Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
June 23, 2016

Members Attending (16): Terry Brewer, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Geoff Brewer, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Carol Orvis, Ray Hannan, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Stewart Wagner, Dick Drumm, Julius Frankel.

Guests (5): District Governor Milan Jackson, Shiela Jackson, Fred Daniels, Mike Stangl, Chuck Rodriguez.

MEMBER INDUCTION & AWARDS PRESENTATION

Tonight we welcomed our 13th, 14th, and 15th new members of the 2015-16 Rotary Year, a club single-year record.

Board member Jim Leyhane performed the induction of Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond, and Julius Frankel, in the presence of two visiting dignitaries, District Governor Milan Jackson and Fred Daniels, who will become DG-elect when the new Rotary Year begins on July 1.

Although we had a strong overall turnout, just one of the previous 12 inductees, Andy Leyhane, was in attendance.

DG Milan, making his third visit to the club this year, presented two awards to President Terry Brewer on behalf of the club:

• A Presidential Bronze Citation authorized by K.R. Ravindran, president of Rotary International, in recognition of the many and ongoing public service efforts the club has undertaken locally and internationally in a wide range of areas.

• A special citation from District 7190 in recognition of winning its membership drive, by a large margin. We had the largest “Class of ’16” of any of the district’s 41 clubs.

PROGRAM: “ROTARY NEXT GEN”

Fred Daniels, who will serve as District Governor in 2017-18 and is working on membership initiatives before then, presented a program called “Rotary Next Gen,” an analysis of marketing studies of the “Gen X” and “Millennial” generations and their attitudes toward organizations and public service.

He noted that while Rotary tends toward pre-Baby Boomer and Baby Boomer generations for the core of its membership, we need to be aware of changing attitudes and desires of the estimated 126 million members of the younger adult generations — Gen X’ers (born between 1965 and 1976) and Millennials (born between 1977 and 1998).

“They, too, believe in service, but not in the same way we do,” he said. He noted that studies have shown that, rather than joining an organization then finding ways through it to serve, those generations tend to identify a need or a cause first, then join a  group that addresses it.

“So, while ‘Service Above Self’ still is good as a motto, we’d probably be more relevant to potential members by emphasizing ‘Service To Others’ as a mantra. And, we need to provide an experience that will let these people learn, network, and have entrepreneurial opportunities. Those outcomes speak more to that huge piece of the population’s values system.”

• If you missed this presentation and would like to see the PowerPoint version, go to our Program Presentation Archive.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/BUSINESS

SUMMER CASUAL SCHEDULE — Terry noted we still have one summer date available — August 4 — and asked Andy Leyhane to work with other new members of the club to come up with an activity for that date. The event chart is available by clicking here. Bill Dowd will be coordinating via e-mail the attendance at the events because, as has been pointed out several times, with a much larger member base we have the potential for large turnouts and need accurate headcounts for the event hosts and planners.

PRESIDENTIAL CHANGEOVER — The 2015-16 Rotary Year will end on June 30, the same day we will hold our annual “Presidential Changeover” event, hosted this year by Murray and Maggie Forth at their East Greenbush residence. They’ll provide salad, entree, and beverages. Attendees are asked to bring an appetizer or a dessert large enough to feed six. (Those with surnames A through K are asked to bring apps; L through Z to bring desserts.) And, Murray notes, the pool will be open!

OFF THE GRID — That’s the name of a new ShelterBox challenge that will take place the weekend of July 16-17. Bill Dowd, our SB liaison, explained that the relief organization is asking people to “unplug” for any 24-consecutive-hours period that weekend to gain some small insight into what happens to people struck by disasters. He said this could become an opportunity to get away from video games, cellphones, etc., and reconnect with family, friends, and neighbors. Two methods of personal fundraising (hosting a backyard cookout; collecting walkathon-style pledges) are available during that period. Full details of the program are available by clicking here.

DUES ARE DUE — The deadline for submitting dues for the new year is the same day as the abovementioned event — Thursday, June 30. Please see Treasurer Murray if you have not yet paid.