Members in Attendance (12):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane and Terry Brewer.

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

Guests (1): Marcie Bower

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Adopt-a-Family: Thursday, December 14th, is the last day to turn in the donations for our adopted family. The wish list is posted on the website. Please wrap all gifts and label with the full name of the recipient. Please contact Kevin Leyhane, if you need full names. If you are unable to drop off donations on December 14th, please contact Debbie Rodriguez to arrange for an alternate date and time. The donations are due on December 15th. Debbie Brown and Debbie Rodriguez will coordinate getting the donations to Circles of Mercy.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost has increased to $35 per person and does not include the gratuity. Children are half price. The Club will cover the gratuity. If the additional $5 is a problem, please contact Roberto Martinez.

Currently, 43 members and their guests will be attending. Our final count is due Monday. If you plan to attend but do not show up, the Club will still be charged for your meal.

Dinner will be served as a buffet that includes Ceasar Salid, Chicken Marsala, Lasagna and Eggplant Parmesan. There will be Cannoli and cookies for dessert.

Phil Kellerman is organizing the silent auction this year. Currently, 15 baskets are being donated. Phil will be there at 5:30 pm with the description and bid sheets for those donations. Phil asks that those donating arrive a little early.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: Phil Kellerman has left a message with the event coordinator at the bowling alley asking for a price of $12 per person instead of $16 for two hours of bowling and shoes. He has not heard back yet. His next step is to ask for sponsors. He has all the sponsor signs for last year.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown contacted Jennifer Knowles regarding Rotary Clubs in Kenya that may be able to participate in the project. He has not heard back yet.

St. Joseph’s Place: The Club approved a donation of $240 for St. Joseph’s Place to purchase bus fares. Phil Kellerman will deliver the check and observe their operation.

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

Viking Gym: The bulk of the work is to be done by the Town of Schodack. Ron Annis would like to get some volunteers in January to help put together the equipment.

Club Assembly: to be held on January 18th. We still need speakers for next year.

Next Meeting: Thursday, December 14th, the holiday party starts at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. There will be no Zoom.

Marcy Bower is a licensed acupuncturist. She graduated from the New England School of Acupuncture’s three-year master’s program. Marcy works at Bower Family Acupuncture located at 81 Miller Road in Castleton.

Acupuncture is part of ancient Chinese medicine. It corrects the disease-causing imbalance of energy by supplementing weak energy, dispersing energy when it is too strong or moving stuck energy. Acupuncturists look at the human body though its energy or life-force. Ying represents the cool and watery parts of the body, whereas yang represents the hot, dry and fiery parts of the body. Other ways to look at the body include Qui and Blood, the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and microsystems. Disease is caused by the imbalance of these forces.

Acupuncture is used for pain management, anxiety, headaches and to treat many diseases. It involves inserting small needles into anatomical landmarks to restore balance. Accupressure involves putting pressure on certain parts of the body to help energy flow. It is used to treat things like insomnia, stress and motion sickness. Many insurances cover acupuncture treatments.

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

By Zoom (0):  

Guests (1): Cathy Krueger.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Adopt-a-Family: We have adopted a family of five. Kevin Leyhane has posted the wish list on our website. Please wrap all gifts and label with the name of the recipient. Debbie Rodriguez and Debbie Brown will collect the donations at the Rotary meetings on December 7th and 14th. If you are unable to drop off donations at these meetings, please contact Debbie Rodriguez to arrange for an alternate date and time. The donations are due on December 15th.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. Currently, 38 members and their guests will be attending. Phil Kellerman is organizing a silent auction this year. He is seeking donations. Please call or email him at philkellerman77@gmail.com about your donation.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: Phil Kellerman has left a message with the event coordinator at the bowling alley. He will contact Christine at the Schodack School District to pick a date for the event sometime in March. Phil has signs left over from last year’s event. He would like to again split the proceed between the Castleton Food Pantry and the Iron Giraffe Project. He is also planning for a raffle with gift cards.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown contacted Jennifer Knowles regarding Rotary Clubs in Kenya that may be able to participate in the project.

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

Clink: Please contact Murray Forth for bag stickers.

Rotaract: Per John Justino, it has been difficult to engage student interest. We are considering a different approach. He has spoken with the Dean of Student Affairs at the School of Public Health. They are open to linking Rotaract to other School Clubs and possibly connecting to the YMCA for joint projects and activities. He will meet with the Dean next week. There is an interest in continuing discussions with the School of Public Health, Rotary and the YMCA.

Next Meeting: Thursday, December 7th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Marcie Bower on “The Benefits of Acupuncture.”

Entree choices are Chicken Rustica Salid, Chicken Marsala and Penne Alfredo.

Cathy Krueger is a Sister of St. Joseph. She taught at Holy Names School for ten years. She brought students to Nicaragua during school breaks for the Mission of Hope. She is now associated with St. Joseph Place in downtown Schenectady.

St. Joseph Place was the dream of Michael Hogan, Pastor of St. Joseph’s Church. He wanted a church presence in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood, so he asked the sisters of St. Joseph to help. They opened St. Joseph Place in a closed police station as a hospitality center. They provide refreshments, prayer, conversation and socialization in a neighborhood with widespread poverty, drug issues, mental illness and individuals with disabilities. It serves as a place for people from shelters and others to go during the day. They also collect hats, scarfs coats and gloves to give out. They charge phones and provide bus or taxi fares as needed. They are partnered with the Schenectady Intercity Missionary which provides food. Volunteers from St. Joseph’s Parish also give service.

Funding comes from a church appeal at St. Joseph’s Church which covers the rent and donations from the sisters of St. Joseph. They are located at 837 Albany Street in Schenectady. They are open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am until noon. Visitors are welcome. Call 518-374-2683 Extension 115 for more information and to learn how you can help.

Members in Attendance (12):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhand and Jeff Simon.

By Zoom (1):  Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Pam Simon.

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Holiday Schedule: There is no Rotary meeting next week.

Adopt a Family: Richard Zazycki, Executive Director of Circles of Mercy, will assign either a family of six or two familes of three to the Club. They are in the process of getting the gift lists from the families and will contact us when the information is complete. Donations are due by Friday, December 15th. Debbie Rodriguez and Debbie Brown will collect the donations and deliver them to Circles of Mercy.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. Phil Kellerman is organizing a silent auction this year. He is seeking donations. Please call or email him at philkellerman77@gmail.com about your donation. Past donations have included gift baskets, bottles of wine and gift cards.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, they connected with the local people in the area. They found that there is a need for a well (bore hole). Women walk long distances to obtain water which creates both physical and economic issues. Peter Brown spoke to the person in charge of water projects at Rotary International. There is a grant available to develop water projects. We need a partner club in the Kenya/Ethiopia District. Peter is looking into which club in the area is appropriate for the project. They must have the capacity to do the project. He is focusing on Narok County. Per Jeff Simon, the students from the East Greenbush Central School District might be interested in this project.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 30th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Cathy Krueger from Saint Joseph Place.

Entree choices are Chicken Ceasar Salid, Cheese Ravioli or Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Jeff Simon came up with the idea of starting a District wide book club. The district has 4,000 students and 800 staff. The district had worked through a lot of challenges and a book club would be a way of bringing everyone together incorporating diversity, inclusion, belonging and promoting connections. The Committe to Promote Global Education implemented Superintendent Simon’s idea. The Committe selected the book “The Elephant in the Room” by Holy Goldberg Sloan, about a girl, missing her mother who befriended an autistic boy and the widow of one of her teachers who won a lottery and rescued an elephant from a circus. The book was appropriate for elementary, middle and high school students. Everyone in the District was invited to join the project.

With the help of local organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, the Elks, the Green Meadow PTO, the East Greenbush Teachers Association and Wayne Pratt and Sons, enough books were purchased so that anyone who wanted a book got one.

The project ran from March through April 2023. Families were encouraged to read the books together. Guest speakers were recruited to read chapters. The district set up a guest speaker Video Library which was posted on their website. They hosted family reading nights at the school with discussion groups. The “Where is Vita?” part of the project involved students visiting community businesses and organizations such as, the YMCA, Hannaford, Stewarts, and the Nassau and North and East Green Libraries where they looked for the stuffed elephant, Vita (which traveled around the community). If they found Vita, snapped a picture and posted it at school, the student was eligible to participate in a raffle for prizes.

The service portion of the project involved the collection of spare change for earthquake relief in Turkey. The students raised around $1,200 dollars. Students also worked together. High school students went to the elementary school and helped the students with writing and art projects based on the book. The author, Holy Goldberg Sloan, visited with 4th and 5th graders on April 3rd and spoke about her writing process, career and the importance of reading. The visit was video streamed to the rest of the schools.

Per Superintendent Simon, the project was a great success. They received a lot of positive feedback. They do plan to do the project again.

Members in Attendance (8):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez and Ray Hannan.

By Zoom (1):  Charlie Foote.

Guests (1): Chris Bystroff, Ph.D., Professor at RPI.

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

YMCA Caring Community Basket Brigade: Roberto Martinez spoke to Shannon Romanowski about the YMCA Thanksgiving baskets. They are fully covered for volunteers and funding this year.

Adopt a Family: Roberto Martinez will speak to Richard Zazycki, Executive Director of Circles of Mercy, about when the families will be assigned for the Cate’s Kids Adopt-a-Family Program this year. The Club will adopt a family. Donations are due by Friday, December 15th. Debbie Rodriguez will collect the donations and deliver them to Circles of Mercy.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. Phil Kellerman is organizing a silent auction this year. He is seeking donations. Please call or email him at philkellerman77@gmail.com about your donation. Past donations have included gift baskets, bottles of wine and gift cards. If you have sponsored a new member, please make sure you invite them to the holiday party.

Holiday Schedule: There will be a Rotary meeting on December 21st. There will be no Rotary meetings on December 28th and January 4th. The first Rotary meeting of the new year will be held on January 11th. Speakers will be needed for next year.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides 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 is interested in looking into this project. There is a Rotary Club in the Rift Valley. Peter Brown spoke to the person in charge of water projects at Rotary International. There is a grant available to develop water projects. 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.

Foundation Dinner: will be held on November 16th at the Edison Downtown in Schenectady.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 16th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Jeff Simon, Superintendent of the East Greenbush School District will provide an update on the Elephant in the Room project.

Entree choices are Chicken Rustica Salid, Chicken Florentine or Penne in Pesto Cream Sauce.

Growing populations utilize greater resources. Eventually resources are exhausted leading to starvation and death. Therefore, the need for birth control. According to Dr. Bystroff birth control has existed since the beginning of time. Early birth control included cultural taboos regarding sex and the use of various herbs which blocked ovulation or caused a miscarriage. Modern methods include barrier (condoms, diaphragms), hormonal (the pill, the patch) and long-term methods (IUDs and sterilization).

Per Dr. Bystroff, 55% of pregnancies are intentional. The other 45% are unintentional. Unwanted children perpetuate the cycle of poverty. In 2016, 41.3 million pregnancies were unwanted. Dr. Bystroff began researching contraceptive vaccines at his laboratory at RPI With funding from the Grantham Foundation. Why contraceptive vaccines? Vaccines are widely accepted worldwide, they last a long time, they are safe and cheap, and they are reversable.

Recently, his first research paper entitled “Bacterial production of recombinant contraceptive vaccine antigen from cat sper displayed on human papilloma virus-like particles” was published. One of the four virus studied worked very well in mice. It has taken five years to get to this point.

The global fertility rate is declining due to the decrease in the number of children per woman. Families are smaller and some women elect not to have children.

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

By Zoom (1):  Edmund Kellerman, Speaker

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

YMCA Caring Community Basket Brigade: The YMCA is looking for volunteers to help assemble Thanksgiving baskets with donated food (including turkeys), or drive baskets to designated families (always 2 drivers together) on November 18th. They are set to serve 1500 families this Thanksgiving season. To volunteer, please follow this link. https://cdymca.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/602. Peter Brown and Roberto Martinez will contact Shannon Romanowski to find out how much support is needed and if the need is in food products or assembly.

Adopt a Family: The Club received an email from Richard Zazycki, Executive Director of Circles of Mercy, requesting Club participation with Cate’s Kids Adopt-a-Family Program this year. The Club will adopt a family. Donations are due by Friday, December 15th. More information to follow.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. Phil Kellerman is organizing a silent auction this year. He is seeking donations. Please call or email him at philkellerman77@gmail.com about your donation. Past donations have included gift baskets, bottles of wine and gift cards. If you have sponsored a new member, please make sure you invite them to the holiday party.

Holiday Schedule: There will be a Rotary meeting on December 21st. There will be no Rotary meetings on December 28th and January 4th. The first Rotary meeting of the new year will be held on January 11th. Speakers will be needed for next year.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides 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 is interested in looking into this project. There is a Rotary Club in the Rift Valley. Peter Brown has been trying to contact the person in charge of water projects at Rotary International.

Viking Gym: The Viking gym kits are stored in the town garage. There are eight pieces of equipment. Ron Annis reported that he assembled one of the pieces of equipment. Jim Leyhane will check with the Town to confirm that the Kiwanis Club will assemble some of the equipment. Jim will also contact the Elks Club. We will also need volunteers from our Club to assemble the rest of the equipment sometime after the holidays.

Rotary Leadership Institute: SRC Rotary will pay the $75 dollar fee for Rotary and Rotaract members to attend. The event will be held on November 4th with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Albany Unitarian Universalist Association, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY  12206.    There is free public parking on the street and in the Albany University lot across and kitty corner from the site. To register, go to RLINEA.org and scroll down to the Albany event and hit the button that says “Learn More.”  If you don’t remember your log-in name, register as a Guest for Part 1, and as you complete your registration, there is a place to indicate which Part you really want to take. 

Foundation Dinner: will be held on November 16th at the Edison Downtown in Schenectady.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 9th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Chris Bystroff, Ph.D., Professor at RPI, will speak about voting machines. Do we trust them?

Entree choices will be Caesar Salid, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Cheese Ravioli.

Ed and his brother Phil grew up in New York City. Their interest in collecting started out with radio stations and stores who gave out pins. Over time, they became the largest procurers of political buttons on the web. “Behind every button is a story, both historical and sociological.” They joined the American Political Items Collectors (APIC). Proceeds from their sales of items funded their Harvest of Hope Foundation. Ed also makes his own buttons.

Pre 1896, coat buttons served to support political campaigns. In 1896 there was a dental conference in Ohio. Members of the McKinley campaign notices the pictures on the buttons and copied the idea for use in the presidential campaign. Many different types of pins were produced. Jugate pins had two heads portrayed on the pin, whereas, trigate pins had three heads. There are also commemorative buttons, anti-candidate buttons, third party buttons (made by the presidential campaigns) and grassroots buttons (made by citizens). You can also find political plates, golf makers, mechanical devices and hats.

What makes a pin valuable? It should be pristine, authentic (authorized by a campaign, possibly signed), and be very rare. It also should have beauty in design and production. The most popular buttons/pins are of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan. Most collections center on theme, candidate, issue or connection. In March of 2022, a Cox and Roosevelt pin sold for $185,850.

For more information go to the National Museum of Political Memorabilia at https://nmpm.net/contact-us and the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) at https://apic.us/ .

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, John Justino, Ruth Samuels and Debbie Rodriguez.

By Zoom (0):  

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

YMCA Caring Community Basket Brigade: The YMCA is looking for volunteers to help assemble Thanksgiving baskets with donated food (including turkeys), or drive baskets to designated families (always 2 drivers together) on November 18th. They are set to serve 1500 families this Thanksgiving season. To volunteer, please follow this link. https://cdymca.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/602.

Adopt a Family: The Club has not heard from Richard at Circles of Mercy yet.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. We need at least 25 people to reserve the room.

Holiday Schedule: There will be a Rotary meeting on December 21st. There will be no Rotary meetings on December 28th and January 4th. The first Rotary meeting of the new year will be held on January 11th. Speakers will be needed for next year.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides 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 is interested in looking into this project. There is a Rotary Club in the Rift Valley.

Viking Gym: The Viking gym kits are stored in the town garage. There are eight pieces of equipment. Ron Annis reported that he assembled one of the pieces of equipment. Jim Leyhane will check with the Town to confirm that the Kiwanis Club will assemble half of the equipment. The Club will look for volunteers to assemble the rest of the equipment sometime after the holidays.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown reported that Maple Hill is still interested in the Exchange Program. Jason Chevrier, Superintendent of the Schodack Central School District, will be having a conversation with the Principal of the Middleburgh High School about their student exchange program.

Rotary Leadership Institute: SRC Rotary will pay the $75 dollar fee for Rotary and Rotaract members to attend. The event will be held on November 4th with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Albany Unitarian Universalist Association, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY  12206.    There is free public parking on the street and in the Albany University lot across and kitty corner from the site. To register, go to RLINEA.org and scroll down to the Albany event and hit the button that says “Learn More.”  If you don’t remember your log-in name, register as a Guest for Part 1, and as you complete your registration, there is a place to indicate which Part you really want to take. Part 1:  My Rotary World, Ethics and Vocational Service, Foundation 1:  Our Foundation, Engaging Members, Creating Service Projects, and My Leadership in Rotary. Part 2:  Rotary Opportunities, Effective Leadership Strategies, Attracting Members, Club Communications, Team Building, and Foundation II:  Targeted Service. Part 3:  Strategic Planning, Foundation III:  International Service, Public Image and Public Relations, Building a Stronger Club, and Making a Difference.

World Polio Day: was Tuesday, 10/14/23. Per Jim Leyhane, no information was disseminated. We will have a program on Polio eradication in January.

Foundation Dinner: will be held on November 16th at the Edison Downtown in Schenectady.

DAF Fund: Jim Leyhane reported that the Fund is almost back to its starting point.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 2nd, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Ed Kellerman will speak about “The History of Political and Historical Memorabilia”.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Chicken Marsella or Penne Alla Vodka.

John Eberle is the President and CEO of the Capital District Community Foundation. He worked for not-for-profits for over thirty years. He also worked in construction.

The Capital District Community Foundation grows communities through philanthropy. They receive, manage and grow charitable dollars. They make grants to non-profits and help them with grant making. In 2026, they received $80 million, created 166 new funds and dispersed over $63 million into the community.

Their strategic framework includes inspiring and elevating the community. They provide training, mentoring, technical assistance and board development to nonprofit organizations. In response to a survey done several years ago which showed no diversity in leadership structures, they developed the Catalyst for Change Program for board inclusion training for individuals to advance diversity in nonprofit boards to better reflect the community.

For further information, please go to http://www.cfgcr.org.

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Kenin Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond

By Zoom:  John Justino

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Speakers:   The following Thursday, October 26, Our speaker will be John Eberle, CEO of The Community Foundation. He will continue our conversation on social capital.

Members are encouraged to reach out to the extensive list of potential speakers and make appropriate arrangements.   Any slot identified as a Club Assembly can be accessed to accommodate a potential speaker/program.  Artificial Intelligence is of particular interest to members. 

 World Polio Day/Rotaract: John reported that he is struggling to get engagement from the Rotaract Club, and therefore there will be no program sponsored by the School of Public Health.  John would like to involve Becky R and Debbie R in a conversation about the level of commitment from students at the School.

YMCA Basket Brigade:  Becky brought to member attention The Capital District YMCA Caring Community Bucket Brigade to be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov 18).  Volunteers are needed to assemble baskets; and drivers are needed for distribution. 

Date for Holiday Party and Silent Auction:  In order to reserve a room at Moscatello’s we need to guarantee at least 30-35 participants.   Dates under consideration are the 14^th or the 7^th in order of preference.   Please communicate to Roberto your intention to participate and the number of your party as soon as possible.  The earlier date of the 7^th may be easier to secure as we may be able to satisfy adequate numbers for that date.   

Jim Leyhane presented many “fun facts” and thought-provoking questions to get members thinking about what they would say when asked about Rotary.  Rotary International is the oldest non-government charity and has 4 million clubs around the world with over 100,600 000 members.  What other organization would take on a worldwide health crisis such as polio and expect to win?  Rotary has effectively eliminated polio with only cases in one country.  Rotary has offered over $10 million worldwide for Ambassador Scholarships for Master’s Programs. 

Service in Rotary, both locally and with worldwide programs such as Shelter Box and Gift of Life, gives tangible ways to give back and have fun by working alongside other Rotarians in a common goal. 

We all know the 4-Way Test:  It is the truth?  Is it fair to all concerned? Does it build good will? Is it beneficial to all?    Jim would add a 5^th: “Is it fun?   If you can help somebody it is pure good.  Good for good’s sake is a natural high.”

Food for thought:  Why are you here?  What has kept you coming all these years?  Personal responses to these prompts help you create a personal “elevator speech”.

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Kenin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Dick Drumm, Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom: none

Guests:  DG Whitney Pangborn, Asst DG Marisa Multari

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year:  “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES

Speakers:  Next Thursday, October 19, Jim Leyhane will help us develop our personal “elevator speech” about why we are Rotarians.

The following Thursday, October 26, Our speaker will be John Eberle, CEO of The Community Foundation. He will continue our conversation on social capital.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 12th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Jim Leyhane will present his Rotary Elevator Speech.

District 7190 will merge with two other districts in the year 2024 to become Central New York Rotary District.  AS DGN, Whitney spent the year asking Rotarians across the district the following question: “Why do we care?”  Among the strongest responses were “Its our world”,   the value of various humanitarian projects which people felt “make a difference”   

Whitney outlined 3 objectives for her presidency as we prepare for this transition. 

1.Collaborating:  How can we share resources between clubs, including Interact and Rotaract?   Many clubs have dwindling membership, and such sharing could allow smaller clubs to do even greater things together.

2.Cultivation:  How can we encourage new leaders and new ideas? 

3.  Communication:  Promote the future of Rotary in our region.  CNY will be 115 clubs and approximately 3000 members.  Make use of the wide variety of communication tools/platforms to reach a more diverse potential membership.

At the District Conference in 2024, when this merger/creation of the new CNY district, Lizzy Martin will be named the President of the CNY Board.  She is a third generation Rotarian and hails from Baldwinsville. She will assume her duties in July 2024.  Bob Balk will follow Lizzy in July 2025.

Members in Attendance (14):  Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ray Hannan, Doris Calamaras, Dean Calamaras, Pat Bailey, Kevin Leyhane, Ruth Samuels, Andy Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez and Roberto Martinez.

By Zoom (3): John Justino, Tom Uhle and Luz Martinez.

Guests (0): 

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Building Community.”

MEETING NOTES

Student Exchange: Per Peter Brown, Jason Chevrier, Superintendent of the Schodack Central School District, will be having a conversation with the Principal of the Middleburgh High School about their student exchange program.

Speakers:   The fall programs are filling up. We are still looking for speakers for the winter and spring.

Membership: We are looking to add new members. We are relying on current members to suggest candidates for membership as we have no mechanism for recruiting.

Rotaract: John Justino reported that they have a speaker lined up for the World Polio Event on Tuesday, October 24th. He has room 110A booked at the School of Public Health from 4 pm to 8 pm. Dr. Jessica Kumar will speak. Jessica is the Medical Director at the DOH Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and working on polio prevention here in NYS. Rotary members are welcome to attend the event.

Gift of Life: Dean Calamaras reported that the golf tournament neted $14,000. They are hoping to expand the program with the District merge.

Viking Gym: Ron Annis spoke with the Supervisor of the Town Garage. The Viking gym kit is stored there. According to the Supervisor, there is no way to complete the project this fall. They have to level and ground and do some landscaping. It looks like the work will be done next spring. The gym equipment is paid for. Ron will keep in contact with the Town.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 12th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Whitney Pangburn, Rotary District Governor, will provide an update on District initiatives and activities.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Spaghetti and Meatballs or Manicotti.

“There is no fix.” The immigration system is dysfunctional and becoming more dysfunctional. It has to do with the number of immigrants. The world is inundated with immigrants. The United States, Germany and Saudi Arabia lead the world in immigration. Columbia has received 2.5 million immigrants from Venezuela. People immigrate to avoid war and persecution and because of economic hardships and climate change.

Approximately 14% of the United States population are immigrants. Border patrol has captured over 2 million immigrants. They are transported all over the country. They become a strain on city and state resources. Work authorizations take up to two months to process. In the meantime, people need rent and food money. Many cannot work. There are 60,000 immigrants in the New York City Shelter System for a cost of 12 billion over 3 years. New York State claims it does not have the capacity to manage more immigration. Many people apply for political asylum, but that is hard to get. Poverty is not a reason to receive political asylum. Immigrants find work in the construction, agriculture, architecture, engineering, health care, transportation and hospitality industries.

How do you secure a border when border crossings generate over 5 billion dollars? Phil suggests that there needs to be some way to process those who want to emigrate. The United States Government is talking about setting up processing centers in Mexico and South America. He also suggests that there also needs to be some of legislation that leads to legalization. He proposes a 15-year process where immigrants undergo a background check, pay a fine and pay back taxes. They would receive a 5-year work permit that could be renewed for another 5 years, become eligible for a green card and then citizenship. Crimes committed during this time would result in the loss of the work permit and potentially lead to deportation.

Members in Attendance (9):  Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez and Roberto Martinez.

By Zoom (0): None.

Guests (0): 

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.

Theme for the Year: “Building Community.”

MEETING NOTES

Student Exchange: Per Peter Brown, Jason Chevrier, Superintendent of the Schodack Central School District, is interested in establishing a student exchange program.

Kenya Clinic Program: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides 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, of St. John Fischer, and discussed the possibility of SRC Rotary helping with the program. Peter is interested in organizing clinical support as part of an effort to extend services.

District Grants: Roberto Martinez reported that due to decreased contributions to the Rotary Foundation, going forward, grants will be limited to $l,150 instead of the traditional $1,500.

Rotary Dues: The Club dues will be submitted tomorrow.

SRC Board: The motion to approve adding Phil Kellerman and Andy Leyhane as At Large Board members was submitted by Roberto Martinez and seconded by Debbie Brown. The motions passed with a member quorum that included proxy votes from Dean Calamaris, Dorris Calamaris and Murray Forth.

Speakers:   Roberto Martinez reviewed the list of potential speakers for the year. We continue to look for speakers for the upcoming months.

Summer Programs: Roberto Martinez reported that the summer casual events generated around $1,100 for SRC Rotary initiatives.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 5th, dinner at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Phil Kellerman will provide “An Update on Immigration. Is There a Fix.”

Entree choices will be Rustica Salid, Chicken Marsala or Penne Alfredo.

Kevin Leyhane spoke about the SRC website.

“Bill Dowd created a very robust website.” The Inside Page choices can be found in the right-hand side of the page. The calendar page contains information about speakers/programs for meetings and the link to join the meetings by Zoom. The member roster and member contact information were reviewed and will be updated. Also, our sponsors information will be updated. The member contact information is password protected. Contact one of the Club Officers for the password.

You can search our site for information, see recent posts or older posts prior to 5/6/16.

There is a lot of information on our website. Take a look. If you see anything that needs to be updated, contact Kevin Leyhane.