The National Weather Service’s forecast for Thursday is decidedly unsettling — maybe rain, maybe snow showers, a balmy high of 51, a brisk low of 34. Everything but hail and lava.
But, who cares? We’re meeting via Zoom this week, so put on your comfy lounging clothes and join us at 7 p.m. for our last session of April.
As always, just go to the website calendar page (http://SRCrotary.org/calendar) and click on the April 28 link to gain access to the meeting.
Not planning to join us? We’ll miss your presence, but you can be counted toward a quorum by emailing your proxy OK to President Debbie no later than Wednesday (debannrod@yahoo.com). And, if you want to add anything to the agenda, please let her know.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (13): Debbie Rodriguez, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Dick Drumm, Phil Kellerman, Terry Brewer, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy), Charles Foote (by proxy}.
GUESTS: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant to order and noted the presence of a quorum.
MEETING NOTES:
• CHANGE IN MEETING NOTICE— The meeting format for June 9 has been changed from Zoom to an in-person meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant. We hope to have our three high school scholarship winners attend and share comments on their school and community service experience as well as their future educational plans. We also are trying to line up Jeff Simon to make a short presentation about the East Greenbush Central Schools winning an award as “Best School District in the Capital Region.”
• SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS — Terry Brewer has contacted the Rensselaer, Maple Hill, and Columbia high schools about this year‘s scholarships. Each of the scholarships is a $1,000 grant presented to a senior selected by their schools. Nominations are to be submitted to Terry by May 23.
• IMPACT COMMITTEE MEETING — Philip Kellerman gave an update on the Impact Committee. It was decided we would not be able to sell any raffle tickets because we couldn’t find a location that would allow us to. It was important to find a location that allowed us to talk about Rotary and maybe one chance would be at the YMCA. It was noted that the Club has a banner and we will retrieve it from storage. Jim Leyhane suggested we reconsider the Cafe Capriccio restaurant raffle that had been so successful in the past.
• KIWANIS MEETING— Debbie Rodriquez gave an update on the meeting scheduled with Kiwanians for April 27 at the Schodack Diner. She and Ron Annis plan to attend to discuss having Kiwanis partner with SRC Rotary on the Viking outdoor gym project.
• ANNUAL CLUB DUES —The annual club dues are due no later than June 1. More information is available on the website. Those who do not pay dues by the deadline cannot be listed as members. Please be diligent with this responsibility.
• DRIVER SAFETY COURSE — Jim and Roberto Martinez working on getting an instructor to teach a driver safety course. More information should be available next week.
• NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 28.
This is a friendly reminder for everyone that dues for the upcoming Rotary Year must be submitted by June 1, roughly six weeks from now.
Checks, made payable to “SRC Rotary,” may be given to Treasurer Murray Forth, or mailed to Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, P.O. Box 71, East Greenbush, NY 12061. Please be sure you mail your dues in enough time for them to be received by the deadline.
Dues remain at just $175 per individual member or $350 for “Family” or “Corporate” group memberships covering an unlimited number of members (although such entities have only a single vote on matters coming before the membership). If it is easier for you, dues may be paid in two equal installments, no later than June 1 and December 1. The initial partial payment for individuals is only $87.50, or $175 for “Family” and “Corporate” groups.
As explained in our Club Bylaws: “Club annual dues will be based on dues levels set by Rotary International and District 7190 plus a Club membership fee of $20 above RI and District dues for first-year members and $30 above RI and District dues for all members after their first year. A $5 deduction from each member’s dues will become an annual contribution to the Rotary Foundation. All club fees are subject to modification by subsequent votes of the membership. Fees are payable annually no later than the first day of June, or semiannually no later than the first day of June and no later than the first day of December. Per Rotary International regulations, a portion of each payment shall be applied to each member’s subscription to the RI official magazine.”
RI reminds us that non-dues-paying members may not be counted as Rotarians until at least the next six-month cycle, assuming they then have paid their dues by then.
Due to staffing issues at the restaurant, scheduled speaker Mike Moscatiello has had to rearrange his talk to the club. He will address us at our May 5 meeting rather than this Thursday.
That switch means we have just three open program dates — all on Zoom nights — remaining in this Rotary Year. So, if you or someone you recommend wishes to take one of those dates for a virtual presentation, be sure to contact Becky Raymond or Kevin Leyhane. Check the available dates on the website calendar at http://SRCrotary/org/calendar
One of the hardest-hit sectors of our business world during the years-long COVID-19 pandemic has been the hospitality industry.
We have lost some longstanding eateries, seen others severely cut back days and hours of operation because of staffing shortages and supply chain issues, and seen prices rise as part of the inflationary spiral virtually every industry has experienced.
If you have wondered what it is like for restaurateurs to persevere in the face of such obstacles, make a point of joining us for our meeting this coming Thursday when Mike Moscatiello’s of our host venue Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant — now in its 28th year — will address us on the topic of “Restaurants During COVID.”
As always, we’ll begin our social period at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:15, with the cash bar available throughout. The dinner entree choices will be the ever-popular Chicken Caesar Salad and Chicken Limone (chicken breast sauteed in a white wine, garlic, caper, and lemon sauce with mushrooms and olives, served over spinach). No need for advance reservations.
We do hope we’ll have a strong member-and-guest turnout even though several of our members will be vacationing during the local schools’ spring break. The program topic should be of such interest that you may want to invite a guest to attend.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Dick Drumm, Charlie Foote, Pat Bailey, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Tony Morris, Andy Leyhane, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Phil Kellerman. By proxy: Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carol Orvis, Terry Brewer.
GUESTS: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order, noting the presence of a quorum.
MEETINGS NOTES:
The gang’s all here (well, sort of).
• HEALTH UPDATE: Debbie reported that she spoke to Doris Calamaras this week and Doris said she is feeling much better after a lengthy period of hospitalization and rehab.
• VIKING GYM — Our scheduled meeting with the East Greenbush Kiwanis Club to discuss a joint effort to restore the outdoor Viking Gym at Schodack Town Park was postponed. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 27.
• SCHOLARSHIPS — We received an inquiry from Rensselaer High School’s Brandy Cenci asking if we plan to continue our scholarship program this year. Since the club agreed by consensus months ago to do so, it was agreed that now is time to contact Rensselaer, Columbia, and Maple Hill high schools to ascertain their preferred candidates. Debbie will check with Terry Brewer who has coordinated the effort in the past to see if he is interested in doing so again. If not, she will turn it over to someone else ASAP. The program provides a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior at each school.
• ROTARACT — Debbie reported that the NYSCR Danes Rotaract Club we sponsor has added four members. A get-acquainted lunch will be scheduled for the members and the club board, and efforts are being made to elect a new slate of officers.
• SHELTER BOX UPDATE — Bill Dowd reported that the club, several individual members, and one former member together have donated about $3,000 to ShelterBox this year. We continue with strong participation in our small-but-steady fundraising effort through the Clynk recycling program. He also noted that ShelterBox has grown well beyond simply being an independent agency providing relief after natural disasters, taking emergency equipment to areas such as Ukraine and Yemen.
• UPCOMING MEETINGS — The SRC Board will meet after the regular dinner meeting on Thursday, May 5. … Mike Moscatiello of our host Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant, will be the speaker at our Thursday, April 21, dinner meeting. His topic: “Restaurants During COVID,” a particularly timely and interesting topic. (Entree choices for that meeting are chicken Caesar salad and chicken limon.)
The National Weather Service predicts a 100% chance of rain on Thursday. Luckily, our weekly meeting is scheduled to be via Zoom, so you won’t have to get wet while traveling.
As always, simply go to http://SRCrotary.org/calendar and click on the link for April 14 to gain access to the session.
If you have an item to place on the agenda, please contact Prez Debbie by this evening.
Cody Bloomfield and Sean Wyse speak about Capital Roots.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (15): Debbie Rodriguez, Keven Leyhane, Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Murray Forth, Charlie Foote, Phil Kellerman, Dick Drumm, Pat Bailey, Becky Raymond, Andy Leyhane. By proxy: Carol Orvis, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Tony Morris.
GUESTS: Joan and Emery Maddocks, Mike Stengl
SPEAKERS: Cody Bloomfield and Sean Wyse from Capital Roots
President Debbie Rodriguez called the meeting to order at Moscatiello’s Restaurant, noting the presence of a quorum.
MEETING NOTES:
ROTARACT: A ShelterBox was set up in the lobby at the School of Public Health on 4/6/22. Larry Jones, Past Rotary District Governor, spoke about ShelterBox. There was good student and staff turnout. Rotarians attending were Larry Jones, John Justino, Becky Raymond, and Debbie Rodriguez.
CIRCLES OF MERCY: Jim Leyhane, Roberto Martinez, Charlie Foote, Shannon Romanowski and Lois Hanan assisted in packing Easter baskets this afternoon. Over 40 baskets were assembled and will be delivered to Circles of Mercy tomorrow by YMCA staff. Thanks all for the assistance.
DRIVING COURSE: Jim Leyhane asked about reconvening the drivers training course which the club last sponsored three years ago. After taking the course, you will be eligible to receive a 10% discount on your auto insurance. We would probably need a quorum. There was quite a bit of interest tonight by show of hands and a final count will be taken next week.
HEALTH UPDATE: Doris is receiving rehab at home and is in better spirits.
ROTARY CARD: Debbie has purchased Rotary business card if folks are interested. They will be used during our fundraising events.
BLUE STAR MOTHERS GOLF TOURNAMENT: Debbie Rodriguez reminded us about the Blue Star Mothers benefit golf tournament. More info is on the website.
GRANT TRAINING: Four club members were in attendance and we are awaiting the MOU from District.
BOY SCOUTS: Dennis Cicchino, Scoutmaster, sent a thank-you letter to the club in appreciation of the $750 donation to the Scouts.
Capital Roots: Cody Bloomfield and Sean Wyse from Capital Roots spoke about their organization. They said food access is a right, not a privilege. Capital Roots’ mission is to cultivate and nourish communities by creating equitable access to fresh food and green spaces in support of a robust regional food system. They are a 501(c)3 non-profit serving Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and southern Saratoga counties. It was founded in 1975 as a community gardening program.
Capital Roots’ approach is: easy access, making it affordable, top quality, and dignity. Their 12 programs are Community Gardens, Veggie Mobile, Produce Project, Squash Hunger, Taste Good Series, Farm to School, Healthy Stores, Healthy Streets, Veggie RX, Virtual Veggie Mobile, Smart Vending and Urban Greening.
They are looking for support and volunteers and have a retail market in Troy.
NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14th.
A collection of Easter baskets created from donations to SRC and the Greenbush YMCA was delivered to Circles of Mercy headquarters today.
A team of volunteers from the club and the Y finished assembling the baskets on Thursday at the Y. Thanks to all who were involved including Lois Hannan who headed up the club’s effort and Shannon Romanowski who headed up the Y’s effort.
Part of the basket assembly brigade. From left: Jim Leyhane, Lois Hannan, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Shannon Romanowski.Volunteers parcel out basket items.
A reminder: Thursday’s dinner meeting will feature speakers Cody Bloomfield and Sean Wyse from Capital Roots.
They will discuss the Troy-based organization’s efforts to nourish healthy communities by providing access to affordable fresh food and green spaces as well as nutrition education for the public. As usual we’ll be meeting at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant beginning at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6.
Dinner choices are chicken Caesar salad or linguine with white clam sauce, and as always the cash bar is open and pouring.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 