We are in the waning stages of the 2021-22 Rotary Year. That means several things, among them:
• Dues for 2022-23 are due no later than June 1.
• We will be voting on May 12 for a slate of officers for the next Rotary Year.
• Our Presidential Changeover Dinner, at Moscatiello’s, is scheduled for June 30 when Debbie Rodriguez hands the gavel to Kevin Leyhane.
AND …
• Planning may begin for our “Summer Casual” schedule of events in July and August when we take our annual two-month break from formal meetings.
On that last item, the calendar below shows the available dates for anyone wishing to host or arrange a family-friendly summer event. Over the years we have enjoyed each others’ company at pool parties, picnics, cookouts, baseball games, professional theater performances, winery dinners, ice cream socials, and so on. We’re limited only by our imaginations.
If you would like to reserve one of the “Summer Casual” dates. please contact Kevin Leyhane.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (18): Debbie Rodriguez, Pat Bailey, Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, Bill Dowd, Kevin Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Becky Raymond, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane. By proxy: Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.
GUESTS (1): Debbie Morris.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant and noted the presence of a quorum.
MEETING NOTES:
• DRIVER TRAINING — A course to refresh defensive driving skills and earn an insurance discount has been tentatively set for Saturday, June 18, at The Spinney Group. A minimum of 20 enrollees is needed. Details will be forthcoming.
• VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — SRC reps met with the Kiwanis Club of East Greenbush to arrange participation in the restoration and expansion of the rustic facility at Schodack Town Park. The Kiwanians approved a $500 annual grant toward the program.
• HEALTHY KIDS DAY — The event at the Greenbush YMCA drew a substantial number of local kids and parents and SRC had a table — staffed by Phil Kellerman, Ray Hannan, and Pat Bailey, who supplied cookies to attract visitors — to get out the word about Rotary. Phil said he was surprised how few people were aware of Rotary and its work in the community. Our volunteers distributed cards and flyers about Rotary and spoke with adult visitors. … Which leads to the topics of …
• FUNDRAISING & PROSELITYZING — Phil reported that he had reached out to friends and associates about our potential efforts to support a women’s shelter and local food banks. They quickly contributed about $750 to the effort. … SRC will be staffing an information table at such places as Kristy’s Barn in Castleton on Saturdays and Schodack’s “Music At the Park” series on Tuesdays. Volunteers are need to spend several hours at such events. Please contact Pat Bailey if interested.
• DISTRICT CONFERENCE — Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane attended the event last Saturday at The Great Escape in Queensbury. They said the event drew about 80 people, a low figure but it was the first major in-person event since the pandemic began. Among the the things they learned was that the District has lost five clubs in 2022 — Racing City, Corinth, Turning Point, Northern Lake George, and Capital Region. (It lost the Hudson Shores club last year.) Dwindling membership continues to be a problem, and the District now has about 800 Rotarians. A minimum of 1,000 is needed to maintain District status, otherwise districts may have to merge. … Both Roberto and Jim have registered for the RI Convention in Houston in June, and urged others to follow suit.
• NYCR DANES ROTARACT — Becky Raymond, one of our Rotaract liaisons, reported that the club gained three new members as a result of a ShelterBox demonstration for students at the UAlbany School of Public Health. The club is trying to rebound from a 2½-year drought on in-person activities because of university strictures during the pandemic.
• DUES ARE DUE — The deadline for payment of six-month or full-year 2022-23 dues is June 1. Anyone who is not paid up by then may not, by Rotary rules, be listed as an active Rotarian. Please send checks, made payable to “SRC Rotary Club,” to Treasurer Murray Forth at P.O. Box 71, East Greenbush NY 12061.
• RICHARD DRUMM DAF — Phil reported that the club’s investment fund, administered by Rotary, began with a $22,000 initial amount but, due to a volatile stock market performance, has dropped to $20,924. No change in investment strategy is being recommended at this time.
• NEXT MEETING — Matt Krouner, owner and director of Camp Schodack — an overnight summer camp for girls and boys ages 7 to 16, will present to the club at a 7 p.m. Zoom meeting.
• PROGRAM: Mike Moscatiello, second generation of the family that owns and operates our meeting venue, was our speaker. He described some of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry — supply chain woes, lack of staff diverted to unemployment that pays better than working, public reluctance to go out, erratic hours because of state restrictions, etc. He said while overall business is down, the Moscatiellos have been able to find sufficient staff, gradually rebuild their banquet business, and continue slowly developing a second restaurant, The Roosevelt Room, across the street.
For many years, we have gotten used to sending news items, announcements, photos, etc., for possible inclusion on the club website to Bill Dowd. However, now that he is retiring as the webmaster at the end of this Rotary Year, we ask that you begin sending any items to the club e-mailbox at SRCrotary@gmail.com.
A triumvirate of members is in the process of taking over the website and Facebook page (if you’re a Facebook member, just go to SRC Club to access the latter). They are Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, and Andy Leyhane.
They will take turns checking the mailbox and posting items, but you still will have to remember only one place to send items.
The SRC Board of Directors, acting as a Nominating Committee in accordance with our Bylaws, today approved a set of candidates for Board seats for the 2022-23 Rotary Year.
The slate will be presented at the next club meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, via Zoom. Additional nominees may be put forth at that time.
Assuming the presence of a quorum (minimum 12 members), a vote will be held at that time and the elected slate will take office on July 1.
Two of the candidates need not be voted upon: for the offices of President — elected a year earlier –and Immediate Past President, an automatic appointment. Kevin Leyhane will become President and Debbie Rodriguez Immediate Past President.
The nominees:
• President-elect (for the 2023-24 presidency) — Peter Brown
• Vice President — Jim Leyhane
• Treasurer — Murray Forth
• Secretary — Pat Bailey
• Directors At Large — Roberto Martinez, Becky Raymond, Dean Calamaras
Note: Anyone who will not be attending the meeting can cast their ballots via emailed proxy to Debbie Rodriguez (debannrod@yahoo.com) no later than Wednesday, May 11. Such an email also will allow you to be counted toward a quorum.
Within hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, Iryna Bushmina fled her home in Kyiv. Along with her sister and her three-month-old nephew she journeyed to Vienna, Austria, staying with Rotary members along the way.
Their generosity inspired Bushmina, a member of the Rotaract Club of Kyiv-City and the district Rotaract representative for Ukraine, to organize a larger-scale relief effort. Now, an online platform she created has helped Rotaract and Rotary members find shelter for thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
Across Europe, Rotaract members are using digital tools to share information and coordinate to help people who have been affected by the war in Ukraine. By routing communications through the European Rotaract Information Centre (also known as Rotaract Europe), a multidistrict information organization that serves clubs in more than 40 countries, these young members are using the power of Rotary’s global network to direct aid where it’s needed most.
Mike Moscatiello the younger of the family that hosts our biweekly dinner sessions at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant in North Greenbush, will speak at this week’s meeting on a very timely topic: “Operating restaurants during a pandemic.”
The Moscatiello family, besides running one of Rensselaer County’s busiest restaurants while at the same time developing another restaurant called The Roosevelt Room across the street, is in the thick of the financial battle and has some interesting insights to share. Supply chain woes, staffing shortages, financial pressures, etc., all figure into the equation.
As always, we’ll begin our social period at 5:30, with dinner at 6 o’clock (your entree choice of spaghetti and meatballs or chicken Caesar salad) and the cash bar is available throughout.
Note to SRC Board members: We’ll meet immediately following the dinner session. Please be sure to let President Debbie Rodriguez know by Tuesday if you have anything to add to the agenda she circulated several days ago.
Saturday was “Healthy Kids Day” at the Greenbush YMCA. With the family-friendly event came a perfect opportunity to spread the word in the community about Rotary.
To do so, SRC set up a table to greet visitors and answer questions about our organization. Thanks to our volunteers who donated their time and expertise.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Debbie Rodriguez, Becky Raymond, Roberto Martinez, Phill Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Peter Brown, Pat Bailey, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane, Ray Hannan, Jim Leyhane, John Justino. By proxy: Debbie Brown, Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras.
GUESTS: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum.
MEETING NOTES:
• HEALTHY KIDS DAY — Phil Kellerman will be staffing a table at this Greenbush YMCA event on Saturday, and is asking for anyone else who can volunteer to do so for all or part of the noon-to-2 p.m. event. SRC will be sharing information on Rotary and, literally, showing the flag.
• FUNDRAISING — Pat Bailey reported that events are being scheduled to spread the word about Rotary. Kristi’s Barn is one such venue on the list. She also is asking for volunteers to help staff events. The size of the volunteer group may impact what we actually schedule.
• VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — Debbie Rodriguez and Ron Annis met with members of the local Kiwanis Club to discuss the renovation project of the gym at Schodack Town Park that Rotary helped spearhead some years ago. Kiwanians have been invited to join us in the restoration/expansion project. Results to come.
• NYCR DANES ROTARACT — John Justino said the recent ShelterBox demo program drew another new member. The current club president is taking a new job and a successor will be sought.
• SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS — We still are awaiting nominees from officials at Columbia, Maple Hill, and Rensselaer high schools. One from each school will receive a $1,000 award. We are hoping to have the students as our guests at our June 9 dinner meeting.
• DUES REMINDER — The deadline for half-year or full-year dues payments for the 2022-23 Rotary Year is June 1. Please be sure your checks, made payable to SRC Rotary, are mailed to Treasurer Murray Forth in time to be received by that date: P.O. Box 71, East Greenbush, NY 12061. (The six-month partial payment for individuals is $87.50, or $175 for “Family” and “Corporate” groups. The full-year rate is $175 and $350, respectively.)
• DISTRICT CONFERENCE — Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane will be attending the District Conference this Saturday at the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury.
• NEXT MEETING — Mike Moscatiello, of our host restaurant family, will be our guest speaker at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo). His topic: “Restaurants In the Pandemic Era.” Entree choices will be spaghetti and meatballs and Chicken Casear Salad and, as always, a cash bar will be available.
We just completed World Vaccine Week, and the turmoil and human suffering continues in Ukraine.
Two very different crises, but Rotary International is hard at work lending a hand in both initiatives.
Check our club’s Facebook page (there’s a link to it at the top of our website) to read two stories on efforts to aid Ukrainians, and a third story detailing the latest vaccine efforts.
As a reminder, we always add our website posts to our Facebook page for quick access, but Facebook sometimes contains stories and announcements not seen anywhere else. If you’re a member of Facebook, all you have to do is type “SRC Club” in the search box to gain access.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 