden, SRC, and local Boy Scouts, Elks, and Kiwanis organizations. The hope is that SRC’s financial commitment would inspire the other partners to follow suit as more equipment is installed.

• NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 17.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (20): Debbie Rodriguez, Becky Raymond, Bill Dowd, Terry Brewer, Phil Kellerman, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Ron Annis, Charlie Foote, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Andy Leyhane, Tony Morris, John Justino, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy).

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING ITEMS:

• PROGRAMS — Several presenters have been added to the schedule. June 2, Dan Welch of Sweater Venture; June 16, a representative of Unity House in Troy; a representative of the Oley Foundation will speak on a date to be determined. All programs and other information are available on the club website’s calendar page.

• SHELTERBOX — Bill Dowd reported that we received a $1,000 donation check from April Dowd that will be sent to the emergency aid agency and credited to SRC. He also reminded members that the process for contributing and receiving credit and tax deductibility is explained in a website post titled “Why ShelterBox needs you right now.”

• DAF UPDATE — Phil Kellerman reported on the recent Zoom meeting of the club’s Donor Advised Fund (DAF) committee. He said that the fund — invested through the Rotary Foundation at a risk level we decide on — stood at $22,200 through July 21, 2021, but had dropped to $22,048 at last report several weeks ago. The operational consensus is to exercise patience and wait until the fund level reaches at least $25,000 before we consider making any grants. The committee also includes A.J. Amato, Murray Forth, and Andy Leyhane.

• NEXT MEETING — Thursday, March 10, at Moscatiello’s, 6 p.m. Ron Annis will provide an update on the Viking outdoor gym. The menu entree choices: chicken Caesar salad, chicken marsala. Open bar as always.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (14): Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy).

GUESTS (1): PDG Larry Jones.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant to order and noted the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• VIKING GYM: President Debbie provided an update on the planned renovation of the Viking outdoor gym created at the Schodack Town Park in 2017 as a co-op Eagle Scout project by the SRC, Town of Schodack, a Swedish Rotary club, and the Top Form physical training company. She reported that Ron Annis, SRC member and Top Form owner, met with Schodack officials tonight to discuss renovation and potential expansion of the installation and will report back to the club. She noted that we may be able to broaden the effort with the assistance of the local Kiwanis and Elks clubs.

• PROGRAMS: The club still is seeking speakers/presenters for both in-person and Zoom meetings. Anyone wishing to reserve a date to provide a program is asked to contact Kevin Leyhane or Becky Raymond.

• FUNDRAISER: The District is planning a wine and whiskey tasting as a fundraiser for anti-polio programs. The date is Saturday, March 26, and reservations are required. Details are on the club website.

• BOARD MEETING — The SRC Board Meeting has been rescheduled for March 10, following the scheduled dinner meeting. The change was made because the original February date conflicted with school vacation.

• PROGRAM — PG Larry Jones, the District’s ShelterBox liaison, was our guest speaker. He provided a slideshow update of the relief agency’s current global outreach work. SRC has been a steadfast supporter of ShelterBox, contributing nearly $27,000 in the past decade toward the agency’s relief work.