Restrictions on group activities slowly are being removed as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ease, but not all such limitations have been lifted.
So, in an effort to encourage 5K walkers/runners to participate in a Gift of Life fundraiser next Thursday through Sunday, June 10-13, you or any such participants you know can take advantage of a virtual method fo help out.
Details are available online by clicking here. But, if you can’t participate, you still can contribute to the pediatric lifesaving program by clicking here.
P.S. Another GOL fundraising activity is the annual golf tournament. Circle September 20 on your calendar to save the date, with details to come closer to the event.
Care to do some duck hunting, of a sort? Take a look at the following information about Gift of Life’s annual “Give A Duck” fundraiser to support lifesaving pediatric surgery.
You may even be one of the lucky supporters who wins a $5,000 prize.
If you’re the first person in the world to do something, chances are you’re a pretty unusual individual.
Any Rotarian who would like to meet such a person is invited to a virtual event at which Dr. Sylvia Whitlock will be the keynote speaker.
In 1987, Whitlock became president of the Rotary Club of Duarte, CA, making her the first woman to hold such a position within Rotary International. That club’s charter had been revoked in 1978 after it violated RI’s policy by admitting women. The club filed suit in a California court, claiming that Rotary Clubs are business establishments subject to regulation under a California civil rights act that bans discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or ethnic origin. It won the case and RI appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States.
On May 4, 1987, the Supreme Court confirmed the Californian decision supporting women, in the case Board of Directors, Rotary International v. Rotary Club of Duarte. After the ruling, Rotary International ended its policy of gender restrictions.
According to a Wikipedia entry, Whitlock was born in New York City and educated in Kingston, Jamaica. She returned to New York City after high school and earned a B.A. in psychology from Hunter College. She later moved to California where she earned a master’s degree in education from Cal Poly Pomona and a Ph.D. in education from Claremont Graduate School. Whitlock earned a second master’s, in marriage and family therapy, from Azusa Pacific University. She also was an elementary school principal in Duarte, CA.
She will be speaking at 7 p.m. tonight (May 3). Register here for access.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (14): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Andy Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Kevin Leyhane.
GUESTS: None.
DONATIONS: Treasurer Murray Forth reported that the club is holding money designated by donors for specific organizations to be dispersed before June 30, the end of the current Rotary Year. It was the consensus of attendees to expedite checks to Circles of Mercy ($600) and a trio of food pantries ($185 each), The Anchor, Doors of Hope, and CoNSERNS-U.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: We have sufficient designated funds in the club treasury to cover this year’s scholarship program consisting of $1,000 awards to one graduating senior each at Maple Hill, Columbia, and Rensselaer high schools. Terry Brewer is in the process of contacting administrators at those schools to ascertain the awardees and to invite them to visit the club via a ZOOM meeting.
SECRETARY TRAINING: Pat Bailey reported on the annual District Club Secretary Training she attended virtually last Saturday. She said much of the 90-minute session went over material not new to first-time secretaries, but she did say emphasis was put on (a) NOT carrying non-dues payers on the club membership rolls until they actually meet their financial commitment, (b) utilizing the online District calendar to publicize club events that may be of interest to others, and (c) creating a backup person for the club treasurer in case of emergency. To that end …
… TREASURER BACKUP: Maggie Forth was designated by consensus of tonight’s attendees to serve as emergency backup to Murray to provide information continuity as needed.
SPEAKERS SOUGHT: President Dick Drumm is seeking speakers to address the club via ZOOM. Anyone who has a potential speaker/program may contact Dick.
IN-PERSON EVENTS: Because virtually the entire club has received COVID-19 vaccinations, we will begin phasing in a resumption of in-person events with an outdoor Presidential Changeover picnic at the Drumm residence at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 24, when Dick hands over the presidency to Debbie Rodriguez. … Peter and Debbie Brown volunteered to host an outdoor event during the “Summer Casual” period (July and August) when traditionally the club does not hold formal weekly meetings. Anyone else who wishes to do the same is asked to let Bill Dowd and/or Debbie Rodriguez know so we can reserve the date(s) on our calendar.
Rotary International recently added a seventh item to its official “Areas of Focus” — the environment.
The original six:
Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
Disease prevention and treatment
Water and sanitation
Maternal and child health
Basic education and literacy
Economic and community development
In support of the added focus, you can join fellow Rotarians from around the world for a multi-district conversation titled “Supporting the Environment: Project Ideas, Tools, and Resources You Can Use.” It’s a virtual event, scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. this Saturday (April 17), via ZOOM.
Some of the ideas may be surprising, say the organizers, such as “Educating girls is ranked higher for protecting the environment than electric cars or solar power. Join us for this informative discussion to learn more about the issues, hear several examples of projects clubs already are undertaking, and be challenged to take steps both individually and as a club and/or district to help support our environment.”
Rich Griesche, 7190 District Governor, will emcee the event.
Advance registration is required for the free event. You can do that online by clicking here.
The annual District Training and Grants Management event is set for Saturday, April 10, and all SRC Rotarians are invited to participate.
In particular, the second part of the day requires our attention. It’s the Grant Management training session, and any club that hopes to apply for financial grants in the 2021-22 Rotary Year is required — without exception — to have at least two (2) participants.
Past presidents and current SRC Board members Bill Dowd and Phil Kellerman have volunteered to represent SRC. However, the more people we have the better, especially if one of our participants has to bow out at the last minute. It also is an excellent opportunity for members wishing to learn more about the inner workings of the District.
If you’re interested but cannot commit to the full day of training (8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), you can always commit to just the 90-minute Grants Training scheduled for 1 to 2:30 p.m. that day. However, advance registration is required no matter the length of participation.
To sign up, simply go online and fill out the easy form. Once you do, please inform President-elect Debbie Rodriguez so she knows who is qualified to work with her in the next Rotary Year, which will begin on July 1.
As District Governor Rich Griesche says, “All Rotarians are encouraged to attend, especially all club executives (president, president-elect, treasurer, secretary, committee chairs and members, and all board members). This training is prepared to help you during the upcoming year. It is extremely important that you attend.”
This session will begin at 8:30 the morning of April 10. There will be a lunch break, and the Grants Training will begin promptly at 1 p.m.
“This is being presented under one ZOOM meeting,” Rich explains, so if you are attending both morning and afternoon you do not need to sign off as the meeting will be kept open during lunch. If you do leave after the morning session, just use the same link to re-enter for the afternoon session.”
MEMBERS ATTENDING (19): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Tony Morris, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carol Orvis, Becky Raymond, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Charlie Foote, Andy Leyhane.
GUESTS (2): Gift of Life International CEO Rob Raylman, Assistant District Governor C.G. Frinke.
MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcome members and our guests, Gift of Life International CEO Rob Raylman, Assistant District Governor C.G. Frinke of the Albany club. … Members were reminded to register for the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) virtual workshop before the February 20 deadline (click here for details) and the February 22 multi-district “Young People Speak” panel discussion (click here for details). …
Guest Speaker: Rob Raylman, who has held the GOL post since February 2008, graduated from Hobart College in 1984 with a degree in political science. Directly out of college, he went to work for then-U.S. Senator Alphonse D’Amato (R-NY) from 1984 to 1986. He worked for Browning Ferris Industries (BFI) in Albany from January 1987 until 1999, where he was a vice president, and from 1999 to 2007 managed his own political consulting business. As CEO of Gift of Life International, Rob has focused on the creation of sustainable pediatric cardiac surgery programs in developing countries. Presently he is working to develop programs in Bolivia, Panama, the Philippines, Romania, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
Rob provided a thumbnail of GOL’s activities since its inception in 1975 by the Manhasset, Long Island, Rotary Club. Over the years, it has provided cardiac and other lifesaving medical treatment for 38,000 children from 80 countries, thanks in large part to the efforts of 80 GOL chapters, including one in our own District 7190.
He noted that a congenital heart defect occurs in one of every 100 live births worldwide, and more than half of those require surgical intervention. Over the years, GOL has emphasized training missions to many countries in an effort to expand the knowledge base for surgical techniques and medical aftercare. That provides a much more cost effective way of handling far more cases than relying as heavily on bringing children to the U.S. for surgeries.
Rob answered a variety of questions from attendees, and he and eight members signed back in after the ZOOM meeting cutoff for an “extended session” of discussion.
NEXT MEETING: 7 p.m. Thursday, February 18, via ZOOM. Check the website calendar for the link to access the meeting.
Curious about why some younger Rotarians stay, or why they left?
“Young People Speak,” a multi-district membership panel discussion that should help us learn the answers to both questions, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, February 22. It certainly should provide some insights in how we can attract, nurture, and hold younger members for the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club.
While admission to the discussion is free, advance registration is required. The process is simple. Just click here and fill in the form to reserve your virtual seat.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (20): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Carol Orvis, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Tony Morris, John Justino, Andy Leyhane.
GUESTS: None.
MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed attendees. … Bill Dowd reminded all that this week was the start of Easter basket donation drop-offs at the Greenbush YMCA. Anyone who has misplaced the preferred shopping list as well as the project timeline and details can find it on the club website by clicking here. … A reminder that the deadline for online registration for the February 27 virtual Rotary Leadership Institute is February 20. Details on the event and a link to registration are available on the club website by clicking here. … Dean Calamaras announced that the Gift of Life is looking for two board members who have an interest in fundraising for the medical charity. If interested, please contact him. … A reminder that rather than sending out several emails with links to weekly meetings, all members need to do is go to the website calendar page and click on the link for the appropriate date to gain meeting access.
PROGRAM: Kevin Leyhane, who teaches at the Genet School which has approximately 450 students in grades K-5, spoke on how the physical education curriculum is being handled there during the pandemic.
The difficulties of social distancing during physical activities and the need to create alternative activities to the usual sports was emphasized.
Taped-off “boxes” in the gymnasium are used to designate activity space for the students and keep them apart. As Kevin pointed out, anything a student touches — including the “boxes” — has to be cleaned before anyone else can use them. Teachers have integrated calisthenics, dance, and video-led activities to keep the students’ interest while providing good physical training.
He took a series of questions from members, and stayed on in an extended session after the meeting to discuss anything else attendees wished to know.
NEXT MEETING: 7 p.m. Thursday, February 11, via ZOOM.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Dick Drumm, Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Rodriguez, Carol Orvis, Tony Morris, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Kevin Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Murray Forth.
GUESTS: None.
MEETING NOTE: President Dick Drumm called the meeting to order and welcomed members. … In a round-robin chat, about half the members reported having received the first of their COVID vaccinations. … As part of the annual Easter baskets project in conjunction with Circles of Mercy, Jim Leyhane has purchased 60 baskets. He will inform our event coordinator, Shannon Romanowski, who is keeping a running tab of the number of baskets contributed so far, with 175 baskets as the target. The shopping list for basket contents SRC members and friends are asked to purchase is available on the website, along with all details of the effort. …
Financial items: Murray Forth said he still has Hoffman Car Wash tickets for sale. All proceeds go to the club treasury. … Jim reports having only 50 more bars of handcrafted scented soaps to sell. So far, that effort has raised more than $1,000. Please contact Jim or Roberto Martinez if you would like to purchase some. … Phil Kellerman said he has a limited number of coffees available. … A committee has been formed to study the possibility of creating a 501(c)3 Foundation as discussed at the January 14 general meeting: Members: Terry Brewer, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Murray Forth, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane. They will discuss options and report back to the club. …
Speakers: February 4, Kevin Leyhane on “Elementary School During COVID”; February 21, “Gift of Life” update. Meeting access links available on the website calendar page.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 