Meeting Clipboard: 2/3/22

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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-PERSON MEETINGS — 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.

What impact does our Clynk drive have?

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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 for Soldiers’ drive is under way

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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.

Zooming on Thursday, and looking for programs

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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.

Meeting Clipboard: 1/27/22

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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.

Rotary Foundation top-rated once more

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For the 14th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — 4-star — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.

The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only 1% of the organizations Charity Navigator evaluates have received 14 consecutive 4-star evaluations.

“We are honored to have been recognized and to be among the top 1% of charities evaluated,” said Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair John Germ. “Our donors can feel proud knowing that their gifts will allow them to make an impact in their communities and the world for years to come.”

The rating reflects Charity Navigator’s assessment of how the Foundation uses donations, sustains its programs and services, and practices good governance and openness.

Assemblyman Jake Ashby our Thursday guest

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Assemblyman Jake Ashby, R-C

Jake Ashby, who represents the 107th District (most of Rensselaer County and parts of Columbia and Washington counties) in the State Assembly, will speak to SRC during our 7 p.m. Zoom meeting this week.

Jake, who served as a Rensselaer County legislator before being elected to the Assembly in 2018, has for the past 18 years worked as an occupational therapist and rehabilitation director, founding his own practice in 2014. Additionally, he has been an instructor in occupational therapy at Maria College in Albany.

He earned his commission with the U.S. Army Reserves, serving for eight years and rising to the rank of captain. He completed combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a humanitarian mission in Africa. During his service career he earned two Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. He is a past commander of VFW Post 7337 in Castleton.

Jake holds an MBA in healthcare management from Union Graduate College in Schenectady, a B.S. in occupational therapy from Keuka College, and an A.A, from Hudson Valley Community College.

Jake resides in Castleton with his wife, Kristy, and their two children.

As always, to gain access to our Zoom meeting, simply go online to our club website’s calendar page and clock on the link for January 27.

Leadership training for wannabes

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Interested in learning more about Rotary leadership roles?

You don’t have to currently hold club office, but you can become more prepared to step into such a role because the upcoming Multi-District Leadership Development Seminar (MDLDS) is open to both current Rotary leaders and potential leaders. 

MDLDS will be held over four evenings at 7 o’clock each session. The dates and topics:       

• Monday, February 7 — Running your club

• Tuesday, February 15 — Setting goals

• Wednesday, February 23 — Leadership

• Thursday, March 3 — Financial awareness

When you register online you will be sent a link to provide access to the sessions. 

CCP offers explanation on COVID updates

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• Community Care Physicians, which is a corporate member of the Southern Rensselaer County Rotary Club, today distributed an update on COVID-19 topics for its patient base (which includes a number of SRC Rotarians). For the benefit of those SRC folks who are not among that group, here is the update in its entirety.

Three important COVID-19 announcements were made this past week. First, there was a change in quarantine/isolation requirements for the community. Second, it was announced that free COVID-19 at-home tests could be ordered from the government. Lastly, the CDC updated its mask guidance and the government unveiled plans to make 400 million N95 masks available for free at pharmacies and community health centers across the country.

A lot to digest.

Our practices have been getting many questions about these updates. To alleviate our phone lines, when possible, we wanted to share the important highlights that you should know about each topic.

  1. Quarantine and Isolation Requirements

Remember, “quarantine” is for people who have a known exposure to COVID-19 (you have no symptoms) and “isolation” is for people who have a positive COVID-19 test or who have symptoms and are waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test.

The below link takes you to a chart on the CDC’s website. This is the most succinct review of the guidelines:

Click to access Isolation%20and%20Quarantine%20Tables%201.14.22.pdf

Read through it carefully and follow these guidelines.

A few things to note:

  • If you are required to quarantine after an exposure according to the chart above, that means you stay home and away from other people; wear a well-fitting mask when around others (including at home, if possible); monitor for symptoms.
  • If you are required to isolate, that means stay home in a separate room from others in the household, if possible; use a separate bathroom; wear a well-fitting mask at all times, especially if you can’t separate from everyone in your household; monitor your symptoms; avoid contact with people and pets; don’t share personal household items.
  1. Free At-Home COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

IMPORTANT NOTE: for these at-home tests, you do NOT need a prescription or a note from your provider. You don’t need to contact us before obtaining your tests.

The USPS website is now letting you place your order for free at-home COVID-19 test kits: https://special.usps.com/testkits

  • Tests are free.
  • Limit of one order per residential address.
  • One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests.
  • Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days (depending on shipping delays). Order your tests now so you have them when you need them.

It takes less than two minutes to order, and you need to provide only your contact information and shipping address. CCP is not associated with this website, so we can’t assist with any issues with the website. This is a government initiative, and more information can be found at  www.covidtests.gov/

What if you buy your COVID-19 tests at your local pharmacy? You can get reimbursed through your health plan for up to 8 individual at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per person enrolled in the plan per month. That means a family of four can get 32 tests per month for free. Note, CCP cannot assist with reimbursement. Please contact your health plan.

Below is additional information for you about how to get your at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test (authorized by the US FDA) at no cost, either through reimbursement or free of charge up front. Check out these FAQs.

https://www.cms.gov/how-to-get-your-at-home-OTC-COVID-19-test-for-free

  1. Free N95 Masks Provided by Federal Government

The CDC now says that N95 masks may be worn by the general public if people wish to wear them. To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, it is recommended that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.

With that said, the US government will make 400 million non-surgical N95 masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public. Retail chains such as CVS and Walgreens plan to distribute the masks, and some community health centers. From what we know as of now, there is not a website to order; masks need to be obtained by physically visiting the locations that have the supply of masks. The masks could be arriving as soon as next week at some locations, but the program will be fully ramped up by February.

There will be three masks distributed per person.

How do you get your masks? The details still need to be nailed down. We recommend that you check with your local CVS or Walgreens to see if they are participating in the program and how to obtain your free N95 masks.

If you can’t get an N95 mask, wear the best mask available to you, wear it all the time when around others, and wear it over your mouth AND nose.

Stay safe and continue to follow the guidelines.

Early conference signup could mean prizes

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There aren’t many details available at the moment, but we do know District 7190 is pulling out the stops to attract participation to the District Conference this year.

The three-day event is set for the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury on April 29-May 1. Registrations are already being accepted with prize incentives for earlybird signups.

All of those details are available on the online registration page for what is being called “A Fun Time Out.”