17: EG Fire Dept.’s community role

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
June 22, 2017

Members Attending (9; no quorum): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Julius Frankel, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan.

Guests (2): Jeff Tooker, Assistant Chief, East Greenbush Fire Department; Susan Kraycher Sullivan County Rotarian.

PROGRAM: East Greenbush Fire Dept.’s Community Role

Screen shot 2017-06-23 at 12.18.56 PM — **Speaker Jeff Tooker**

Jeff Tooker, an assistant chief of the East Greenbush Fire Department, visited to talk about the company’s overall role in the community. Jeff, who also is a social studies teacher at Columbia High School, said the company was formed on January 7, 1916, and has been an all-volunteer organization for its entire 101 years. He showed photos of the department’s early history, including parades.

The EGFD currently has more than 80 active members, 60 with gear, and operates out of three separate stations.

Jeff explained the department’s Mission Statement — a commitment to the community — and its Best Operating Practices. Firefighters are alerted in three ways: via one-way radio pagers, by siren, and by cellphones. It has one chief and three assistant chiefs. Members respond either to a chief’s car or to a firehouse to get their equipment. They also operate a small bus for some emergencies.

Training, which lasts for 140 hours, includes many classes — EVOC, AVET, firefighter survival, fire police, and apparatus operator among others. Rensselaer County pays for instructors and the state for some other expenses. Drill is every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The department responds to as many as 350 calls a year — vehicle fires, hazardous materials, car accident (25% of all calls), brushfires, especially in the spring, natural gas leaks, EMS assist, storm damage and community assistance. He also had shots of other types of calls they have responded to such as Hurricane Sandy on Long Island, and the ice storm in Quebec.

Jeff also spoke about the fire district and its governance. Its annual budget of $450,000 covers only part of the costs, so fundraisers include pizza night, fish fry night, pancake breakfasts, and a golf outing. The company also has an annual fund drive, public education efforts, and a scholarship program. The company has won parade awards for formations and honor guard.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & BUSINESS

GREETING –– President Debbie Rodriguez rang the opening bell for the last time and welcomed visitors and members.

MEMBERSHIP — Melissa Bill has transitioned from individual membership to lead person for the new Key Bank NA Corporation group membership.

MEETING SCHEDULE — This was our last dinner meeting of the Rotary Year at Quigley’s. Next Thursday, June 29, will be the annual Presidential Changeover Dinner, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Browns’ residence in Castleton. Debbie will pass the gavel to President-elect Roberto Martinez. … We will not meet during the July 4 week. But, on Thursday, July 13, we will begin our “Summer Casual” schedule of cookouts, ballgames, summer theater, pool parties, etc., when Dick and Mary Drumm host “A Picnic In the Country” at their home in Valatie. Stay alert for a signup sheet for that event.

FOOD TRUCK EVENT — Charlie Foote told us the Kinderhook Tri-Village Rotary Cub held its first Food Truck Night. He said it appeared to be well attended, and suggested we consider holding a similar event as a fundraiser.

POLICE AID — Jim Leyhane said Andy Leyhane had informed him a neighbor, an officer in the Colonie Police Department, had inquired about Rotary support to cover a financial shortfall for a police-community outreach effort on an immediate-need basis. Jim provided a $500 check, but suggested the police contact the Colonie-Guilderland Rotary Club for further assistance.

APPRECIATION — We received a thank-you note from Bill Dowd for the food basket sent to him during his post-surgery recuperation. … We received a thank-you note from club member Burke Adams for our annual financial gift to the Miracle League. … Becky Raymond reported that the Freedom From Fistula Foundation posted a thank-you note on its website in appreciation of our $1,800 grant.

RSVP by Tuesday for Quigley’s finale on Thursday

June 19, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-19 at 4.40.37 PM This Thursday will be our last dinner meeting at Quigley’s until the fall, so if you’re a fan of the restaurant’s popular roast pork dinner you’ll want to submit your RSVP.

After dinner — which will include salad, chef’s selection of sides, bread, dessert and beverages — Jeff Tooker, assistant chief of the East Greenbush Fire Department, will speak on his personnel’s role in the community. While they have an obvious role, they often are called upon to go above and beyond.

As always, the deadline for emailing dinner coordinator Debbie Brown at mdbrown@nycp.rr.com is Tuesday evening. And please, be sure to let her know if you plan to bring guests.

Here’s who has signed up so far:

Jeff Tooker (guest speaker)
Pat Bailey
Jim Butterworth
Charlie Foote
Murray Forth
Julius Frankel
Ray Hannan
Phil Kellerman
Jim Leyhane
Roberto Martinez
Debbie Rodriguez

Bill Gates: 16M reasons to be optimistic about polio

June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-19 at 1.38.33 PM — **Entrepreneur Bill Gates helps give infant the anti-polio vaccine.**

• From GatesNotes: The Blog of Bill Gates

People often ask me how I know the world is getting better. I usually point to numbers like this one: Because of efforts to eradicate polio by groups like Rotary International, more than 16 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been paralyzed.

That’s more than 16 million people who can walk to school. More than 16 million people who are better able to start a business or carry their child to bed. More than 16 million people who are living better lives, because a group of health care workers, volunteers, government leaders, and funders devoted themselves to fighting polio.

Rotary International is one of the key players in this global coalition. For more than 30 years, their volunteers have traveled to some of the most remote, most dangerous parts of the world to administer vaccines to children. Their members have donated their time and resources to keep eradication on the global agenda. They are part of the reason why we are breathtakingly close to wiping polio off the map for good.

At their annual convention in Atlanta, I encouraged more than 25,000 Rotarians to keep fighting. We’ve gone from 40 cases an hour back in 1988 to just 40 cases in all of 2016. But if we stop now and don’t get to zero, experts say that within a decade there would be 200,000 new cases of polio every year.

We’re closer now than we have ever been to eradication. If groups like Rotary keep going, no person will ever have to suffer from polio again.

Click here for the full text of his Atlanta remarks.

Here is the text of my remarks:

Minutes of 6/15/17: Oley Foundation & Scholarship Night

June 16, 2017June 19, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
June 15, 2017

Members Attending (15): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Charlie Foote, Ray Hannan, Julius Frankel, Jim Butterworth, Phil Kellerman, A.J. Amato, John Sawchuk, Becky Raymond.

Guests (14): Joan Bishop, Oley Foundation Executive Director; Brandy Cenci, Rensselaer High School guidance counselor; Mary and Natalia Wooten; Marisa Hochberg and mother; Joshua Kenna and parents Mary and John; Noah Roberts and mother; Exchange student Ella Real and host parents the Desparts.

PROGRAM: The Oley Foundation

Screen Shot 2017-06-19 at 1.46.36 PM — **Guest speaker Joan Bishop (right) poses with Oley program assistant Mary Wooten and Mary’s daughter Natalia.**

SRC member Phil Kellerman introduced Joan Bishop, executive director of the Oley Foundation, and Oley associate Mary Wooten. Joan explained that Oley’s mission is to enhance through education, advocacy and networking the lives of people who are living with intravenous nutrition and tube feeding.

The organization was founded 1983 and is located at Albany Medical Center. It has a community of resources and people, and there now are more than 17,000 people worldwide working with it. Its outcome data shows that due to the foundation there are improved results and more successes. Foundation programs include Lifeline Clearinghouse, consumer networking, conferences, and an ambassador network.

Mary is a volunteer and an Ambassador and has now become a Program Associate, as has Phil Kellerman. She spoke with emotion about Natalia’s situation. Natalia is nine years old and is unable to normally eat food, a condition she has had since birth. Mary talked about attending an Oley convention where they met others with similar concerns and how it changed their lives. They learned about many things that have helped them deal with Natalia’s medical problems and that have helped the child thrive.

They showed a video about “short-gut or short-bowel syndrome” made by an engineer with the Goddard Space Flight Center. He went to the Oley Foundation for help and it changed his life. The video is being put in our Video Presentation Archive.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS — Three of the four local high school students selected to receive SRC Scholarships for post-graduate study or training attended with various parents and several school staffers (see above). Marisa Hochberg of Columbia, who will enroll at Siena College in Loudonville in the fall, spoke about her work with the homeless in the community and with Ronald McDonald House in Albany. Joshua Kenna, the Rensselaer class vice president who will attend Keuka College in the Finger Lakes, spoke of his volunteer work with his parish youth, and he spoke about his brother who has autism. He also wrote a play that will be produced this summer. Noah Roberts of Maple Hill, who will attend Wooster Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, said he has worked with his Boy Scout troop and is about to achieve Eagle rank. He also is a junior firefighter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & BUSINESS

HEALTH UPDATE — A fruit basket has been ordered for Bill Dowd, who is recovering at home from triple cardiac bypass surgery. It will be delivered next week.

FISTULA GRANT — President Debbie Rodriguez and Becky Raymond journeyed to New York City this week to present a check for $1,800 from SRC to the Freedom From Fistula Foundation (FFFF) that we have helping this Rotary Year. Click here for coverage of their trip.

CONVENTION REPORT — Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm and Mary Drumm just returned from attending the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta. Among the highlights there was a pledge from entrepreneur Bill Gates announcing a new $300 million in additional funds for polio eradication. (Click here for details.) Roberto said more than 35,000 Rotarians attended. Jim explained about the joint effort to end polio worldwide.

INVITATION TO ROTARY — Peter Brown, noting how many guests were in attendance, asked those individuals to think of what they have learned about Rotary then consider joining us in the near future.

NEXT MEETING — 6:15 p.m. Thursday, June 22, at Quigley’s. Our guest speaker will be Jeff Tooker, assistant chief of the East Greenbush Fire Department,

Registration already open for next RI Convention

June 15, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-15 at 12.55.56 PM The 2017 Rotary International Convention has been over for only a single day, but the 2018 event — to be held in Toronto — already is being hyped by its organizers who are offering a deep registration discount for a limited time.

The convention, which will be held June 23 through 27, offers basic registration for $335 online or $345 by mail or fax through December 15. The price then rises incrementally in several steps as convention time nears. Just click here for full registration detail.

A Twitter post that actually may draw people closer together

June 15, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-15 at 12.15.20 PM

Twitter and its incessant tweets seem to have helped the world devolve into two opposing camps capable of little more than self-fueled indignation. No longer is rational discourse the norm. Now, if you disagree with someone, it is not a matter of philosophy. It must only be that they are evil.

However, this comment tweeted at the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta that wrapped up on Wednesday should be something that resonates positively with most people.

Rotary International President-elect Ian H.S. Riseley, who will become RI president on July 1, presented his case that protecting the environment and curbing climate change are essential to Rotary’s goal of sustainable service. Riseley, a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, will preside under the 2017-18 presidential theme “Rotary: Making a Difference.”

He also urged clubs to improve their gender balance and lower the average age of their members. Only 22% percent of Rotary’s members are women. Although that is well up from 13% a decade ago, Riseley said at that rate it will take another three decades for Rotary to achieve gender parity.

(Note: SRC membership is 26% female on the overall roster, although that percentage spikes much higher among our truly active, involved membership.)

Riseley also said he believes it is imperative that clubs find ways to attract and engage younger members. Today, only 5% percent of reported members are under 40, and a majority of members are over 60. “Consider what Rotary stands to look like 10 or 20 years from now if we don’t get very serious, very soon, about bringing in younger members.”

SRC grant delivered to Freedom From Fistula Foundation

June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-15 at 11.36.33 AM — **Debbie Rodriguez and Becky Raymond pose with Freedom From Fistula Foundation official Angela McCabe (far left) opposite the United Nations building.**

Screen Shot 2017-06-15 at 11.53.26 AM Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club President Debbie Rodriguez and club member Becky Raymond traveled to New York City this week to present a grant from the club to the Freedom From Fistula Foundation.

Angela McCabe, the Foundation’s development director, accepted the $1,800 check, and the trio discussed various Foundation projects being started or already under way in the African nations of Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Madagascar. (Click on the links to get updates on the work in each country.)

They also had the opportunity to have lunch at the United Nations, located across United Nations Plaza from the Foundation office. Each January, the UN hosts “Rotary Day at the UN.”

McCabe will be supplying further details, and Becky and Debbie will head up exploration of potential partnerships with Rotary Clubs in the aforementioned countries. They then will report back to the club with an eye on possibly applying for a Rotary Global Grant with a focus on fistula prevention.

If you need to have your knowledge of the fistula problem refreshed, just click here to see the 2016 presentation Becky made to the club to heighten our awareness of the need for assistance.

June breakfast meeting cancelled

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-14 at 6.51.12 PM This week’s Third Thursday breakfast meeting has been cancelled because of low reservation numbers.

Meeting coordinator Terry Brewer thanked Shannon Romanowski for co-hosting the monthly meeting series at the Greenbush YMCA. He will let SRC members know when the series will resume.

For those Rotarians who usually attend only the monthly breakfast meetings, a reminder that we hope to see you at our annual Presidential Changeover Dinner. It is being hosted by Debbie and Peter Brown at their Castleton residence at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 29. Please be sure to let Debbie know if you plan to attend.

RI, Gates pledge $450M more to fight against polio

June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-14 at 3.48.18 PM — **Philanthropist Bill Gates (left) and RI President John Germ announce more global anti-polio funding.**
*(RI photo)*

Screen Shot 2017-06-14 at 5.49.04 PM As the world inches closer toward eradicating polio, Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend nearly a half-billion dollars more in an effort to eliminate the disease over the next three years.

Bill Gates joined Rotary President John Germ to announce the pledge at the annual Rotary International Convention that concluded today in Atlanta. It drew nearly 40,000 Rotarians from around the world to a four-day schedule of workshops, panel talks, discussions and reports on Rotary’s various worldwide public service efforts — human trafficking, clean water, education and others. However, it was the latest commitment to polio eradication that made the biggest news.

Beginning July 1, the start of the 2017-18 Rotary Year, the Gates Foundation will match Rotary’s commitment to raise $50 million annually over the next three years on a 2-to-1 basis. That means another $450 million could be added to funds already committed to support efforts to eradicate the disease by 2020.

The matching program adds to a pledge made in 2013, when the Gates Foundation pledged to match Rotary contributions 2-to-1 up to $35 million each year through 2018. With this commitment, the two organizations together will have raised nearly $1.5

Click here to see our new video, “Making Polio History: A Pioneer’s Story.”

billion since 2007 to fight polio.

The money will fund both the administration of oral vaccinations in countries in which children still are at risk for contracting polio, and increasing disease surveillance efforts such as testing sewage water to detect where the virus could still be circulating in communities.

Polio, once found everywhere in the world, now is endemic in only three places — Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. While the disease, which causes paralysis and even death, is is not curable, it is preventable. Elimination comes through a vigorous campaign of oral vaccine in conjunction with a series of booster doses that maintain the immunity.

Uh oh, they’re on the loose in Atlanta

June 13, 2017June 13, 2017 SRCrotaryLeave a comment

This is what it looks like when loooong-time Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club members attend a Rotary International Convention. (Dick Drumm and Jim Leyhane and might-as-well-be-a-member Mary Drumm wait on line for a beverage.)

Screen Shot 2017-06-13 at 11.14.04 AM

And, this is what you get as your next club president if you don’t pay attention. (Roberto Martinez flashes the bling.)

They all were spotted in the Coca-Cola area, a local “heritage” spot since Coke’s international headquarters is located in Atlanta. They’ll be back Wednesday night.

cocacola