Last Meeting of the Summer, a Return to Moscatiello’s

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Our last meeting of the summer on September 1, 2022 was hosted at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, and featured a menu choice of spaghetti and meatballs or chicken Ceasar salad.

Meeting was called to order by President Elect Peter Brown.

Members in attendance: Peter and Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Terry Brewer, Phil Kellerman, and Ray Hannah.

Guests in attendance: Betty Brewer

Meeting business:

Phil Kellerman served as a representative of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club as he was a guest speaker for the Glenville Rotary Club. Phil’s presentation topic was immigration, and we appreciate his service as an ambassador of our club.

Terry Brewer suggested holding another Cafe Capriccio to financially support our club scholarships. As in the past, the grand prize would feature a private dinner at Cafe Capriccio for 13 guests. Details will be finalized in the upcoming weeks.

Tickets for barrow of booze are continued to be sold by Jim Leyhane. Drawing will take place at our upcoming September 15, 2022 meeting. Profits will go to hardware and software to support our hybrid zoom meetings and club initiatives.

ShelterBox update: Our Clynk recycling program, along with a generous personal donation from Bill Dowd netted $500 to donate to ShelterBox. Now that all ShelterBox Luminaid lights have been sold, the Club will also be sending ShelterBox a donation of $250. Clynk recycling bags can be purchased at any Hannaford customer service counter. If you are in need of bar code stickers for the bags, please contact Bill Dowd.

Gift of Life update: It was noted that local clothing donation boxes generate around $1000 dollars per year per box for the Gift of Life. The Gift of Life’s annual golf tournament is set for September 12, 2022. Southern Rensselaer County Rotary members, Jim Leyhane, Dean and Doris Calamaras, and AJ Amato are sponsoring 3 foursomes for the golf tournament. Raffle tickets to support the Gift of Life featuring cash prizes, are also available from Jim and Dean, and the drawing will take place after the tournament.

Due to the Labor Day Holiday there will be no regular scheduled meeting this week. We will return to Moscatiello’s on September 15, 2022 at 6:00pm.

There will be a Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club Board meeting on September 11, 2022 at 6:00pm at Jim Leyhane’s house. A light supper will be provided.

SRC helps Pakistani flood victims; more aid needed

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One of the many Pakistani children displaced by summer flooding.

Persistent, devastating summer floods in Pakistan have prompted ShelterBox to make an emergency appeal for funds to aid those stricken.

SRC Rotary will be sending a $500 check, the latest in a years-long string of contributions, from combined funds of $331.85 from the club’s Clynk recycling program and the remainder from Rotarian Bill Dowd, the club’s ShelterBox liaison. If you wish to add to that total, you can do it online.

Since June, torrential monsoon rains and floods have inundated large swathes of Pakistan, dumping up to five times the 30-year average rainfall and impacting at least 33 million people, according to the Pakistani government. 

More than 1,000 people — a third of them children– have died, and the death toll is expected to rise as flash flooding continues. Sp far, an estimated 200,000 homes have been swept away and another 450,000 have been damaged. Livestock, crops and orchards are gone, robbing families of their livelihoods.

“This is a calamity of biblical proportions,” UNICEF Pakistan Representative Abdullah Fadil told the BBC World Service on Monday of this week. “It’s worse than the 2010-2011 floods, and it now has impacted all the provinces in the country.” 

Meanwhile, please make a point of continuing to participate in the Clynk recycling program. Bill has mailed out the necessary bar code stickers to a half-dozen club members as they requested this week.

To get involved, simply purchase green recycling bags — the only kind accepted by Clynk — at any Hannaford supermarket customer service counter, request the stickers from Bill, then just fill the bags with recyclable beverage containers and take them to a Hannaford. There, all you need to do is use the scanner gun to record the bar code and drop the bag in the chute. No sorting, rinsing, etc. required.

Last Summer Casual was a Success

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Our last summer casual event of the season was held at S&S Farm Brewery on Friday night, and it was a success.

Members in attendance: Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote. Deb Rodriguez, Peter Brown, Pat Bailey, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Phil Kellerman, and Ray Hannan.

Guests in attendance: Chuck Rodriguez

The weather was ideal for an evening on the farm, with our group set up underneath the tent. The event featured live music, two food trucks, and a separate bar run by the brewery. It was a family event with kids and people of all ages in attendance. A special thank you to Pat Bailey and Phil Kellerman for organizing and setting up the event.

School supplies delivered to Circles of Mercy. On Monday, September 22, 2022 over 13 bags of school supplies and 25 back packs were donated and delivered to the Circles of Mercy in support of their back to school program.

Raffle tickets to support the Gift of Life, and raffle tickets for the Barrow of Booze drawings are still available. The Gift of Life is also in search of items to raffle off at the upcoming Golf Tournament. Gift cards make fine donations for this raffle. If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets or would like to donate please see Jim or Dean.

Our next meeting on Thursday, September 1st, will take place at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant at 6:00pm. The menu will feature a choice between chicken Caesar salad and spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. The cost will remain $25 with everything included except for bar costs. Looking forward to seeing everyone again as we return to Moscatiello’s, and a special thank you to all who hosted summer casual events.

The Gift of Life is in Search of Golfers and Items for Auction

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With only three weeks to go, The Gift of Life is in search of items for their raffle following their 24th Annual Golf Tournament. Gift cards and gift certificates make convenient donations, with a suggested value of $15-$300. If you would like to contribute please contact Dean Calamaras or Jim Leyhane.

Reminder: This week’s Summer Casual hosted by Pat and Phil will take place on Friday this week at the S&S Farm Brewery located at 174 Middle Road, Nassau, NY 12123. If you plan on attending and still have not notified Pat or Phil, please do so ASAP so they can acquire enough tables for us.

Steak by the Pool Another Successful Summer Casual Event

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Members in attendance: Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Maggie Forth, Pat Bailey, Deb Rodriguez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Phil Kellerman, Kevin Leyhane

Guests in attendance: Jeremy Forth, Mary Drumm, Karen Drumm, Lois Hannan, Joe Corr, Cherrie Corr, Carrie Leyhane, Emma Leyhane, Priscilla Polsinello

Members and guests enjoyed a comfortable evening by the pool as they dined on steak, potatoes, cowboy beans, and garlic bread while enjoying family, friends and the fellowship of Rotary.

Business Discussed: School supplies to benefit the Circles of Mercy were collected and will be delivered on Monday, August 21, 2022.

Raffle tickets to benefit the Gift of Life and tickets for the “Barrow of Booze” raffle were both sold.

Our annual trip to the ValleyCats game has been postponed until the 2023 season. When next year’s schedule becomes available we will pick a Thursday night to reschedule.

September 1, 2022 is an open date for a summer casual, and we have contacted Moscatiello’s about returning on that date for a dinner meeting.

Next Summer Casual Event: Pat Bailey and Phil Kellerman will be hosting our next summer casual event at S&S Farm Brewery in Nassau on Friday August 26, 2022. Please note this event is Friday night, and not Thursday. If you plan on attending and did not notify Pat or Phil last Thursday, please reach out to them and to let them know you plan on attending as they will arrive early to secure tables. Looking forward to seeing everyone again this Friday.

Another Successful Summer Casual Event in the Books

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Summer Evening on the Farm

Members in attendance: Dick Drumm, Jim Leyhane, Murray Forth, Maggie Forth, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Ray Hannan, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Roberto Martinez

Guests in attendance: Jeremy Forth, Mary Drumm, Karen Drumm, Kevin Drumm, Patrick Drumm, Lois Hannan, Joe Corr, Cherrie Corr, Debbie Rodriguez’s grandchildren.

A very successful Rotary Picnic hosted by the Drumm’s is in the books. Members of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club along with family and guests, enjoyed fun with family and friends, dined on fine food, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Items of Business: Several raffle tickets for both the Gift of Life raffle and the Barrow of Booze raffle were sold. Tickets for both raffles are still available through Dean and Jim and may be purchased at upcoming summer casual events.

School supplies to support Circles of Mercy’s back to school program were collected. Next week’s summer Casual event is the last opportunity to collect school supplies for this program.

After several conflicts it was decided that the ValleyCats tickets will be held until next season and then exchanged for tickets to that season.

Next week’s summer casual is Steak by the Pool hosted by Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez at Jim’s home. Once again we are asking for a small fee of $15 per Rotarian and $20 per family. Please feel free to bring an appetizer. The menu will include filet mignon, baked potatoes, garlic bread, and cowboy beans. This is the last summer casual event where school supplies will be collected for Circles of Mercy. Looking forward to seeing everyone again this Thursday.

Change of Venue for Next Week’s Summer Casual and a Few Reminders

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As we prepare for tonight’s summer casual at the Drumm’s Farm, a few quick reminders. We are still gathering school supplies in support of Circles of Mercy’s back to school program. School supplies will be collected at any of the summer casual events by any of the Leyhanes. We have until August 21st to collect so time is running short. We are also selling tickets for two separate raffles. The first is for a cash prize in support of the Gift of Life, and tickets may be purchased from Dean or Jim. The second raffle is for a barrow of booze and may be purchased from Jim Leyhane.

Lastly, there is a change of venue for next week’s summer casual. Next Thursday, August 18, 2022 we will be enjoying steak by the pool hosted by Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez at Jim’s house. This is a rescheduled event from earlier in the summer. Dean and Dorris Calamaris have graciously given up this date to allow Jim and Roberto to host.

Our Next Summer Casual, Dinner on the Farm

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Our next summer casual event is scheduled for next Thursday, August 11, 2022 hosted by Dick and Mary Drumm on their farm. The dinner will be catered by O’Kenny’s Express. The caterer is requiring an accurate head count for the event so please RSVP by Friday, August 5, 2022 with either Mary Drumm at (518)339-7459 or with Jim Leyhane at (518) 428-1732.