Members in Attendance (14): Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Laurie Pferr, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carol Heaney, Charlie Foote, Dick Drumm and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (1): Chris Bystroff

Guests (1): Mark Yurkiw

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Membership: Thanks to Carole Heaney and Terry Brewer for the great meeting last week on what Rotary is and who Rotarians are. Carole has proposed a pop-up sign to highlight the Rotary meeting and invite people to come join us. Roberto will check with Moscatellos. We are using the new banner and the old flags and banners have been moved to storage.

Food Drive: Per Phil Kellerman, he has received another $165 in post donations from the bowling fundraiser. The raised the amount of the donation to the food pantry to $1370.

Zoom AI: Carole Heaney is looking into using Zoom AI to take the meeting minutes. On May 14th, our District Rotary will have a webinar on this subject.

RI Contact Page: Our Treasurer and Secretary need to make sure our contact data is correct in Club Runner.

Treasurer Report: Phil Kellerman reported that the IRS cannot find the submitted paperwork. They are backlogged and processing paperwork submitted last September. Phil endeavors to persevere.

SRC Facebook: The Facebook page is live. Please join and invite others. It has been linked to the website and the old Facebook page has been removed.

Global Grant: The well came up dry. The water flow is so low that a low flow pressure pump cannot be used. Alternatively, they are now looking for a suitable location to collect rainwater. The water will need to be treated and stored. Since the church where the well was located is not a suitable location because it has its own collection system.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Ambulance (note change) from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Fifteen people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project will be on 5/15 at 1:30 pm.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer contacted Jeff Simon to set up another meeting with his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction and to identify the new site.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation. This is also Ray Hannan’s birthday. He will bring in cake for dessert.

Board Meeting: To be held on May 19th. Send any agenda items to Roberto Martinez.

Donation Jar: Donations from the jar will go to the Haiti eye clinic this year.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

District Grant: Needs to be submitted by the 15th.

Change-Over Dinner: The change-over will be held on June 19th at Debbie and Peter Brown”s house.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

CNY News: Information on all of CNY events and more are posted to the website, cnyrotary.org. CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending. The Club voted that Carole would represent SCR Rotary as our Delegate to the Convention.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 15 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Zoom WILL NOT be available. Program to be determined.

Entry Choices are Chicken Rustica Salid, Eggplant Pharm and Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Mark Yurkiv traveled across Ukraine to “deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid to the front lines near Kharkiv in the east.” He speaks the language and is trying to save lives. He was born in NYC and his parents spoke Ukrainian. He joined the army and was assigned to photography. He is also an artist with exhibitions in Aisa and Tiawan. For more information on his exhibits go to www.signsofcompassion.com.

In this 15min video Mark tries to immerse you in how the people in Ukraine integrate their daily lives with this senseless terrorism  https://youtu.be/AEGWEjRvZSA. The people are like us. They have homes, work and shop in supermarkets but at night they make drones.

For three years Mark has been filling shipping containers with obsolete medical supplies and equipment to fill shipping containers to send to Ukraine. Shipping is expensive. The link to donate for shipping is https://ridgefieldresponds.org/ridgefield4ukraine/.

Members in Attendance (14): Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Laurie Pferr Chris Bystroff, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carol Heaney, Kevin Flanigan and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (4): Chris Mallison, Mark Armstrong, Mike Dewey, and Audra Dibacco.

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney reported that the Town will put up the Peace Pole when the new basketball court is done.

Benefit Concert: The concert co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club was held last Saturday at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. Featuring the band Enjoyous, the concert raised $600 for the St. Paul Center. Phil Kellerman reported that he attended the Malta Rotary Club to thank them. They want to do a fundraiser concert to benefit Wellspring. Also, the Malta Club has an upcoming BBQ to raise funds for their back pack program. Also, a thank you to the Church for letting us use their space and to Phil for planning and coordinating everything.

Global Grant: Peter Brown explained that the Rotary Foundation provided $20,000, the District provided $25,000 and the Club provided $5,000 for the water supply project in Kenya. The project started in October 2023 and is ongoing.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: Thenext meeting for the backpack project will be on 5/15 at 1:30 pm.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer contacted Jeff Simon to set up another meeting with his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction and to identify the new site.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Donation Jar: Donations from the jar will go to the Haiti eye clinic this year.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

New Member Orientation. Laurie Pfeff attended the last orientation.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 8 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Mark Yukiw will speak on “the Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine.”

Entry Choices to be determined.

Terry Brewer and Carole Heaney, co-chairs of membership, provided a program on what Rotary is and Rotarians are. Per Terry, Rotary was founded 117 years ago. The organization is structured as International, National, District and local clubs. Worldwide there are 33,000 clubs with 1.4 million Rotarians located in 200 countries. Rotary’s mission is to “serve others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace.” Projects include fresh water, health (Polio eradication and Gift of Life) and disaster relief (Shelter Box) initiatives. Our Rotary District, 7180 CNY (Central New York) District) has 113 clubs with 28,000 members.

The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club was started in 1960. Since inception, this Club has donated over $1,000,000. Various members said that they joined Rotary to have the ability to become engaged and energized and to have the opportunity to give back to the community. Also, through the Club they made friendships and professional connections. They were able to learn leadership skills and participate in international service. Through our “focus on peace, equity and humanity” and service. We, as Rotarians, make positive changes and a real difference. Carole asked, “Are you a person who could become a Rotarian?” “Join Rotary and Change the World!”

Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Carol Heaney, Andy Lehayne and Kevin Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (2): Denise Di Noto and Laura.

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Benefit Concert: The concert is this Saturday at 7 pm at the First United Methodist Church at 1 Gilligan Road in East Greenbush. The concert is co-sponsored with the Malta Rotary Club. Proceeds will go to the St. Paul Center. Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, both she and the Club received reimbursement for the banner.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 100 additional meters to increase the water flow. They are waiting for the results of the pump test.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The meeting for the backpack project was on 4/22 at 1:30 pm. Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin attended. Proceeds from the Fun Run will rejuvenate and stabilize the existing backpack program. Rotary needs to set up an account to received donated funds and to pay the food pantry and other sources food is purchased from.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm at Goff Middle School. There will be a quarter of a mile, half a mile, and mile and a half runs. Per Kevin, they are seeking donations, and the entry fee is projected to be $15. The kids will get a free t-shirt.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Retirement: Jeff Simon’s retirement party is June 26th.

Change-Over Dinner: It was suggested that the change-over be held on June 19th. Debbie and Peter Brown have offered to host the dinner.

Summer Social Events: The Valley Cat’s game is August 7th. We are also looking at going to S&S Brewery and touring the Mohawk -Hudson Animal Center.

Guilderland-Colonie Rotary Club: Denise DiNoto was District Governor in 23-24. Currently, she is President of the Guilderland Colonie Rotary Club. They have 20 members. They are hosting their 20th annual Golf Outing at Mill Road Acres in Latham on June 20th. It is $110 for golf and lunch. They are also holding a Bed Build on June 7 from 9 am until done. They will build beds and provide the linens, spreads and pillows for donation with a bed. The Bed Build will take place at the Grasslands on Route 7 in Latham. For more information about the Club, go to cgrotary.org.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY has several excellent webinars coming up that will inform and inspire, and we hope you will add to your calendars. Below is a quick summary, but visit cnyrotary.org/events to get all the details and zoom links.

Youth Exchange Webinar – Hosting 101, Click here to get the zoom link.

ShelterBox Update, Click here for more details and to register for the zoom link.

Positive Peace in a Polarized World,  Click here to get details and the zoom link.

Global Grants Seminar, Click here for details and to get the zoom link.

Epic Day of Service,Click here for more information and some project inspiration.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, May 1 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. This is membership meeting.

Entry Choices are Chicken Ceaser Salid, Penne Pesto and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Members in Attendance (13): Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Laurie Pferr, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer, Jeff Brewer, Chris Bystroff and Carol Heaney.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (0):

President Elect Phil Kellerman called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

A celebration of Barbara Foote’s life will be held from 4-6 PM, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie, NY. They request that any remembrances that anyone wishes to make be given to The Community Hospice or to an animal rescue organization of their choice.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and the issue now resides with the Forensic Department. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, he sent thank you notes to donors. The Sponsor page on the website has been updated.

Benefit Concert: Per Phil Kellerman, the band have been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. Phil has seltzer. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants:  Per Carole Heaney, reimbursement for the retractable banner was approved.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, drillers went back to the site and drilled down 200 additional meters to increase the water flow. Pump tests will go on.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm. So far, Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin are attending. Let Roberto know if you wish to attend. Per Peter we should determine what the schools need and where the money will be going.

Fun Run: The Field Day Fun Run to benefit the backpack program will be held on Friday, June 13 from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm.

Star of Hope: Per Terry Brewer, another meeting with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. will be scheduled for after the school break.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney called the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole and left messages for a call back.

Foundation Grants Management Training: Laurie Pferr attended the April 14th session.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Member Engagement: The book “The Baron of Second Avenue” written by Dean Calamaras is available on Amazon and select bookstores. This paperback book is most economically purchased on the author’s website: http://www.calamarasbooks.com for $34.95 plus $6.70 shipping.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7pm. Registration is required.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 24 at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Sara Owens.

Entry Choices are Rustica Salad, Veal Parm and Baked Ziti.

Club Assembly on Membership

Membership is ongoing and is everyone’s responsibility. The annual membership meeting is scheduled for May 1st. Carol Heaney and Terry Brewer are working on it. Zoom will not be available for this meeting.

Carol and Terry offered tonight’s program to learn more about the SRC Club’s opportunities and challenges with membership. People are motivated to join because Rotary keeps people connected and engaged with the community. Rotary has evolved over time to become more humanitarian and inclusive. There is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Rotary keeps people engaged through charitable work while having fun. Rotary also provides people opportunities for growth in capabilities. People want to do good and give back to the community.

Challenges to membership include the existing Rotary structure which is time and cost prohibitive. Also, current members are aging out, experiencing changes in abilities and dying. In recruiting younger members, Rotary must take into account the differences in generational culture. In order to engage younger members and keep them engaged, we must decrease cost and balance time commitments. Membership is a continuous conversation. Invite a guest to dinner on May 1st.

Members in Attendance (14): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Kevin Leyhane, Laurie Pferr, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Terry Brewer and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (1): Carol Heaney.

Guests (0):

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Membership: Membership is ongoing and is everyone’s responsibility. The membership meeting is in three weeks. Carol Heaney and Terry Brewer and working on it. Zoom is not available for this meeting.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil Kellerman, he contacted the government again. The paperwork was lost. They confirm payment and will do a deeper dive to find it. Thank you to Phil Kellerman and Terry Brewer for persevering.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, there were 44 bowlers at the Bowl-A-Thon. We raised over $1500. $200 was raised from the raffle. The combo five person bowling team plus pizza was a hit. Phil dropped off a check and the food to Paula at the foodbank. If you pledged a donation, please make sure that Murray got the funds. The Stretch Zone team donated a gift card which will be used at the concert. They also offered to place a food collection box at their Delmar location. Community Care is also sending in a $100 donation. Ian, a bowler from Maple Hill, has invited Rotary to come and speak to his class. Thank you to all who helped.

Benefit Concert: Per Phil Kellerman, the band has been rehearsing. They plan to do 10 songs. During intermission, representatives from the SRC Rotary Club, the Malta Rotary Club and the St. Paul Center will speak. He is asking if the Church can provide coffee. They are planning on a snack table. Please bring seltzer, water and snacks. They are asking for a $15 donation for concert attendance.

Publicizing:  Our Town did a great write up on the concert. Please join the SRC Rotary Facebook page. Carol Heaney mentioned adding Instagram and reestablishing the social media group. Thank you to all who got the Facebook page up and running.

Image Grants: The retractable banner was finished in time to take to the District Conference. Thank you to Carole Heaney for making that possible. `

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, the water from the well is being testing. The drilling company, Crown Heights wants to dig deeper. At 200 meters, there is not as great a water flow as expected.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Nine people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm. So far, Roberto, Jim, Terry, Peter, Phil and Kevin are attending. Let Roberto know if you wish to attend. Per Peter we should determine what the schools need and where the money will be going.

Fun Run: Kevin Lehayne is planning a “Fun Run” to be held in June to raise funds for the backpack program.

Star of Hope: Terry Brewer and Debbie Rodriguez met Wednesday with Jeff Simon, his management team, the architect, landscape architect and Turner Construction. In phase one, the stones will be removed from between the Library and the YMCA and relocated to Columbia High School near the athletic field. They are going to determine what is still usable and come up with a design and determine cost. Phase 1 should be completed in June. In phase two, another area will be created for dedication stones.

Scholarships: Terry Brewer sent out the letters to the Schodack, East Greenbush and Rensselaer School Districts asking them to select one student each to receive a $1000 scholarship. Students selected should meet the Rotary goal of service. May 29th has been set aside for the scholarship presentation.

Peace Pole: Carol Heaney will contact the Town of Schodack about the Peace Pole.

Circles of Mercy 2025 Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program Schedule: The Club collected over 25 Easter baskets. Carole Heaney will contact Richard and set up a delivery date and time. The baskets will given to the client families during Holy Week (April 14 thru April 18) before the Easter Sunday Holiday on April 20.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez dropped off the contract for this year to the box office. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game. If you did not sign up last year but wish to go this year, let Debbie know. She will pick up the tickets in July.

Member Engagement: Phil Kellerman will be speaking on the 16th at the Glenville Rotary on immigration.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Budget: The Club approved the CNY budget and Roberto signed it.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd.

District Conference: Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane attended the Conference on April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany.  Fifty of our inbound and outbound Youth Exchange students were present. SRC Rotary donated funding for their food and housing. We received many compliments on our banner. Peter and Debbie Brown spoke about the Global Grant water project in Africa. Many Rotarians inquired about the project.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 17th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Tony Romero on the topic of Crypto Currency.

Entry Choices are Antipasta Salad, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parm.

Members in Attendance (9): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm and Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (1): Christine Fowler

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Membership: Welcome to new members Laurie Pferr and Christine Fowler.

Treasurer Update: Per Phil, he has not received any notification about reinstatement from the IRS.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th from 1 pm until 3 pm. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Sponsorship is $50. Proceeds go to the Anchor. Please invite family and friends. Bowlers are needed.

Benefit Concert: The concert is being held at the East Greenbush Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall on April 26thf from 7 pm until 8:30 pm. The Club is co-sponsoring the concert with the Malta Club. Donations of $15 will be requested to benefit the St. Paul Center. Phil Kellerman contacted all available media to advertise the concert and posted on music websites. He also contacted CNY Rotary to post on the District website. The Band held a rehearsal at the Church and had an interview with the WEXT radio station.

Publicizing:  Thanks to Andy Lehyne our Facebook page is working. Debbie Rodriguez will look into the price for pushing information out from Word Press out to Facebook.

Image Grants: Roberto Martinez reported that Carol Heaney updated the retractable banner to include “Join Rotary, Change the World” and sent it to Curtis Printing.

Donation Jar: The jar was passed around to raise funds for the Global Eye Clinic in Haiti.

Global Grant: Peter Brown, sent an image of the drilling company, Crown Hydro, drilling the well.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend. Five people have signed up.

Community Project: The next meeting for the backpack project is scheduled for 4/22 at 1:30 pm.

Star of Hope: Per Roberto Martinez, the Star Hope will be relocated to Columbia High School this spring. Roberto will speak to Terry Brewer.

Circles of Mercy 2025 Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program Schedule: Baskets are collected from February 24th to April 14th.The baskets are given out to our client families during Holy Week (April 14 thru April 18) before the Easter Sunday Holiday on April 20. Carole Heaney will oversee the basket collection.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez contacted the Valley Cats. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7 pm.

Foundation Grant Management Seminar: Foundation Grants Management Seminar, was held via Zoom, Sunday March 23, 6-7pm. Jim Lehyne, Roberto Martinez, Debbie Rodriguez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown and Carole Heaney attended.

District Conference Learning Assembly: Friday April 4^th 8am-12p. Registration separate from District Conference. This is a FREE learning event designed to prepare club leaders in all roles – Secretary, Treasurer, Public Image, Membership, Foundation, DEI and more. It is open to all members, and you don’t need an official title to come learn something new! Come for general sessions, choose two breakouts based on your interest or role for next year, and enjoy a free breakfast. Registration is required!

Conference of Champions: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany Registration is open.  Fifty of our inbound and outbound Youth Exchange students will be present, you will have ample opportunities to connect with fellow members and CNY leaders, and we even baked in some site-seeing time before and during conference. Many volunteers are working hard to make sure you get a ton of value for your time and money to be immersed in Rotary all weekend! Register today at cnyrotary.org, Roberto, Phil and Jim are going.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25.

RI News

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, April 3rd at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The speaker will be Marguerite Pearson.

Entry Choices are Chicken Rustica Salid, Lasagna and Cheese Ravioli.

After 30 years of teaching, Christine Fowler retired from the Schodack Central School District. She went to work part-time for the New York State United Teachers Union (NYSUT) as a Retiree Services Consultant for Retiree Councils 9 and 10. Per Christine “NYSUT is a Union for life.” There are over 600,000 members in the Union. The Union offers community, organization and purpose. Membership benefits continue after retirement and include a peer support line that provides support and resources, a calm app for meditation and relaxation, travel service and legal services. They also publish a newsletter. Spring and fall conferences are held each year.

For more information contact Christine Fowler ant (518) 213-6000 or chris.fowler@nysuit.org.

Members in Attendance (12): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Ron Annis, Monica Annis and Carole Heaney.

By Zoom (1): Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Laurie Pferr

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Treasurer Update: Phil Kellerman called the IRS. The package has been found. There was a 16 week wait period. The Club should be reinstated around March 24th.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th. Phil met with the Principal of Maple Hill. An email was sent to the teachers. Not one student signed up. Phil will try and schedule another meeting with Maple Hill for Monday. Peter Brown, Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will join Phil. The Club will decide next week whether to hold the Bowl-A-Thon or not.

Benefit Concert: The concert is being held at the East Greenbush Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall on April 26thf from 7 pm until 8:30 pm. The Club is co-sponsoring the concert with the Malta Club. Donations of $15 will be requested to benefit the St. Paul Center. Phil Kellerman contacted all available media to advertise the concert and posted on music websites.

Publicizing: Carole Heaney reminded us that the Club needs to do a better job of promoting and advertising our activities. Carole will look at publicizing on Facebook. Per Carole, we need to relook at the framework for getting information out to the community. Andy Lehyne is working on facebook and Debbie Rodriguez will look into the price for pushing information out from Word Press out to Facebook.

Image Grants:

Donation Jar: The jar was passed around to raise funds for the Global Eye Clinic in Haiti.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, the drilling company, Crown Hydro, received the down payment for the project and should be starting work shortly.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend.

Community Project: On Tuesday, March 18th Kevin Leyhane, Peter Brown and Phil Kellerman, Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane met with staff of the East Greenbush School District about the backpack project to provide food over weekends for at risk students. Kevin Lehyne is working with the School to set up a running event on June 13th at Genet or Goff as a fundraiser for the backpack project. It was suggested that we look at obtaining a commercial grade refrigerator for this project.

Star of Hope: Per Roberto Martinez, will be relocated to Columbia High School this spring. Roberto will speak to Terry Brewer.

Public Image Grants: Carole Heaney noted that the CNY Public Image Committee is offering grants for $250 in matching funds for branded materials. Carole Heaney received approval from the District for a retractable banner. It has been sent to the printer. Peter Brown suggested “Join Rotary, Change the World” for the image board.

Circles of Mercy 2025 Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program Schedule: Baskets are collected from February 24th to April 14th.The baskets are given out to our client families during Holy Week (April 14 thru April 18) before the Easter Sunday Holiday on April 20. Carole Heaney will oversee the basket collection.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Debbie Rodriguez will contact the Valley Cats. The Club would like to attend the August 7th game.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7 pm.

In Person PETS Training: March 15-16, double Tree Syracuse. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Phil Kellerman attended. Roberto said he “came back inspired”.

Foundation Grant Management Seminar: Foundation Grants Management Seminar, Zoom, Sunday March 23, 6-7pm, must preregister (Jim, Roberto registered, Debbie Rodriguez, Peter Brown and Carole Heaney will register).

District Conference: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany. Registration required. Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will be going. They are looking for someone to sit at a table and sell the soaps for our fundraiser.

District Conference Learning Assembly: Friday April 4^th 8am-12p. Registration separate from District Conference. This is a FREE learning event designed to prepare club leaders in all roles – Secretary, Treasurer, Public Image, Membership, Foundation, DEI and more. It is open to all members, and you don’t need an official title to come learn something new! Come for general sessions, choose two breakouts based on your interest or role for next year, and enjoy a free breakfast. Registration is required!

Conference of Champions: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany Registration is open.  Fifty of our inbound and outbound Youth Exchange students will be present, you will have ample opportunities to connect with fellow members and CNY leaders, and we even baked in some site-seeing time before and during conference. Many volunteers are working hard to make sure you get a ton of value for your time and money to be immersed in Rotary all weekend! Register today at cnyrotary.org, Roberto, Phil, Jim going. Hoping for more attendees.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25

RI News

RI: Rotary PolioPlus Legacy: March 27, 2025, 10a EST, Live on Zoom.

2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications are open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, March 27th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The guest speaker will be Christine Fowler from the NYSUIT Retirement System.

Entry Choices will be Rustica Salad, Baked Ziti and Veal Parm.

Laurie Pferr graduated from SUNY Rockefeller College with a Master’s in Public Administration. She started her State service as a Graduate Intern for the NY Senate and moved up to Chief of Staff, Legislative Director and to Senate Aging Director. She went the NYS Office of the Aging (NYSOFA) where she served as Deputy Director. Laurie retired in 2021.

NYSOFA was established in 1965 by the NYS Elder Law which designated it as the State Unit on Aging. The Office partners with 59 local Agencies on Aging, as well as 1,200 community-based organizations to provide services such as senior center programs, home delivered meals, adult day services transportation, legal services, respite and caregiver support, case management, non-medical personal care and elder abuse prevention and mitigation. These programs help people to stay in their community and delays the use of long-term care. They also oversee the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) and the Health Insurance Information and Counseling Assistance Program (HIICAP). Funding comes from federal and state sources. In 2023, 525 million dollars was invested in providing services to over 1 million people. NY Connects is a collaboration between offices of the aging, social services and independent living centers. It provides screening for older adults and individuals with disabilities of any age to identify long term services and support needs, information and linkage to services. Staff will also screen for possible eligibility for public benefits such as Medicaid.

Federal funding cuts adversely effects programs and services. For further information refer to Inside Aging NYS -Issue #37 – March 2025 https://aging.ny.gov/system/Ales/documents/2025/02/imp. Locally, contact the Rensselaer County Unified Family Services Department for Aging Services as (518) 270-2730 or https://www.rensco.com/159/Aging. Contact NY Connects at (800) 342-9871 or, directly call (518)-270-2767 (AAA) or (518)274-0701 (ILC of the Hudson Valley) https://www.nyconnects.ny.gov/.

Members in Attendance (12): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Andy Lehane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown and Chris Bystroff.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (1): Sari Medick

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Treasurer Update: Almost done using Quicken to reconcile expenses. Phil Kellerman called the IRS. The package has been found. There was a 16 week wait period. The Club should be reinstated around March 24th.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th from 1pm until 3pm. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Sponsorship is $50. Proceeds go to the Anchor. Debbie Rodriguez and Kevin Leyhane will put sponsors on our website.

Benefit Concert: The concert is being held at the East Greenbush Methodist Church on April 26th. Donations will benefit the St. Paul Center. Phil Kellerman contacted all available media to advertise the concert.

Donation Jar: The jar was passed around to raise funds for the Global Eye Clinic in Haiti.

Global Grant: Concerning the Water Hole project in Kenya, Peter said that there had been a delay because the district in Kenya was informed that they may be paying too much for the drilling, and that a rebid of the project may have to occur.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Depending on your insurance, you can save 10% to 15% off the cost of your insurance and it should be good for 3 years. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend.

Community Project: Kevin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown and Phil Kellerman, Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will meet with members of the East Greenbush School District on Tuesday, March 18th, at 1:30pm. Peter Brown has been in touch with Jef about the backpack project to provide food over weekends for at risk students Kevin Leyhane will talk to the Athletic Director and co-workers about a possible fundraiser with the running clubs.

Star of Hope: Per Roberto Martinez, will be relocated to Columbia High School this spring.

Public Image Grants: Carole Heaney noted that the CNY Public Image Committee is offering grants for $250 in matching funds for branded materials. The March 1st deadline was postponed.

Circles of Mercy 2025 Cate’s Kids Easter Basket Program Schedule: Baskets are collected from February 24th to April 14th.The baskets are given out to our client families during Holy Week (April 14 thru April 18) before the Easter Sunday Holiday on April 20. Looking for leads to collect the baskets.

Valley Cats: The game was rained out last year. The Club tickets rolled over to this year. Available home game dates on Thursdays are: June 12th, June 26th, July 3rd, July 31st, August 7th and August 21st. Please check your calendars. We will vote on a date next week.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on April 22nd at 7 pm.

In Person PETS Training: March 15-16, double Tree Syracuse. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Phil Kellerman will be attending.

Foundation Grant Management Seminar: Foundation Grants Management Seminar, Zoom, Sunday March 23, 6-7pm, must preregister (Jim, Roberto registered, Debbie Rodriguez will register).

District Conference: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany. Registration required. Roberto Martinez will be going.

District Conference Learning Assembly: Friday April 4^th 8am-12p. Registration separate from District Conference. This is a FREE learning event designed to prepare club leaders in all roles – Secretary, Treasurer, Public Image, Membership, Foundation, DEI and more. It is open to all members, and you don’t need an official title to come learn something new! Come for general sessions, choose two breakouts based on your interest or role for next year, and enjoy a free breakfast. Registration is required!

Conference of Champions: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany Registration is open.  Fifty of our inbound and outbound Youth Exchange students will be present, you will have ample opportunities to connect with fellow members and CNY leaders, and we even baked in some site-seeing time before and during conference. Many volunteers are working hard to make sure you get a ton of value for your time and money to be immersed in Rotary all weekend! Register today at cnyrotary.org, Roberto, Phil, Jim going. Hoping for more attendees.

CNY Epic Day of Service: Hold the date and more to come 05/17/25

RI News

Advancing Women, Building Peace to Celebrate International Women’s Day 2025. Tuesday March 11^th in Chicago, 11am Chicago time.  Register and even if you can’t attend you will receive a recording of the session.  Any attendee?RI: Rotary PolioPlus Legacy: March 27, 2025, 10a EST, Live on Zoom2026 Rotary Peace Fellowships Applications open until May 15, 2025.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, March 20th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The guest speaker will be Laurie Pferr retired from the NYS Office of Aging.

Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parm.

Sari Medick is the Regional General Manager and Chief Operating Officer for Stretch Zone. Jordan Gold established the business for his father who had diabetic neuropathy. With this system, certified practitioners use patented straps and tables to position the muscles for stretching to increases one’s stretch and range of motion. When the body is in balance you feel and sleep better. You can do more because your joints don’t hurt. Mr. Gold’s father was able to go from difficulty getting up from a chair to dancing at a wedding.

There are 400 Stretch Zones around the country. Locally, Stretch Zones can be found in Delmar, Colonie and Clifton Park. Next year they will add Stretch Zones in Niskayuna and Saratoga. They employ 20 people across the three locations. The first session is an hour appointment. Subsequent sessions last half an hour and cost $40 to $50 per session but specials for $36 per session can be found. They also work with clients with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, tremors and hip replacements. They are open seven days a week by appointment only. For further information call 518-280-0870 or go to stretchzone.com.

Members in Attendance (11): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond and John Justino.

By Zoom (2): Dean Calamaras and Carole Heaney.

Guests (1): Mike Stangl.

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Treasurer Update: Almost done using Quicken to reconcile expenses. $500 will go to the District in April to support exchange students. The check will be given to Marissa. Phil Kellerman will inquire about the tax status. The membership approved allocating $600 to the Boy Scouts.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th from 1pm until 3pm. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Sponsorship is $50. Phil met with the principal of Maple his yesterday about the bowl-a-thon with the suggestion that proceeds go to the Anchor.

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman sent an application to the East Greenbush Methodist Church to hold a benefit concert to support a charitable project of the Church. Phil has not heard back yet. He will contact the Church.

Global Grant: Per Roberto Martinez, is moving along.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend.

Community Project: Kevin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown and Phil Kellerman met with 17 members of the East Greenbush School District on February 13th about the backpack project to provide food over the weekend for at risk students. There are seven schools in the district which split $25,000 to cover the cost of food. It is administered by Regional Food bank. Funding is donated by various local businesses and the PTO. The SRC Rotary will help organize fundraising for this project on an ongoing basis. Kevin Leyhane spoke to the Athletics Director yesterday about a fun run fundraiser to support the backpack program.

Star of Hope: Per Roberto Martinez, will be relocated to Columbia High School this spring.

Public Image Grants: Carol Heaney noted that the CNY Public Image Committee is offering grants for $250 in matching funds for branded materials.

Members in Action: Phil Kellerman spoke to the Cobleskill Rotary yesterday about immigration.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

Blue Star Mothers 4th Annual Golf Tournament: Please see the flyer posted at the bottom of the page.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on March 27th at 7 pm.

Foundation Grant Management Seminar, Zoom, on March 23rd. Pre-registration is required.

RLI March 1, Johnson City, NY. LI is $25, L2-G is $40. The Club will cover tuition. Sign up at http: //www.rlinea.org. Phil Kellerman and Chris Bystroff may be attending.

In-Person PETS Training, March 15-16, double Tree Syracuse. Registration has begun. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Phil Kellerman will be attending.

District Conference: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany. Registration required. Roberto Martinez will be going.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: The next meeting is Thursday, March 6th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The guest speaker will be Melisa Multari with an Update from the District.

Entry Choices will be Chicken Rustica Salid, Lasagna and Cheese Ravioli.

John Justino is the Director of Global Health for the SUNY College of Integrated Sciences and Vice-President of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. The College of Integrated Sciences was launched in September of 2024 after 2 years effort combining the 40-year-old School of Public Health with the 60-year-old School of Social Welfare and a new nursing program. The School of Public Health’s current location will be vacated as the combined College of Integrated Sciences moves to the main campus of SUNY Albany.

Facility fought for and acquired integrative participation in the process of creating the College of Integrated Sciences. Dr. Erin Bell, Dean of the School of Public Health will serve as Dean of the College and Dr. Vicki Rizzo, Head of the School of Social Welfare will serve as Vice-Dean. Faculty helped create the Mission and Vision Statements. An Advisory Committe was established to determine what Global Health will look like going forward. The College of St. Rose Nursing Program was shifted to the new College. Accreditation of the Nursing Program is in process.

The School of Public Health was formed by David Axelrod when he created a partnership between SUNY Albany and the NYS Department of Health to train future health care professionals. Many faculty are appointed from the Health Department. The College has a growing undergraduate public health program, as well as, Master’s in Science, Master’s in Public Heath, Doctoral Programs and accredited Graduate Certifications along with a social worker program. There are more than 1,000 students of which 450 are in Public Health. There are 197 faculty and 12,000 alumni. Many of the students are commuters.

Members Meeting by Zoom (12): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ruth Russell, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote and Andy Leyhane.

Guests by Zoom (1): Dan Maksin.

President Roberto Martinez called the meeting to order.

Theme for the year: Grow membership, do good in the world, leverage social capital, & have fun!

Meeting Notes:

Treasurer Update: Quicken is being used to monitor expenses and income and to delineate line items. About 90% of the imputing of finances has been completed. Next, Murray Fourth and Phil Kellerman will set up a budget. $500 will go to the District in April to support exchange students. Murray Forth sent a message to be careful when making payments using checks. He read that many cases of check fraud is being done by post office employees.

Bowl-A-Thon: Per Phil Kellerman, the Bowl-A-Thon is scheduled for April 6th. It will cost $16 for 1 1/2 hours or $20 for 2 hours. The special is $90 per lane of 5 people ($17 per person) which includes 2 hours of bowling, shoes, and food (pizza and soda). Sponsorship is $50. Phil has not heard back from Maple Hill. He has suggested that the activity be aligned with the backpack project with the East Greenbush Central School District.

Benefit Concert: Phil Kellerman sent an application to the East Greenbush Methodist Church to hold a benefit concert to support a charitable project of the Church.

Global Grant: Per Peter Brown, the Rotary Club in Kenya has an agreement in place with Crown Hydro who will serve as the contractor for the project. $1,000 was added to the project to cover the costs of the permits and survey. The cost may exceed the available funding by a small amount.

Defensive Driving: The AAA course will be held on May 17th at the Nassau Library from 9 am until 3:30 pm. We need a minimum of 25 people to sign up. If you are a member of AAA, the cost is $22. If you are a non-member, the cost is $27. Contact Pat Bailey if you wish to attend.

Community Project: Kevin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown and Phil Kellerman met with 17 members of the East Greenbush School District on February 13th about the backpack project to provide food over the weekend for at risk students. There are seven schools in the district which split $25,000 to cover the cost of food. It is administered by Regional Food bank. Funding is donated by various local businesses and the PTO. The SRC Rotary will help organize fundraising for this project on an ongoing basis.

RYLA: The District is restarting RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). RYLA will be held from June 29th to July 2nd. The District is looking for donations of $350 per student. The Club voted to put RYLA on hold for this year.

CNY News: Information on all of the following and more is posted to the website, cnyrotary.org.

Pre-PEL 3: Public Image/ Branding, Feb 19^th 7 pm.

Pre-PEL 4: Membership and Leadership, Feb 27^th, 7 pm.

Rotary 120th Birthday Extravaganza will be held in Glenville, February 23rd from 2 pm until 4 pm.

CNY Member Orientation is held every 4th Tuesday of each month. The next will be held on February 25th at 7 pm.

Foundation Grant Management Seminar, Zoom, Feb 26th from 7:3 pm until 8:30 pm.

RLI March 1, Johnson City, NY. LI is $25, L2-G is $40. The Club will cover tuition. Sign up at http: //www.rlinea.org. Phil Kellerman and Chris Bystroff may be attending.

In-Person PETS Training, March 15-16, double Tree Syracuse. Registration has begun. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Phil Kellerman will be attending.

Rotary Presidential Peace Conference: To be held February 20-22, 2025, at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center in Istanbul, Turkey. Register at rotery.org/istanbul25.

District Conference: April 4-6th, Hilton Downtown Albany. Registration required. Roberto Martinez will be going.

RI Conventions: Calgary, June 21-25, 2025. Carole Heaney will be attending.

Next Meeting: There is no meeting next week. The next meeting is Thursday, February 27th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. The guest speaker will be John Justino from the School of Public Health.

Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Chicken Limone and Baked Ziti.

Dan Maskin worked for thirty years with the Otsego County Community Action Services. He started out in 1987 working part-time, was appointed to the Board, became CEO and retired on July 1, 2024. There are over 1,000 Community Action Agencies in the United States, 40 in New York State and one in Rensselaer County. The agency started out with the War on Poverty Act in 1964. The Agencies are overseen by a Board consisting of 1/3 public officers, 1/3 community workers and 1/3 people receiving services. Agencies develop their own work plan and measure outcomes.

With an eight to nine-million-dollar budget, they funded Head Start, 2 shelters, a home energy assistance program and the Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) health and nutrition services. A payroll of 4.5 million funded 150 employees. Funding comes from the Federal Community Block Grant.

Rensselaer County has an 11.5% poverty rate. This translates to 18,000 people, 16% of which are children and 2% are over 65 years of age. This does not include the number of people who work but do not have a livable wage but make too much to qualify for assistance.