1736 — Enoch Poor is born in Andover, MA. He becomes a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War and is instrumental in the Colonials’ victory at the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, the first of the Saratoga area battles.
1788 — New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution of the United States, becoming the ninth state.
1942 –- In the early days of World War II, a Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, and fires 17 shells at nearby Fort Stevens.
1900 — During the Boxer Rebellion, an edict issued by the Empress Dowager Cixi declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Japan.
2009 — Greenland and its 56,000 residents assumed full self-rule while remaining nominally a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
If you have not yet done so, please be sure to email Debbie Rodriguez at debannrod@yahoo.com no later than Tuesday your RSVP for this Thursday’s dinner meeting at Quigley’s.
As we all know, we will be formally inducting our 13th, 14th, and 15th new members of the 2015-16 Rotary Year, the most newcomers of any of the 41 clubs in District 7190. District Governor Milan Jackson is scheduled to attend. Our guest speaker will be Fred Daniels, who will become District Governor-elect on July 1.
Our menu centerpiece.
This is a perfect opportunity for all of you who joined the SRC Rotary Club earlier in the year to be on hand to show support for your fellow “rookie Rotarians.”
Our menu centerpiece will be baked salmon, accompanied by vegetables, a specialty salad, bread or rolls, dessert, and beverages (tea, coffee, water, soft drinks). And, as always, Quigley’s cash bar is available to all.
That is when we reach the Summer Solstice, when the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined toward the sun.
It is the longest day of the year — about 17 hours of daylight — and the official first day of Summer 2016.
So, enjoy the great outdoors over the next few months, in particular by participating in the many “summer casual” activities our club has planned. And then, as we approach Labor Day, ignore those doomsayers who always like to rush into things by telling you that is the end of summer. In reality, summer will last until we reach the Autumnal Equinox at 10:21 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, September 22.
While the Summer Solstice happens every year, today’s occasion is unusual in that it also hosts a rare full moon, known as a “Strawberry Moon” or “Sagittarius Moon,” a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for most people since it happens only once every 70 or so years. At the moment of the solstice, you should be able to see the rising moon and the setting sun in the sky at the same time.
On July 19, 1910, the governor of the state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972 — 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official — that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. This year it is being celebrated on Sunday, June 19.
Origin of Mother’s Day
The “Mother’s Day” we celebrate today has its origins in the peace-and-reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era. During the 1860s, at the urging of activist Ann Reeves Jarvis, one divided West Virginia town celebrated “Mother’s Work Days” that brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers. In 1870, the civic activist Julia Ward Howe issued a “Mother’s Day Proclamation” calling on a “general congress of women” to “promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, [and] the great and general interests of peace.”
However, Mother’s Day did not become a commercial holiday until 1908, when — inspired by Jarvis’s daughter Anna, who wanted to honor her own mother by making Mother’s Day a national holiday — the John Wanamaker department store in Philadelphia sponsored a service dedicated to mothers in its auditorium. Thanks in large part to this association with retailers, who saw great potential for profit in the holiday, Mother’s Day caught on right away. In 1909, 45 states observed the day, and in 1914, President Wilson approved a resolution that made the second Sunday in May a holiday in honor of “that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America.”
Origins of Father’s Day
The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm, perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”
On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, WV, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday. The next year, a Spokane, WA, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to
establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea. She was successful: The state of Washington celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910.
Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, DC. In 1924, Read More »
Tim and Sharon Bridgman at the start of their planned global ride.
UPDATE: Tim Bridgman has completed his bicycle journey around the globe, finishing the trek when he rode into Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Go here for a story of his venture published by his hometown English newspaper, the Express & Echo.
(Originally published 6/18/16)
• Go here for a CNN story and video on this remarkable journey.
On June 4, 2012, Sharon and Tim Bridgman set off from Norway to cycle unsupported and self-funded around the world to raise awareness and support of ShelterBox.
They rode through Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and East Africa to Capetown, South Africa, passing through 23 countries and covering 15,939 miles. They then headed to the southern tip of Argentina and rode north, passing between Chile and Argentina before reaching Bolivia. At this point they had covered just under 21,000 miles through 26 countries.
On April 26, 2014, in a remote area of southwest Bolivia just seven weeks short of their second anniversary on the trek, Sharon was hit by a truck and was killed instantly.
Tim was devastated at the loss of his wife and best friend. But, after taking off several months, he felt compelled to finish in light of so many families losing loved ones in an instant from natural disasters or civil unrest.
Warmly welcomed by volunteers, Rotarians and Rotary Clubs along the way, Tim cycled through the California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and currently is making his way through British Columbia and is several weeks away from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, where he will complete the journey he and Sharon began in 2012.
Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant 593 Columbia Turnpike East Greenbush, NY June 16, 2016
Members Attending (16): Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Charlie Foote, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Ron Annis, Geoff Brewer, Ray Hannan, Jim Butterworth, Dick Drumm, John Sawchuk, Jim McHugh, Andy Leyhane.
Guests (12): Jenny Horn, Kendle Butterworth, Matt McHugh, Maureen McHugh, Michaela Mueller, Steven Mueller, Shelly Meuller, Jolene Bell, Donna Bell, Schuyler Bell, Kelsey Roman, Randy Sensil.
SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATIONS
Recipients of “SRC Rotary Citizenship Awards” presented at the meeting pose with their family members and their “big bucks” $1,000 scholarship checks. From left: mom Shelly Mueller, daughter Michaela Mueller of Maple Hill High School, dad Steven Mueller; mom Donna Bell, daughter Jolene Bell of Rensselaer High School, sister Schuyler Bell; son Matt McHugh of Columbia High School, mom Maureen McHugh, and dad Jim McHugh.
PROGRAM: “STUDENT LEADERSHIP”
Kendle Butterworth and, behind her, Jenny Horn of CASDA spoke on the “Student Leadership” program.
Club member Jim Butterworth introduced two staffers from CASDA (Capital Area School Development Association), where he is executive director. They were Kendle Butterworth, Jim’s daughter-in-law, and Jenny Horn, who work with an in-progress “Student Leadership”program.
Kendle opened the presentation with a quote from Carl Heyden, of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Youth Leadership 2006:
“If you think about it, youth leadership is the logical home for those orphaned strands of our educational enterprise that deal with character, service, civic engagement, and principled citizenship. It is the missing piece, the one subject that insists upon putting all else in a moral and ethical context.”
Three key elements are at the root of their program: (1.) Providing a place where each student can find a place to belong; student connectedness is directly related to dropout and graduation rates. (2.) Extracurricular and leadership programs have specifically decreased in low-income schools. (3.) They are crucial in low-income schools because extracurricular and leadership programs are the key to upward mobility for students.
CASDA has created and hosted three different workshop themes for students.
“Taking Care of the World and Giving Back to the Community” featured internationally-known author and speaker Jay Rifenbary. “Taking Care of Your Health and Well-Being” featured Paul Arceiro, a professor of health and eercise science. “Taking Care of Your Friends: How to Unmake a Bully” featured filmmaker Mike Feurstein who created the “How to unmake a Bully.”
CASDA plans to host a one-day Student Leadership Institute in October at the UAlbany East Campus in Rensselaer for students from such area schools as Rensselaer, Columbia, Maple Hill, and Averill Park. The schools will be asked to select students showing leadership potential. They are hoping to have Rifenbary make a return visit to be the keynote speaker, have team-building activities led by RPI leadership students, and offer STEM problem-solving skills workshops.
Jim Butterworth said CASDA is seeking support from the SRC Rotary Club because the core elements of CASDA are in keeping with a major Rotary interest.
• If you missed this presentation and would like to see the PowerPoint version, go to our Program Presentation Archive.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS
WELCOME — Prior to the program presentation, President Terry Brewer welcomed the guests, and explained some of the community service efforts made by our club on local and global projects.
CITIZENSHIP AWARDS — Family members and school staffers accompanied a trio of local high school seniors who received “SRC Rotary Citizenship Awards.” Checks for $1,000 each were presented by Terry Brewer and Debbie Rodriguez to Michaela Mueller of Maple Hill High School, who will study civil engineering at the University of Hartford in the fall; Jolene Bell of Rensselaer High School, who will study dance at the University of Utah; and, Matt McHugh of Columbia High School, son of club member Jim McHugh, who will study biology at Siena College. The students were recommended by their respective schools based on their academic, civic, and extracurricular records.
PRESIDENTIAL CHANGEOVER — The annual event, scheduled for Thursday, June 30, will be hosted by the Forth family. It will include some year-end awards. Murray said the menuRead More »
Third Thursday Breakfast Meeting
Greenbush YMCA
East Greenbush, NY
June 16, 2016
Members Attending (8): Terry Brewer, Geoff Brewer, Mike Dewey, Murray Forth, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Shannon Romanowski, Matt Smith.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS
• President Terry Brewer reviewed the remaining dates for the 2015-16 Rotary Year. On June 23, at Quigley’s, we will formally induct three more Rotarians, bringing the total this year to 15. On June 30, we will hold the induction of new officers as part of the “Presidential Changeover” dinner being hosted by the Forths. And, the “summer casual” schedule was discussed. Details of all events are on the club website at SRCrotary.org.
• Members were reminded that we are trying to close out our final ShelterBox drive by June 30. We have 2.5 boxes funded. We need to raise $500 to bring our total ShelterBox donations to 8 — at $8,000 — for this Rotary Year.
• Shannon Romanowski reported on the “Circle of Changes” program sponsored by the YMCA for children with special needs. She is looking for community groups to sponsor a breakfast or lunch for 20 children during the week of July 11-15. Our club will support an 8 a.m. breakfast on Thursday, July 14, at the Greenbush Y. Shannon will be providing specific information regarding breakfast in the near future. Anyone who would like to participate is asked to let Terry or Shannon know.
PROGRAM: “RETIREMENT ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE”
Club member Mike Dewey, a financial planner, presented an informative and interesting overview on retirement planning and investing in your future.
He shared a packet of information that compared what retirement used to be in terms of years and eligibility/benefits to current processes for retirement, and some investment options available to workers in today’s economy.
Mike answered a number of questions on investing and saving options for individuals.
• If you missed this presentation and would like to see the PowerPoint version, go to our Program Presentation Archive.
NEXT BREAKFAST MEETING: We are off for the summer. We will resume the monthly sessions at 7 a.m. Thursday, September 15, at the Greenbush Y.
Anyone who has been a Rotarian for even a short time probably has been asked more than once, “What IS Rotary?”
Most people have at least heard of the organization, or perhaps seen the familiar Rotary emblem on a signpost at the entrance to a town, or even noticed something in a local newspaper or on TV about a Rotary project benefiting the community.
While we can try explaining Rotary to them, you’ve probably found its reach is so broad and its activities so varied that providing a full description is quite a chore in a simple conversation.
Because we live in such a technological and visual time, Rotary International and some of its individual districts and clubs continuously create videos explaining Rotary from a variety of viewpoints.
We have, from time to time, posted such videos here for you to share with friends, families, colleagues, and anyone curious about what we do. Now, however, we’ve put together a formal collection of such videos that went live today, a collection we’ll expand and update from time to time.
Just click here to take a look at our starter collection. When someone asks about Rotary, you can tell them what you like about it, then point them to SRCrotary.org for the full story about the Southern Rensselaer County club.
NOTE: We particularly recommend the first video, titled “Why Rotary Now?” It speaks to some reasons younger people in business enjoy participating in Rotary despite the pressures of family and work that others often cite as reasons not to join us.
Each Rotary Year, the incoming international president gets to select a theme and motto for that term of service.
On July 1, we enter the 2016-17 Rotary Year under the motto “Rotary Serving Humanity.” That was selected by incoming President John F. Germ. You’ll be seeing the new logo and motto in lots of Rotary documents and announcements through June 30 of next year.
Here’s a look at the transition and the explanation for the new emphasis:
On June 21 in …
On July 19, 1910, the governor of the state of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972 — 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official — that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States. This year it is being celebrated on Sunday, June 19.
Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
CITIZENSHIP AWARDS — Family members and school staffers accompanied a trio of local high school seniors who received “SRC Rotary Citizenship Awards.” Checks for $1,000 each were presented by Terry Brewer and Debbie Rodriguez to Michaela Mueller of Maple Hill High School, who will study civil engineering at the University of Hartford in the fall; Jolene Bell of Rensselaer High School, who will study dance at the University of Utah; and, Matt McHugh of Columbia High School, son of club member Jim McHugh, who will study biology at Siena College. The students were recommended by their respective schools based on their academic, civic, and extracurricular records.
Third Thursday Breakfast Meeting
Anyone who has been a Rotarian for even a short time probably has been asked more than once, “What IS Rotary?”
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 