Members in Attendance (8):  Peter Brown, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Ray Hannan and Pat Bailey.

By Zoom (1): Charlie Foote.

Guests (2): Courtney Russell and Jane Ladopoulos (Speakers).

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. Bowlers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Sue Austin has reviewed the needs assessment, and it is adequate. Peter Brown has put together an initial set of specifications for bidders.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Next Thursday is the last date to drop off items at Moscatiellos. Ray Hannon spoke to management at Price Chopper. He will bring a letter from Peter Brown, along with Lois and Shannon and Price Chopper will issue them a gift card to purchase candy.

Viking Gym: Ron Annis is trying to see if the Club can meet at the Town garage on 3/21 so we can begin to assemble the gym equipment. Instillation is scheduled for 3/23 and we still need help from the schools. We need to plan for publicity.

Speakers: We still have open dates for speakers.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

Next Meeting: Thursday, March 14th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Ron Annis conducting CPR Training.

Entree choices will be Antipasti Salid, Lemon Chicken and Penne Pesto.

The Spinney is being rebranded as the Live Well Group. This is a second-generation company involved in developing communities and managing them. There are two Spinney Properties, the Spinney at Pondview in Castleton and the Spinney at Van Dyke in Delmar. The Pondview property has 187 cottages and 300 residents. The Van Dyke Property is still under construction. There are 102 completed cottages, 62 under construction and 60 more that will be built. These properties are designed to look like communities, with eight cottage styles, designed with different roof lines, garage colors and windows. Except for one two story unit, they are all one floor rentals. Units range from 1,400 to 1,700 square feet and have one or two bedrooms with no basement. Everything, except electric, is included in the 12-month lease and they rent from $1,700 to $2,750 per month. There are electric car charging stations on the property. They have a 100% occupancy rate and a waiting list.

Spinney communities are designed for active adults to live well. They have a Lifestyle Coordinator at each site. The Pondview site has two pools. The sites also offer community gardens. Actives include fitness and floral classes, educational programs, health clinics and community events. To find out more about life at the Spinney properties go to spvlifestyle@livingwellgroup.com or call (518) 479-0800.

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

By Zoom (7): Edmund Kellerman (Speaker), Dena Sevayega, Robert Schullman, Ruth Russell, Charlie Foote, John Justino and Becky Raymond.

Guests (0):

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed. There is a press release in Our Town. Contact Phil if you are willing to be a sponsor.

Viking Gym: The Town Highway Department will clear the land the weekend of the 4th. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will partner with Keller Construction to dig the holes. Volunteers will be needed on March the 23rd at noon to put the equipment together and to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. All dates are dependent on the weather. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Pat Baily has volunteered to look into food and drink for the 23rd. Jim Layhane will order a Peace Pole from Rotary International. The cost will be closer to $500. It is white, 8 ft. tall with languages on leucite plaques. Once ordered, it will take about 6 weeks for delivery.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown has received four proposals for the bore hole. He is comparing the proposals. Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch provided a needs assessment. Peter Brown will ask Sue Austin to review it.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 20th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year. Per Lois. we could use some more candy and personal care items.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. They are about halfway to their goal. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Next Meeting: Thursday, March 7th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Courtney Russell from the Spinney.

Entree choices will be Chicken Rustica Salid, Penne Alfredo and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Dr. Kellerman is a speech and communications specialist. He retired from the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication at the University of Florida. He has experience in helping political candidates with their campaigns. He had also set up a workshop via Zoom for 100 people who were considering running for office.

Why is one candidate more persuasive than others? By what criteria are candidates measured? If you do not speak well, people will think that you are wasting their time. Public speaking followed the rise in democracy. People judge you not on the merit of the issue but in how you speak.

People have communication anxiety. They fear failure, the unknown and/or rejection. The solution is to view public speaking as normal and natural and to practice desensitization. Start slow. Relax and breath. Visualize positively what you are doing.

When planning to speak, do an audience analysis. Know their attitudes and demographics. It is very important to keep to your time limit. Devote 10% of your time to the introduction, 80% to the body of the speech and 10% to the conclusion. Leave time for questions. When presenting a problem, explain how it applies to the audience and present workable, acceptable, cost-effective solutions that do not have unintended consequences. Support your ideas with research. Delivery matters. Make eye contact and, again, do not go over the assigned time limit. Running for office is a Herculean effort.

Members in Attendance (11):  Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Ron Annis and John Justino.

Guests (3): Denny Cicchino, Dan Wagner and Susan Kaczynski.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Paul Harris Fellow: Congratulations to Charlie Foote who received his pin in recognition of his contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Viking Gym: The Town Highway Department will clear the land the weekend of the 4th. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will partner with Keller Construction to dig the holes. Volunteers will be needed on March the 23rd at noon to put the equipment together and to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. All dates are dependent on the weather. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Pat Baily has volunteered to look into food and drink for the 23rd. Jim Layhane will order a Peace Pole from Rotary International. There are two choices, one with four languages for $275 and one with six languages for $325.

Student Scholarships: Terry Brewer will get the scholarship letters out next week. Their award check will be presented at our Rotary meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd at Moscatiello’s Restaurant.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown received another proposal for the bore hole. He is comparing the two proposals. Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch will provide a needs assessment. Circles of Mercy can’t do a grant until the fall.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS training will be held on Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Ray Hannon will make sure Lois receives the donations. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Rotary Birthday Party: The Party is tomorrow, February 23rd, from 5 pm until 8 pm at the Parting Glass located at 40 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open. the cost is $5. Register here  https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=9c633b5f-9f0c-44ab-a378-ca8b39759110.

Website Update: The meeting of March 28th will be a General Assembly. The membership lists will be updated and Rotary branding will be clarified so that Keven Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez can update the website.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Boy Scouts: Congratulations to Denny Cicchino, Scoutmaster of Troup 41. He is retiring at the end of the year after serving for 29 years. Dan Wagner, a Columbia High School social studies teacher, is taking over after Mr. Cicchino retires. The Club gave a $560 donation to sponsor a campership.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 29th (Leap Year) at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be representative from Broadview Credit Union.

Entree choices will be Chicken Ceasar Salid, Chicken Parmesan and Linguini with Baby Clams.

Anyone, anywhere at any time can have a seizure. One in ten people have had a seizure and one in twenty-six will go on to develop epilepsy. In the United States, 3.4 million people have epilepsy. There are different types of seizures from grand mal to appearing to zone out that result from many different causes.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York’s mission is to help overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy. The Foundation provides programs and services to twenty-two counties from the Upper Hudson Valley to the North Country to an estimated 45,000 people. They provide information, referrals, service coordination, self-management programs and counseling. They also provide educational programs on recognizing seizures and providing first aid to staff and students in schools and to professionals such as law enforcement and first responders. The Foundation advocates for individuals with epilepsy and their families.

The Foundation hosts many events and activities such as their Walk to End Epilepsy, the Confections to Chocolate Gala and Golf Tournament fundraisers as well as children’s events and adult recreation and social events. To learn more about the Epilepsy Foundation go to https://efneny.org/.

Members in Attendance (12):  Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Pat Bailey and John Justino.

Guests (1): Mike Stangl and Kevin Bailey (Speaker).

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Per Phil Kellerman, sponsorships are $50. Phil has collected $650 so far in sponsorships. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. Phil will pick up some gift cards for the raffle. He will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. He also spoke to Christine Fowler regarding student participation. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch visited the Full Gospel Church in North Central Kenya on February 7th. They reported that it was an excellent meeting and all are excited about the community project. They are discussing a small charge for water in order to generate funds to maintain the well. The next step is the needs assessment. Phil Kellerman and Debbie Rodriguez have started the Rotary International Global Grant training.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown recontacted both the Schodack and East Greenbush School Districts. Both are considering how to proceed. Becky Raymond suggested getting one of previously sponsored students to speak at an assembly about their experience as an exchange student. Per Peter Brown, this had been suggested to both schools.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th. In the new CNY Rotary District 7190, there are more than 100 clubs and greater than 3,000 Rotarians. There were 87 participants in the training. There are three categories of grants, District, District Scholarship and Regional. There is $60,000 available for grants this year. Applications are due by June 1.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS trainings will be held on Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Viking Gym: Jim Leyhane is looking at the possibility of placing a Rotary Peace Pole at the site.

Rotary Birthday Party: The Party is February 23rd from 5 pm until 8 pm at the Parting Glass located at 40 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open. the cost is $5. Register here https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=9c633b5f-9f0c-44ab-a378-ca8b39759110.

Opportunity for Service: The Colonie-Guilderland Rotary Club sent information on helping the immigrant IRC with help for asylum seekers. Phil Kellerman researched the request and reported back to the Club with his recommendation.

Member Lists: The meeting of March 28th will be a General Assembly. The membership lists will be updated so Keven Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez can update the website.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Social Capital: Debbie Rodriguez suggested that the Club look into the Rotary Community Corps where non-Rotarian Community members work in partnership with Rotary to improve their community. Peter Brown will check with our Rotary District about existing Corps or how to establish a Corp.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 22nd at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Suzanne Gazinski from the Epilepsy Foundation.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parmesan.

Kevin Bailey majored in international political science in college. He graduated and went on to establish High Peaks Solar, a solar installation service located in Wynantskill. He also founded the 501c not-for-profit The Sky is Not Limited. While working the Home Show at the Pepsi Arena in 2006 he met Jean Dobbs the CEO of the African Reflection Foundation. In partnership with the Foundation, The Sky is Not Limited has provided 15 wells combined with solar power to areas in Tanzania. They have also provided for a well in Haiti.

When Mr. Bailey went to Africa ten to twelve years ago; he witnessed poverty and saw how long it took to get water. A woman in her seventies walked one and a half miles each way every day to get a gallon of water. Having a well is life changing.

The African Reflection Foundation sites the wells, provides logistics and funding. The Sky is Not Limited, installs the wells, storage tanks and solar panels. Solar panels are used to power the well pump. Each well had cost $15,000 but due to inflation, the cost is now $17,000. Many of the wells were located at schools. The equipment is donated to the schools and become school property. Students and their families obtain water for free while there was a small charge for others. The solar panels last for forty to fifty years. However, the pump controls are electronic and need protection from the sun. Cell phones are used for monitoring.

The Sky is Not Limited is looking at developing solar cooking projects. Many people cook with charcoal and/or wood. Deforestation is becoming a problem. For further information or to donate to their projects go to https://theskyisnotlimited.org/.

Members in Attendance (15):  Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Terry Brewer, Monica Annis, Ron Annis and Dick Drumm.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (1): Sister Betsy Van Deusen and Lois Hannan.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Per Phil Kellerman, sponsorships are $50. Phil has collected $300 so far in sponsorships. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. Phil will pick up some gift cards for the raffle. He will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. He also spoke to Christine Fowler regarding student participation.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch visited the Full Gospel Church on February 7th. They reported that it was an excellent meeting and all are excited about the community project. They are discussing a small charge for water in order to generate funds to maintain the well. The next step is the needs assessment.

Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez and Debbie Rodriguez met with Jeff Simons, Superintendent of the East Greenbush Central School District, on Monday, February 5th. Mr. Simons is looking at ways that students and staff can be involved in the process.

Lois Hannan reported that she has received the Sister’s of Mercy grant application for the water project. She may need some help with that.

Phil Kellerman and Debbie Rodriguez will take the Rotary International Global Grant training.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown spoke with Jeff Simons about the possibility of a summer exchange program. Mr. Simons will pursue the idea. The Schodack School District is considering how to proceed.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th. In the new CNY Rotary District 7190, there are more than 100 clubs and greater than 3,000 Rotarians. There were 87 participants in the training. There are three categories of grants, District, District Scholarship and Regional. There is $60,000 available for grants this year. Applications are due by June 1.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS trainings will be held on Tuesday, February 13th at 7 pm, The rest will be held on Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Viking Gym: Ron Annis reported that the equipment is at the Schodack Town Highway Department. Ron met with the Town in November. The Town Highway Department will clear the land in April. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will drill the holes and coordinate the concrete order and delivery. Volunteers will be needed to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Top Form will provide scan codes for how to use the equipment and we may add a Rotary Peace Pole. The Club will look at publicity for the project.

Student Scholarships: Terry Brewer will get the scholarship letters out. The Club agreed to three $1000 scholarships to a student from the East Greenbush, Maple Hill and Rensselaer School Districts. Will try to have the responses from the Districts by April 15th so that the Club can meet the recipients in a meeting on May 16th or 23rd but no later than June 6th. Terry will speak with Andy about a Cafe Capriccio Dinner fundraiser.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Social Capital: Peter Brown attended a seminar on social capital, also called community resilience, which generates value for a community. An organizational process has been developed. Peter will provide further information ideas.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 15th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Kevin Bailey from High Peaks Solar speaking on water projects in Tanzania.

Entree choices will be Chicken Rustica Salid, Lasagna and Cheese Ravioli.

Sister Betsy Van Deusen is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet. She is a social worker by training and has served as Director of Church Relations for Habitat for Humanity International and Director of Community Partnerships for the Diocese of Albany. She serves on the Boards of the Regional Food Bank and the College of Saint Rose. Sister Betsy has been the CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany since July of 2022.

Catholic Charities of Diocese of Albany encompasses 14 counties witch cover 10,000 square miles. There are 10 agencies with 85 programs. The organization employes 700 people and has a 48-million-dollar budget. They serve 100,000 people a year. Funding comes from the Counties and the State with some Federal grants. They also fund raise.

Catholic Charities provides health, housing and shelter, youth and family, older adult and community services such as residences for pregnant teens, foster family placement and substance abuse assistance. They also have food insecurity and nutrition programs which include food pantries. For example, they provided a bus token to an individual so he could apply for a job and then provided steel toed shoes so he could do the job. That individual is now self-sufficient. They also provide services for run-away youth and help incarcerated individuals re-enter society. They provide community outreach and emergency services.

There are 168 Catholic Charity organizations in the Country. They are the largest service provider in the Country and in New York State. For more information go to https://www.ccrcda.org/.

Members in Attendance (12):  Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, John Justino, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez and Mary Alice Caldes.

By Zoom (0): 

Guests (1): Richard Zazycki

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Per Phil Kellerman, sponsorships are $50. Phil has several sponsors. Please let Phil know if you want to be a sponsor.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to either the Rotary meeting on April 11th or the meeting on April 25th. One of these meetings will have a speaker (TBD).

Water for Kenya: Tony Kasura, one of Peter and Debbie Brown’s guides during their trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, Edith Kenara of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch and Peter Brown agreed to locate the bore hole in Enabelibel Village at the Full Gospel Church. Mr. Kasura and Ms. Kenara will be visiting the Full Gospel Church on February 7th. Peter is sending them a model of a Memorandum of Understanding which will also include what everyone is responsible for. The next step is to develop a needs assessment. Peter and other Club members will meet with Jeff Simons, Superintendent of the East Greenbush Central School District, at Genet at 10 am on Monday, February 5th.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown reported that the Schodack School District is still looking at the Program.

Grants Management Training: There will be two sessions to choose from. Trainings will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, February 7th at 7 pm. and on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. The Club needs at least two people to attend. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/.

PETS Training: The first of the four free virtual pre-PETS trainings will be held Monday, February 5th at 7 pm, Tuesday. The other trainings will be held on February 13th at 7 pm, Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Mario Cesar Martins de Carmargo from Brazil, the RI President for 2025-26, will be attending. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 8th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CEO of Catholic Charites in Albany.

Entree choices will be Chicken Cesear Salid, Veal Marsala and Baked Ziti.

Richard Zazycki is the President and CEO of Circles of Mercy located at 11 Washington Street in Rensselaer. The Sisters of Mercy sponsor the organization. For twenty-five years, Circles of Mercy has provided services for people in need with a special emphasis on helping women and children.

Circles of Mercy offers free tax preparation assistance, financial literacy and computer training and assistance with employment searches and resume preparation. They provide kids programs, coordinate and run Christmas adopt-a-family, back to school and Easter basket programs providing Christmas gifts, school supplies and Easter baskets to families in need. They provide human service resource referrals for those services not provided by Circles of Mercy.

Catherine’s Closet is a thrift shop run by Circles of Mercy and also located at 11 Washington Street. They provide clothing grants for clients and families, layette sets for newborns and monthly grants for baby clothes, diapers and wipes. The thrift store is open from 10 am until 2 pm Monday through Friday. Donations are accepted from 10 am until 1:30 pm. They do not accept toys, household electrical or baby equipment.

Though their donations and grant revenues were down this past year, Circles of Mercy was able to provide 7,900 service transactions involving 1,600 clients. They have maintained and expanded their volunteer and benefactor base and have met or exceed their strategic planning goals. For more information on Circles of Mercy and Catherines Closet go to https://circlesofmercy.org/.

Members in Attendance (13):  Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Terry Brewer, John Justino, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (1): Guest David Hannan.  

Guests (4): Dr. Jessica Kumar (Speaker) and family.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person for 50 bowlers. Per Phil Kellerman, sponsorships are $50. Please let Phil know if you want to be a sponsor.

Water for Kenya: Tony Kasura, one Peter and Debbie Brown’s guides during their trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, Edith Kenara of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch and Peter Brown agreed to locate the bore hole in Enabelibel Village at the Full Gospel Church. The next step is to develop a needs assessment. There will be a Zoom meeting tomorrow at noon with the Enkare Naroch Rotary Club. If you are interested in participating, contact Peter Brown or Roberto Martinez for the Zoom link.

Grant Training: There will be two sessions to choose from. Trainings will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, February 6th or Thursday, February 7th at 7 pm. The Club needs at least two people to attend.

PETS Training: The first of the four free virtual pre-PETS trainings will be held Monday, February 5th at 7 pm, Tuesday. The other trainings will be held on February 13th at 7 pm, Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

The Rotary District in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Mario Cesar Martins de Carmargo from Brazil, the RI President for 2025-26, will be attending. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Roberto Martinez spoke to Shannon Romanowski at the YMCA. The YMCA will again partner with us. Roberto and Jim Leyhane will purchase 25 baskets and members of the YMCA will put the baskets together. Richard Zazycki of Circles of Mercy is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 1st at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Richard Zazycki of Circles of Mercy.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Chicken Parmesan and Penne ala Vodka.

Jessica Kumar, D.O., MPH is the Medical Director of the Office of Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention. She did Residencies at Albany Medical Center and Case Western. She joined the Department of Health in 2019. She was hired for the Immunization Program but moved to Communicable Diseases with the outbreak of COVID. She worked on the vaccine related polio outbreak in 2022 in NYS.

Polio is caused by the Enterovirus poliovirus. The virus is passed through poor hygiene and ingestion of fecal contaminated food and/or water. People are most infectious prior to exhibiting symptoms although 75 percent of children show no symptoms. Only a small percentage develop paralysis. Jonas Salk developed an inactivated (killed) polio vaccine in 1955 and Albert Saben subsequently developed an attenuated live oral vaccine.

In 1988, polio was present in 25 countries. That year, the World Health Assembly established the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotary is one of the major contributors to this initiative. Other contributors include UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the CDC. Czechoslovakia was the first country to eliminate polio. There were 350,000 cases worldwide in 1988. Now there is less than 10. Polio is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In June of 2022, New York State had the first case of paralytic polio since 2013. It was found through surveillance for acute flaccid myelitis. It was identified by genomic sequencing at Wadsworth Laboratories and confirmed by the CDC. It was a case of vaccine-derived polio virus. The attenuated live oral vaccine can mutate into a virus that cause disease. If an unvaccinated person comes in contact with the mutated virus, he/she can develop disease. The public health response included communication, media messaging, modeling, predictions of new infections and wastewater surveillance. The virus was found in wastewater in Rockland and Orange Counties. In New York State, 78.9 percent of children received the polio vaccine. Emphasis is on increasing vaccine coverage. For more information on polio, check the WHO Polio Guidelines https://www.who.int/health-topics/poliomyelitis#tab=tab_1 or the Pan American Health Association https://www.paho.org/en/topics/poliomyelitis.

Members in Attendance (10):  Dick Drumm, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, and Terry Brewer.

By Zoom (2):  Charlie Foote and Debbie Rodriguez.

Guests (0):

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person for 50 bowlers. Per Phil Kellerman, he will ask for sponsors next week.

Water for Kenya: Tony Kasura, one Peter and Debbie Brown’s guides during their trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, and Edith Kenara of the Rotary Club of Enkare Karok talked about the different areas for the proposed well. They are now looking for a public school in need of a bore hole.

PETS Training: Roberto Martinez reported that the four free virtual pre-PETS trainings are scheduled for Monday, February 5th at 7 pm, Tuesday, February 13th at 7 pm, Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

The Rotary District in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Mario Cesar Martins de Carmargo from Brazil, the RI President for 2025-26, will be attending. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. Roberto proposed that the Club help cover the costs for some members to attend.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 25th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker Dr. Kumar will give an update on Polio Eradication.

Entree choices will be Chicken Rustica Salad, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parmesan.

Terry Brewer has served as the SRC Club’s Membership Chair many, many times and has facilitated many Club discussions on membership. He has also served on the Rotary District Membership Committee. Membership is what gives us the ability to carry out our activities. It is a difficult time to attract new members. Not only is our Club aging, but the circle of friends we can recruit from is now in their late sixties and early seventies. We have lost many of our connections with local businesses and many no longer support community-based organizations. Declining membership in our District over the years led to a District reorganization.

Terry asked several questions. What are we doing about membership? Do we need to re-emphasize what Rotary is? What type of members to we want? Do we want members on paper or members who actively participate? What do we do to bring in new members? Are we offering a local, national and/or international themed Club? Is our Club too expensive? Along with the yearly membership fee and participating in the dinners, many of our resources come from member donations.

When we bring in new members, what are we doing to support them? Do they know who to contact for issues and concerns? Can they navigate the website? What do we do to follow up with new members? What activities can we do to engage and sustain members? Are we listening to what our members need and want? Are we asking them what they want from this Club to support them?

Member discussion produced several suggestions such as coming up with a signature event. We also need to come up with goal(s) and plan how to meet these goals. We also need to be more visible and define our “hook”. We need to get people thinking.

Membership is an ongoing conversation.

Happy Birthday Debbie!

Members in Attendance (13):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Len Leonidas and Debbie Rodriguez.

By Zoom (0):  

Guests (4): Noah Albanese, Hans Albanese, Janet Harris and Don Harris.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip along with Janet and Don Harris to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides, Tony Kasura, told them about the St. John Fischer Nursing School Clinical Program that sends student nurses to Kenya for a week of clinicals. Peter spoke to Vivianne Cunningham, of St. John Fischer, and discussed the possibility of SRC Rotary helping with the program. Due to unrest in the region, the College will not be doing the clinicals. However, a well (bore hole) is needed. Women walk long distances to obtain water which creates both physical and economic issues. Previously drilled wells often fail over time due to lack of maintenance. Peter Brown spoke to Nerris Dansou, the person in charge of water projects at Rotary International. There is a grant available to develop water projects. The Rotary Club of Enkare Karok has agreed to partner on this project. Peter has been speaking with Edith Kenara. Per Ms. Kenara, the Club of Kenkare Karok has already completed a community assessment. Both Ms. Kenara and Mr. Kasura had identified different areas for the well. They were supposed to speak. Peter is waiting to hear from them. Peter also has a hydrogeological survey and proposal submitted by Topmast Engineering. The cost for the well will be $45,000. A water tower accounts for about fourty percent of the cost.

Becky Ramond is interested in working on the grant. She will identify other organizations such as the Peace Corps who may have people in the area to participate in the project. Per Jeff Simon, the students from the East Greenbush Central School District might be interested in this project.

The Global Grant request must include provisions for training and maintenance, have an assigned owner of the water supply and at least 15% of the grant funds raised must come from outside the country. The Club will need members to work on the project, fundraise and determine further details.

Adopt-a-Family: Thank you to Debbie Brown and Debbie Rodriguez.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: Thank you to Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez for setting up the holiday party and to Phil Kellerman for organizing the silent auction. Per Phil, the Club raised over $600.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person for 50 bowlers or $14 for less than 50 bowlers. Per Phil Kellerman, the next step is to ask for sponsors. He has all the sponsor signs from last year. Fifty percent of the funds raised will go to the Maple Hill Iron Giraffe project and the other fifty percent will Anchor Food Pantry.

St. Joseph’s Place: Phil Kellerman delivered the check for $234 for bus fares to St. Joseph’s Place and observed their operation. Everything was exactly as described. Phil also recommended that the Club deliver all checks in person or use a post office envelope.

Membership: Becky Raymond had an inquiry from a potential member. Peter Brown responded to the inquiry and Roberto Martinez followed up with an application.

Dues: Per Murray Forth, those members who split their dues into two payments, the second payment of $87.50 is due. There is one membership payment outstanding.

CNY Rotary: Per Peter Brown, Central NY Rotary announced that our 2026-27 President will be Pamela Baker Gratton from the Auburn Rotary Club. She is a Past Club President, Paul Harris Fellow, mom, and long-time non-profit worker who comes to the team with a lot of professional experience in working with volunteers.

Moscatiellos: Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane announced that we expect a price increase in the next year.

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 11th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Stephen Fine from the Melanoma Education Foundation.

Entree choices will be Antipasta Salad, Lasagna or Linguini with baby clams.

Noah Albanese is a senior at Gettysburgh College. He majors in political science and economics. Noah is the nephew of Rotary member Len Leonidas. He was supposed to study abroad in the Czech Republic for a year but was unable to do so due to the pandemic. He recently spent six months in Taiwan learning Mandarin Chinese. He lived in an apartment and attended class for three hours per day at the Mandarin Training Center. He received a Boren Scholarship from the U.S. Department of Defense to study language in a country of political importance. In exchange, he will work in a civil service job after college for a year.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign island with its own language and culture influenced by the Chinese, Japanese and 16 indigenous tribes. It was a Japanese colony from 1895 until 1945. There are approximately 23 million people living in Taiwan. After the Chinese revolution, the Nationalist retreated to Taiwan and eventually established a democracy. Taiwan is located between two tectonic plates with high mountains in the middle, surrounded by ocean. Tea is grown in the mountains, and they are known for their microchips. They have very good and inexpensive public transportation system. Both sides of the island are connected by tunnels through the mountains.

Noah showed pictures of places he visited in while he was in Taiwan. Historical places included the National Palace Museum. the National Marter Shrine, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Night Markets. He had pictures of Taoist, Confucius and Bundist Temples, as well as Mazu, goddess of the ocean. She is the most powerful god and has the most commonly found temple. It was noted how beautiful and lush the island is.