As has become common in this COVID-19 pandemic era, most annual events have moved to virtual status. On Tuesday evening (November 24) that will be the case with the annual Rotary Foundation Dinner sponsored by District 7190.

We provided information earlier on the club website and several times during our virtual weekly meetings on ZOOM about how to register and participate. If you did not take advantage of that but wish to do so at the last minute, simply click here to access the links.

One of your opportunities will be to interact with Jennifer Jones, who is about to become the first woman in the century-plus history of Rotary International to be RI president. That is something for women and men of Rotary to celebrate and enjoy.

Please make a point of joining us at this critical time in Rotary’s efforts to serve the community and the world during a global pandemic that could otherwise derail our worthwhile public service initiatives. The event is a mere 90 minutes long, hardly a strain on your social schedule, and you can’t get much pandemic-safer than attending online.

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Here’s the latest update as of midnight Saturday. Items in green have been spoken for; those in black need to be claimed.

Please email Bill Dowd as soon as you decide to donate a specific gift.

Here is an update of the shopping lists for our “Adopt-a-Family” project in conjunction with Circles of Mercy.

Anything in green has been taken; anything in black still needs to be taken.

Please email me when you decide what you want to donate and I will coordinate, then update and disseminate the charts daily or as often as necessary.

I will be in the parking lot at Quigley’s from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, and Friday, December 11, to accept donated items. If you cannot make either of those dates, you can drop them off at Drumm Veterinary Hospital prior to December 11 during normal business hours. I will collect them from that site. (If you choose that option, please call the office from the parking lot and one of the staff will come to your car to take the donation.)

Please remember all gifts have to be gift-wrapped and labeled with the name of the recipient. In the case of gift cards, please place them in a sealed envelope with the name of the recipient family written on the outside.

Thanks for your generosity!

— Bill Dowd, project coordinator

Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Murray Forth, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Kevin Leyhane.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed attendees. He delivered congratulations on behalf of the club to Dean and Doris Calamaras on their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. It was suggested that anyone wishing to do so could make a donation to Gift of Life in their name since they are our liaisons to the District chapter. …

Bill Dowd reported that several members already have responded to his request for gift donations for the annual Adopt-a-Family effort in conjunction with Circles of Mercy. He noted that again this year SRC is adopting two families, or a total of seven people. The shopping list has been made available to everyone, and is on the website. Bill will be posting regular updates of what gifts have been spoken for and what more is needed. He will set up two pickup dates on which he will be in the Quigley’s parking to accept gift drop-offs before December 14. Dick said anyone can drop off their gifts at the Drumm Veterinary Hospital any time during regular office hours, and they will be delivered to Bill. … Phil Kellerman said he again is selling specialty coffees for the holidays — $15 for one bag or $25 for two, with $5 from the sale of each bag going to the SRC treasury. He again will be offering Carpe Diem (medium roast) and Midnight Oil (dark roast). …

Bill Dowd reported that the CLYNK container redemption program has again reached the $400 level. Some months ago he forwarded a $400 check to the treasury, so this will raise it to $800 toward a ShelterBox donation. Each box costs $1,000. … Jim Leyhane said the arrival of a second 100-bar shipment of scented handmade soaps is expected right after Thanksgiving, with sales proceeds going to the club treasury. … Jim and Roberto reported that former longtime member Stewart Wagner and his wife Lois and one of her healthcare workers are patients at Albany Medical Center after contracting COVID-19. …

There will be no meeting next week because of Thanksgiving Day. The club wishes its Rotary family, community, and neighbors a safe and happy holiday despite the restrictions of this pandemic era. …

Our next ZOOM session will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, December 3, to be immediately followed by a Board of Directors meeting.

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Are you familiar with Rotary Action Groups? They are independent, Rotary-affiliated groups of people from around the world who are experts in a particular field, such as economic development, peace, addiction prevention, the environment, or water.

The beauty of many of them is that you sometimes can participate without in-person activity — perfect for the ZOOM culture we find ourselves in. And, you get to network with Rotarians in other states and countries.

Click here to go to the website that explains the wide range of Rotary Action Groups and how you can become involved.

Meanwhile, courtesy of Debbie Rodriguez, here is an excerpt from the latest newsletter of the WASH Rotary Action Group, the name an acronym for “water, sanitation, hygiene). The full newsletter is available by clicking here.

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District 7190 Governor Rich Griesche is inviting all SRC members to participate in a “Rotary Opens Opportunities” multi-district event.

The event, involving Rotarians from 7190 as well as 7170, 7150, and 7120, will facilitate discussions on membership, including the development of a club membership plan, innovative club models, “and a few other topics that you’ll just have to join the meeting and be surprised!,” Rich says.

Guest speaker Jason Browne will “make M&Ms” with his presentation titled “Make Membership Memorable.”

“Our four districts have been working diligently over the past two months to present you with a quality, fun, and interesting seminar,” Rich says. “It is extremely important for all District executives, chairpersons, AG’s, club presidents, and membership chairs to be in attendance. And, it’s just as important for all club members to partake in this effort. We all need to take an active part in increasing our district membership so our district remains intact.”

The free seminar is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, November 30, via ZOOM video conferencing and will run about 90 minutes. Anyone who plans to participate is asked to register online. The ZOOM link will be sent to you just before the session.

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UPDATE: Less than an hour after the following website post went live, our first member pledged to take care of the Bath & Body Works items for Madison Burnett and some Barbie items for Alexia Fitzgerald. (The Barbie Food Truck remains.) So, cross those first two items off the chart!

Our annual “Adopt-a-Family” holiday drive officially got under way today.

SRC will be shopping for two needy families — a total of seven people — this year, in cooperation with Circles of Mercy which screens families for eligibility and distributes the gifts to them in time for Christmas. Bill Dowd will again coordinate our club’s share of the effort.

Our deadline for delivering individually wrapped, and recipient -labeled gifts to Circles of Mercy no later than December 14, so we are under a tight deadline.

Here’s how the project will work:

• Members are asked to review the “needs to have” and “nice to have” charts below.

• Once you decide what you would like to purchase, immediately email Bill Dowd at BillDowd4Troy@gmail.com. He will coordinate to be sure we do not duplicate presents and inadvertently skip others. And, he’ll let you know if a gift already has been reserved and let you know so you can make an alternate selection.

• When you purchase the gifts, please wrap them in festive paper and label them with the name of the individual for whom they are intended.

• Bill will be scheduling dropoff/pickup dates and locations for collecting the gifts.

That’s all there is to it. Here are the gift charts for the families: the Burnetts — mom, dad and 2 teenagers; the Fitzgeralds — mom, dad, and a daughter.

Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, Tony Morris, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Charlie Foote, Terry Brewer, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Murray Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey.

GUESTS: None

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed members. He announced a Board of Directors meeting to be held virtually on Thursday, December 3, following the regular meeting. The main topic will be finances. … Treasurer Murray Forth reported that he has submitted the required annual club financial form to the Internal Revenue Service. We have not yet received a response from the IRS on our application for restoration of tax-exempt status. …

In fundraising activities, Phil Kellerman said he will be selling more specialty coffees for the holidays (details to come), and Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez said they have sold out of the first batch of 100 bars of scented soaps and expect a second shipment to arrive next week. …

Bill Dowd said he has been in frequent contact with Circles of Mercy about the name of our Adopt-a-Family recipients and their wish lists. He said he has been told that communication has been slowed because of the pandemic, but that we have been promised the information by the end of the week. … Roberto and Dick participated in last Sunday’s virtual Rotary Leadership Institute activity. It was announced there that Larry Jones has succeeded Jack Faddegon as our ShelterBox district coordinator.

Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Dick Drumm, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriquez, Debbie Brown, Peter Brown, Charlie Foote, Becky Raymond, John Justino, Phil Kellerman.

GUESTS: None.

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed members. He urged them to check the club website for information and registration links that have been posted there (and on our Facebook page called “SRC Club”) ertaining to two upcoming events:

• The latest Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) virtual training session, scheduled for this Sunday,

• The November 24 virtual Foundation Gala for District 7190 that will feature Jennifer Jones. She will become president of Rotary International for 2022-23, the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.

The remainder of the meeting consisted of John Justinio presenting a video made in conjunction with World Polio Day, and facilitating a discussion on the topic afterward.

The link to our 7 p.m. Thursday, November 12, ZOOM meeting will be sent via email to all members on Monday.

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Meeting held virtually via ZOOM videoconferencing.

MEMBERS ATTENDING (14): Dick Drumm, Bill Dowd, Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Ray Hannan, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Becky Raymond, Kevin Leyhane, John Justino, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown.

GUESTS (6): Lon Penna and Alice Marcus; Rotaractors Dustin Moore, Aubrey Racz, Lindsey Ribac, Felipe Xavier Costa.

ALICE MARCUS

MEETING NOTES: President Dick Drumm welcomed a group of Danes Rotaract members from the UAlbany School of Public Health, as well as special guests Lon Penna of the Niskayuna Rotary Club and Alice Marcus from Nigeria. The bulk of the meeting was given over to an explanation of the Mooncatcher Project and educational efforts Lon, Alice, and others are working on for a Rotary Global Grant.

The project is intended to provide feminine hygiene training and items to young women in Nigeria for whom menstruation and its attendant needs is sometimes a health and cultural problem.

It also is intended to expand on the theme “How To Uplift a Village” by  empowering women through educational efforts using memory cards with vocational videos, supplying refurbished laptop computers, and providing large containers of books; plus, gathering micro-loans for business enterprises.

After the presentation by Lon and Alice, 10 SRC members and three of the Rotaractors stayed online following the regular meeting for additional discussion with them. Rotaract will consider taking on efforts to help the project because it has two connections to its members — Rotary public service and their connection to public health.

Meanwhile, anyone wishing to make individual monetary donations in support of the Mooncatcher and educational efforts may send checks made payable to “William Green III – Niskayuna Rotary DAF#451” to:

Lon Penna
39 Saint Stephens Lane East
Glenville, NY  12302

Every $10 pays for three Mooncatcher hygiene kits after Rotary’s 50% match.

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