Y seeks volunteers for special breakfast effort

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A Circle of Champs kid

The Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club is planning to provide a breakfast for the Greenbush YMCA’s “Circle of Champs” kids group next Thursday, July 14.

The portion of the club that usually attends the monthly breakfast meetings hosted at the Y by executive director and club member Shannon Romanowski has volunteered to work the project, but anyone is welcome.

Says Shannon:

“Our YMCA ‘Circle of Champs’ program provides support and fun activities and programs to children who are fighting a life-threatening illness. We also provide families with memberships to the Y and include the families in all champs activities.

“I am suggesting that [the] breakfast be kept simple as the kids will be leaving on a field trip that day by 9:30 a.m. Perhaps assorted bagels, cream cheese, fruit and muffins would work best as the kids could easily carry it with them if they wish to.”

To that end, Shannon is asking for club members to formally sign up to help shop for the breakfast items and go to the Y the morning of the event to help serve and spend some time with the campers.

Please contact Shannon at 477-2570 or by email at sromanowski@cdymca.org as soon as possible if you wish to help.

NOTE: If you’d like to learn a little more about the “Circle of Champs” program, click here.

 

Today in history

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On July 5 …

1687 — Isaac Newton publishes his famous multi-volume “Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.” Among other works, the collection includes Newton’s laws of motion, which formed the foundation of classical mechanics, as well as Newton’s law of universal gravitation.

1811 — Venezuela becomes the first country in South American to declare independence from Spain, which had begun colonizing it in 1522.

1916 — Sisters Adelina and Augusta Van Buren — descendants of President Martin Van Buren of Kinderhook — set out from the Sheepshead Bay race track in New York City en route to making the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour by two women. They will arrive in San Diego, CA, on September 12, ending a 5,500 mile trek. Both are in the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame.

1975 — Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win a Wimbledon singles title defeating Jimmy Connors.

1996 –- Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. The cloning was performed was by Sir Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and colleagues at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the biotechnology company PPL Therapeutics, based nearby. Dolly would live nearly seven years before succumbing to a progressive lung disease.

 

Bob Horan dies suddenly on July 4th

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Bob Horan

It is with sadness we report that Bob Horan, who recently resumed his SRC Club membership, passed away suddenly on Monday, July 4th. He had been on vacation with his family at their Adirondacks camp.

Bob, 52, had been superintendent of the Schodack Central School District for the past six years after a decade in other roles there. He was pioneering  innovative ways of coping with declining enrollments and financial pressures. In a June interview with the Albany Business Review, he spoke about the changes and challenges in education and his vision for the future locally. It is available here.

Prior to serving the Schodack district, Bob worked in the Mohonasen and Shenendehowa school districts.

The school district issued this statement this morning:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s family, who he loved dearly, in this incredibly difficult time. Bob was beloved by all who knew him for his huge heart and tireless passion for creating opportunities for students. No superintendent cared more for students or took greater joy in watching them learn, grow and succeed. He will be greatly missed.”

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia called his death a “heartbreaking loss” for the school district and the entire statewide schools community, saying:

“Bob was a passionate educator who always thought of the future of his students. He tackled each day with his optimistic approach, seeing opportunities where others might see problems. In my personal dealings with Bob, I found he was a true leader and wonderfully kind person. He will be greatly missed.”

Bob is survived by his wife and three adult childrene. We will post details on services when they become available, or you can check the school district website for updates.

 

Drop off your school supplies Thursday

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School Supply Drive logoThe first dropoff date for this year’s “School Supplies Drive” is our Thursday pool party cookout at Jim Leyhane’s residence in East Greenbush.

You’ve been given all the details of the effort multiple times, plus details are on the club website if you somehow inexplicably missed them.

This is a simple, low-key way to make Rotary’s presence known in the community.  We ask your help in making it work. The fate of the effort is up to you.

Today in history

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On July 4 in …

1776 — The United States Declaration of Independence from Great Britain is adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. Delegates from 12 of the 13 Colonies were present when the Congress convened. Georgia had not participated in the First Continental Congress and did not initially send delegates to the Second Continental Congress.

1802 — The United States Military Academy opens at West Point, NY, in Orange County opens.

1826 –- Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, dies the same day as John Adams, second president of the United States. It is the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

1827 -– Slavery is abolished in New York State. The state had passed a law in 1799 calling for gradual abolition. After that date, children born to slave mothers were free, but were required to work for the mother’s master for an extended period as indentured servants into their late 20s. Existing slaves kept their status. All remaining slaves are freed on this date.

1918 -– Bolshevik revolutionaries kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family.

 

Tuesday RSVP deadline for Thursday event

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We hope everyone had a wonderful and inspiring celebration of our nation’s 240th birthday today.

And now, on to our SRC “Summer Casual Schedule” of family-oriented events.

As we all know, first up is a pool party at 6 p.m. this Thursday, co-hosted by Jim and Andy Leyhane at Jim’s East Greenbush residence. (If you need his address, check the “Member Contact Page” on the club website. Everyone was given the page password some time ago.)

Chef Jim will be cooking barbecued boneless chicken breasts and providing the usual beverages. Beer connoisseur Andy will be holding a tasting of craft beers you may not have experienced. And, the pool is open for kids and adults alike.

Each member is asked to bring a dish to serve six — those with surnames A-K an appetizer, those with surnames L-Z a dessert.

We have heard from some members whether they will be joining us, but there still are 25 Rotarians who have not yet responded at all. We need to know your intentions no later than Tuesday evening, including whether you are bringing guests. PLEASE DO SO ONLY BY RESPONDING TO THIS EMAIL.

Here’s what we have so far:

WILL ATTEND

Jim Leyhane
Andy Leyhane and 3 guests
Pat Bailey
Melissa Bill and one guest
April Dowd
Bill Dowd
Geoff Brewer
Terry Brewer and guest
Dick Drumm and guest
Roberto Martinez
Ray Hannan and guest
Debbie Rodriguez
David Taylor

REGRETS

Carole Spencer
Becky Raymond
Monika Annis
Ron Annis

RESPONSES STILL NEEDED

Debbie Brown
Peter Brown
Murray Forth
Marko Koshykar
Rommel Tolentino
Len Leonidas
Stewart Wagner
Jim Butterworth
Mike Dewey
Michael Bennett
John Sawchuk
Josh Wainman
Phil Kellerman
Julius Frankel
Charlie Foote
Dean Calamaras
Doris Calamaras
Bob Horan
A.J. Amato
Carol Orvis
Jim McHugh
Jim Mendrysa
Rob Mangold
Shannon Romanowski
Matt Smith

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to seeing many of you and family members and friends on Thursday.

Thursday is first school supplies dropoff date

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School Supply Drive logo
2nd annual School Supplies Drive

As you know, our 2nd annual “School Supplies Drive” began Friday. Please bring whatever you have purchased or otherwise acquired so far to this Thursday’s cookout at Jim Leyhane’s residence, the first drop-off opportunity.

(If by some crazy fluke you’re not aware of any of the emails, Facebook postings, Tweets, verbal announcements at meetings, or website postings about the project, please go to the club website and scroll down to see the details of the effort and the shopping lists.)

We’re hoping to do even better than we did last year, which should be assured, considering our membership has grown by 50% since then. The recipients will be pre-school and high school students in the Rensselaer City School District, where more than one-third of the students live at or below the federal poverty level. (Other grades will be served by other programs.)

If you won’t be attending and/or contributing at Thursday’s event, you have another few weeks after that. If for some reason you don’t plan to join us for any of our activities before August 21, the contribution deadline, please let Bill Dowd know and he’ll personally come to your home or place of work to pick up your contributions.

Please don’t miss this opportunity to help fulfill one of Rotary’s six stated areas of concentration: “Improving basic education and literacy.”

Thank you as always for your generosity.

 

Ooops! We need your help on summer signups

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HERE’S WHAT WE’LL BE DOING THIS SUMMER:

Summer Sked

THE BAD NEWS:

Our summer signup sheet has gone astray. That means anyone who filled out their week-by-week preferences at last Thursday’s cookout or earlier is not recorded.

THE GOOD NEWS:

Our summer events don’t begin until this coming Thursday, July 7, so we have time to get back on track.

Please, do not RSVP in any fashion except via response to our weekly email request. We must have an accurate headcount in one place for each event this summer to make the way smoother for hosts and event coordinators. Having a confusing mix of phone calls, verbal reservations, and emails to various people leads to a mess. And, as we know, life is messy enough.

THE PROCESS:

Screen shot 2016-07-03 at 4.58.14 PMFirst and foremost, please respond to this email no later than Tuesday whether you will or will not attend the  cookout at Jim Leyhane’s residence at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 7.

If you are planning to come, be sure to indicate how many guests (including kids) you plan to bring with you. The event will be a multi-level one:

• Jim will be serving barbecued boneless chicken breasts and fixin’s.

• Beer connoisseur Andy Leyhane will be hosting a mini beer-tasting of brews you may not be familiar with.

• Each member-attendee is asked to bring a dish — appetizers from surnames A-K, desserts from surnames L-Z, each to serve about six. (Please note, we’re asking one dish from each member, not each household.)

• Plus, the pool is open for adults and for kids.

BY THE WAY:

You’ll see above that all eight weeks of our hiatus from formal meetings is filled with activities of all sorts. If you would like to RSVP in advance for any of the events, please feel free to do so when you send your response for the July 7 cookout/pool party/beer tasting event.

 

Today in history

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On July 3 in ...

987 — Hugh Capet, a seventh-generation descendant of Charlemagne, is crowned King of France, succeeding the last Carolingian king, Louis V. Capet is the first of the Capetian Dynasty that goes on to rule France for 1,468 years, until the French Revolution in 1792.

1608 — The Canadian city of Quebec and the region called New France is founded by Samuel de Champlain, French navigator, cartographer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler.

1775 — General George Washington officially takes command of the new Continental Army at Cambridge, MA.

1890 — Idaho, nicknamed the “Gem State,” is admitted as the 43rd U.S. state. At one time, it had been part of the Wyoming Territory.

1913 -– Confederate veterans attending “The Great Reunion of 1913” in Gettysburg, PA,  reenact Pickett’s Charge. Upon reaching the high-water mark of the Confederacy they are met by the outstretched hands of friendship from Union survivors of the Civil War.