MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Tony Morris, Charlie Foote, Kevin Leyhane, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Becky Raymond (by proxy), Peter Brown (by proxy), Debbie Brown (by proxy).

GUESTS: None.

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

MEETING NOTES:

• ROTARACT — Debbie reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor is hoping to resume some in-person activities now that UAlbany has eased many of its pandemic-era restrictions. She also said the club has gained a member, and hopes to have precise numbers for us at the next meeting.

• DISTRICT GOVERNOR UPDATE — Bill Dowd reported that the Nominating Committee on which he served last Saturday nominated Gregg Schorr of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake club as District Governor for the 2024-25 Rotary Year. His nomination will be finalized by March 1 unless there are written challenges to his selection. The Committee also approved the appointment of Past DG Fred Daniels to serve as Vice DG for the 2022-23 Rotary Year under DG-elect Denise DiNoto. Fred would assume the top role next year should Denise be unable to carry out the duties of the office.

• DAF UPDATE — We had been scheduled to hear a report from our Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Committee appointed last fall. That panel met separately before tonight’s meeting, but none of its members attended the regular Zoom meeting, so nothing was reported.

• MEETING FUTURES — A brief discussion was held on the pros and cons of resuming weekly dinner meetings. The consensus was to continue alternating Zoom and dinner meetings for the remainder of the year as we have been doing. … Larry Jones, a Past District Governor, will be our guest speaker at next week’s dinner meeting (February 24) at Moscatiello’s. He will be providing an update on the work of ShelterBox globally.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Andy Leyhane, Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Tony Morris, Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Carol Orvis (by proxy).

GUESTS (1): 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:

• PROGRAM: Bill Dowd conducted his “Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test,” returning after a year off due to the lack of in-person meetings during the worst of the pandemic. This was the 7th year for the quiz. Peter Brown emerged the winner, earning a book on “Bar Trivia.” Congratulations to him, and thanks to all who participated.

• VIKING GYM — President Debbie updated members on a meeting the club had today with the Town of Schodack regarding restoration and potential expansion of the Viking outdoor gym at the Town Park. The SRC-sponsored gym, made of raw wood that had not had the bark stripped, was removed after it degraded beyond repair. The Town expressed interest in rebuilding and further discussion on materials, funding, layout, etc., will be held.

• DG SCREENING — Bill Dowd reported he will be be representing Area 8 clubs on the panel scheduled to interview potential District Governor candidates this Saturday. It will be a two-hour Zoom session.

• INTER-CLUB EFFORT — Debbie said she has extended a feeler to the Kiwanis Club of East Greenbush to explore the possibility of joint projects. We also will invite Kiwanians to attend one of our dinner meetings, and they will reciprocate so we can get to know each other better. Members in attendance expressed support for such a possibility.

• 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.

• UPCOMING MEETINGS — We will meet at 7 p.m. via Zoom next week, February 17. … By consensus, members agreed to hold Zoom meetings any time a scheduled dinner meeting is called off because of inclement weather.

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

Guests: None.

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

Meeting Notes:

IN-PERSON MEETINGS — The membership has decided to return to in-person meetings at Moscatiello’s, alternating with Zoom sessions, beginning next week at 6:15 p.m. Thursday (February 10). Bill Dowd will be presenting the sort-of-annual “Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test.”

VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — The meeting scheduled for today at Schodack Town Hall to discuss the Viking Gym’s status and future was rescheduled to 11 a.m. next Thursday, February 10. SRC members are invited to attend, with Ron Annis as the club lead.

SERVICE PROJECTS — Secretary Pat Bailey will respond to the request from PDG Fred Carvin, the District historian, for a summary of service projects, fundraisers, exceptional guest speakers, and events in which the club or individual members participated. That information will be incorporated into the historian’s report to be presented at the District Conference in Lake George.

DAF COMMITTEE — Phil Kellerman reported that the Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Committee, appointed last year, is planning to hold its first meeting on or before Thursday, February 17, and should be able to report to the membership during the scheduled February 17 Zoom meeting.

ROTARY IMPACT COMMITTEE — Pat Bailey provided an update on the newly-named committee working on a fundraising project. Details will be shared as plans proceed.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (21): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Becky Raymond, Terry Brewer, Charlie Foote, Ron Annis, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, John Justino, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy).

GUESTS (1): Assemblyman Jake Ashby.

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

Meeting Items:

• ZOOM SECURITY — Bill Dowd led a discussion on the security of our Zoom sessions, prompted by Becky Raymond experiencing an unwanted intrusion of a memorial service she recently attended via Zoom. The pros and cons of installing security (password protected calendar page, etc.) were considered, but the consensus was that since was have not had such a negative experience we will leave the access status as it is unless we have a breach.

• THANK-YOU NOTES — Bill reported that the club received thank-you cards from the two families who received gifts through our annual participation in the Circles of Mercy Adopt-a-Family program. Murray Forth reported receiving a thank-you note from the Mayfield, Kentucky, Rotary Club for the $500 we sent them in support of the post-tornado damage in that region.

• LEADERSHIP — Debbie Rodriguez reminded members of the four-session Multi-District Leadership Development workshops that begin February 7. Registration is available online, and the club will reimburse any costs incurred to members who register online and complete the session.

• SPEAKER — Jake Ashby, who represents the 107th District (Rensselaer County and parts of Columbia and Washington counties) in the State Assembly, was our guest speaker. He addressed a number of topics, including COVID’s effect on how business is conducted in the Legislature. That includes a lot of virtual meetings, limited-participant in-person sessions, etc. He said some other effects include the public not having the in-person access to legislators that it once had, although public hearings are in-person, and not being able to view the deliberative process.

Jake said the legislators’ relationship to the Governor’s Office is much improved since Kathy Hochul succeeded Andrew Cuomo. He said the new administration is at least open to discussions with the Republican minority “which almost never happened under Cuomo.”

During a Q&A session, Ashby said he is opposed to renewing the license for the controversial Dunn Landfill in the City of Rensselaer. He said the bipartisan consensus seems to be that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) should reject an application to extend the timeline for operating the site. He explained that not only waste from the region is dumped there, but waste is trucked in from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

Asked about staff size, Jake said he has two fulltime and one part-time staffers, the size limited by the $100,000 his office is allocated annually for staffing. He noted that many people in the Democrat majority are given staffing allowances of a half-million or more dollars, and thus have larger staffs.

• NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 3. Access will, as usual, be via the website calendar page link.

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

Guests: None.

MEETING NOTES:

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

• Clynk coordinator Bill Dowd reported that we have surpassed the 25,000-container mark. He thanked all SRC members who have contributed to the initiative in support of ShelterBox and noted that he has emailed all members with details of the effort for those who are not yet participating.

• It was reported that Ron Annis has returned from his annual trip to Sweden. He verified the Town of Schodack report that the viking gym at Schodack Town Park has been dismantled because wear and tear on the facility SRC helped sponsor resulted in the move. Ron will work with the town to make plans to refurbish, and potentially expand, the outdoor rustic gym.

•  Pat Bailey said the committee planning her fundraising proposal — which would combine a raffle and public appearances to tell people about Rotary and its many community service activities — has not met and she has had difficulty getting members to respond. Her our-person committee consists of her, Becky Raymond, Peter Brown, and Phil Kellerman.

• It was again asked if the Foundation Advisory Committee — Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, and A.J. Amato — has met since it was reported in November 2020 that they would do so and report to the membership what the foundation has been doing. The response was that the group has yet to meet. Phil again said he would make a point of convening a meeting and formulating a report to the membership.

• John Justino said the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club board will meet next week to assess in-person activities and plan a service event in light of UAlbany’s current ban on such activities on campus because of the COVID pandemic. The last such Rotaract event resulted in attracting two new members.

• Several District events have been announced — the annual District conference and the Multi-District Leadership training seminar — and details will be posted on the club website.

• Upcoming Events: State Assemblyman Jake Ashby will speak to the club at next week’s (1/27) 7 p.m. Zoom meeting. As we evaluate the possibility of resuming biweekly in-person dinner meetings at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant in February, Roberto Martinez and/or Jim Leyhane will check with the restaurant to see if staff members are fully vaccinated. The consensus of the meeting attendees tonight was that we would continue to limit attendance at our in-person events to members and guests who are fully vaccinated and have had a booster shot if qualified to do so.

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

GUESTS (2): District Assistant Governor C.G. Frink, guest speaker Mike Stangl.

MEETING NOTES:

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

• Debbie shared the outcome of her discussion with Schodack town officials concerning the collapse of the viking gym that was constructed in 2017 at Schodack Town Park as a co-op venture of SRC, then-Eagle Scout candidate Lorenzo Gonzalez, Top Form, and the town. She said she was told the normal wear-and-tear on the installation wore it down, and much of it has been hauled away by the town. The town said it was popular with park visitors, and would like to rebuild, and perhaps expand, it. A grant from Amazon toward park facilities is available to help pay for the initiative. SRC member Ron Annis, who will be returning from Sweden in the spring, will again work with the town and the club on resurrecting the facility.

• Debbie reiterated that we have put in-person meetings on pause through January as we continue to asses the local COVID situation. Members again were advised to check our events on the website calendar page which is regularly updated. And, anyone who wishes to reserve a date for a speaker should contact Becky or Kevin.

• Mike Stangl presented a program on his work around the globe on design and installation of solar energy arrays. For the past 11 years, he has been working on such projects in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Much of it involves U.S. embassies.

He noted that while solar energy provides only about 3% of our domestic energy production today, it is an important part of our total energy grid. In some other countries, it is more desired because of local conditions. His slideshow covered examples of projects in Cambodia and Nigeria as well as graphic descriptions of the process of creating and utilizing solar systems. Some examples:

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

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez, presiding over our first session of 2022, called the meeting to order via Zoom and declared the presence of a quorum.

MEETING NOTES:

• Becky Raymond reported that she visited the Schodack town park on Route 150, site of the Viking gym and playground built there in 2017 and co-sponsored by SRC, then-Eagle Scout candidate Lorenzo Gonzales, member Ron Annis’s Top Form company, and the Town of Schodack. She said the rustic gym appears to have been dismantled and parts carried off. Debbie Rodriguez said she would check with the town to see what happened to the gym and will report back to the club. We also will contact Ron, now spending the winter in Sweden, to see if he has any knowledge of the playground/gym tentatively scheduled for an expansion later this year.

• President Debbie said the club has sent a $500 check to the Mayfield (KY) Rotary Club to be put toward relief efforts for the area hardest hit by recent tornadoes.

• Bill Dowd volunteered to serve on a screening committee selecting candidates for District Governor. He has represented the club in the same capacity in the past.

• Debbie verified that we raised $650 through the silent auction of themed gift baskets at the annual Holiday Party & Basket Auction in December. The money goes to the club treasury to help underwrite community service projects.

• Roberto Martinez said he spoke with District Governor Bruce McConnellee today about assistance for purchasing audio-visual equipment to facilitate meetings, and that $150 is available to any club undertaking such an effort. The money will be supplied if the club sends the district a receipt for any such microphone/camera purchases.

• Because of the current upsurge in COVID cases locally, member consensus tonight was to suspend in-person meetings until at least February. Instead, we will meet each Thursday at 7 p.m. via ZOOM, and give our scheduled speakers the option of rescheduling or making their presentations virtually. Roberto Martinez will contact management of Moscatiello’s restaurant to let them know about the change and lock in February dinner meeting dates.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, Bill Dowd, Becky Raymond, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Andy Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Carol Orvis (by proxy), Peter Brown (by proxy), Debbie Brown (by proxy).

GUESTS (1): Lois Hannan.

President Debbie called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum with the help of proxies.

MEETING NOTES:

• Bill Dowd reported that we are close to filling the gift list for our “Adopt-a-Family” effort on behalf of Circles of Mercy. Several members stepped up at the meeting to handle most of the remaining needed items. The updated shopping list is at the bottom of this post. Items marked in red are taken care of; the few remaining items can be purchased, wrapped and labeled, and dropped off at Circle, 10 Washington Street, Rensselaer, no later than December 15. Please call ahead (518-462-0899) to be sure office is open.

• Roberto and Jim reported that the menu for the annual “Holiday Party & Theme Basket Silent Auction” at Moscatiello’s on Thursday, December 16, has been finalized: choice of chicken Caesar salad, chicken Marsala, or eggplant parmagiana. Salad and cookies will be included. Price is $30 per adult. Children will be able to order off the kids’ menu. Reservations are requested no later than Monday, December 13, by calling or emailing Roberto (518-396-7250 / rrmtz@aol.com) or Jim (518-428-1732 / leyhane@aol.com). And, attendees are reminded to bring a themed gift basket, proceeds of which will go to the club treasury.

• Becky Raymond reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor has scheduled a “Moon Bee” work session for Tuesday, February 15, to assemble feminine hygiene kits for the Mooncatcher Project. At present, it will be for students and faculty at the UAlbany School of Public Health.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (19): Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Kevin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Becky Raymond, Andy Leyhane, Shannon Romanowski, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Dick Drumm, Tony Morris, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Debbie Brown (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy) Doris Calamaras (by proxy).

GUESTS (2): Richard Zazycki, Debbie Morris.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant. A quorum was present, plus four members by proxy.

BUSINESS ITEMS:

• Debbie announced that the District is seeking candidates for District Governor 2024-25. Anyone interested in being nominated and interviewed for the post is asked to let her know. All candidates go through an interview process by a panel appointed by the District.

• Becky Raymond reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract club we sponsor is working on a joint effort with the Mooncatcher Project to create and ship feminine hygiene kits to young women in Africa. The club supported a smiliar effort, headed by the Niskayuna club, in 2020 (see details here). She also said several new Rotaract members have been recruited.

• Shannon Romanowski reported that the Greenbush YMCA’s annual Community Basket Brigade, to which SRC donated $250, provided 502 families with full Thanksgiving meal baskets, including turkeys.

• Bill Dowd reported that our annual “Adopt-a-Family” effort for Circles of Mercy was going well, with a half-carload of donated gifts received before the meeting. (The Greenbush Y is handling efforts to supply another family for us.) He said he will be in the Moscatiello’s parking lot from 5:30 to 6 p.m. next WEDNESDAY to receive the remainder of gifts. He reminded attendees that he is regularly refreshing the website chart with gifts still needed and including a red banner on the post that lets people know when the list was last updated.

• Bill also reported that the club will be sending a $500 check to ShelterBox from proceeds from our ongoing Clynk container recycling program. He also noted that several members made individual donations during “Giving Tuesday” which are matched dollar-for-dollar. SRC has been a longtime strong financial supporter of the ShelterBox organization. Past District Governor Larry Jones, our District’s liaison with ShelterBox, will be our guest speaker on February 24 with an update on ShelterBox’s activities.

• Discussion was held about the Holiday Party & Theme Basket Raffle. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday December 16, at Moscatiello’s. All fully vaxxed members and their fully vaxxed guests are invited. Cost will be about $35 per person (still being negotiated) with a cash bar.

• In a post-meeting note, Roberto Martinez reported that we have sold $300 in Hoffman Car Wash tickets, proceeds going to the club treasury.

• Next Meeting: 7 p.m. Thursday, December 9, via Zoom. As always, go to the website calendar page and click on the link for that date to access the session.

• PROGRAM: Richard Zazycki, executive director of Circles of Mercy, was our guest speaker. He discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on funding his organization, which provides family services to people in need. Despite the limitations on in-person fundraisers, Circles has been able to secure a number of grants as well mantain ties with other service organizers such as Rotary.

Richard also provided a rundown on the number of families and individuals served in the past 12 months through the clothing thrift shop, income tax prep services, job interview techniques, financial counseling, computer instructions, etc. He also noted that Circles continues to be interested in purchasing a building to house its thrift shop, offices and class spaces rather than continuing to pay rent.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Pat Bailey, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Carol Orvis (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy).

GUESTS: None.

President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order via Zoom, noting the presence of a quorum. (Plus one cat and one duck. Don’t ask if you weren’t there.)

MEETING MINUTES:

• Debbie reported her delivery of a check for $250 to the Greenbush YMCA in support of its annual Community Thanksgiving Basket drive. She said Y Director Shannon Romanowski, an SRC member, has been preempted from attending meetings because of working with two Y facilities, but hopes to soon rejoin us.

• Debbie provided a summary of last week’s SRC Board meeting that included approval of our Y contribution; approval of a continued alternating of meetings between Zoom and dinner meetings at Moscatiello’s, and a fundraising proposal by Pat Bailey (see next item).

• Pat Bailey supplied more details of her fundraising proposal presented to the Board, which would combine a raffle and public appearances to tell people about Rotary and its many community service activities. She has a four-person committee — Pat, Becky Raymond, Peter Brown, Phil Kellerman — assembled to brainstorm and plan the 2022 event. She is looking for a fifth member.

• Several programs have been lined up, including an Iranian travelogue by Dean Calamaras; a talk by Assemblyman Jake Ashby, and the almost-annual trivia quiz by Bill Dowd. (See our website calendar page for details.)

• A fundraising letter, crafted by Bill, has been sent over President Debbie’s signature to all members as a way to help underwrite various projects in lieu of some of our traditional activities derailed by the pandemic.

• Bill reported that the latest incremental “bank” total in our ongoing Clynk recycling project is nearing $400. Jim Leyhane said he has received a $60 check from non-Clynk recycling from Ron Annis. Treasurer Murray Forth will send a check from the club to ShelterBox for $400, and we’ll immediately begin rebuilding the total for additional contributions.

• Bill also reported that he has made some inquiries of Circles of Mercy, asking for details of which families we will have for the “Adopt-a-Family” holiday project. The information was promised by this Wednesday, but still has not been sent. He will inform members of details via email as soon as received.

• Phil Kellerman, a member of our Foundation Advisory Committee along with Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, and A.J. Amato, was asked if the group had met yet, as had been asked at previous meeting and at last week’s Board meeting. He said it had not, but he hoped to convene a meeting in January to reply to a list of questions from members in recent weeks.

• NEXT MEETING: We are off next week because of Thanksgiving. We will meet at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, December 2, at Moscatiello’s when Richard Zazycki, executive director of Circles of Mercy, will be our guest speaker.