This Friday (not Thursday) May 31, 2024 at 6:00pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be meeting at S&S Farm Brewery located at 174 Middle Road Nassau, NY 12123. S&S offers fine craft beer along with food trucks all in the atmosphere of a country farm. For more information on the brewery use the link below. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday.
Minutes of Meeting May 23, 2024
Members in Attendance(10): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Pat Bailey, Murray Forth, Terry Brewer, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Andy Leyhane, Carole Heaney
Guests (9): East Greenbush Scholarship recipient Shea Fajen, Mrs. Fajen, Columbia HS Assistant Principal Beth Farnum; Maple Hill Scholarship recipient Alyssa Gray, Carrie Earle (Alyssa’s mom), and MHHS Principal Rob Santaracangelo; Rensselaer High School Scholarship recipient Lydia Jyaw, Mrs. Jyaw (aunt), Brandy Cenci, High School Counselor
President Peter Brown called the meeting to order and welcomed our guests from the three High Schools in our community. Each student introduced herself, her guest, and the representative from her school.
Theme for the year: “Building Community”
PROGRAM NOTES:
President Brown turned the meeting over to Terry Brewer, Chair of SRCR Scholarship program who reviewed the criteria and process for this signature project of our club.
Each student gave a brief presentation about her activities at their respective schools, outlined their plans following graduation and thanked our club for this honor and for the scholarship award. Below are summaries of each student’s remarks.
Maple Hill senior Alyssa Gray’s motto and guiding principle is “Do Good in the World” and she has demonstrated many times her commitment to this motto. A Girl Scout and a National Honor Society member, she has initiated and organized several fundraising/awareness campaigns during her HS career. She hopes to become a high school Math teacher and will attend HVCC in the fall and then continue her education at Siena College (accepted to both schools!).
Columbia senior Shea Fajen has completed 17 advanced level courses as well as being a varsity level track “star” as a distance runner. Her community service focuses on supporting underrepresented communities and she has enjoyed learning how to communicate with speakers of languages other than English. She has particularly enjoyed her work at the West Hill Welcome Center providing support to those relocating to this country. She has served on the EGCS Superintendent’s Advisory Committee and will attend Middlebury College to study Biology.
Rensselaer senior Lydia Johnson is a member of Key Club and National Honor Society and also an athlete in track, soccer, and dance. She is a member of the Rensselaer City Citizens’ Advisory Committee, which Mayor Stammell mentioned in his program at our May 2nd meeting. Much of her community service focuses on food insecurity and homelessness. She has been a volunteer at Capital Roots. Lydia will attend Siena College in the fall and is enrolled in the 3/2 program with Albany Law School.
SRC Rotary congratulated all these outstanding young women who have demonstrated commitment to the goals of Rotary and to further education which will make significant contributions to their communities. As usual, members were very impressed with these young women and wished them well in their future endeavors.
MEETING NOTES:
Board meeting Monday May 20th was largely spent on clarifying and refining the application for Grant funding for the Kenya Water project. Major fundraising will be needed to meet our share of the cost of this project.
Upcoming Programs:
May 31st: FRIDAY Social event at S&S Brewery
June 6th; New Member Induction
June 13th: St Paul’s Tracy Pitcher
June 20th Club Assembly, Brief presentation on Arts participation with Emma Leyhane and short video
June 27th: Change over/Induction of officers at Brown’s Details to follow
This Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 6:00pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be holding its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s Family Italian Restaurant on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Joining us will be 3 local Rotary Scholarship winners from Columbia High School, Rensselaer High School, and Maple Hill High School. Each scholarship award recipient will be joined by family and a representative from their school district. Due to the anticipated high attendance at this meeting it will not be available remotely this week. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.
Minutes of Meeting May 16, 2024
Members in Attendance: (12): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannah, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carole Healey.
Guests (2): Karen Spinelli, Teresa Martell and Karen Rogers
President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.
Theme for the year: “Building Community”
Meeting Notes:
Guest speakers: Karen Spinelli, RN and Teresa Martell, RN of the ALS Regional Center
Ray, who organized the presentation, introduced Karen and Teresa.
Karen, who is director of the ALS Regional Center, said that ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a progressive disease with no known cure at this time. The effects are extremity and general weakness; impairment and weakness of swallowing; changes in speech; respiratory insufficiency; drooling; muscle spasticity/cramping/pain; and depression, anxiety and isolation.
The Center provides both a medical and an emotional system of support to help maintain quality of life throughout the course of the disease. All ALS patients eventually succumb to the disease.
Most ALS patients are within the 45-75 age range but the center has treated younger patients. The average life span of a person diagnosed with ALS is 3-5 years.
Eight to ten percent of ALS patients have genetic tendencies but it is relatively unknown how others get it.
The Center operates on an annual budget of around $750,000. It gets a few grants to sustain itself but also relies on fund-raisers.
Club members asked insightful questions which Karen and Teresa responded to. All agreed it was an excellent and interesting presentation. Phil spoke to both after the meeting to indicate he had experience in tube feeding as many of the ALS patients use tube feeding to sustain themselves. He offered his assistance to help in case the center needed tube feeding supplies or other equipment which could be obtained by Mission Central in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Scholarship award winners:
Next week, scholarship awards will be given out to three area high school students.
501C4 Status;
Peter reported that Murray and Phil have been communicating with the IRS about our 501C4 status.
Water for Kenya and Global Grant status:
Peter said a Zoom meeting was held with club members involved to review the 18 page proposal by the club for the project. The two hour meeting helped to resolve some issues with the grant and improvements were made to the proposal. One important issue that will need to be resolved is that the club most likely will have to raise above the initial $5,000 – most likely within the $7,000-10,000 range. Peter had spoken to Sue Austin who recommended that the club ask for donations from other clubs to help raise funds.
Roberto complimented Peter on doing a good job on the proposal.
Carole’s Home:
Carole reported that she is conducting monthly internet discussions on “inviting death into the room” and that members were invited to participate. Deb Brown recommended reading the book “Being Mortal.”
Viking Gym and Peace Pole
Jim reported that we are waiting to hear if the town of Schodack wants the peace pole.
Fund raisers including suggestions by Marisa
Peter said that the club needs to schedule fund-raisers for this summer to raise funds for the Kenya water project.
Board meeting
A board meeting will be held on Monday the 20th at the Browns.
Member inductions
New member indications will be held June 6th. Four new members are expected to be inducted.
Summer meetings:
Pat said she would help to coordinate the schedule of summer events. There will be no meeting on July 4th.
District Meetings:
The District 7190 Celebration will be held on June 19 at 5 pm at Wolf Hollow Brewing.
This Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 6:00pm The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will be holding its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Joining us will be Karen Spinelli, RN and Teressa Martell, RN and they will be presenting on ALS, or otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. As usual if you are unable to join us in person you may do so remotely using the Zoom Link on our calendar page of our website. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.
Members in Attendance: (12): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannah, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Carole Healey.
Guests (2): Marisa Multari, Lorenzo Murray
President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.
Theme for the year: “Building Community”
Meeting Notes:
Guest speaker: Lorenzo Murray, Gift of Life
Lorenzo was introduced by Marisa Multari. Lorenzo said that he got involved with Gift for Life as his father was born with a heart defect. He proceeded to show a brief video outlining how Gift of Life helps with pediatric cardiac care.
Since 2009, 10,000 children with heart defects have been operated on. One of the other goals of Gift of Life is to train medical personnel in affected foreign countries to do to surgery. The NY Central chapter of Gift of Life has been successful in raising money for Gift of Life via various fund-raising events including golf tournaments,
Murray said that years ago the club raised money for heart surgery for a boy brought over from a foreign country.
Viking Gym: Peace Pole and Signage updates:
Jim reported that we are waiting to hear if the town of Schodack wants the peace pole, and it appears that Ron will be following up. Murray said the sign is in the process of design.
Water for Kenya and Global Grant status:
Peter said that he has on hand an 18 page draft proposal for the grant application. He anticipated that our district would donate $25,000, the Rotary Foundation $20,000, and the club would have to raise about $5,000. Charlie asked how deep a well would be dug to access water. Peter responded he thought about 300 meters deep. Peter added that an application would have to be put in for the hydro geological survey. Peter said that he anticipated that the project possibly could launched by the fall.
Web-site: sponsor and member information updates:
The club has done a good job updating member information.
Zoom updates:
Roberto complimented Becky and Charlie as to improvements to zoom calls during meetings. One suggestion was that members not talk at once as separate conversations are confusing to those on Zoom.
Fund-raiser:
Pat said that she would develop a schedule for summer events/fund-raisers.
There was also discussion of additional fund-raising activities the club could consider. Marisa asked if the club would entertain joining with another club to do fund-raisers, and the club agreed to consider doing so.
New member indications:
Jim said that the club has four new inductions to do on June 6th.
Scholarship winners:
Scholarship winners were announced as Alyssa Gray from Maple Hill; Shea Fajen, Columbia High School; and Lydia Kyaw from Rensselaer High School.
CNY Survey:
Marisa encourage the club members to do the CNY survey as it only takes a few minutes to complete.
7190 Website will expire and transition to CNY:
Roberto reported that the 7190 web-site will expire June first and folks will be directed to the new web-site.
Board meeting:
Peter said a board meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Monday May 20th for 7 pm. Peter said he needs to communicate with Kevin about his availability.
Other:
Pat said she would make name tags for new members. Carol said she is hosting free zoom talks titled “All Things Life, Death and Grief.”
This Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 6:00 pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will hold its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Joining us this week will be Lorenzo Murray from Gift of Life. Gift of Life is a foundation created for the purpose of providing life saving cardiac surgeries to children around the world. If you are unable to join us in person you may still do so remotely using the link on the calendar page. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.
Minutes of Meeting May 2, 2024
Members in Attendance(14): Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Mary Alice Caldese, Pat Bailey, Dick Drumm, Murray Forth, Ray Hannan, Terry Brewer, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Andy Leyhane, Carole Heaney
By Zoom (2): Becky Raymond, Charlie Foote
Guests (1): Michael Stammel, Mayor of the City of Rensselaer
President Peter Brown Called the meeting to order.
Theme for the year: “Building Community”
MEETING NOTES:
Vote to select representatives to Council on Legislation and Director Nominating Committee: Our club has one vote for each of these committees. Candidates had been presented at the last Leadership zoom meeting and it was agreed by common consent that the President would make the choice for both committee representatives based on his review of said candidates.
Updating Website/District/RI membership info: Many thanks are due Kevin Leyhane for making our club information current and accurate for District purposes. The District website will be synchronized to RI information data base by Secretary Pat Bailey. Our roster currently stands at 35 members. The Sponsor page on our website is still undergoing revision.
Scholarship Updates: 2024 and 2025: Awardees from Columbia and Rensselaer High Schools have been identified; Maple Hill’s awardee will be forthcoming. These students and their guests will be recognized and celebrated at our May 23 meeting. A motion to proceed with the Grant Application for reimbursement for the 2024-25 Scholarship program was made by Terry Brewer, seconded by Andy Leyhane, and approved unanimously by the members.
Viking Gym: A request from the Town of Schodack for EG Football team members to spread mulch came with too short notice so that task may fall to town employees, unless a mutually satisfactory future date can be set. Ordering of the Peace Pole has been placed on hold until confirmation of its approval by the Town for installation can be received from the Town Supervisor.
Water for Kenya: A successful bidders conference was held with the four potential bidders for the project the week of April 22nd and bids should be received within the next week or so. Then our club can proceed with the necessary Grant applications to begin this project.
Iron Giraffe Presentation: Phil Kellerman, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, and Peter Brown attended a program at Maple Hill Middle School to present our donation to this project. In an effort to generate interest in Rotary Exchange Programs, a request was made to the club advisor to orchestrate a face to face meeting with MHHS parents and students.
FUNDRAISERS: Our club will need to raise approximately 5K as our share of the Water for Kenya project. A lively discussion of possible opportunities generated the following ideas:
Hannan and Kellerman Summer Party at the Spinney…..donation to Kenya fund
Pool Party at Leyhane’s/Roberto and Jim (scholarship fund)
Picnic at the Brown’s …. donation to Kenya fund
Fall Raffle Items as a Partner at Farmer’s Market TBD
Pickleball Tournament
Café Cappricio Private Dinner raffle
MEMBERS : PLEASE KEEP THINKING CREATIVELY ABOUT OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Star of Hope : Garden at East Greenbush Library needs a Saturday work party….date to be determined
Upcoming Programs:
June 6th; New Member Induction
June 13th: St Paul’s Tracy Pitcher
June 20th Club Assembly, Brief presentation on Arts participation with Emma Leyhane and short video
June 27th: Change over/Induction of officers at Brown’s
PROGRAM: City of Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel
Mayor Stammel is a life-long resident of the city, and a retired railroad employee. Besides roles in the City, Mike was a Rensselaer County Legislator. The city encompasses a three mile area, and has 10 thousand residents. Extensive revitalization is underway in the downtown area of the city through aggressive grant applications and partnerships with IDA. Efforts to create additional housing using vacant buildings is moving forward. Art Hilton’s Music supply building will be called “the Hilton” and BBL Development is planning 60 units plus retail space in abandoned mills. The Key Bank Building will become an Arts Center.
Infrastructure Improvements are also a high priority. Application for a Brownfield study Is in process to develop better riverfront access and amenities. Lead pipe replacement in the city is nearly 80% complete, as is upgrading sidewalks to make them ADA compliant.
Mayor Stammel spoke highly of the strong city police force which is helping to build good community relations. Bike patrols have been added with positive acceptance. Public safety efforts include cameras in the public parks. There are school officers at the Rensselaer Elementary High School.
Finally, the city is regaining their investment grade Bond Rating, after losing it several years prior to Mayor Stammel’s term.
This Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 6:00 pm the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club will host its weekly meeting at Moscatiello’s Family Italian Restaurant on Route 4 in North Greenbush. Joining us as a guest presenter will be the City of Rensselaer Mayor, Michael Stammel. Mayor will be speaking on current status of the City of Rensselaer as well as future planning. If you unable to join us in person you may still do so virtually using the Zoom link located on our calendar page of the website.
Menu choices for the evening include a choice of Antipasto Salad, Lasagna, or Eggplant Parmesan. Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday.
Members in Attendance (16): Ray Hannan, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Carole Heaney, Dick Drumm, John Justino and Charlie Foote.
By Zoom (0):
Guests (1): David Gittleman
President Peter Brown called the meeting to order.
Theme for the Year: “Building Community”
MEETING NOTES
Website: Kevin Leyhane has been updating contact and sponsor information on the website. Pat Bailey has been updating the information in Club Runner.
District Budget: Peter Brown discussed the budget. Roberto Martinez will push the button letting the District know that the Club accepts the budget.
Leadership Team: After the vote, the following have been elected as club officers for 2024 through 2025.
Peter Brown will move to Past-President. Terry Brewer will continue as Membership Chair. Jim Leyhane will continue as Vice-President and Foundation Chair. Kevin Leyhane will continue as Publicity Chair. Debbie Rodriguez was voted in as a Board Member.
Vacation Coverage: Debbie Brown and Phil Kellerman will cover meeting notes in May. Kevin Leyhane will post the minutes.
Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon was held on Sunday, April 14th. Phil Kellerman sent a check for $655 to Water for South Sudan on behalf of Maple Hill. Christine Fowler, of Maple Hill, received acknowledgement of the donation. Phil, Jim Leyhane, Peter Brown and Roberto Martinez visited Maple Hill.
Water for Kenya: Per Peter Brown, there is no update this week.
Viking Gym: Jim Leyhane will obtain a picture of the peace pole and Murray Forth will create a proof for the sign and both the peace pole picture and sign proof will be submitted to the Schodack Town Supervisor for approval.
Speakers: There are still a few open dates for speakers. Check the calendar.
Fundraisers: Fundraising ideas are needed. General consensus is that the summer socials will continue and could be used as fundraisers.
Rotary Multi-District Conference: Will be held on Friday April 26 through Sundary April 28th at the Double Tree in Binghamton.
Entry Choices will be Antipasta Salad, Lasagna and Eggplant Parm.
World Malaria Prevention and Control World Malaria Day
David Gittleman
David Gittleman is a Clinical Associate Professor in Health, Policy and Management at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health. He teaches Introduction to Global Health. David obtained his undergraduate degree in Foreign Service at Georgetown University and his master’s degree at UCLA. He is a returned Peace Corp volunteer and retired from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta after working in global health for 32 years. He worked in child health, the eradication of malaria and measles control.
Malaria is preventable and treatable. The disease is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria is found in sub-tropical and tropical countries, usually in low altitude areas in warmer regions with higher rainfall. Transmission is aided by poverty and war. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache and malaise. Children under the age of five account for 3/4 of the deaths caused by malaria.
Prevention measures include vector control by spraying and the use of pesticide treated nets. Nets cost ranges from $2.50 to $4.30 and remain effective for 3 years. They are highly effective and reduce mortality by 30%. However, they can rip or come apart and would then need to be replaced. Chemo prevention can also be used for children. A vaccine has been available since 2021. It is 75% effective and decreases child mortality by 13%. A new, lower cost vaccine has been developed. There is the issue of drug resistance developing over time.
Happy World Malaria Day!
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 