Members in Attendance (8):  Peter Brown, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Kevin Leyhane, Ray Hannan and Pat Bailey.

By Zoom (1): Charlie Foote.

Guests (2): Courtney Russell and Jane Ladopoulos (Speakers).

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. Bowlers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Sue Austin has reviewed the needs assessment, and it is adequate. Peter Brown has put together an initial set of specifications for bidders.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Next Thursday is the last date to drop off items at Moscatiellos. Ray Hannon spoke to management at Price Chopper. He will bring a letter from Peter Brown, along with Lois and Shannon and Price Chopper will issue them a gift card to purchase candy.

Viking Gym: Ron Annis is trying to see if the Club can meet at the Town garage on 3/21 so we can begin to assemble the gym equipment. Instillation is scheduled for 3/23 and we still need help from the schools. We need to plan for publicity.

Speakers: We still have open dates for speakers.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

Next Meeting: Thursday, March 14th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Ron Annis conducting CPR Training.

Entree choices will be Antipasti Salid, Lemon Chicken and Penne Pesto.

The Spinney is being rebranded as the Live Well Group. This is a second-generation company involved in developing communities and managing them. There are two Spinney Properties, the Spinney at Pondview in Castleton and the Spinney at Van Dyke in Delmar. The Pondview property has 187 cottages and 300 residents. The Van Dyke Property is still under construction. There are 102 completed cottages, 62 under construction and 60 more that will be built. These properties are designed to look like communities, with eight cottage styles, designed with different roof lines, garage colors and windows. Except for one two story unit, they are all one floor rentals. Units range from 1,400 to 1,700 square feet and have one or two bedrooms with no basement. Everything, except electric, is included in the 12-month lease and they rent from $1,700 to $2,750 per month. There are electric car charging stations on the property. They have a 100% occupancy rate and a waiting list.

Spinney communities are designed for active adults to live well. They have a Lifestyle Coordinator at each site. The Pondview site has two pools. The sites also offer community gardens. Actives include fitness and floral classes, educational programs, health clinics and community events. To find out more about life at the Spinney properties go to spvlifestyle@livingwellgroup.com or call (518) 479-0800.

Members in Attendance (9):  Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm and Pat Bailey.

By Zoom (7): Edmund Kellerman (Speaker), Dena Sevayega, Robert Schullman, Ruth Russell, Charlie Foote, John Justino and Becky Raymond.

Guests (0):

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed. There is a press release in Our Town. Contact Phil if you are willing to be a sponsor.

Viking Gym: The Town Highway Department will clear the land the weekend of the 4th. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will partner with Keller Construction to dig the holes. Volunteers will be needed on March the 23rd at noon to put the equipment together and to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. All dates are dependent on the weather. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Pat Baily has volunteered to look into food and drink for the 23rd. Jim Layhane will order a Peace Pole from Rotary International. The cost will be closer to $500. It is white, 8 ft. tall with languages on leucite plaques. Once ordered, it will take about 6 weeks for delivery.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown has received four proposals for the bore hole. He is comparing the proposals. Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch provided a needs assessment. Peter Brown will ask Sue Austin to review it.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 20th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year. Per Lois. we could use some more candy and personal care items.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. They are about halfway to their goal. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Next Meeting: Thursday, March 7th at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Courtney Russell from the Spinney.

Entree choices will be Chicken Rustica Salid, Penne Alfredo and Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Dr. Kellerman is a speech and communications specialist. He retired from the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication at the University of Florida. He has experience in helping political candidates with their campaigns. He had also set up a workshop via Zoom for 100 people who were considering running for office.

Why is one candidate more persuasive than others? By what criteria are candidates measured? If you do not speak well, people will think that you are wasting their time. Public speaking followed the rise in democracy. People judge you not on the merit of the issue but in how you speak.

People have communication anxiety. They fear failure, the unknown and/or rejection. The solution is to view public speaking as normal and natural and to practice desensitization. Start slow. Relax and breath. Visualize positively what you are doing.

When planning to speak, do an audience analysis. Know their attitudes and demographics. It is very important to keep to your time limit. Devote 10% of your time to the introduction, 80% to the body of the speech and 10% to the conclusion. Leave time for questions. When presenting a problem, explain how it applies to the audience and present workable, acceptable, cost-effective solutions that do not have unintended consequences. Support your ideas with research. Delivery matters. Make eye contact and, again, do not go over the assigned time limit. Running for office is a Herculean effort.

Members in Attendance (11):  Terry Brewer, Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Debbie Brown, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Ron Annis and John Justino.

Guests (3): Denny Cicchino, Dan Wagner and Susan Kaczynski.

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Paul Harris Fellow: Congratulations to Charlie Foote who received his pin in recognition of his contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Viking Gym: The Town Highway Department will clear the land the weekend of the 4th. Ron will work with the Highway and Park Departments to lay out the equipment location. The Town will partner with Keller Construction to dig the holes. Volunteers will be needed on March the 23rd at noon to put the equipment together and to hold the equipment in place during the concrete pour. All dates are dependent on the weather. Along with Rotarians, volunteers will be recruited from the community, boy scouts, Kiwanis and other groups. Pat Baily has volunteered to look into food and drink for the 23rd. Jim Layhane will order a Peace Pole from Rotary International. There are two choices, one with four languages for $275 and one with six languages for $325.

Student Scholarships: Terry Brewer will get the scholarship letters out next week. Their award check will be presented at our Rotary meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd at Moscatiello’s Restaurant.

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. We will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. Phil Kellerman will speak to Christine Fowler regarding the number of students who will attend. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Peter Brown received another proposal for the bore hole. He is comparing the two proposals. Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch will provide a needs assessment. Circles of Mercy can’t do a grant until the fall.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS training will be held on Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Ray Hannon will make sure Lois receives the donations. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Rotary Birthday Party: The Party is tomorrow, February 23rd, from 5 pm until 8 pm at the Parting Glass located at 40 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open. the cost is $5. Register here  https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=9c633b5f-9f0c-44ab-a378-ca8b39759110.

Website Update: The meeting of March 28th will be a General Assembly. The membership lists will be updated and Rotary branding will be clarified so that Keven Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez can update the website.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Boy Scouts: Congratulations to Denny Cicchino, Scoutmaster of Troup 41. He is retiring at the end of the year after serving for 29 years. Dan Wagner, a Columbia High School social studies teacher, is taking over after Mr. Cicchino retires. The Club gave a $560 donation to sponsor a campership.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 29th (Leap Year) at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be representative from Broadview Credit Union.

Entree choices will be Chicken Ceasar Salid, Chicken Parmesan and Linguini with Baby Clams.

Anyone, anywhere at any time can have a seizure. One in ten people have had a seizure and one in twenty-six will go on to develop epilepsy. In the United States, 3.4 million people have epilepsy. There are different types of seizures from grand mal to appearing to zone out that result from many different causes.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York’s mission is to help overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy. The Foundation provides programs and services to twenty-two counties from the Upper Hudson Valley to the North Country to an estimated 45,000 people. They provide information, referrals, service coordination, self-management programs and counseling. They also provide educational programs on recognizing seizures and providing first aid to staff and students in schools and to professionals such as law enforcement and first responders. The Foundation advocates for individuals with epilepsy and their families.

The Foundation hosts many events and activities such as their Walk to End Epilepsy, the Confections to Chocolate Gala and Golf Tournament fundraisers as well as children’s events and adult recreation and social events. To learn more about the Epilepsy Foundation go to https://efneny.org/.

Members in Attendance (12):  Peter Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Kevin Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond and Charlie Foote.

By Zoom (2): Pat Bailey and John Justino.

Guests (1): Mike Stangl and Kevin Bailey (Speaker).

President Peter Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Iron Giraffe Bowl-a-Thon: The bowl-a-thon will be held on Sunday April 14 from 2 pm until 4 pm. The cost will be $13 per person. Per Phil Kellerman, sponsorships are $50. Phil has collected $650 so far in sponsorships. Proceeds will go to the Anchor Food Pantry and to the Maple Hill water project. Phil will pick up some gift cards for the raffle. He will also ask participants to bring a food item for donation. He also spoke to Christine Fowler regarding student participation. Pat Bailey has volunteered to staff the entry table. More volunteers are needed.

Membership: Each SRC Rotary member is asked to bring a friend to the Rotary meeting on April 11th. Terry Brewer will put a program together about Rotary, what the Club does and what we can do for individuals to interest them in Rotary. Members should be prepared to talk about why you joined Rotary. The Club will cover the costs for guests.

Water for Kenya: Ms. Kenara and members of the Rotary Club of Enkare Naroch visited the Full Gospel Church in North Central Kenya on February 7th. They reported that it was an excellent meeting and all are excited about the community project. They are discussing a small charge for water in order to generate funds to maintain the well. The next step is the needs assessment. Phil Kellerman and Debbie Rodriguez have started the Rotary International Global Grant training.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown recontacted both the Schodack and East Greenbush School Districts. Both are considering how to proceed. Becky Raymond suggested getting one of previously sponsored students to speak at an assembly about their experience as an exchange student. Per Peter Brown, this had been suggested to both schools.

Grants Management Training: The next training will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 1st, at 7 pm. Register for grant training at https://cnyrotary.org/. Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez completed the training offered on February 7th. In the new CNY Rotary District 7190, there are more than 100 clubs and greater than 3,000 Rotarians. There were 87 participants in the training. There are three categories of grants, District, District Scholarship and Regional. There is $60,000 available for grants this year. Applications are due by June 1.

PETS Training: The next free virtual pre-PETS trainings will be held on Wednesday, February 21st at 7 pm and Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm.

Rotary District: The in-person PETS training will be held March 15th through 17th at the Double Tree in Syracuse. Register early to secure a hotel room. For further information go to  http://www.RotaryEmpireMDPETS.org. The majority of the meeting will be held on Saturday if you are considering attending for one day. Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez will attend the District PETS training.

Rotary Leadership Institute Northeast America: The Institute is holding a graduate class on succession planning on Saturday, March 2nd, at Johnson City High School in Johnson City, New York. The class will start at 7:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. The course includes suggestions on how to develop leaders. You must have completed the Rotary Leadership parts I, II and III to take the graduate course. Register at RLINEA.org.

Easter Baskets for Circles of Mercy: Lois Hannan is coordinating the collection this year. Roberto and Jim Leyhane purchased 25 baskets and delivered them to the YMCA. Richard Zazycki, Circles of Mercy, is asking that the baskets include coloring books, color pencils, facial tissues, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, hair combs, hairbrushes, small stuffed animals, toys, small games, small books, and different types of wrapped candy. Items can be dropped off every Thursday at Moscatiellos. Shannon needs the items for the baskets by March 18th so she can get the baskets to Richard by March 22nd. Easter is on March 31st this year.

Viking Gym: Jim Leyhane is looking at the possibility of placing a Rotary Peace Pole at the site.

Rotary Birthday Party: The Party is February 23rd from 5 pm until 8 pm at the Parting Glass located at 40 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be open. the cost is $5. Register here https://www.crsadmin.com/eventportal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=9c633b5f-9f0c-44ab-a378-ca8b39759110.

Opportunity for Service: The Colonie-Guilderland Rotary Club sent information on helping the immigrant IRC with help for asylum seekers. Phil Kellerman researched the request and reported back to the Club with his recommendation.

Member Lists: The meeting of March 28th will be a General Assembly. The membership lists will be updated so Keven Leyhane and Debbie Rodriguez can update the website.

Gift of Life: Per Leyhane, 5,000 children around the world received heart surgery. If every Rotarian contributed $50 to Gift of Life, another child could receive a transplant. To donate go to https://www.giftoflife.org/contrib#makecontribtoday.

Social Capital: Debbie Rodriguez suggested that the Club look into the Rotary Community Corps where non-Rotarian Community members work in partnership with Rotary to improve their community. Peter Brown will check with our Rotary District about existing Corps or how to establish a Corp.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 22nd at 6:00 pm at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, Route 4, North Greenbush. Also, you can join the by Zoom using the link on the websites calendar page. Our speaker will be Suzanne Gazinski from the Epilepsy Foundation.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Chicken Marsala and Eggplant Parmesan.

Kevin Bailey majored in international political science in college. He graduated and went on to establish High Peaks Solar, a solar installation service located in Wynantskill. He also founded the 501c not-for-profit The Sky is Not Limited. While working the Home Show at the Pepsi Arena in 2006 he met Jean Dobbs the CEO of the African Reflection Foundation. In partnership with the Foundation, The Sky is Not Limited has provided 15 wells combined with solar power to areas in Tanzania. They have also provided for a well in Haiti.

When Mr. Bailey went to Africa ten to twelve years ago; he witnessed poverty and saw how long it took to get water. A woman in her seventies walked one and a half miles each way every day to get a gallon of water. Having a well is life changing.

The African Reflection Foundation sites the wells, provides logistics and funding. The Sky is Not Limited, installs the wells, storage tanks and solar panels. Solar panels are used to power the well pump. Each well had cost $15,000 but due to inflation, the cost is now $17,000. Many of the wells were located at schools. The equipment is donated to the schools and become school property. Students and their families obtain water for free while there was a small charge for others. The solar panels last for forty to fifty years. However, the pump controls are electronic and need protection from the sun. Cell phones are used for monitoring.

The Sky is Not Limited is looking at developing solar cooking projects. Many people cook with charcoal and/or wood. Deforestation is becoming a problem. For further information or to donate to their projects go to https://theskyisnotlimited.org/.