Right after the holidays …

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screen-shot-2016-12-23-at-3-17-08-pmWe’re putting together our January meeting programs so you can mark your calendars and get back in the swing of participating as often as your busy schedules allow. Here are a few of the things we already have lined up:

• January 5 — President Debbie Rodriguez will conduct a session that will allow our various committees to have individual in-person discussions, then report back to the full group on what they’re doing. PLUS, we will hold a vote on the proposed changes to the Club Bylaws, postponed from its original December date.

• January 12 — Charlie Foote has arranged for James Arrington of the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center to speak about the many and varied services the center offers to veterans of all branches of our military.

• January 19 — This is one of those double-duty days. At 7 a.m., our monthly breakfast meeting at the Greenbush Area YMCA will feature Executive Director  Jim Butterworth speaking on his work with CASDA — the Capital District School Development Association. Then, after the 6:15 dinner meeting, we’ll have a hands-on, how-to presentation by our webmaster Bill Dowd on how you can better utilize our website, Facebook page, and Twitter account. Please plan to bring your cellphones, iPads, laptops, etc., so you can follow along.

Be assured we’ll keep you updated as more programs are added. We hope to have strong turnout for all of these events to make the Rotary experience richer for everyone.

Scenes from our Holiday Party 2016

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The annual “SRC Holiday Party & Gift Basket Silent Auction” took place Thursday evening to a packed house — Murray’s and Maggie’s house, to be specific.

In addition  to the usual suspects, this year we had an international flavor with our Youth Exchange student and a Rotarian from South Africa by way of Delmar and then back to South Africa. And, we were graced with the presence of almost the entire Rosetti family who are hosting our Brazilian student while their eldest daughter is an Exchange student in Italy for a year.

Here are some scenes from the evening. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to all. See you again on January 5.

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ShelterBox aid finally reaches Aleppo refugees

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Syrian youngsters pick up blankets from ShelterBox aid points.

Thousands of youngsters in Aleppo, Syria, have reached relative safety and been given warm clothing after their families received aid from the ShelterBox disaster relief agency.

The tents, tools, blankets and other non-food relief supplies had been positioned for months outside the city as warfare raged between government and rebel forces as city dwellers tried to stay safe.

When the brief ceasefire began and thousands of beleaguered families were evacuated, facing snow and icy winds, they quickly were taken in by ShelterBox and other relief agencies.

ShelterBox perations coordinator Sam Hewett said, “The fighting in and around Aleppo that has been broadcast in recent weeks is indicative of the intolerable position that people throughout Syria are forced to endure.

“Due to the support of our generous donors, ShelterBox has been able to support people as they are evacuated from the city with items such as clothing and bedding, to shelter them from the cold winter conditions.

“This would not be possible without the presence of our partner organizations, whose staff share the same fatal risks as the people they are trying to help.”

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A frigid scene in a ShelterBox tent encampment outside besieged Allepo.

 

Save the date for an evening of comedy dinner theater

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Rehearsing with a pot o’gold

If you like interactive dinner theater, save Saturday, February 18, for a special Rotary fundraising social night out.

Enjoy an evening of fun and laughter while you try to solve the crime during an interactive comedy called “A Wee Bit O’Murder,” involving leprechauns and stolen gold.

The event, sponsored by the Schenectady East Rotary Club, will be held at The Hibernian Hall, 1746 State Street in Schenectady, just north of the Blue Ribbon Diner. The deadline for reservations is February 10.

The pre-show dinner menu:

Garden salad
Sliced sirloin with mushroom-cabernet demiglace
Parmesan roasted baby potatoes
Sautèed green beans
Dessert

Reservations are $40 per person, $75 per couple. Cash bar. To reserve seats call Sue Mackey at 368-8520 or email her at mackeys97@gmail.com

 

Will we be seeing you at our Holiday Party?

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Prime rib will be served

We hope so, but if you haven’t yet emailed your RSVP to host Murray Forth you’re quickly running out of time.

The deadline for responding to him at mmforth51@gmail.com is Monday (December 19) for the Thursday dinner party, being put together in part by club member Jim Mendrysa’s Talk of the Town catering service.

To flesh out Jim’s prime rib menu with all the fixin’s, members whose surnames begin with A through K are asked to bring a dessert serving six; those with surnames beginning L through Z are asked to bring a similarly-sized appetizer. Beverages will be provided.

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Gift basket suggestion

And, of course, we’re looking to see how imaginative everyone is this year in creating themed baskets for the always-popular silent auction.

The weather forecast for Thursday calls for rain, but with temperatures in the mid-40s, no snow. We’ll take it!

Meanwhile, stay warm, finish up those baskets, and get ready for another fun evening of food, fellowship and frivolity.

 

It’s that time of year; start spreading the word

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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.

We need every member of the club 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.

All SRC members are being emailed a copy of the attached flyer today. (It already has been posted on the club website, Facebook and Twitter pages.) We ask that you forward it 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.

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