The 2022 District 7190 Nominating Committee, which convened on Saturday, February 12, to interview candidates for the office of 2024-25 District Governor, selected Gregg Schorr of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Club as the nominee.
In addition, the committee approved the appointment of Past DG Fred Daniels to serve as Vice DG for the 2022-23 Rotary Year under DG-elect Denise DiNoto. Fred would assume the top role next year should Denise be unable to carry out the duties of the office.
“If any club would like to challenge the selection of Gregg Schorr based on their club’s candidate, all written challenges need to be received by me no later than March 2,” said current DG Bruce Connellee. “If no written challenges are received by that date, then his selection will be final.”
A reminder that this Thursday we will be assembling at 7 p.m. via Zoom for our club meeting. So, your choice of food, beverage, and attire is anything laying around the house.
While we hope you plan to join us, if you can’t it would be helpful to email your proxy to President Debbie (debannrod@yahoo.com) no later than Wednesday. That will count toward attendance (we need a quorum to conduct any formal business decisions), and allow her to cast your vote as needed. We have no guest program this week, so the session should be relatively brief. But, if you have any topics you’d like Debbie to put on the meeting agenda, please email her, also no later than Wednesday, to be sure you’re heard.
As always, you’ll be able to access the Zoom meeting by clicking on the link for that date on our website calendar page.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (16): Debbie Rodriguez, Kevin Leyhane, Pat Bailey, Andy Leyhane, Bill Dowd, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Becky Raymond, Phil Kellerman, Tony Morris, Dean Calamaras (by proxy), Doris Calamaras (by proxy), Carol Orvis (by proxy).
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:
• PROGRAM: Bill Dowd conducted his “Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test,” returning after a year off due to the lack of in-person meetings during the worst of the pandemic. This was the 7th year for the quiz. Peter Brown emerged the winner, earning a book on “Bar Trivia.” Congratulations to him, and thanks to all who participated.
• VIKING GYM — President Debbie updated members on a meeting the club had today with the Town of Schodack regarding restoration and potential expansion of the Viking outdoor gym at the Town Park. The SRC-sponsored gym, made of raw wood that had not had the bark stripped, was removed after it degraded beyond repair. The Town expressed interest in rebuilding and further discussion on materials, funding, layout, etc., will be held.
• DG SCREENING — Bill Dowd reported he will be be representing Area 8 clubs on the panel scheduled to interview potential District Governor candidates this Saturday. It will be a two-hour Zoom session.
• INTER-CLUB EFFORT — Debbie said she has extended a feeler to the Kiwanis Club of East Greenbush to explore the possibility of joint projects. We also will invite Kiwanians to attend one of our dinner meetings, and they will reciprocate so we can get to know each other better. Members in attendance expressed support for such a possibility.
• BOARD MEETING — The SRC Board Meeting has been rescheduled for March 10, following the scheduled dinner meeting. The change was made because the original February date conflicted with school vacation.
• UPCOMING MEETINGS — We will meet at 7 p.m. via Zoom next week, February 17. … By consensus, members agreed to hold Zoom meetings any time a scheduled dinner meeting is called off because of inclement weather.
The Rotary Impact Committee, SRC’s newest fundraising group which is putting together a major raffle initiative, has issued its first planning report, from co-chairs Pat Bailey and Phil Kellerman:
“We have chosen to give the proceeds of raffle ticket sales to local food pantries and to the YWCA Women’s Shelter in Troy. Our theme is, ‘Help Rotary meet critical needs of Rensselaer County.’
“We hope to visit various sites such as Kids’Day at the Y, farmer’s markets, Little League events, ValleyCats home games at Bruno Stadium, and possibly June’s Farms or Windy Hill Orchard to sell raffle tickets. We hope to be ready to begin doing so by April 15 and to conclude sales around May 31 with the drawing for winners at that time.
“Prizes still are to be determined, but could include such things as a weekend away at a cottage or resort; a night out at an event; a new gas grill, or a ValleyCats package. We are asking members to let us know if anyone has a cottage or cabin that could be used for such a weekend getaway.”
“Raffle tickets will be priced at $5 each and 3-for-$10. We are also working on getting a banner and other marketing materials.”
The committee’s next meeting will be held via Zoom on either February 21 or March 7.
They are, as veteran Rotary trivia fans might have guessed, what goes into the upcoming “7th Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test.” The friendly competition will be held this coming Thursday at our first in-person meeting of 2022, at Moscatiello’s Italian Family Restaurant at 6 p.m.
PLEASE BRING A PEN OR PENCIL WITH YOU. You’ll need a writing implement to jot down your answers and keep a running score.
You’ll be able to fortify yourselves with the cash bar and a choice between Moscatiello’s sumptious chicken Caesar salad or bountiful meatballs and spaghetti as your dinner entree.
As always, no need to RSVP. Just show up and let your Rotary hosts know your entree choice. Also as always, the more the merrier, but we do prefer all attendees to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (17): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Pat Bailey, Charlie Foote, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Andy Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Tony Morris, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Becky Raymond (by proxy).
Guests: None.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum.
Meeting Notes:
IN-PERSONMEETINGS — The membership has decided to return to in-person meetings at Moscatiello’s, alternating with Zoom sessions, beginning next week at 6:15 p.m. Thursday (February 10). Bill Dowd will be presenting the sort-of-annual “Great North American Whizbang Trivia Test.”
VIKING OUTDOOR GYM — The meeting scheduled for today at Schodack Town Hall to discuss the Viking Gym’s status and future was rescheduled to 11 a.m. next Thursday, February 10. SRC members are invited to attend, with Ron Annis as the club lead.
SERVICE PROJECTS — Secretary Pat Bailey will respond to the request from PDG Fred Carvin, the District historian, for a summary of service projects, fundraisers, exceptional guest speakers, and events in which the club or individual members participated. That information will be incorporated into the historian’s report to be presented at the District Conference in Lake George.
DAF COMMITTEE — Phil Kellerman reported that the Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Committee, appointed last year, is planning to hold its first meeting on or before Thursday, February 17, and should be able to report to the membership during the scheduled February 17 Zoom meeting.
ROTARY IMPACT COMMITTEE — Pat Bailey provided an update on the newly-named committee working on a fundraising project. Details will be shared as plans proceed.
In addition to raising money, nickel by nickel, for ShelterBox, our ongoing use of the Clynk container redemption program has a varied environmental impact.
The graphic above shows just one result. We can continue doing good by getting involved in the project if you haven’t already done so.
All you have to do is:
(1.) Purchase a box of collection bags from any Hannaford market customer service desk.
(2.) Contact Bill Dowd to obtain bar code stickers to put on the bags.
(3.) Fill the bags with redeemable glass bottles, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. No need to rinse or sort them.
(4.) Take the bag to any Hannaford, use the handheld scanner in the container return area on the sticker and drop the bag in the chute.
It can’t get much simpler, and you’ll find you you won’t tend to stockpile containers at home.
Socks are among the most requested items for those military personnel deployed overseas in defense of our nation.
Rensselaer County is collecting donated socks to support the Blue Star Mothers group that frequently sends boxes to local soldiers on deployment.
Please consider supporting this effort by dropping off a donation of new socks at the Rensselaer County Office Building, 1600 7th Avenue in downtown Troy. More locations are being lined up, according to the County.
We hope you marked your calendar for this Thursday. We’ll be meeting via Zoom starting at 7 p.m. Just use the link on our website calendar page to gain access.
Since we have no guest speaker lined up, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss whatever Rotary topics are on your minds. If you would like to place an item on the agenda, please be sure to get it to President Debbie no later than Wednesday.
Also, if you can’t join us but would like to be counted toward a quorum in case we need to vote on club business, please be sure Debbie has your written OK to cast your vote, also no later than Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Becky Raymond and Kevin Leyhane are looking for programs. Check the chart below to see what dates are available for you or a guest speaker to make a presentation to the club.
MEMBERS ATTENDING (21): Debbie Rodriguez, Bill Dowd, Murray Forth, Dick Drumm, Ray Hannan, Pat Bailey, Becky Raymond, Terry Brewer, Charlie Foote, Ron Annis, Roberto Martinez, Jim Leyhane, John Justino, Phil Kellerman, Peter Brown, Debbie Brown, Kevin Leyhane, Dean Calamaras, Doris Calamaras, Carol Orvis (by proxy), Tony Morris (by proxy).
GUESTS (1): Assemblyman Jake Ashby.
President Debbie Rodriguez called the Zoom meeting to order and noted the presence of a quorum.
Meeting Items:
• ZOOM SECURITY — Bill Dowd led a discussion on the security of our Zoom sessions, prompted by Becky Raymond experiencing an unwanted intrusion of a memorial service she recently attended via Zoom. The pros and cons of installing security (password protected calendar page, etc.) were considered, but the consensus was that since was have not had such a negative experience we will leave the access status as it is unless we have a breach.
• THANK-YOU NOTES — Bill reported that the club received thank-you cards from the two families who received gifts through our annual participation in the Circles of Mercy Adopt-a-Family program. Murray Forth reported receiving a thank-you note from the Mayfield, Kentucky, Rotary Club for the $500 we sent them in support of the post-tornado damage in that region.
• LEADERSHIP — Debbie Rodriguez reminded members of the four-session Multi-District Leadership Development workshops that begin February 7. Registration is available online, and the club will reimburse any costs incurred to members who register online and complete the session.
• SPEAKER — Jake Ashby, who represents the 107th District (Rensselaer County and parts of Columbia and Washington counties) in the State Assembly, was our guest speaker. He addressed a number of topics, including COVID’s effect on how business is conducted in the Legislature. That includes a lot of virtual meetings, limited-participant in-person sessions, etc. He said some other effects include the public not having the in-person access to legislators that it once had, although public hearings are in-person, and not being able to view the deliberative process.
Jake said the legislators’ relationship to the Governor’s Office is much improved since Kathy Hochul succeeded Andrew Cuomo. He said the new administration is at least open to discussions with the Republican minority “which almost never happened under Cuomo.”
During a Q&A session, Ashby said he is opposed to renewing the license for the controversial Dunn Landfill in the City of Rensselaer. He said the bipartisan consensus seems to be that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) should reject an application to extend the timeline for operating the site. He explained that not only waste from the region is dumped there, but waste is trucked in from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Asked about staff size, Jake said he has two fulltime and one part-time staffers, the size limited by the $100,000 his office is allocated annually for staffing. He noted that many people in the Democrat majority are given staffing allowances of a half-million or more dollars, and thus have larger staffs.
• NEXT MEETING — We will meet via Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 3. Access will, as usual, be via the website calendar page link.
Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club 