Tuesday RSVP deadline for Thursday dinner

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Albany Stratton VA Medical Center

One of our club’s major points of emphasis in the past few years has been financially assisting various organizations dedicated to the support of veterans of the U.S. military and their families. Just last week, we presented identical $1,450 grants to two of them, the latest of our ongoing awards.

So, it should be of particular interest to many of you to hear a presentation at this Thursday’s dinner meeting by James Arrington, Service Center Manager at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center. He will outline the benefits available to our veterans through that  taxpayer-funded institution.

The dinner menu will be of a vegetarian nature, with either  eggplant parm or vegetable lasagna as the entree, accompanied by a salad, chef’s choice of side dishes, bread, dessert and beverages.

To provide the Quigley’s kitchen staff with an accurate headcount first thing Wednesday morning, we will need your RSVP to be received by Debbie Brown (mdbrown@nycap.rr.com) no later than Tuesday evening. Please be sure to include any guests.

We’re expecting a good turnout, with 15 people signed up so far and no snow in the  balmy forecast (see image clip below from the National Weather Service). The guest list so far:

  1. Pat Bailey
  2. Geoff Brewer
  3. Terry Brewer
  4. Debbie Brown
  5. Peter Brown
  6. April Dowd
  7. Bill Dowd
  8. Dick Drumm
  9. Charlie Foote
  10. Murray Forth
  11. Phil Kellerman
  12. Jim Leyhane
  13. Becky Raymond
  14. Debbie Rodriguez
  15. James Arrington (guest speaker)

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A chance to reduce your paper (and electronic) stockpile

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Please spread the word, share the flyer (on Facebook would be good!) and take this opportunity to make your New Year’s Resolution to clean out your basement and garage at a very low cost.

If you’ve been wondering for soooo long how to safely get rid of those personal paper records, those old computer keyboards and electronic games, and similar things taking up valuable space in your home, here’s the answer.

And, 100% of the profits will go right back into your community by supporting Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club projects that benefit people and organizations in need.

We also are looking for $100 sponsorships from businesses and individuals to offset the $650 rental cost of a paper shredder for the day. If you can help in that area, please contact Terry Brewer.

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Is your FOREsome ready for some indoor golfing?

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The first of our annual winter series of Indoor Simulator Golf Tournaments at Burden Lake Country Cub will be held in just a few weeks.

In addition to inviting our club members to play, we need every member to help spread the word in any way they can during this holiday period when people’s attention might be on other topics. The more notice we can give the public the better.

Please forward copies of the flyer everyone has been sent to friends who like to golf, post a copy on your Facebook page, get it posted at your place of work, where you shop or have a beer, at the YMCA, library, churches, schools, etc. Encourage people at such places to get a foursome together for the event. It is open to people of all skill levels.

These tournaments are major sources of funding for our many community service projects, scholarships, grants, etc. Remember, every cent we earn goes toward such initiatives.

Meeting of 1/5/17: Changes in bylaws approved

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screen-shot-2016-10-16-at-7-10-54-pmDinner Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
January 5, 2017

Members Attending (14): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Geoff Brewer, Julius Frankel, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Charlie Foote.

Guests (4): Russ Myer of Capital Region Nordic Alliance, Donna and Gerry of Blue Star Mothers, and Guests (1): Jean Marie Niederhoffer.

BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

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VETERAN AWARDS — President Debbie Rodriguez presented checks of $1,450 each to representatives of the Capital Region Nordic Alliance (top photo) and Blue Star Mothers (bottom photo) veterans assistance organizations. She also presented several no-sew blankets made by the club to the Blue Star group, and Phil Kellerman’s coffee sales effort raised additional funds for the Nordic Alliance. Russ Myer of the Alliance reported that he had just returned from a two-day event with veterans, and spoke about introducing them to various snow events. Five more events are scheduled.

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BASKET REVENUE — President Debbie welcomed our guests, wished all a good New Year, and thanked Murray and Maggie Forth for hosting our holiday party in December. Treasurer Murray reported that  $535 was raised by the gift basket silent auction to go toward support of our community service projects.

screen-shot-2016-12-04-at-7-37-32-pmBYLAWS CHANGES — Changes in the Club Bylaws regarding the new-member process, additions to the types of membership categories, and changes in the dues structure were offered for member approval. Terry Brewer moved acceptance of the changes, Murray seconded the motion, and the motion was approved without discussion and without dissent. As a result, annual dues will be reduced to a cap of $150 beginning with the 2017-18 Rotary Year, “Corporate” and “Family” categories will be added to the member categories, and the process will be streamlined for proposing and accepting new members. (Updated version of the Bylaws, with specific new language, available by clicking here.)

ROTARY HOME COOKING — The first member-hosted dinner of the annual winter series will be hosted by Dean and Doris Calamaras on Friday, January 27. They have just four seats remaining, and anyone interested in attending is asked to contact them ASAP. As always, all reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

screen-shot-2016-12-02-at-2-07-48-pmRECYCLING PROJECT — Terry Brewer circulated a signup sheet for volunteers willing to work the “Resolve to Recycle” day on Saturday, January 14. There will be three shifts of two hours each, and four or five people will be needed for each shift. In addition to widespread social media notices, an article has been published in The Advertiser about the project.

INDOOR GOLF — Plans are proceeding to host the first of two Indoor Simulator Golf Tournaments at the Burden Lake Country Club, set for Saturday, January 21. Volunteers are needed to staff the event, and anyone interested is asked to contact Murray ASAP.

COMMITTEE ACTIVITY — Debbie explained that the focus of the evening’s Club Assembly will be on Youth, Scholarship, Fundraising, and Community Service committees. Members were asked to pick a group and choose someone to take notes and be able to report back next week.

NEXT MEETING: 6:15 p.m. Thursday, January 12, at Quigley’s. A representative of the Stratton VA Medical Center will offer a presentation on services to veterans.

RI creates simplified Grants Center

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Rotary Grants fund many undertakings.

Rotary International has just announced the debut of the new Grant Center, formerly known as the Grant Application Tool.

The new site, says RI, “has a fresh look and better organization. The grant application includes clearly defined steps so it’s easier for you to track your progress.

“The Rotary Foundation offers grants that support a wide variety of projects, scholarships, and training that Rotary members are doing around the world. Explore the grant types and find one that’s right for your project.”

Details are available online.

Lake jumpers, bowlers shoot for $30K mark

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The participants before the plunge.

On New Year’s Day, a hardy band of District 7190 Rotarians participated in the annual “Polar Plunge” at Shepard Park in Lake George.

The go-jump-in-the-lake event in frigid waters is a major fundraiser for Rotary’s anti-polio efforts.

To warm up afterward, they joined other Rotarians in the annual “Bowl Over Polio” event.

Says District Governor John Mucha, “We’re hoping to exceed $10,000 with pledges and donations, and with the [Bill & Melinda] Gates [Foundation] match, that’s $30,000 to fight polio. ”

 

RI float a winner in Tournament of Roses parade

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The 2017 Rotary International float

The Rotary International float in Monday’s 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA, emerged with a major trophy.

The smoke-breathing floral dragon float, titled “Doing Good In the World,” was awarded the Princesses’ Trophy which goes to what the judges consider the best float in the 35-feet-and-under category.

 

Big stuff this week, so please RSVP ASAP

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• Ready to vote?

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• Ready to discuss?

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• Ready to chow down?

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All three activities are on the agenda for this Thursday’s 6:15 p.m. SRC dinner meeting at Quigley’s.

• The vote will be on proposed changes to the Club Bylaws (everyone was sent copies back on December 5, but you can see them online by clicking here if you need to.) Originally, we were planning a vote on December 15, but did not have a quorum at that meeting.

• The discussion will be part of President Debbie Rodriguez’s plan to break up into committee groups to go over plans for the remainder of the 2016-17 Rotary Year.

• The chowing down will be on beef tips and mushroom sauce, along with chef’s choice of sides, salad, bread, dessert and beverages.

We expect, and need, a strong turnout this week since we have such important matters to attend to. But, if you have not yet emailed dinner coordinator Debbie Brown (mdbrown@nycap.rr.com) with your RSVP, please do so no later than Tuesday evening. We need to give an accurate headcount to the Quigley’s kitchen staff first thing Wednesday morning.

 

What are these Rotarians doing?

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They are putting the finishing touches on signs that will adorn the Rotary International float in the 123rd annual Tournament of Roses Parade, scheduled for Monday, January 2, in Pasadena, CA.

If you want to know about the tremendous effort from scores of volunteers that it took to put together the Rotary float, you can go here for a first-person account from a member of the Pasadena Rotary Club.

And, if you want to see their final product, and lots of other imaginative floats, you can tune in to ABC (WTEN Channel 10 in these parts) beginning at 11 a.m. Monday.