The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club is proud to be the sponsor of what may be the world’s newest Rotaract club, especially now during the 50th anniversary year of the Rotary organization intended for young adults ages 18 to 35.

Some of you already have met many of the new Rotaractors who are graduate students studying at the UAlbany School of Public Health. (Their Facebook page is Danes Rotaract.) Quite a few of them have already have joined us at meetings, fundraisers, and service days.

To help spread the word about Rotaract around the globe, Rotary International has put together some very personal looks at Rotaract through the decades. That story follows.

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The year is 1968.

A wall divides East and West Berlin as the Cold War rages on. The U.S. and the Soviet Union are locked in a space race, and Apollo 8 becomes the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon, sending back pictures of Earth from deep space.

And Rotary members in North Carolina charter the first Rotaract club, to provide young people opportunities for service.

A half-century has passed since the first Rotaract clubs began inspiring young leaders to take action to improve their communities. The world has changed, as has the way Rotaractors connect with one another. But the underlying values of the program, and what attracts people to it, remain remarkably the same.

To celebrate Rotaract’s 50th anniversary, we asked former Rotaractors from six decades to share their experiences of the program and explain how it shaped their lives.

Click here for their stories.

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Feel free to share this flyer with anyone you think may be interested. And, our thanks to the Blue Star Mothers military family support organization for sending a contingent to our recent “Bowling for Vets” event.

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The next “Rotary Home Cooking” series event is much more than a dinner. It’s  a “Brewer Social.”

What, you may ask, is that? It will be an evening of hors’ d’oeuvres, plus a beer tasting component, plus a wine tasting component, plus a root beer tasting component (can these Brewers ever stop?), plus a lot of social interaction among Rotarians and their guests.

It’s set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at the residence of SRC members Terry and Geoff Brewer. The cost per person is mere $10, with an additional $5 for the tastings, with all proceeds going to the Rotaract program that has been recently enhanced by our club’s  sponsorship of a new Rotaract club (ages 18-35) at the UAlbany School of Public Health.

In addition, there will be a trivia contest with prizes for the winners. (A great warmup for the upcoming major May 17 SRC event, the “4th annual Great North American Whizbang Trivia Contest.”)

Terry tells us he needs to know who plans to participate by no later than Wednesday, March 21. Anyone who hasn’t already signed up can e-mail him at tlbrewer12piseco@gmail.com or call him at 518-465-0934 ASAP.

As always, Rotarian, spouses, significant others, and family members are invited to attend.

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It’s that time of month, a day when we have both a breakfast meeting and a dinner meeting on the same Thursday.

• Guiliana Cianfarani will speak at the 7 a.m. breakfast meeting at the Greenbush YMCA. Her topic: “A Puppy With a Purpose at Your School.”

• Debbie Brown will speak at the 6:15 p.m. dinner at Quigley’s. Her topic: “A Retrospective: Capital District Landscapes, Houses & Gardens Through the Eyes of 1936 Residents.”

A continental breakfast will be available at the Y, while we will mark St. Patrick’s Day a bit early with a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal.

Members and guests are invited to attend either or both sessions. We just need to know no later than Tuesday evening who plans to participate. Breakfast RSVPs shouild go to Terry Brewer or Shannon Romanowski, and dinner RSVPS to Debbie Brown.

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P.S. Don’t forget to bring your donations for our Easter basket drive for Circles of Mercy to distribute to underprivileged kids.

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Here’s who has signed up so far for dinner. Debbie will be glad to add you to the list:

Pat Bailey
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
April Dowd
Bill Dowd
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Ray Hannan
Phil Kellerman
Jim Leyhane
Becky Raymond

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• From Rotary International News Service

On the nightly news and around her city, Dr. Pia Skarabis-Querfeld saw the refugees arriving in Berlin, Germany, after fleeing war, persecution, and poverty in their home countries.

Wanting to help, she gathered a bag of clothes to donate and headed to a nearby gym filled with refugees. What began as a single act of charity eventually evolved into an all-encompassing volunteer project: Over the next three years, Skarabis-Querfeld would build and run a network that, at peak times, would include more than 100 volunteers helping thousands of refugees at community centers, tent camps, and other shelters across the city. Today, her nonprofit, called Medizin Hilft (Medicine Helps), continues to treat patients with nowhere else to turn.

That day she went to the gym was a few days before Christmas 2014. Skarabis-Querfeld had been busy with work and preparing for the holidays. She was looking forward to a much-needed break, and she thought clothes for the refugees would be a kind gesture befitting the spirit of the season.

When she arrived at the gymnasium to drop off her donation, she found sick children, most of them untreated because hospitals in the area were overrun. Helpers were not allowed to give out pain relievers or cough syrup due to legal constraints. All they could do was send people to the emergency room if they looked extremely ill.

Seeing this, and knowing about the treacherous journeys the refugees had just made across land and sea, Skarabis-Querfeld, who is a medical doctor and Rotarian, returned that same afternoon with medical supplies and her husband, Uwe Querfeld, who is a professor of pediatrics and also a Rotarian. The couple spent most of that holiday treating patients in the gymnasium.

“The suffering of the people, their bitter fate, it wouldn’t let go of me,” says Skarabis-Querfeld.

In 2015, the German ministry in charge of refugees received more than 1 million applications for asylum, straining the public health system.

Germany was a popular destination during the mass migration of people from Syria and other countries with conflict, in part because Chancellor Angela Merkel embraced them. Unlike some other European leaders, Merkel said it was Germany’s responsibility to help, and she called on citizens to welcome those escaping hardship elsewhere.

By 2017, the political winds had changed. Many Germans had become indifferent to or skeptical about the immigrants. The balance of power in Germany’s parliament shifted during the September election, and the country continues to grapple with the logistics and cost of helping refugees and their families.

While the politics played out at the famed Riechstag building in the heart of Berlin, Skarabis-Querfeld and other volunteers were treating patients only a few kilometers away.

“I had a young girl whose whole family was almost beaten to death because they were Christians,” says Skarabis-Querfeld, a member of the Rotary Club of Berlin-Tiergarten.  “The girl began to have epilepsy after being beaten into a coma. I’m not used to seeing these kinds of scars and burns.”

In another case, Skarabis-Querfeld treated a Syrian girl named Saida who had fever and bronchitis. When the examination was almost over, Skarabis-Querfeld noticed Saida was limping. She coaxed Saida to take off her shoes and saw both feet were infected.

“I had seen a lot of children with small shoes on. Some had probably started walking in those shoes and worn them for one year,” Skarabis-Querfeld says. “The soles of both feet were infected. These are things that you just don’t forget.”

Click here for the rest of the story.

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Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
March 8, 2018

Members Attending (16): Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Jim Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Dean Calamaras, Ray Hannan, Dick Drumm, Stewart Wagner, Julius Frankel, Kevin Leyhane, Monika Annis, Ron Annis.

Guests (5): Gary, Debbie & Sally Holden; Dan Annis; Mike Prusser.

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BUSINESS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

OPENING — President Roberto welcomed members and guests, and showed a video of former SRC member John Sawchuk being interviewed on Fox News about the gun incident at Columbia High School in light of the current spate of school violence.

BOWLING FOR VETS — The final tally for the March 4 event held at the East Greenbush Bowling Center showed $2,493 raised for the Bell Top School military service dog project and other veterans services. We had about 70 bowlers of all ages, and 25 individual and company lane sponsors at $100 each.

MEETING VENUE CHANGES — Rather than meeting at Quigley’s and the Greenbush YMCA, two of our upcoming sessions will be held at the UAlbany School of Public Health, located on the Health Sciences Campus off Columbia Turnpike, Rensselaer. They are the dinner meeting on March 22and the breakfast meeting of April 19. The latter will begin at  8 a.m. rather than our usual 7 a.m. The dinner meeting, set for 5 to 7 p.m.,  will be free as part of a Rotaract fundraising event, which will include a silent auction in which we are invited to participate.

ROTARACT UPDATE — Roberto suggested the club provide a $2,000 “scholarship” for one or more Rotaract members to attend the Rotary International Convention in Toronto in June, or for another Rotaract project. There was discussion about whether need a dedicated fundraiser to support this idea. The entire matter was referred to the Community Services Committee headed by Debbie Rodriguez and Becky Raymond who also are our club liaisons with Rotaract.

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE — We are in the process of scheduling a dinner preparation there, and are scheduled to make a breakfast. Volunteers so far for the breakfast effort are Peter and Debbie Brown, Julius and Effie Frankel, and Phil Kellerman. No firm date yet for the dinner effort, although we have requested May 6..

EASTER BASKETS PROJECT — Members are asked to continue bringing donations for the annual Circles of Mercy Easter basket drive to our next breakfast meeting and/or next dinner meeting. The shopping list is available by clicking here.

BYLAWS CHANGES — Bill Dowd is drafting language changes pertaining to the recent committee restructuring, and Terry Brewer and Murray Forth will work on new language pertaining to dues as a result of a change in the dues structure by RI. The proposed language will be presented to the membership for a vote at our March 29 meeting.

OPIOD CRISIS TRAINING — On Saturday, April 7, all Rotarians in District 7190 are invited to attend the annual District Training Assembly. This year the training theme will focus on an issue affecting us all: the opioid crisis. Click here for details on the event.

DISTRICT CONFERENCE —This year’s 7190 District Conference will be held in a very different sort of venue — the new Rivers Casino & Resort in downtown Schenectady. The event will run over parts of three days on June 1 through 3, beginning with a traditional Friday “District Day of Service” that will involve projects for all abilities being offered in and around Schenectady. Click here for details and a link to registration information.

UPDATES — We hope to get the RYLA students we supported to visit a dinner meeting. … Bill Dowd has asked all committee leads to provide names of all committee members so he can update the “Committees” page on the website. Only one committee has responded so far. … Anyone interested in participating in the upcoming “Rotary’s Got Talent” event is asked to contact Roberto ASAP. The Thursday, May 3, talent showcase is sponsored by the District 7190 Next Gen Committee at the Lucky Strike entertainment center at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. Each three-minute act will be eligible for prizes — $500 and a traveling club trophy for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third. Admission will be $25 per adult, $15 for kids 7-14, and free to kids 6 and under. Further details will be posted on Next Gen’s Facebook page closer to the event.

ROTARY HOME COOKING — The next event in the annual series of member-hosted gatherings, “A Cocktail Social, Plus,” is set for Saturday, March 24, at the Brewer residence. The cost of the event will be just $10 per person. Please see Terry ASAP to sign up. All are welcome to the event that will include hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer tasting, and other fun items. … Two more events will complete the series — an April “Surf & Turf Night” hosted by Murray and Maggie Forth, and a May “International Wine Tasting” hosted by Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez.

NEXT MEETINGS — Next Thursday, Giuliana Cianfarani will speak on “A Puppy With a Purpose at Your School” at the 7 a.m. breakfast meeting at the Greenbush YMCA, and Debbie Brown will present “A Retrospective: Capital District Landscapes, Houses & Gardens Through the Eyes of 1936 Residents” at the 6:15 p.m. dinner meeting at Quigley’s.

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PROGRAM: “Yuri: A Life Lived”

Club member Julius Frankel, who was called “Yuri” by Russians who took over his home area in his youth, spoke about his life.

Julius displayed a map of Eastern Europe, where he was born in 1935 at the edge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Russian forces moved in and took control of a slice of Romania, so, heeding the advice of a Russian officer, Julius’s father decided to leave their home in 1939 in a horse-drawn carriage.

The Frankel family was allowed to cross the border, but the Russians took them to an internment camp. They stayed in Romania and his father did business in the textile industry as an intermediary in the capital city of Bucharest with the Swiss Red Cross. By 1947 they knew Russians were increasing their stranglehold on the area and it was time for them to move again.

They were smuggled into Vienna, Austria, where his father continued in the textile business. The family at first planned to stay in Austria, but by the end of 1947 decided to emigrate to the United States. Here, Julius went to high school and graduated in three years. However, his father could not find work here, so he returned to Europe.

Julius received a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy to study physics. He also worked on Wall Street for a while, but did not enjoy the experience, so he returned to RPI where he eventually became head of the ultrasonic lab in the Physics Department. He stayed there for the remainder of his academic career until he retired.

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This year’s 7190 District Conference will be held in a very different sort of venue — the new Rivers Casino & Resort in downtown Schenectady.

The event will run over parts of three days on June 1 through 3, beginning with a traditional Friday “District Day of Service” that will involve projects for all abilities being offered in and around Schenectady, as well as the “Centennial Celebration” of the Schenectady Rotary Club that evening.

The formal District Conference will officially commence on Saturday, June 2, with District business and awards in the morning, educational and inspirational freetime offerings in the afternoon, and a banquet in the evening with motivational millenial speaker Todd Jenkins (Mr. Bowtie) as the keynote speaker. (Click here for a YouTube video about him.) And, on Sunday, June, 3, we will remember Rotarians and honor their service with a look to the future.

For those who may want to take advantage of the possibility after visiting the casino’s many attractions beyond the Rotary experience, the District has reserved two blocks of hotel rooms for Friday and/or Saturday night. The options:

• Stay in the casino’s Landing Hotel for the $140 per night earlybird price available until April 15, then $150, plus all taxes and fees.  Click here to access the reserved group block.

​• Or,stay  just an easy walk along the Mohawk River at the Courtyard Marriott for $134 per night, plus all taxes and fees.  Click here to access the Courtyard group block.

You must book your hotel in addition to the District Conference registration. Click here for the conference registration forms.

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On Saturday, April 7, all Rotarians in District 7190 are invited to attend the annual District Training Assembly.  This year our training theme will focus in on an issue affecting us all: The opioid crisis.

The morning event will be held at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.  The Training Assembly will bring in content-experts to orient us all to this complex issue which has taken root in all our communities.  We will use what we learn about the crisis to engage our training objective: to understand and practice how to identify complex issues in our local communities and engage collaboratively with community partners.

We will use the One Rotary Summit (ORS) design to facilitate our training. ORS is designed to shine a light on the relationship among club membership, public image, and service through engagement with local communities and the Rotary Foundation.  In short, more members means greater service projects, more service projects means more visibility for Rotary, and more visibility leads to more members, more members leads to more grant support, etc.

In the context of the opioid crisis, the ORS model will showcase how community collaboration can lead to a stronger public image for each Rotary club, how that image can help to identify like-minded prospective members in the community, and how the Rotary Foundation might provide support and funding to assist with the community effort.  This virtuous cycle can quickly gain momentum and offer benefits to the community and the club for years to come.

More details will be forthcoming soon.  The most important detail, however, is that many clubs already are nibbling at the edges of this very complex and insidious problem plaguing our communities.  Some clubs already are sponsoring community forums; and, some clubs are actively engaged with partners to deliver education and support. Other clubs don’t know where to start despite a passionate desire to help.  It reminds me of the old saying: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Look for registration information and additional details coming soon. Thank you for all you do, for your communities, for your clubs, and for humankind.

— District Governor Fred Daniels

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This week sounds like another typical March one — another storm watch for Wednesday, but the good news is that it should all be cleaned up by Thursday evening in time for you to attend our dinner meeting.

The speaker will be our own Julius Frankel on the topic of “Yuri: A Life Lived.”  And, it looks as if we will have another good turnout.

Our menu will feature Chicken Marsala, antipasto salad, chef’s choice of sides, bread, dessert, and beverages, and the cash bar will be available.

The following members have indicated their intention to attend. If you aren’t on this list but wish to attend, please let dinner coordinator Debbie Brown know by Tuesday evening at mdbrown@nycap.rr.com.

Pat Bailey
Terry Brewer
Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
April Dowd
Bill Dowd
Dick Drumm
Murray Forth
Julius Frankel
Ray Hannan
Phil Kellerman
Jim Leyhane
Bonnie Nasca
Phil Nasca
Debbie Rodriguez

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More than 70 people from SRC and various other organizations showed up to support our club’s annual “Bowling for Vets” fundraising event Sunday at the East Greenbush Bowling Center.

Included in the turnout were 23 students and administrators from Bell Top Elementary School which will receive a share of the event proceeds to help finance its project to purchase a service dog to be trained to aid a disabled military veteran.

We also again had bowlers from the Blue Star Mothers military family support organization, and our new Rotaract club at the UAlbany School of Public Health made its debut. In addition to the bowlers of all ages, we had 24 lane sponsors at $100 each from among club members and various local businesses.

Thanks to all the financial supporters, volunteers, and bowlers who teamed up to make this a successful event once again. Here are some of those who participated:

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