Members in Attendance (10):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, Debbie Rodriguez, Ray Hannan, Terry Brewer and Phil Kellerman.

By Zoom (1):  Edmund Kellerman, Speaker

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

YMCA Caring Community Basket Brigade: The YMCA is looking for volunteers to help assemble Thanksgiving baskets with donated food (including turkeys), or drive baskets to designated families (always 2 drivers together) on November 18th. They are set to serve 1500 families this Thanksgiving season. To volunteer, please follow this link. https://cdymca.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/602. Peter Brown and Roberto Martinez will contact Shannon Romanowski to find out how much support is needed and if the need is in food products or assembly.

Adopt a Family: The Club received an email from Richard Zazycki, Executive Director of Circles of Mercy, requesting Club participation with Cate’s Kids Adopt-a-Family Program this year. The Club will adopt a family. Donations are due by Friday, December 15th. More information to follow.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. Phil Kellerman is organizing a silent auction this year. He is seeking donations. Please call or email him at philkellerman77@gmail.com about your donation. Past donations have included gift baskets, bottles of wine and gift cards. If you have sponsored a new member, please make sure you invite them to the holiday party.

Holiday Schedule: There will be a Rotary meeting on December 21st. There will be no Rotary meetings on December 28th and January 4th. The first Rotary meeting of the new year will be held on January 11th. Speakers will be needed for next year.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides told them about the St. John Fischer Nursing School Clinical Program that sends student nurses to Kenya for a week of clinicals. Peter spoke to Vivianne Cunningham, of St. John Fischer, and discussed the possibility of SRC Rotary helping with the program. Due to unrest in the region, the College will not be doing the clinicals. However, a well (bore hole) is needed. Women walk long distances to obtain water which creates both physical and economic issues. Previously drilled wells often fail over time due to lack of maintenance. Peter Brown is interested in looking into this project. There is a Rotary Club in the Rift Valley. Peter Brown has been trying to contact the person in charge of water projects at Rotary International.

Viking Gym: The Viking gym kits are stored in the town garage. There are eight pieces of equipment. Ron Annis reported that he assembled one of the pieces of equipment. Jim Leyhane will check with the Town to confirm that the Kiwanis Club will assemble some of the equipment. Jim will also contact the Elks Club. We will also need volunteers from our Club to assemble the rest of the equipment sometime after the holidays.

Rotary Leadership Institute: SRC Rotary will pay the $75 dollar fee for Rotary and Rotaract members to attend. The event will be held on November 4th with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Albany Unitarian Universalist Association, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY  12206.    There is free public parking on the street and in the Albany University lot across and kitty corner from the site. To register, go to RLINEA.org and scroll down to the Albany event and hit the button that says “Learn More.”  If you don’t remember your log-in name, register as a Guest for Part 1, and as you complete your registration, there is a place to indicate which Part you really want to take. 

Foundation Dinner: will be held on November 16th at the Edison Downtown in Schenectady.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 9th, dinner 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. Chris Bystroff, Ph.D., Professor at RPI, will speak about voting machines. Do we trust them?

Entree choices will be Caesar Salid, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Cheese Ravioli.

Ed and his brother Phil grew up in New York City. Their interest in collecting started out with radio stations and stores who gave out pins. Over time, they became the largest procurers of political buttons on the web. “Behind every button is a story, both historical and sociological.” They joined the American Political Items Collectors (APIC). Proceeds from their sales of items funded their Harvest of Hope Foundation. Ed also makes his own buttons.

Pre 1896, coat buttons served to support political campaigns. In 1896 there was a dental conference in Ohio. Members of the McKinley campaign notices the pictures on the buttons and copied the idea for use in the presidential campaign. Many different types of pins were produced. Jugate pins had two heads portrayed on the pin, whereas, trigate pins had three heads. There are also commemorative buttons, anti-candidate buttons, third party buttons (made by the presidential campaigns) and grassroots buttons (made by citizens). You can also find political plates, golf makers, mechanical devices and hats.

What makes a pin valuable? It should be pristine, authentic (authorized by a campaign, possibly signed), and be very rare. It also should have beauty in design and production. The most popular buttons/pins are of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan. Most collections center on theme, candidate, issue or connection. In March of 2022, a Cox and Roosevelt pin sold for $185,850.

For more information go to the National Museum of Political Memorabilia at https://nmpm.net/contact-us and the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) at https://apic.us/ .

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Dick Drumm, John Justino, Ruth Samuels and Debbie Rodriguez.

By Zoom (0):  

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

YMCA Caring Community Basket Brigade: The YMCA is looking for volunteers to help assemble Thanksgiving baskets with donated food (including turkeys), or drive baskets to designated families (always 2 drivers together) on November 18th. They are set to serve 1500 families this Thanksgiving season. To volunteer, please follow this link. https://cdymca.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/602.

Adopt a Family: The Club has not heard from Richard at Circles of Mercy yet.

Holiday Party and Silent Auction: The party will be held on December 14th at Moscatiellos. The cost is $30 per person. If you have not yet done so, please contact Roberto Martinez and let him know your intention to participate and the number in your party. We need at least 25 people to reserve the room.

Holiday Schedule: There will be a Rotary meeting on December 21st. There will be no Rotary meetings on December 28th and January 4th. The first Rotary meeting of the new year will be held on January 11th. Speakers will be needed for next year.

Water for Kenya: During Peter and Debbie Brown’s recent trip to Maasai Mara Kenya, one of their guides told them about the St. John Fischer Nursing School Clinical Program that sends student nurses to Kenya for a week of clinicals. Peter spoke to Vivianne Cunningham, of St. John Fischer, and discussed the possibility of SRC Rotary helping with the program. Due to unrest in the region, the College will not be doing the clinicals. However, a well (bore hole) is needed. Women walk long distances to obtain water which creates both physical and economic issues. Previously drilled wells often fail over time due to lack of maintenance. Peter Brown is interested in looking into this project. There is a Rotary Club in the Rift Valley.

Viking Gym: The Viking gym kits are stored in the town garage. There are eight pieces of equipment. Ron Annis reported that he assembled one of the pieces of equipment. Jim Leyhane will check with the Town to confirm that the Kiwanis Club will assemble half of the equipment. The Club will look for volunteers to assemble the rest of the equipment sometime after the holidays.

Exchange Program: Peter Brown reported that Maple Hill is still interested in the Exchange Program. Jason Chevrier, Superintendent of the Schodack Central School District, will be having a conversation with the Principal of the Middleburgh High School about their student exchange program.

Rotary Leadership Institute: SRC Rotary will pay the $75 dollar fee for Rotary and Rotaract members to attend. The event will be held on November 4th with registration starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Albany Unitarian Universalist Association, 405 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY  12206.    There is free public parking on the street and in the Albany University lot across and kitty corner from the site. To register, go to RLINEA.org and scroll down to the Albany event and hit the button that says “Learn More.”  If you don’t remember your log-in name, register as a Guest for Part 1, and as you complete your registration, there is a place to indicate which Part you really want to take. Part 1:  My Rotary World, Ethics and Vocational Service, Foundation 1:  Our Foundation, Engaging Members, Creating Service Projects, and My Leadership in Rotary. Part 2:  Rotary Opportunities, Effective Leadership Strategies, Attracting Members, Club Communications, Team Building, and Foundation II:  Targeted Service. Part 3:  Strategic Planning, Foundation III:  International Service, Public Image and Public Relations, Building a Stronger Club, and Making a Difference.

World Polio Day: was Tuesday, 10/14/23. Per Jim Leyhane, no information was disseminated. We will have a program on Polio eradication in January.

Foundation Dinner: will be held on November 16th at the Edison Downtown in Schenectady.

DAF Fund: Jim Leyhane reported that the Fund is almost back to its starting point.

Next Meeting: Thursday, November 2nd, dinner 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. Ed Kellerman will speak about “The History of Political and Historical Memorabilia”.

Entree choices will be Antipasto Salid, Chicken Marsella or Penne Alla Vodka.

John Eberle is the President and CEO of the Capital District Community Foundation. He worked for not-for-profits for over thirty years. He also worked in construction.

The Capital District Community Foundation grows communities through philanthropy. They receive, manage and grow charitable dollars. They make grants to non-profits and help them with grant making. In 2026, they received $80 million, created 166 new funds and dispersed over $63 million into the community.

Their strategic framework includes inspiring and elevating the community. They provide training, mentoring, technical assistance and board development to nonprofit organizations. In response to a survey done several years ago which showed no diversity in leadership structures, they developed the Catalyst for Change Program for board inclusion training for individuals to advance diversity in nonprofit boards to better reflect the community.

For further information, please go to http://www.cfgcr.org.

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Kenin Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Becky Raymond

By Zoom:  John Justino

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year: “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES:

Speakers:   The following Thursday, October 26, Our speaker will be John Eberle, CEO of The Community Foundation. He will continue our conversation on social capital.

Members are encouraged to reach out to the extensive list of potential speakers and make appropriate arrangements.   Any slot identified as a Club Assembly can be accessed to accommodate a potential speaker/program.  Artificial Intelligence is of particular interest to members. 

 World Polio Day/Rotaract: John reported that he is struggling to get engagement from the Rotaract Club, and therefore there will be no program sponsored by the School of Public Health.  John would like to involve Becky R and Debbie R in a conversation about the level of commitment from students at the School.

YMCA Basket Brigade:  Becky brought to member attention The Capital District YMCA Caring Community Bucket Brigade to be held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov 18).  Volunteers are needed to assemble baskets; and drivers are needed for distribution. 

Date for Holiday Party and Silent Auction:  In order to reserve a room at Moscatello’s we need to guarantee at least 30-35 participants.   Dates under consideration are the 14^th or the 7^th in order of preference.   Please communicate to Roberto your intention to participate and the number of your party as soon as possible.  The earlier date of the 7^th may be easier to secure as we may be able to satisfy adequate numbers for that date.   

Jim Leyhane presented many “fun facts” and thought-provoking questions to get members thinking about what they would say when asked about Rotary.  Rotary International is the oldest non-government charity and has 4 million clubs around the world with over 100,600 000 members.  What other organization would take on a worldwide health crisis such as polio and expect to win?  Rotary has effectively eliminated polio with only cases in one country.  Rotary has offered over $10 million worldwide for Ambassador Scholarships for Master’s Programs. 

Service in Rotary, both locally and with worldwide programs such as Shelter Box and Gift of Life, gives tangible ways to give back and have fun by working alongside other Rotarians in a common goal. 

We all know the 4-Way Test:  It is the truth?  Is it fair to all concerned? Does it build good will? Is it beneficial to all?    Jim would add a 5^th: “Is it fun?   If you can help somebody it is pure good.  Good for good’s sake is a natural high.”

Food for thought:  Why are you here?  What has kept you coming all these years?  Personal responses to these prompts help you create a personal “elevator speech”.

Members in Attendance (9):  Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Debbie Brown, Pat Bailey, Peter Brown, Kenin Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Dick Drumm, Andy Leyhane.

By Zoom: none

Guests:  DG Whitney Pangborn, Asst DG Marisa Multari

President Brown called the meeting to order. 

Theme for the Year:  “Building Community”

MEETING NOTES

Speakers:  Next Thursday, October 19, Jim Leyhane will help us develop our personal “elevator speech” about why we are Rotarians.

The following Thursday, October 26, Our speaker will be John Eberle, CEO of The Community Foundation. He will continue our conversation on social capital.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 12th, dinner 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. Jim Leyhane will present his Rotary Elevator Speech.

District 7190 will merge with two other districts in the year 2024 to become Central New York Rotary District.  AS DGN, Whitney spent the year asking Rotarians across the district the following question: “Why do we care?”  Among the strongest responses were “Its our world”,   the value of various humanitarian projects which people felt “make a difference”   

Whitney outlined 3 objectives for her presidency as we prepare for this transition. 

1.Collaborating:  How can we share resources between clubs, including Interact and Rotaract?   Many clubs have dwindling membership, and such sharing could allow smaller clubs to do even greater things together.

2.Cultivation:  How can we encourage new leaders and new ideas? 

3.  Communication:  Promote the future of Rotary in our region.  CNY will be 115 clubs and approximately 3000 members.  Make use of the wide variety of communication tools/platforms to reach a more diverse potential membership.

At the District Conference in 2024, when this merger/creation of the new CNY district, Lizzy Martin will be named the President of the CNY Board.  She is a third generation Rotarian and hails from Baldwinsville. She will assume her duties in July 2024.  Bob Balk will follow Lizzy in July 2025.